The best payment & billing software for personal trainers in 2026.
Most personal trainer payment software roundups compare features. This one compares the three things that actually cost a coach money: whether taking payments is included in the subscription or a paid add-on, whether it works in your country at all, and whose Stripe account the money lands in - yours, or the platform's. We put 9 coaching platforms with built-in payments through exactly those three questions.
By Markus Evers · Updated August 2026
How this comparison is made: we check every competitor's pricing and features against their live websites and re-verify them on a recurring basis. Coachway is our product - we flag it where it appears, we credit real competitor strengths, and we say who each platform fits better than us. Browse all platform comparisons.
If your billing currently lives in bank transfers and chase-up texts, see what subscriptions through your own Stripe feel like.
No charge today - cancel in 2 clicks.the short version
Every platform here is a coaching platform with payments built in, not standalone billing software - so if all you need is to send invoices, dedicated invoicing software will be cheaper than any of the nine. For everyone else, three questions decide the real cost: is taking payments included or an add-on, does it work in your country, and whose Stripe account is it?
The shortlist: Coachway if you want billing through your own Stripe with subscriptions, invoices, payment plans and reminders included and EU VAT handled automatically, at predictable per-client pricing; Kahunas or FitBudd if keeping your own Stripe or PayPal is the main thing; PT Distinction to keep the client billing relationship alongside deep coaching tools; My PT Hub for payments bundled into one all-in-one subscription; TrueCoach if you coach from the US, UK, Canada or Australia; Trainerize and Everfit if you prefer paying for payments as an add-on only when you need it; and Virtuagym for gyms buying per location. The honest reasoning is below.
What personal trainer billing software must answer before you pay for it.
First, a scope check: this page is about taking money from clients - subscriptions, packages, invoices, reminders. If you were searching for software to do your bookkeeping, expenses and tax return, that is a different category; our guide to the best accounting software for personal trainers covers it. For personal training billing software - the tools that collect the money in the first place - three questions decide what you will actually pay:
- 1. Is taking payments included, or a paid add-on? Two platforms with the same sticker price can cost very different amounts once you switch billing on. Some include payments in every plan; others sell it as a monthly add-on on top of the subscription. Affordable client billing for online coaches is decided by this line item, not by the headline price.
- 2. Does it work in your country at all? Built-in payments on some platforms only operate in a handful of countries. If you coach from Denmark, Germany or Spain, a payments feature that only works in the US is not a feature - check country support before anything else.
- 3. Whose Stripe account is it? When billing runs through your own Stripe account, payouts land directly with you, and the customer relationship is yours to keep - including on the day you switch platforms. When it runs through the platform's account, your revenue lives in someone else's system. Ask this question explicitly; not every vendor volunteers the answer.
Subscription management for fitness clients: what recurring billing must handle.
Most coaching income is recurring - monthly coaching, 12-week packages, renewals - so recurring billing tools for coach packages need to handle four shapes of money: subscriptions that renew until cancelled, payment plans that split a package into fixed instalments and then stop, one-off payments for single sessions or products, and invoices for the clients and companies that need them. The fifth piece is the one that protects the revenue you already earned: automatic reminders when a card fails or a payment is late, so the platform chases the money instead of you. Our guide on how to take payments as an online coach covers the setup itself; this ranking covers which software carries it best.
How we compared the payment and billing tools.
This comparison is built on knowledge from working with 150 online coaches over 6+ years - and billing is where the expensive surprises cluster: the add-on discovered after signing up, the payments feature that turned out not to work in the coach's country, the subscription list that could not move because it lived in the platform's account. We judged all 9 platforms on the three questions above, using only facts we could verify against each vendor's own published material - where we could not verify something, the tables below say "confirm with the vendor" instead of guessing. For the wider platform picture beyond billing, see our best coaching apps roundup and the coaching software pricing guide.
The 9 platforms, compared on the three money questions.
| Platform | Payments included or add-on | Whose Stripe | Where it works | Notable limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachway | Included; about 2.4% per transaction only if you choose the built-in route | Yours - payouts go directly to you | Wherever you can hold a Stripe account; EU VAT automatic via Stripe Tax | Younger platform; third-party integration catalog still growing |
| Kahunas | Runs through your own account; states it does not charge commission on your sales | Yours - Stripe or PayPal | Follows your own Stripe or PayPal account | Confirm invoicing and VAT handling for your country |
| PT Distinction | Stripe and PayPal payment integrations | Coach keeps the client billing relationship | Follows your Stripe or PayPal account | Confirm subscription and tax handling for your country |
| FitBudd | Stripe and PayPal integrated; no extra payment processing fees on FitBudd's side | Confirm with the vendor | Confirm for your country | Standard Stripe and PayPal processor fees still apply |
| My PT Hub | Stripe-based payments included | Confirm with the vendor | Confirm for your country | Ask whose account holds the money before moving billing in |
| TrueCoach | Built-in Stripe payments | Confirm with the vendor | US, UK, Canada and Australia only | Built-in payments do not work outside those four countries |
| Trainerize | USD 10/month add-on on Grow and Pro; included on Studio | Confirm with the vendor | Confirm for your country | Add-ons stack - advanced nutrition is a further paid add-on |
| Everfit | Paid add-on, about USD 8-9/month | Confirm with the vendor | Confirm for your country | Meal plans and Autoflow automation are also separate add-ons |
| Virtuagym | Part of a quote-based gym suite | Ask in your quote | Priced per location - confirm in your quote | Get a written quote that includes payment fees |
Plans and add-ons change often - always confirm on each vendor's own site which plan carries payments, and get the answers to all three questions in writing before moving your billing. The full breakdown is below.
01 · your stripe, everything included
Coachway
Coachway is our product, so weigh this pick with that in mind - the methodology note above explains how we handled it. On the three questions: billing runs through your own Stripe account, so payments go directly to you and the customer relationship stays yours; taking payments is included rather than an add-on, with an optional built-in route that carries about 2.4% per transaction only if you choose it; and because the Stripe account is yours, it works wherever you can hold one, with EU VAT and invoicing handled automatically through Stripe Tax. On top of the ownership question, the billing itself covers all the shapes coaching money takes: subscriptions, one-off payments, invoices, payment plans and automatic reminders when a payment fails. It all sits inside the full coaching platform - training, nutrition, check-ins, messaging - so billing lives next to the coaching it pays for. See the full feature set and pricing.
The trade-off: Coachway is one of the younger platforms here, so the catalog of third-party integrations a decade-old tool has accumulated is still growing. And to be clear about the field: own-account billing is not unique to us - Kahunas and FitBudd offer it too. Our edge is combining it with everything included and EU VAT handled automatically, not inventing it.
The fastest way to judge billing software is to set up one real payment plan. Do it on the trial, or have us walk you through it.
No charge today - cancel in 2 clicks.02 · your own stripe or paypal
Kahunas
Kahunas answers the ownership question the same way we do, and deserves full credit for it: billing runs through the coach's own Stripe or PayPal account, and the company states it does not charge commission on your sales. If keeping your own payment account is your first criterion and you want the choice of PayPal alongside Stripe - which Coachway does not offer, since we run on Stripe - Kahunas belongs on your shortlist ahead of most of this list. Our Coachway vs Kahunas comparison covers the rest of the platform.
The trade-off: the ownership answer is verified; the rest of your billing checklist is not automatic. Confirm with the vendor how invoicing, payment plans and VAT for your country work before moving your subscriptions in.
03 · keep the billing relationship
PT Distinction
PT Distinction also gets the most important question right: payment integrations cover both Stripe and PayPal, and the coach keeps the client billing relationship - your clients pay you, not a platform that then pays you. For a coach who wants that ownership combined with a deep, established coaching toolset, it is a serious pick, and arguably a better fit than Coachway if PayPal support is non-negotiable for your clients. The full platform picture is in our Coachway vs PT Distinction comparison.
The trade-off: ownership is answered; the housekeeping is on you. Confirm with the vendor how subscriptions, invoices and tax handling work for your country - especially if you sell in the EU, where VAT is your responsibility to get right.
04 · no platform-side payment fees
FitBudd
FitBudd integrates Stripe and PayPal, and its own copy states there are no extra payment processing fees on FitBudd's side - the standard Stripe and PayPal processor fees still apply, as they do everywhere, but the platform is not adding a slice on top. That puts it on the right side of question one, and for coaches who want the Stripe-plus-PayPal pairing without a platform fee on each sale, FitBudd is a genuinely strong answer - on that specific point, as strong as anything on this list. See our Coachway vs FitBudd comparison for how the two platforms differ beyond billing.
The trade-off: "no fees on our side" answers question one but not question three - ask explicitly whose account the money settles in and what happens to your subscriptions if you leave, and get the answer in writing.
05 · payments included, all-in-one
My PT Hub
My PT Hub includes Stripe-based payments in the platform alongside workouts, nutrition and messaging - no separate payments add-on to budget for, which is exactly what question one is asking. For a coach who wants one subscription covering coaching delivery and billing in a single established package, it is a clean, simple answer. Our Coachway vs My PT Hub comparison goes deeper on the rest.
The trade-off: "included" answers question one, but ask questions two and three anyway: confirm payments work in your country and whose account the money sits in before you move a full client list of subscriptions across.
06 · four countries, built in
TrueCoach
TrueCoach has built-in Stripe payments - with one condition that decides everything: they only work in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. If you coach from one of those four countries, that is no limitation at all and TrueCoach is a fair pick; a US or UK coach may find it fits better than several platforms ranked above it here. If you coach from anywhere else - Denmark, Germany, Spain, anywhere - the payments feature effectively does not exist for you, which is why question two comes before every feature list. The wider picture is in our Coachway vs TrueCoach comparison.
The trade-off: the geography is the trade-off. Outside the US, UK, Canada and Australia, built-in payments do not work, and you would be running billing somewhere else entirely alongside the coaching platform.
07 · add-on on most plans
Trainerize
On Trainerize, "Stripe Integrated Payments" is a USD 10 per month add-on on the Grow and Pro plans, and included on Studio. That is not hidden - it is simply the add-on pricing model, and it can genuinely work in your favour: a coach who does not bill through the platform pays nothing for a payments feature they do not use, and a studio on the Studio plan gets payments included anyway. Just do the maths with the add-on switched on, and note that advanced nutrition is a further paid add-on, so the gap between sticker price and real price can widen. Our Coachway vs Trainerize comparison covers the full platform.
The trade-off: add-ons stack. Payments plus advanced nutrition on top of the base plan is a different monthly number than the one on the pricing page - total your real configuration before comparing it with platforms where billing is included.
08 · modular add-ons
Everfit
Everfit sells payments as a paid add-on at about USD 8-9 per month, with meal plans and Autoflow automation also sold as separate add-ons. The honest case for that model: you only pay for the modules you switch on, which suits a coach who wants to assemble the platform piece by piece. The honest case against it is the same maths as Trainerize - by the time payments, meal planning and automation are all on, the real monthly price sits well above the sticker price, so run the total for your configuration before deciding. See our Coachway vs Everfit comparison for the rest of the platform.
The trade-off: the modular model means the billing machinery that other platforms include is an extra line on your invoice here - payments, meal plans and automation each add to the real monthly cost.
09 · gyms and studios, per location
Virtuagym
Virtuagym is a different animal from everything above: a gym-management suite priced per location rather than per coach, where coaching is one module inside a broader membership, billing and scheduling product. For a gym or studio chain that needs member billing across locations, that shape is the point, and none of the per-coach platforms on this list compete with it. For an individual online trainer, it is almost certainly more machine than the job needs. Our Coachway vs Virtuagym comparison draws the line in detail.
The trade-off: quote-based pricing means the three questions have no public answers. Get a written quote that includes payment fees - and the answers to all three questions - before signing anything.
Pick by how you bill.
- You want billing in your own Stripe, everything included, and EU VAT handled for you. Coachway - that combination is the pick, especially for coaches selling in Europe.
- Owning the payment account is the deciding question, and you want PayPal as an option. Kahunas, PT Distinction or FitBudd - all three keep the billing relationship on your side of the table, and Coachway does not offer PayPal.
- You want one subscription with payments simply included, no add-on maths. My PT Hub, or Coachway if own-account billing and EU VAT matter too.
- You coach from the US, UK, Canada or Australia. TrueCoach's built-in payments work for you there - outside those four countries, they do not work at all.
- You prefer paying for payments only when you actually use it. Trainerize (USD 10/month on Grow and Pro, included on Studio) or Everfit (about USD 8-9/month) - just total the add-ons for your real configuration first.
- You run a gym or studio with locations, not a client list. Virtuagym - and get a written quote that includes payment fees.
- You only need to send invoices, nothing else. None of these nine - dedicated invoicing software will do that one job for less than any coaching platform.
If the first line on that list is you, the fastest way to settle it is to set up one real payment plan on the trial, or spend 15 minutes with us walking through your billing setup.
No charge today - cancel in 2 clicks.Frequently asked.
What is the best payment software for personal trainers?
It depends on which of the three cost questions matters most to you. Coachway suits coaches who want billing through their own Stripe account with subscriptions, invoices, payment plans and reminders included, and EU VAT handled automatically. Kahunas and FitBudd also let you keep your own payment account, and Kahunas states it does not charge commission on your sales. My PT Hub bundles Stripe-based payments into one all-in-one subscription. If you only need to send invoices and nothing else, a dedicated invoicing tool is cheaper than any coaching platform.
Should payment processing be included in my coaching platform, or is an add-on fine?
An add-on is fine if you genuinely will not use payments - you pay nothing for a feature you skip. It stops being fine the day you start billing clients through the platform, because add-ons stack: Trainerize charges USD 10 per month for Stripe Integrated Payments on its Grow and Pro plans, and Everfit's payments add-on runs about USD 8-9 per month, with meal plans and automation sold separately too. Before you commit, total the subscription plus every add-on you will actually switch on, and compare that number - not the sticker price - across platforms.
What does it mean that billing runs through my own Stripe account?
It means the Stripe account is registered to you, so client payments settle directly to your bank, the payment records are yours, and the customer relationship belongs to you rather than the platform. That matters most on the day you switch software: subscriptions living in your own Stripe can move with you, while billing locked inside a platform's account has to be rebuilt from zero. Coachway, Kahunas and PT Distinction all keep the billing relationship with the coach - if a platform you are considering does not say clearly, ask before you sign up.
Can I take recurring subscription payments from personal training clients?
Yes - subscription management for fitness clients is the core job of this category. Recurring billing tools for coach packages should handle four shapes of money: subscriptions that renew until cancelled, payment plans that split a package into a fixed number of instalments and then stop, one-off payments for single sessions or products, and invoices for clients or companies that need them. Coachway supports all four, plus automatic reminders so a failed card does not quietly become a lost client.
How do VAT and invoicing work when I sell coaching in the EU?
Selling coaching in the EU means charging the right VAT rate and issuing compliant invoices - and on most platforms that is your problem to solve manually or with extra tools. On Coachway, EU VAT and invoicing are handled automatically through Stripe Tax, so the correct tax is applied and documented without you maintaining rate tables. On any other platform on this list, ask the vendor to show you exactly how VAT and invoices work for your country before you move your billing there.
Danish-built, down to the details.
coachway is developed in Denmark and built on more than six years of work with 150 online coaches. Billing runs through the coach's own Stripe account, so payments go directly to the coach, with EU VAT and invoicing handled automatically through Stripe Tax. Client data handling is GDPR-aligned, with export to CSV and PDF at any time, and the client app is localized in six languages - English, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and German. Most international coaching platforms offer none of the Nordic languages.
- - Developed in Denmark, built on work with 150 online coaches over 6+ years
- - Payments direct to your own Stripe, EU VAT and invoicing via Stripe Tax
- - GDPR-aligned data handling, export to CSV and PDF at any time
- - Client app in six languages, reviewed by native-speaking coaches
Keep reading
all guidesHow to take payments as an online fitness coach
How online coaches actually collect money: recurring billing vs invoicing, why failed cards cause churn, Stripe, and keeping checkout simple.
Read the guideBest Accounting Software for Personal Trainers (2026)
A neutral rundown of the best accounting software for personal trainers in 2026 - QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Wave and more - plus how your books connect to client billing through your own Stripe account.
Read the guideCoaching software pricing compared (2026): the real numbers
Real, vendor-sourced monthly pricing for 17 online coaching and personal-training platforms in 2026 - entry price, mid tier, free plans and branded app, in one comparison table.
Read the guideHow to handle late payments in online coaching
What to do when a client won't pay: prevent it with upfront subscriptions, systemize reminders, the firm-but-kind script, when to pause access, and the boundary that protects you.
Read the guideTake your first payment through your own Stripe
Subscriptions, one-off payments, invoices, payment plans and automatic reminders - through your own Stripe account, with EU VAT and invoicing handled automatically. Start the 14-day free trial and set up one real payment plan: no charge today, cancel in 2 clicks.
