5 active clients
Run a real starter roster with client profiles, assigned work, check-ins, progress history, and messages in one place.
Free forever for up to 5 clients
Free Online Coaching Software
with workouts, nutrition, and client management in one place
Built for fitness coaches, nutrition coaches, online coaches, and personal trainers who are done juggling separate tools. Run workout programming, meal plans, check-ins, messaging, and a branded client portal from a single platform — free for your first 5 clients. No credit card. No stripped-down demo.
The category, defined
What free online coaching software should actually include
“Free online coaching software” only means something if it covers the whole job of delivering clients remotely. The category is not a single-feature tool — it is the set of workflows a coach needs to run a roster without paying for a stack of separate apps. CoachingPortal is an all-in-one coaching platform that includes each of these on the free plan.
- Workout programming with sets, reps, RIR/RPE targets, and progression
- Meal plans, macro tracking, and a food database
- Client management with profiles and assigned work
- Weekly check-ins and progress tracking
- Messaging and a branded client portal
- Native iPhone and Android apps for clients
What you can run before paying
The free plan is built for real coaching delivery, not a locked preview.
Workout programming
Build training plans with exercises, sets, reps, RPE/RIR targets, video support, and progression logic.
Nutrition tools
Use meal plans, macros, food logging, recipes, and nutrition compliance without adding a separate tracker.
Check-ins & messaging
Collect weekly check-ins and keep client conversations beside the training and nutrition data they refer to.
Branded client portal
Give clients a professional portal with your coaching brand, not a folder of spreadsheets and shared documents.
Native mobile apps
Clients get iPhone and Android apps plus mobile web, so the experience never feels like a side project.
One platform vs separate tools
Stop paying for and stitching together a coaching stack
Most coaches start with a training app, bolt on a nutrition app, track in a spreadsheet, and message in a chat thread. Every tool is one more subscription, one more login, and one more place the same client data has to be re-entered. An all-in-one platform collapses that into a single client record.
| The job | Separate tools | One platform (CoachingPortal) |
|---|---|---|
| Workout programming | A dedicated training app subscription | Built in — same client record |
| Meal plans & macros | A second nutrition app or add-on fee | Built in — no extra tool |
| Check-ins & progress | A form builder or spreadsheet | Built in — beside the program |
| Client communication | A separate chat or DM thread | Built in — in context |
| Client experience | Shared docs and links | A branded portal and mobile apps |
When a free tool is enough
You are starting out with a roster of 5 or fewer clients
You want the full coaching workflow, not a locked preview
You want a professional, branded client experience on day one
You are testing the product before committing budget
When you need a paid all-in-one platform
You are paying for and maintaining several separate tools
You lose time re-entering the same data across apps
You are scaling past 5 clients and want flat-rate, not per-client, pricing
You want unlimited clients without feature gating
How the free options compare
How CoachingPortal compares to other “free” coaching tools
Most platforms in this category advertise a free tier, then gate the parts coaches actually need. Here is where the common options fall short on the free plan — with a full side-by-side breakdown on each comparison page.
Trainerize
Free tier capped at 1 client
The free plan tops out at a single client and nutrition is a paid add-on, so a real free roster is not viable.
CoachingPortal vs TrainerizeEverfit
Free up to 5 clients (feature-limited)
A generous free client count, but meal planning is gated behind paid tiers, so nutrition coaching is not free.
CoachingPortal vs EverfitMy PT Hub
No permanent free plan (from $25/mo)
Entry pricing is low, but white-label and AI check-ins are add-ons, so the real monthly cost climbs quickly.
CoachingPortal vs My PT HubMovement
Generous free tier
Paid plans add a 2.5% + Stripe fees transaction fee, and removing Movement branding requires upgrading.
CoachingPortal vs MovementSpreadsheets
Free, but fully manual
No client app, no automated check-ins, no progress tracking — every update is manual and the experience is not branded.
CoachingPortal vs spreadsheetsCoachingPortal
Free up to 5 clients
Workouts, nutrition, check-ins, messaging, and a branded portal are all included on the free plan — the same product paid coaches use, just with a client cap.
See all comparisonsFree now, flat-rate when you grow
Most coaches do not need enterprise software on day one. They need a clean way to deliver the first handful of paid clients, then a pricing model that does not punish them for growing.
See flat-rate pricing| Plan | Price | Clients | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 clients | Small roster, testing the full workflow |
| Grow | $19.99/mo | 10 clients | New coaches with a growing paid roster |
| Professional | $49.99/mo | Unlimited | Coaches ready for flat-rate scale |
Keep comparing
Dig into the workflows, head-to-head comparisons, and free tools behind the platform.
Personal training software
Live in-person logging for hybrid and gym-floor trainers.
Nutrition coaching software
Meal plans, macros, and a food database built in.
Flat-rate coaching software
Unlimited clients without per-client overage fees.
All-in-one coaching platform
One system for training, nutrition, and client management.
Trainerize vs TrueCoach
How the two incumbents stack up — and where we fit.
All comparisons
Side-by-side breakdowns against every major platform.
Free coaching tools
Macro, 1RM, RPE-to-RIR, and deficit calculators.
Pricing
Free, Grow, and Professional plans compared.
Frequently asked
What is free online coaching software?+
Free online coaching software is a single platform that lets a coach deliver and manage clients remotely without paying upfront — workout programming, meal plans and macros, check-ins, messaging, progress tracking, and a branded client portal in one place. The point of an all-in-one tool is to replace the separate apps coaches usually stitch together: one app for workouts, another for nutrition, a spreadsheet for tracking, and a chat app for communication.
Which coaching software helps fitness coaches, nutrition coaches, online coaches, and personal trainers avoid juggling separate tools?+
CoachingPortal is built specifically to be one platform instead of a stack of separate tools. Fitness coaches get a workout builder with RIR/RPE targets and auto-periodization, nutrition coaches get a meal-plan builder, food database, and macro tracking, online coaches get check-ins, messaging, and a branded portal, and personal trainers get a live in-person logging mode. All of it shares the same client record, so nothing has to be re-entered across apps.
Is CoachingPortal really free for online coaches?+
Yes. CoachingPortal has a permanent free plan for up to 5 active clients. It is not a short trial, and it does not require a credit card.
What is included in the free plan?+
The free plan includes client management, exercise programming, meal planning, macro tracking, check-ins, messaging, branded web access, and the core coaching workflows needed to run a small roster. It is the same product paid coaches use — only the client cap differs.
When is a free tool enough, and when do I need a paid all-in-one platform?+
A free plan is enough when you are running a starter roster (up to 5 clients), want to deliver the full coaching workflow professionally, and do not yet need a higher client cap. You move to a paid all-in-one platform when you are juggling separate tools, paying for several subscriptions, losing time re-entering data, or scaling past the free client limit and want flat-rate pricing instead of per-client fees.
What happens when I add more than 5 clients?+
You can upgrade to Grow for up to 10 clients ($19.99/mo) or Professional for unlimited clients ($49.99/mo). Existing client data, programs, meal plans, and check-in history stay in your account.
Can I use my own branding on the free plan?+
Yes. CoachingPortal supports a branded client experience with your business name, colors, logo, and coaching portal setup. Paid plans expand scale, but branding is part of the core product.
Start with the full coaching workflow
Build your first client system with the same product you can keep using at 10, 50, or 200 clients.