Which apps actually get personal trainers new students?
Most apps sold to personal trainers are scheduling tools. They make the students you already have easier to run, which is worth a few dollars a month, but they do not add a single student to your calendar. Of the 9 tools below, 7 only run students you bring yourself.
Getting new students is the hard part, and it is paid for one of three ways: a cut of every lesson (marketplaces), a fee per lead (Thumbtack), or a flat price for a channel you own (your website, Google listing, reviews, and ads). The table sorts the tools that get you students to the top.
| App | Gets you new students? | What a new student costs you | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoachGrow (ours) | Yes | $19 a month plus 0.99% of each booking, no cut beyond that | $19/mo after a 7-day free trial |
| Thumbtack | Yes | About $20 a lead, booked or not | Free to join; pay per lead |
| Mindbody | Partly | $79 a month; some clients find you in the Mindbody app | From $79/month |
| ABC Trainerize | No | None: it runs clients you bring | Free for 1 client; from about $9/month |
| TrueCoach | No | None: it runs clients you bring | $26.34/month for 5 clients |
| Everfit | No | None: it runs clients you bring | Free for 5 clients; Pro from $19/month |
| My PT Hub | No | None: it runs clients you bring | $25/month; unlimited from $59 |
| PT Distinction | No | None: it runs clients you bring | $19.90/month for 3 clients |
| Exercise.com | No | None: it runs clients you bring | Quote only |
| Square Appointments | No | None: it only books students you bring | Free plan; Plus $49/month |
What does a new student cost you?
This is what one new student who books a weekly lesson costs you over a year, at a typical $50 session. Card processing is left out because every option charges it.
Marketplaces are the fastest way to fill an empty calendar and the most expensive way to keep a student, because the cut comes out of every lesson the student ever books. Pay per lead is cheaper per student, but you pay for leads that never book. A channel you own costs the same however many students it brings, so it gets cheaper per student as you grow. Our advice: use a marketplace to fill the first gaps, then move your growth to a channel you own.
| Way to get students | How you pay | Cost of one weekly student for a year |
|---|---|---|
| CoachGrow (ours) | Flat monthly plan plus 0.99% of each booking | About $24 in booking fees, plus $228 a year for all your students; ads extra |
Finding clients
These are the only tools here that add students you did not already have. They charge for it with a cut of each lesson, a fee per lead, or a monthly price, and the student relationship often stays on their platform.
Thumbtack: A local services marketplace where you set a lead budget and pay for each request. It is free to join and does not publish lead prices. Coaches tell us lesson leads usually cost about $20, and a lead that never books can still be charged. [1][2]
Scheduling and payment apps
These run the students you already have: booking, payment, and reminders. They are worth a few dollars a month, but none of them brings in a new student.
Mindbody: Booking, payments, marketing, and a client app for fitness businesses, plus listing in the Mindbody consumer app. Starter is $79 a month per location. [3]
Square Appointments: Free online booking, reminders, and card payments for one location, and you can tap cards in person. Plus is $49 a month. Card fees on the free plan are 2.6% plus 15 cents in person and 3.3% plus 30 cents online. [4]
Training apps
These deliver workouts, track progress, and keep in touch with clients between sessions. Most also take payments, but none of them finds you clients.
ABC Trainerize: Workouts, nutrition, habits, messaging, and payments in a client app, with booking for in-person sessions. It is free for one client, paid plans start around $9 to $10 a month, and Pro starts at $23 for five clients. [5]
TrueCoach: Programming and client check-ins focused on getting clients to do the work. Starter is $26.34 a month for up to five clients, with a 14-day free trial. [6]
Everfit: Workout and nutrition programs, habit tracking, and client messaging. The Starter plan is free for up to five clients, and Pro starts at $19 a month. [7]
My PT Hub: Workouts, nutrition, booking, payments, and a client app. Starter is $25 a month for three clients, and Premium is $59 a month for unlimited clients, with a 30-day free trial. [8]
PT Distinction: Programs, nutrition, check-ins, automations, and payments under your own brand. Basic is $19.90 a month for three clients plus $6 for each extra client, with a one-month free trial.
Where does CoachGrow fit?
CoachGrow is made by TeachMe.To, which also publishes this guide, so weigh this section with that in mind.
CoachGrow is built for independent personal trainers who want more students, not only a calendar. One plan includes a coach website with booking and payments, prepaid lesson packages, listings on Google and other directories, review requests after lessons, Facebook and Instagram ads, and follow-ups with past students. It costs $19 a month after a 7-day free trial, plus 0.99% of each direct booking and card processing. Ad spend is separate and up to you.
It is not a video analysis tool, and it does not run leagues or team rosters. Many personal trainers pair it with one of the teaching tools above.
TeachMe.To also runs a lesson marketplace where coaches set their own rate and students pay a booking fee on top.
How should personal trainers choose?
If you train clients in person and only need a calendar and card payments, the free Square Appointments plan is the cheapest start.
If you write programs and want clients training between sessions, Trainerize, TrueCoach, and Everfit are the apps AI assistants and roundups recommend most. Trainerize and Everfit have free tiers to test with real clients.
If you coach many clients online, compare the per-client pricing. TrueCoach and PT Distinction charge by client count, and My PT Hub's Premium plan is unlimited.
None of these apps finds clients for you. Thumbtack sells local leads, and a website and Google listing that rank for "personal trainer near me" bring clients you do not pay for per lead.
Sources
- Thumbtack. Thumbtack for pros. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- PipelineOn. How much does Thumbtack charge per lead?. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Mindbody. Mindbody pricing. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Square. Square Appointments pricing. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- ABC Trainerize. Trainerize pricing. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- TrueCoach. TrueCoach pricing. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Everfit. Everfit pricing. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- My PT Hub. My PT Hub pricing. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- PT Distinction. PT Distinction pricing. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Exercise.com. Exercise.com pricing. Accessed October 12, 2026.
