How to switch from Trainerize without losing your clients.
You have decided to leave. The fear is not the new platform - it is the move itself: the export, the rebuild, and the worry that a few clients quietly slip away in the gap. They do not have to. Below is the exact sequence coaches use to switch cleanly in one to two weeks.
By Markus Evers · Updated June 2026
the short version
Yes, you can switch off Trainerize without losing clients. Export your client and program data from Trainerize first (your payments already run through your own Stripe, so that relationship stays with you), pick the new platform, run both in parallel for a week or two, move clients over in small waves instead of all at once, and send one clear message explaining the change. Done in that order, most coaches complete a switch in one to two weeks and keep almost everyone.
What you can export from Trainerize.
Before you cancel anything, get your data out and into files you control. Trainerize gives you a few things in your favour here, and a couple of things you need to handle deliberately. The honest picture:
Your payments stay yours.
Trainerize processes payments through your own connected Stripe account (the Stripe integration is an add-on, but the money flows to your Stripe, not to Trainerize). That means your billing relationships, payment history, and customer records live in your Stripe dashboard regardless of which coaching platform you use. This is the single biggest thing that makes leaving low-risk: you are not asking a vendor to release your revenue.
Client and program data.
Trainerize provides export options for client information and program data. Export formats and exactly what is included can change over time, so check your account's current export and data-portability options before you rely on any one method. The practical move: pull client lists, contact details, and program content into spreadsheets and documents you own, and screenshot or save anything the export does not capture cleanly.
No long contract to escape.
Trainerize plans are billed monthly, so you are not trapped in a multi-year agreement. Confirm your specific plan's billing terms in your account, especially if you paid the one-time fee for the custom branded app add-on, so you know exactly what stops when you cancel and what you have already paid for.
What does not auto-carry.
The in-app structure of your programs, the exercise demos you built up, and a client's history inside Trainerize do not magically appear on the next platform. You rebuild programs on the new tool. That is the real work of a switch, and it is why running both platforms in parallel for a short window matters so much.
Export options and formats are controlled by Trainerize and can change. Always verify the current export tools in your own account rather than trusting a guide written months earlier - including this one.
How to migrate without losing clients.
The order is what protects your clients. Do these five steps in sequence and nobody ends up locked out, confused, or quietly churning in the gap.
Export everything first.
Before you sign up for anything new, get your data out of Trainerize and into files you control: client list with contact details, current programs and meal plans, and a record of who is paying what. Your Stripe history is already yours. Do this while your account is still fully active, never after you have started a cancellation, so nothing is rushed or locked.
Pick the new platform before you cancel.
Never cancel the old one before the new one is set up. Choose your destination, rebuild a couple of your core programs on it, and make sure it covers your real workflow: programming, meal planning, check-ins, messaging, and payments through your own Stripe. The platform evaluation framework walks through the criteria that actually matter.
This is also the moment to confirm the new platform will not trap you the way you are worried the old one might. Look for clear export, no binding period, and no cancellation fees.
Run both platforms in parallel.
For one to two weeks, keep Trainerize live while you build out and start moving people to the new platform. Yes, you pay for both briefly. That overlap is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy: it means no client is ever without a place to log workouts or message you, and you have a fallback if anything is missing on the new side. Cancel Trainerize only once everyone is moved and settled.
Switch clients in waves.
Do not move everyone on the same day. Start with a small wave of your most engaged, most patient clients - the ones who will tell you honestly if a step is confusing. Fix whatever they trip on, then move the next wave, then the rest. Waves keep the support load manageable, surface problems before they hit your whole base, and let you refine your onboarding message as you go.
Communicate the change clearly.
This is the step that decides whether clients stay. Send a short, warm message - ideally a quick personal video - that says three things: what is changing, why it is better for them, and the one simple thing they need to do (download the new app, accept the invite). Frame it as an upgrade to their experience, not an admin headache. Clients who understand the move and feel guided through it almost never churn over it.
What to look for in the platform you move to.
You are switching for a reason. Make sure the next platform actually fixes it instead of trading one frustration for another. These are the things worth checking before you commit.
A unified workflow.
Trainerize is workout-first, with nutrition and payments offered as add-ons. If you wanted programming, meal planning, check-ins, chat, and payments in one place rather than stitched together, make sure the new platform genuinely unifies them on one screen.
A branded client experience.
On Trainerize, the custom branded app is a paid add-on (a one-time fee on Pro, included on the Studio plan). Decide whether you want branding bundled into the base price on the next platform rather than as a separate line item, and confirm exactly what "branded" includes.
Your own Stripe and clear pricing.
You already keep your own Stripe on Trainerize - do not give that up. Check how the new platform prices itself, whether it is predictable per client or a percentage of your revenue, and whether payments still flow directly to you.
Your clients' language.
Trainerize's app is English-only by the vendor's own statement. If you coach in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, or German, a platform with a genuinely localized client app removes daily friction for the people using it.
What is actually hard about switching.
Anyone who tells you a platform switch is effortless is selling you something. It is very doable, but two parts take real effort and it helps to know that going in.
Client communication and re-onboarding.
The hard part is rarely the data. It is the human side: getting every client to download a new app, accept an invite, and trust that nothing about their coaching is getting worse. Some will be slow to act. A few will need a personal nudge. Budget time to chase the stragglers individually, because a client who never finishes the move is the one most likely to quietly drift away. This is exactly why the waves and the clear message in the playbook above are not optional.
Rebuilding your programs.
If you have built up a deep library of custom programs and templates in Trainerize over the years, recreating them on a new platform takes time. The upside is that this is a one-time cost and a chance to clean up and modernize templates you have outgrown. A platform with a strong program and meal-plan builder, and a team that helps you move that content, shortens it considerably - but be realistic that a large library is the thing most likely to stretch your timeline past two weeks.
If you want the move done with you, not just by you.
This guide works no matter where you land. If Coachway is on your shortlist, here is the honest version of why coaches leaving Trainerize choose it: the team helps move your clients, programs, meal plans, and payment links, and most coaches complete the switch in one to two weeks. There is no lock-in, you can cancel anytime, and you can export all your client data as CSV and PDF whenever you want - so you are never in the position you are escaping now.
workflow
One unified screen.
Programs, meal plans, check-ins, chat, and payments in one place rather than a workout-first tool with add-ons. The branded in-app experience - your logo and colors - is included on every subscription.
pricing
Predictable per client.
EUR 69 per month for up to 5 clients, then EUR 9 per additional client. Keep your own Stripe so payments flow directly to you. No lock-in, no binding period, no cancellation fees.
localized
Six languages.
English (UK), Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and German - written and reviewed by native speakers, so your clients use the app in their own language.
Frequently asked.
Can I export my data from Trainerize?
Yes. Trainerize provides export options for client and program data (verify what is currently available in your account), and because payments run through your own connected Stripe account, your billing relationships stay with you. Exact export formats and what is included can change, so check Trainerize's current export and data-portability options in your account before you start the move. The safe rule: pull everything you can into spreadsheets and files you control before you cancel anything.
Will I lose clients if I switch platforms?
You can keep almost all of them if you communicate clearly and move in waves rather than all at once. The clients who churn during a switch usually do so because the change felt abrupt or confusing, not because the new platform was worse. A short personal video explaining what is changing, why, and what they need to do prevents most of that. Run both platforms in parallel for a week or two so nobody is ever locked out.
How long does it take to switch from Trainerize to another platform?
Plan for one to two weeks of real work for most coaches, more if you have a large library of custom programs to rebuild. The data export is fast. The slower parts are recreating your programs and meal plans on the new platform and onboarding clients in waves. On Coachway, the team helps move clients, programs, meal plans, and payment links, and most coaches complete the switch in one to two weeks.
What do I keep from Trainerize when I leave?
Your own Stripe account and its payment history stay with you, since Trainerize uses your connected Stripe rather than holding the money for you. You keep any client data and program content you export. What you do not automatically carry over is the in-app program structure and client history inside Trainerize itself, so export those deliberately before you cancel.
Is there a contract or cancellation fee with Trainerize?
Trainerize plans are billed monthly, so there is no long multi-year lock-in to escape, but confirm your specific plan's billing terms and any branded-app add-on you bought in your account before you cancel. On the destination side, Coachway has no lock-in, no binding period, and no cancellation fees, so the platform you move to does not trap you the way you are worried the old one might.
Why do coaches switch away from Trainerize?
The most common reasons are wanting a more unified workflow instead of a workout-first tool with nutrition and payments as add-ons, wanting the branded client experience included rather than as a paid line item, and wanting a platform localized into their language. Trainerize is English-only by the vendor's own statement, so coaches working in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, or German often move for native-language support.
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