The platform you run your coaching business on is a decision you live with every day, so it deserves an honest comparison. This is a fair, side-by-side look at Trainera and PT Distinction. All pricing is accurate as of June 2026.

TL;DR

PT Distinction is one of the deepest coaching platforms on the market, with outstanding reviews (4.9 out of 5 from 445 reviews on Capterra), standout assessments, and cheap white-label branded apps. It is an excellent tool for an experienced online coach who has the time to master it.

Trainera is built for trainers who want local-language support, local-currency pricing, flexible client payments (including cash and bank transfer), a fast start, and a marketplace that brings in new clients. For the Balkan market and for trainers who want to be discovered rather than just manage existing clients, Trainera is the stronger overall choice and our winner.

Quick comparison table

Pricing

PT Distinction charges in US dollars only. As of June 2026, Basic is $19.90 per month for 3 clients, Pro ("Most popular") is $59.90 for 25 clients, and Master is $89.90 for 50 clients. Extra clients are billed per head (for example $2.40 per month per client on Pro), so a Master coach with 100 clients would reach roughly $169.90 per month. There is a 1-month free trial on all tiers, and no annual billing option is shown on the pricing page. Adding extra trainers is free.

Trainera uses local-currency pricing. In Bosnia, Starter is from 19.99 KM per month (10 clients), Pro is 44.99 KM (30 clients), and Business is 84.99 KM (100 clients). Croatia and Montenegro pay in euros, Serbia in dinars, and the US in dollars (Starter $19.99, Pro $49.99, Business $99). There is also a free plan, and everything is included with no add-ons.

The headline difference is what you get at the entry point. PT Distinction's $19.90 Basic plan covers only 3 clients, while Trainera's Starter covers 10, plus you can begin on a free plan before paying anything. For a Balkan trainer building a business, starting free and paying only once you have paying clients changes the math considerably.

It is also worth being precise about how the two structures behave as you grow. On PT Distinction, every plan shares the same features and the tiers differ mainly by included client count and whether you get a branded app (Basic does not, Pro and Master do). Once you pass your included clients, you pay per extra head, which is fair but compounds at scale, so it pays to model where you will be in a year. Trainera also includes everything on paid plans, but starts lower and lets you validate the business on a free plan first. Both are honest, all-included models; the difference is the entry point and the ability to start at zero cost.

Learning curve and onboarding

The single most repeated criticism of PT Distinction in reviews is not a bug, it is its own depth turned against it. Capterra reviewers describe "somewhat of a steep learning curve" and a platform that feels "overwhelming in the beginning." Setting up templates, automations and custom assessments takes real upfront time. PTPioneer's verdict is blunt: it is built for "experienced personal trainers with established businesses," not beginners.

That is fine if you already have a large roster and time to invest. If you are early in your coaching career, that barrier works against you. Trainera is designed so you can start fast and onboard your first client the same day, without a long ramp.

Think about how you actually spend your time as a coach. Hours spent mastering a complex tool are hours not spent with clients or attracting new ones. For someone building from scratch, simplicity at the start is not a luxury, it is a requirement. PT Distinction unlocks its value once you invest the setup time; Trainera gives it to you up front. That does not make Trainera shallow, it just reverses the order: you start working first and discover deeper features when you need them.

Features and assessments

PT Distinction's genuine standout is assessments: built-in movement screens with video, body composition tracking, flexibility, endurance and strength tests, plus fully custom assessment creation. Reviewers consistently call this depth a differentiator. It also offers an AI Program Generator, an AI Meal Planner, editable program templates and client video technique review. If deep assessment and programming control is your priority, PT Distinction is excellent at it.

Trainera covers client management, a workout builder with a video exercise library, nutrition plans with a meal library and macro tracking, AI food-photo analysis, real-time chat, and progress tracking with measurements, photos, streaks and achievements. AI is included in paid plans for training, nutrition and workout generation plus weekly insights, with no add-ons.

Nutrition and macro tracking

Here is a concrete gap worth knowing. Capterra reviewers note that PT Distinction's native nutrition tracker has "no barcode scanner or way for client to see their macro goals." The workaround is the MyFitnessPal integration, which means your client effectively needs a second app to track macros seriously. Trainera handles macros and AI food-photo analysis inside the same app your client already uses, so there is no second login and no split experience.

Mobile app experience

Reviewers consistently report that PT Distinction's mobile app lags behind the web portal: "the mobile app is a little slow and clunky," and managing clients is easier on a laptop. To be fair, this is about the mobile experience, not the design. The trainer web UI is described as clean and attractive, so this is not a "dated interface" issue, it is a mobile-versus-desktop gap. Trainera ships as a web app plus dedicated iOS and Android apps for both trainers and clients.

Languages and localization

PT Distinction's interface is English only. There is no Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian or Montenegrin. If your clients are not comfortable in English, that gap directly hurts engagement, because clients use an app most when it speaks their language. Trainera offers its interface in 21 languages, including Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian, with support in the local language. For trainers serving Balkan clients, this is the single most decisive difference.

Payments

PT Distinction processes client payments through PayPal, and through Stripe via Zapier rather than as a native integration. That is workable if all your clients pay by card. Trainera supports Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer and cash tracking, which reflects how clients actually pay in markets where card-only is not the norm. Being able to log a cash or bank-transfer payment inside the same platform keeps each client's financial picture in one place, instead of a parallel spreadsheet.

Getting new clients

This is the biggest strategic difference. PT Distinction manages the clients you already have but does not bring you new ones; there is no marketplace or consumer-facing trainer directory, and its own blog tells trainers to find clients through networking, social and ads. Trainera gives every trainer a public web page with their own branding (and a custom domain on higher tiers) plus a listing in the trainera.fit marketplace, so prospective clients can find you and send a request. If you want to understand how trainers grow revenue, see our guide on how personal trainers increase income.

Who each is best for

Choose PT Distinction if

• You are an experienced online coach with an established roster (15+ clients)
• Your clients speak English and pay by card
• You want the deepest possible assessments and a cheap branded white-label app, and you have time to learn the tool

Choose Trainera if

• Your clients speak Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian or Montenegrin
• You want local-currency pricing, a free plan and a low entry point
• You need to track cash or bank-transfer payments, not just card
• You want built-in macros without sending clients to a second app
• You want to be discovered by new clients through a marketplace
• You want AI training and nutrition tools included in your plan

The honest verdict

PT Distinction is a genuinely excellent product. Its assessments are best-in-class, its branded apps are cheap, its support is fast, and its review scores are deservedly high. For an experienced, English-speaking coach with time to master it, it is a strong pick.

But for trainers in the Balkans, the calculus is simpler. Local languages, local currencies, flexible payments including cash and bank transfer, a free plan, a fast start, built-in macros and a marketplace that brings in new clients all line up directly with how coaching businesses grow in this region. That is why Trainera is the better overall choice and our winner. Create a free Trainera account and see the difference for yourself.