# TrueCoach vs TrainHeroic 2026: Prices, Fit and Verdict > TrueCoach suits 1:1 online coaches up to 50 clients who want a branded app; TrainHeroic suits team and performance coaches and costs less as you grow. Real prices at 10, 30 and 75 clients, payment fees and trial questions. *Author: Trainera Team | Published: 2026-10-12 | Reading time: 7 min* ## TrueCoach or TrainHeroic: which one should you pick? Pick **TrueCoach** if you coach individual online clients, want a custom-branded app included from the Standard plan and will stay at or under 50 clients. Pick **TrainHeroic** if you program for teams or groups of athletes, want the lowest published price as your roster grows, or plan to sell programs through a marketplace. On the published monthly prices, TrainHeroic costs half as much at 10 clients and a little over a third as much at 30. Both tools are built around programming, not around gym memberships, so the choice comes down to how you coach, how many people you coach and how you get paid. Every price and feature below comes from each vendor's own pricing page or help center, checked October 2026\. Prices can change, so confirm at checkout. ## TrueCoach vs TrainHeroic at a glance TrueCoach sells three plans capped by active clients, while TrainHeroic sells a ladder of athlete tiers that runs from 1 to 1,000. The TrueCoach figures come from the [TrueCoach pricing page](https://truecoach.co/pricing/) and the TrainHeroic figures from the [TrainHeroic pricing page](https://www.trainheroic.com/pricing/), both checked October 2026. | What you compare | TrueCoach | TrainHeroic | | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Pricing model | 3 plans by active clients: up to 5, 20 or 50 | Athlete tiers: 1, 5, 15, 25, 35, 50, 100, 250, 500, 750, 1,000 | | Entry price | Starter $29.98/mo (up to 5 clients) | $9.99/mo for 1 athlete, $17.99/mo up to 5 | | Highest published tier | Pro $164.98/mo (up to 50 clients) | Up to 1,000 athletes (the 500-athlete tier is $199.99/mo) | | Above the top tier | Quote only (more than 50 clients) | "Contact Us" (more than 1,000) | | Annual billing | Yes: $26.34, $57.99 or $136.99 per month | Only monthly prices are shown | | Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | 14 days, no credit card | | Branded app | "Custom-Branded Fitness App" on Standard and Pro | No white-label app; you add your logo and custom exercise demos | | Payment fees | TrueCoach Payments: flat 5% per transaction | Marketplace: $1/month per subscription plus 2.9% + $0.30, or 30% on sales TrainHeroic drives | | Exercise library | 3,000+ video exercises (the vendor also says 3,500+ elsewhere on the page) | Customizable library; no size on the pricing page | | Extra coaches | Not priced on the plan cards | Assistant coaches $9.99/mo each | ## What do TrueCoach and TrainHeroic cost at 10, 30 and 75 clients? At 10 clients TrueCoach costs $69.98 a month and TrainHeroic $34.99; at 30 it is $164.98 against $59.99; at 75, TrueCoach is quote-only and TrainHeroic is $99.99. Both vendors bill by the tier that covers your headcount, so you pay for the next step up, not per extra client. TrueCoach's Starter plan stops at 5 clients, which is why 10 clients already lands on Standard. | Active clients | TrueCoach (monthly / annual per month) | TrainHeroic (monthly) | | -------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | 10 | Standard: $69.98 / $57.99 | "Up to 15": $34.99 | | 30 | Pro: $164.98 / $136.99 | "Up to 35": $59.99 | | 75 | Quote only (above 50) | "Up to 100": $99.99 | | On top | 5% on payments you collect through TrueCoach | $9.99/mo per assistant coach; Marketplace fees on sales | Two things change this picture in practice. First, TrueCoach's annual billing cuts the monthly equivalent, and first-time annual subscribers get a 90-day money-back guarantee ("Restrictions Apply"). TrainHeroic shows no annual price on its page. Second, TrueCoach includes the branded app in Standard, so if you would otherwise pay for a branded app elsewhere, the gap narrows. For a deeper breakdown of each plan, see our [TrueCoach pricing guide](/blogs/truecoach-pricing) and the [TrainHeroic pricing guide](/blogs/trainheroic-pricing). ## How do payment fees change the real cost? Payment fees can cost more than the subscription once you bill a full roster, so read them before you compare sticker prices. TrueCoach Payments runs on Stripe and charges "a flat 5% fee per transaction" on the invoice total, refunds included, according to the [TrueCoach help article on processing fees](https://help.truecoach.co/en/articles/3491685-understanding-processing-fees) (checked October 2026). The pricing page calls payments "Free Automated Payments", which means no add-on subscription, not zero fees. TrainHeroic's published fees cover Marketplace sales. Per its [Marketplace seller terms](https://support.trainheroic.com/hc/en-us/articles/18156808889997), sales through your own links cost $1 a month per team subscription plus 2.9% + $0.30 in bank fees, while sales TrainHeroic brings you ("Marketplace Match") carry a 30% fee plus bank fees. Payouts arrive monthly via PayPal. If you only sell through the Marketplace, TrainHeroic says you need just the $9.99 coach plan, not athlete seats. For coaches who bill 1:1 clients monthly: a flat 5% is simple, but at a full roster it can exceed the plan price. Run your own numbers with your real monthly revenue before you decide. ## When is TrueCoach the better choice? TrueCoach fits a solo online coach who runs individual programs for up to 50 clients and wants a branded app without a separate setup fee. * Standard and Pro list a "Custom-Branded Fitness App", plus wearables (Apple, Garmin, WHOOP), public coach profiles and Zapier automations. * Nutrition and habits are covered by a MyFitnessPal nutrition integration and a habit tracker, which suits coaches whose clients already log food there. * Annual billing lowers the monthly equivalent, which helps if your roster is stable. * The FAQ answers "Are there any extra fees?" with "Nope", apart from the 5% on payments. Watch the ceiling. If you expect to pass 50 clients within a year, ask for the custom price before you move your clients across. One small inconsistency: the feature list calls Zapier "Exclusive to Pro" while the Standard card also lists it, so confirm in the trial. ## When is TrainHeroic the better choice? TrainHeroic fits strength and performance coaches who write programs for teams or groups, or who want to sell programs to athletes they have never met. * It describes itself as "the home for performance-minded coaches", in person or remote, with Teams and 1:1 coaching, video review, real-time chat and client tracking. * The tier ladder climbs slowly: 100 athletes cost $99.99 a month, 250 cost $159.99. * The Marketplace lets you sell programs and team subscriptions, with the fee structure above. * Assistant coaches cost $9.99 a month each, which suits a head coach with one or two helpers. The trade-off: there is no white-label app, only your logo and content inside TrainHeroic. If your brand needs its own App Store listing, look elsewhere. Our [TrainHeroic alternatives roundup](/blogs/best-trainheroic-alternatives) covers the options. ## What should you ask in each free trial? Both tools give you 14 days with no card, which is enough to test one real client and one real program if you go in with a list. | Question | Why it matters | Message you can send support | | ----------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Is the branded app its own store listing? | A listing under your name and a branded shell inside the vendor's app are different products | "On Standard, does my custom-branded app appear in the App Store under my business name?" | | What happens at the client cap? | Hard caps can block a new client sign-up on a busy week | "If I add my 21st client on Standard, am I upgraded automatically or blocked?" | | How do I bill 1:1 clients? | Fees differ for Marketplace sales and direct billing | "I coach 1:1 clients monthly. How do I charge them inside your app and what does each payment cost?" | | Can I export my data? | Your exercise videos and client history are your work | "If I leave, can I export my programs, exercise library and client logs, and in what format?" | Ask in writing so the answer is on record. If the branded app question matters to you, our explainer on [own App Store listing vs a branded shared app](/blogs/own-app-store-listing-vs-branded-app) covers what to check. ## Is there a third option? Yes: if you want training, nutrition plans, check-ins and payments in one app at a flat price per plan, Trainera is worth a look next to these two. Trainera's trainer plans are Free ($0, up to 3 clients), Starter ($19.99 a month, 10 clients), Pro ($49.99, 30 clients), Business ($99, 75 clients) and Enterprise (custom, unlimited). Those are US dollar prices; prices differ by country on [trainera.fit/pricing](/pricing). The price is per plan, not per client, so 10, 30 and 75 clients cost $19.99, $49.99 and $99 a month. It includes a library of more than 1,800 exercises with video and 1,100+ recipes, check-ins, habits, chat, a free client app for iOS and Android, and 26 app languages. Coaching payments through Trainera carry a platform fee by plan (8% on Free and Starter, 5% on Pro, 3% on Business, 1% on Enterprise) and 0% on cash and bank transfer. Be clear on the limits too. Trainera's own branded iOS and Android app is an Enterprise feature, built and published by Trainera, while TrueCoach puts a branded app on Standard. And if you run team strength programs or want a program marketplace, TrainHeroic is built for exactly that. For direct comparisons, read [Trainera vs TrueCoach](/blogs/trainera-vs-truecoach-comparison) and [Trainera vs TrainHeroic](/blogs/trainera-vs-trainheroic-comparison). ## A one-afternoon checklist to make the call You can settle this in a few hours by testing the parts you use every week. 1. Count your active clients today and your target for next year. Over 50 within a year points away from TrueCoach's published plans. 2. Decide whether you need a branded app now. If yes, TrueCoach Standard includes one; TrainHeroic does not offer white-label. 3. Write down how you get paid: monthly 1:1 billing, program sales, or both. Price the fees for each tool with your real revenue. 4. Build one real week of programming for one client in each trial and send it to a phone you own. 5. Send the four support questions above and judge the replies. _Want programming, nutrition and check-ins in one place? See how it works on the [Trainera trainer platform](/platform)._ ## FAQ ### Is TrueCoach or TrainHeroic cheaper? On published monthly prices checked October 2026, TrainHeroic is cheaper: $34.99 vs $69.98 at 10 clients and $59.99 vs $164.98 at 30. TrueCoach offers annual billing and includes a branded app on Standard, which narrows the gap for some coaches. ### Does TrainHeroic have a branded app? No white-label app is offered. TrainHeroic lets you add your logo, custom exercise demos and your own coaching content inside its app. ### How much does TrueCoach cost for 30 clients? 30 clients needs the Pro plan: $164.98 a month on monthly billing or $136.99 a month on annual billing, per the TrueCoach pricing page checked October 2026. Payments collected through TrueCoach carry a flat 5% fee. ### Can TrueCoach handle more than 50 clients? Yes, but not on a published plan. Above 50 clients TrueCoach offers special pricing on request, so ask for a quote before you grow past Pro. ### Is TrainHeroic good for 1:1 online coaching? It supports 1:1 as well as teams, with video review, chat and client tracking. Coaches who mainly run individual remote programs and want a branded app often lean toward TrueCoach instead. --- Source: https://trainera.fit/blogs/truecoach-vs-trainheroic