Quick verdict (TL;DR)

Trainerize - best if you need the most powerful workout builder, a huge exercise video library and seamless wearable sync (Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit).
Kahunas - best if you want your own branded app at an affordable price, a simple check-in workflow and praised coach-side support.
And if you are in the Balkans or want everything included with no add-ons - there is a third option that beats both for our market. More on that below.

If you are picking an online coaching platform, you have probably narrowed it down to Trainerize and Kahunas. Both are serious players, but they serve different kinds of coaches. This guide compares them fairly, category by category, with real pricing (as of June 2026) and an honest winner in each area. At the end we also show a third option that may make more sense for coaches in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Overview: Trainerize and Kahunas at a glance

Trainerize

Trainerize (trainerize.com) is a Canadian platform based in Vancouver, acquired by ABC Fitness in September 2020. They claim over 400,000 coaches. It is a mature, feature-rich tool that scales from solo coaches to studios and gyms. Its biggest strength is training: a builder with supersets, circuits and percentage-of-1RM progression, plus an AI Workout Builder included from the Grow plan up.

The weak spot? Reddit users (r/personaltraining) and GetApp reviews (4.6 out of 5, around 694 reviews) describe load lag, slow videos and occasional broken chat or sync. Many say quality declined after the ABC acquisition. Pricing has increased twice in 20 months (July 2024 and March 16, 2026, with the official FAQ citing AI investment as the reason).

Kahunas

Kahunas (kahunas.io) is built by Kahunas FZE, based in Sharjah, UAE, and founded by Mark Fox around 2020. It is bootstrapped and focused on online coaches who want their own branded app and a strong client-accountability system (custom check-in forms, habit tracking, progress photo overlay). Coach-side support is consistently praised - Trustpilot 4.8 out of 5 (over 400 reviews), Capterra 4.9 out of 5 (around 60 reviews).

The weak spot? The client app sits at around 3 stars (App Store UK 3.2 out of 5 across 137 reviews; Google Play around 3.0 across 210 reviews), with reviews citing crashes and mid-workout data loss. The nutrition module is the weakest of the group (food-data complaints, no MyFitnessPal or Cronometer integration). There is no calendar or session booking - it is an online-only tool.

Side-by-side at a glance

Category	Trainerize	Kahunas
Pricing (entry)	Free (1 client), Grow $10/mo (2), Pro tiers $25-$250	Essentials $35/mo (25), Growth $69 (50), Ultimate $99 (unlimited)
Client app rating	GetApp 4.6/5 (with crash and sync complaints)	App Store UK 3.2/5, Google Play ~3.0/5
Nutrition	Exists, but paid extra (Advanced Nutrition $20-$45/mo)	Included, but the weakest module on the market
Workout builder	Most advanced (supersets, circuits, %1RM, AI)	Simpler (limited tempo, RIR, supersets)
Branded app (white-label)	$169 one-time + $99/yr, full version only on Studio	Included in Ultimate ($99/mo), no setup fee
Languages	English, no Balkan language support	English, no Balkan language support
Payments	Stripe (enablement $10/mo), USD only	No commission on payments, USD only
Contracts / cancellation	Billing and cancellation complaints on Trustpilot	48h+ notice before renewal or owe full next term, UAE law

Category by category: the detailed breakdown

1. Pricing and hidden costs

The pricing models are completely different. Trainerize charges by client count: Free (1), Grow $10 (2), Pro 5 at $25, Pro 15 at $50, Pro 30 at $79, up to Pro 200 at $250 and Studio Plus at $275/mo per location (annual roughly 10% lower). The catch is the add-ons: Advanced Nutrition $20 or $45/mo, Stripe payments enablement $10/mo, Video Coaching $10/mo, Business add-on $25/mo. A realistic full solo setup lands around $175-200/mo.

Kahunas is simpler: Essentials $35/mo (25 clients), Growth $69 (50), Ultimate $99 (unlimited clients plus a branded iOS and Android app with its own app store listing, no setup fee - the cheapest branded-app deal on the market), annual 25% off. Fewer add-ons, but the 14-day trial auto-converts to paid.

One thing that is often overlooked: both platforms bill in dollars. For a coach who collects payments in convertible marks, euros or dinars, that means constant exposure to exchange-rate swings and conversion fees, plus possible card costs on every monthly charge. Over a year that adds up.

Winner: a tie. Trainerize is cheaper if you have few clients and skip the add-ons; Kahunas is more transparent and better value once you pass 25-30 clients.

2. Workout builder

Trainerize clearly leads here. Supersets, circuits, percentage-of-1RM progression, a huge exercise video library and an AI Workout Builder included from Grow. For coaches who run serious periodized programming, it is hard to beat. The Kahunas builder is functional but simpler, with limited tempo, RIR and superset options.

It is worth asking how much builder depth you actually need. If you run classic hypertrophy or strength programs with clear progression, Trainerize's depth is a real advantage. But if you mostly run simpler programs and your focus is on client habits and consistency, a simpler builder can be a feature, not a bug - less setup time, less room for error. Kahunas is clearly betting that most online coaches do not need the deepest periodization tooling.

Winner: Trainerize.

3. Nutrition

Neither is great, but in different ways. Trainerize has a decent module, but it is paid separately ($20 to $45/mo), has a 1400-kcal minimum for meal plans and a clunky MyFitnessPal sync. Kahunas includes nutrition, but users complain about poor food data, the inability to build and save meals, and no MyFitnessPal or Cronometer integration at all.

Winner: Trainerize, narrowly, because it at least offers a more functional module - even if it costs extra.

4. Client app experience

This matters because your clients use the app every day. Trainerize's app (GetApp 4.6 out of 5) is feature-rich, but users report load lag and occasional crashes. The Kahunas client app sits at around 3 stars (App Store UK 3.2, Google Play around 3.0), with reviews citing crashes and mid-workout data loss, plus unreliable Apple Health sync and no Apple Watch app.

Winner: Trainerize.

5. Business tools

Kahunas stands out with lead-gen funnels, automations and a strong check-in and accountability system (custom forms, habit tracking, progress photo overlay). Trainerize offers a broader ecosystem (scaling to studios, business add-on, video coaching), but each of those comes as a separate add-on. Note that Kahunas has no calendar or session booking - it is a purely online tool. If you run a hybrid model with in-person sessions, that is a meaningful gap you will need to fill with a separate tool.

On client billing, Kahunas takes no commission on payments, which is a plus, while Trainerize charges $10/mo just to enable Stripe. But neither helps if some clients pay in cash or by bank transfer, a common scenario in our region - there you are left with no record inside the platform.

Winner: Kahunas for solo online coaches who want simplicity; Trainerize for those growing toward a studio.

6. Support and contracts

Kahunas coach-side support is consistently praised (Trustpilot 4.8 out of 5 across 400+ reviews). But read the terms carefully: cancellation requires 48 hours or more notice before renewal, otherwise you owe the full next term, with no refund, under UAE law and Dubai courts. Trainerize only offers live support from the Pro plan up, and has billing and cancellation complaints on Trustpilot.

Winner: Kahunas for support quality, but be aware of the strict cancellation terms.

The third option: Trainera

Here is something both Trainerize and Kahunas share as a weakness: both are USD-only, English-first, and neither supports Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian. Neither tracks payments via bank transfer or cash - which is the reality of working with clients in our region.

Trainera (trainera.fit) is a platform built for our region. It runs on web, iOS and Android and includes everything in one price, with no add-ons at all:

Client management, a workout builder with video library, nutrition plans with macros and AI food photo analysis.
AI plan, workout and nutrition generation included - with no add-ons (unlike Trainerize's Advanced Nutrition at $20-$45/mo).
Payments: Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer and cash tracking - something neither Trainerize nor Kahunas offers.
Trainer public web page (custom domain on higher tiers) plus a marketplace listing = built-in client acquisition.
Health: Apple Health, Google Fit, Fitbit, Polar, Huawei Health.
Interface in 21 languages (incl. bs/hr/sr) and local support.

Pricing is local, not in dollars. In the US it is $19.99/$49.99/$99; in Bosnia Starter starts at 19.99 KM/mo (10 clients), Pro 44.99 KM (30), Business 84.99 KM (100); HR and ME are in EUR, RS in RSD. There is also a free plan.

If you want to compare directly, see Trainera vs Trainerize and Trainera vs Kahunas.

All three options side by side

Criterion	Trainerize	Kahunas	Trainera
Currency and pricing	USD only	USD only	Local (KM/EUR/RSD/USD)
Balkan languages (bs/hr/sr)	No	No	Yes
AI (plans/workouts/nutrition)	Partial, nutrition costs extra	Limited	Included, no add-ons
Payments (bank/cash)	No	No	Yes (Stripe, PayPal, bank, cash)
Client acquisition	No marketplace	Lead-gen funnels	Web page + marketplace
Free plan	Yes (1 client)	No (14-day trial only)	Yes

Recommendation by use case

Training is everything, you run periodization and use wearables? Trainerize.
Want your own branded app at an affordable price plus a simple check-in flow? Kahunas.
Working in BS/HR/SR/ME, want local pricing, your language, everything included and cash payment tracking? Trainera.

Conclusion

Trainerize and Kahunas are both solid platforms - Trainerize with the strongest workout builder and wearable ecosystem, Kahunas with the best branded-app value and praised support. But both bill you in dollars, speak only English and leave you to handle cash payments and local specifics on your own. When everything is added up, the third option - Trainera - beats them both: it solves exactly those points, with local pricing, everything included and a marketplace that brings you new clients. Try it free and compare for yourself.