Guide
Fitness Software Pricing Explained: Headline vs True Cost
Why the price on the pricing page is almost never what you pay, with a worked 30-client example and how to calculate your real monthly bill.
Fitness software pricing is designed to look cheap. The advertised number is usually the smallest possible plan, before add-ons and payment processing. Here is how the real bill is built, using published October 2026 prices.
The three hidden multipliers
- Client-count scaling: per-client plans rise as you grow. Trainerize Pro goes from $25 at 5 clients to $135 at 50; Coachway from $79 to $529.
- Add-ons: Trainerize sells meal planning ($20–$45/mo), payments ($10) and video coaching ($10) separately; Everfit sells Autoflow automation (from $29), meal plans (from $39) and payments (from $9).
- Payment fees: Stripe’s standard rate is about 2.9% + $0.30 per payment. TrueCoach takes a flat 5%, and PushPress’s free gym plan charges 4.99% + $0.30.
A worked example: 30 clients at $150 a month
Take a coach with 30 clients, each paying $150 a month ($4,500 collected), who wants meal planning and in-app payments. Here is the monthly bill on seven coaching platforms, from published prices.
| Platform | Subscription | Add-ons | Card fees | Total a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My PT Hub | $59 (Premium, unlimited) | None | $139.50 | $198.50 |
| PT Distinction | $71.90 (Pro, 25 + 5 extra) | None | $139.50 | $211.40 |
| FitBudd | $99 (Pro, 20 + 10 extra) | None | $139.50 | $238.50 |
| Trainerize | $79 (Pro 30) | $30 (meal planner $20, payments $10) | $139.50 | $248.50 |
| Everfit | $75 (Pro, up to 35) | $48 (meal plans $39, payments $9) | $139.50 | $262.50 |
| TrueCoach | $164.98 (Pro, up to 50) | None | $225 (flat 5%) | $389.98 |
| Coachway | $329 ($79 + 25 × $10) | None | $139.50 (own Stripe) | $468.50 |
Card fees assume Stripe’s standard 2.9% + $0.30 on 30 payments; your rate may differ. Add-ons are at their entry prices. If the Coachway coach used its built-in payments instead of their own Stripe checkout, add 2.4% ($108).
Card fees usually beat the subscription
On $4,500 a month, card fees cost more than the subscription on six of these seven platforms. The gap between the cheapest and the dearest bill is $270 a month, more than $3,200 a year, for the same coach.
Quote-based pricing is the biggest gap
Mindbody publishes only "from $79/mo", while owners report $99–$499+ per location. Glofox publishes "from $99" and operators report about $110–$400+. Exercise.com publishes nothing; listings report an entry of about $239/mo. Always get the all-in number, the card rate and the contract length in writing.
What annual billing actually saves
Annual discounts are smaller than many people assume: about 10% on Trainerize, Virtuagym and WellnessLiving, 12–17% on TrueCoach and My PT Hub, and two months free (about 17%) on TrainerFu. Confirm that add-ons are included at the annual rate and check the refund terms before paying a year up front.
Compare headline vs true cost across all 43 platforms.
See the full pricing matrixFAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is payment processing and who charges it?
A percentage fee (typically 2.75%–5%) on money you collect through the platform, usually via Stripe or the vendor’s own processor. It is separate from your subscription, and on a busy roster it is often the biggest line on the bill.
Which personal trainer software adds no payment fee?
PT Distinction, My PT Hub, FitBudd and TrainerFu add nothing on top of the processor’s fee, and Coachway adds nothing through your own Stripe checkout. TrueCoach takes a flat 5% of every card payment.
Are annual plans cheaper?
Usually by about 10–17%: around 10% on Trainerize, Virtuagym and WellnessLiving, up to 17% on TrueCoach and TrainerFu. Confirm the add-ons are included at that rate.
How do I estimate my own true cost?
Our cost calculator compares every platform at once: choose personal trainer, enter your clients and average monthly fee, and it adds the subscription and card fees. The fee calculator on each review also adds typical add-ons, and our buyer’s guide lists what to check first.
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