Kahunas vs Google Sheets: what a spreadsheet does for a coaching business, and what it needs help with.
A coaching spreadsheet is the do-it-yourself route: a sheet per client, a sheet plus a simple app, or your own app. Google Sheets is one of the routes coaches have named in public discussion of the Kahunas 2.0 update. This page compares it with Kahunas on price, client app, training, nutrition, check-ins, payments and moving in. Every fact comes from the vendor's own page, linked and dated.
By Markus Evers · Published 12 November 2026
Disclosure: we build Coachway, which competes with Kahunas and is a software option next to a spreadsheet. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Kahunas or Google. Facts checked 12 November 2026. To send a correction, write to [email protected]. Sources.
the short answer
Google lists no price to create a sheet: it says anyone with a Google Account can create in Sheets, and a sheet per client handles programs, weights and notes. Kahunas costs USD 50, 62.50, 100 and 150 a month at 10, 25, 50 and 100 clients, and lists a client app, check-ins, nutrition and payments as built in. What a sheet does not do without extra tools or hand work is take payments, send check-in reminders, give clients an app or log their food.
What does a spreadsheet cost compared with Kahunas?
Kahunas prices per seat: each active client takes one, and the price per seat falls as the count rises (kahunas.io/pricing, checked 12 November 2026). It lists USD 5.00 at 3 to 24 seats, USD 2.50 at 25 to 49, USD 2.00 at 50 to 99 and USD 1.50 at 100 to 199, with 20 percent off yearly and a 3-seat minimum. Kahunas says existing coaches keep their current plan, price and features until they choose a seat plan themselves.
Google Sheets is different in kind. The Sheets page says anyone with a Google Account can create in Sheets and lists no price for that. Paid Google Workspace plans are priced per user, not per client. The pricing page showed Starter at EUR 6.80 per user a month to us, with its annual toggle on (1-year commitment) and excluding tax, and a banner offering up to 50 percent off the first 3 months for a limited time.
| Clients | Kahunas, monthly | Kahunas, yearly (per month) | Sheets, Google Account | Sheets, Workspace Starter (1-year commitment), you as 1 user (shown to us in EUR, excl. tax) | Sheets + AppSheet Starter, each client a user |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 10 x USD 5.00 = USD 50 | USD 40 | No price published | EUR 6.80 | 10 x USD 5 = USD 50 |
| 25 | 25 x USD 2.50 = USD 62.50 | USD 50 | No price published | EUR 6.80 | 25 x USD 5 = USD 125 |
| 50 | 50 x USD 2.00 = USD 100 | USD 80 | No price published | EUR 6.80 | 50 x USD 5 = USD 250 |
| 100 | 100 x USD 1.50 = USD 150 | USD 120 | No price published | EUR 6.80 | 100 x USD 5 = USD 500 |
Kahunas figures are published monthly seat prices, before tax, counting clients only; team members take a seat too. The Workspace column assumes you are the only paid user. The last column uses AppSheet's pricing page: Starter is USD 5 a user a month, and it says you buy licenses for the total number of users. It also says you can invite up to 10 test users at no cost. The column counts clients only; you as a user would add one more license. All checked 12 November 2026.
Kahunas vs Google Sheets for online coaching, side by side.
| Kahunas | Google Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Coaching platform with a coach dashboard and a client app | Spreadsheets you shape yourself |
| Client app | Kahunas says clients install its web app from your link in three taps, with no store listing (Kahunas) | No coaching client app. Clients open a shared sheet in Google's Sheets app or a browser on phone, tablet or desktop, offline too (Google) |
| Training | Workout builder from 3 seats (pricing); Kahunas lists 1,700+ exercise videos (Kahunas 2.0 post) | Not listed on Google's Sheets page: an exercise library. You build the layout |
| Nutrition | Kahunas lists meal plans with macro targets, and says clients log in the app or scan a barcode; "over 1.5 million foods" (Kahunas) | Plans as a table. Google's Sheets page lists no food log or food database |
| Check-ins | Check-in forms reviewed in one inbox (Kahunas); reminder automations, with Automations listed from 25 seats | Google Forms collects answers and exports them to Sheets (Google); reminders are yours to send |
| Payments | Your own Stripe or PayPal, 0% commission (Kahunas) | Google's Sheets page lists no payments; a separate payment service |
| Trial | 14 days, card taken at sign-up, nothing charged until the trial ends (pricing) | Google Account to start; Workspace lists 14 days at no cost |
| Branded app | Your logo and colour on its web app from 200 clients, no store listing (Kahunas) | Not applicable. Your own store app means your own developer accounts |
| Moving in | Adding clients is covered in its help centre; ask Kahunas what it can import | Opens and converts Excel files; you build the structure |
| Moving out | Per-client data copy (made for client data requests) as a zip; coach account copy from support | No Kahunas-specific route; you copy the data across yourself |
Kahunas rows checked on its own pages and Google rows on Google's Sheets, Forms and Workspace pages, all on 12 November 2026. Where a cell says Google's page lists no feature, that is our reading of what Google's pages list, not a statement that none exists.
where the spreadsheet wins
Google Sheets for online coaching
The spreadsheet route is a real choice. Google lists no price for creating a sheet with a Google Account, it bends to however you program, and you own the file and its layout. You decide when the structure changes.
Choose a spreadsheet if: you have a small roster, you like building your own structure and the admin around it does not cost you time you would rather spend coaching. Size is not the limit: Google gives up to 20 million cells or 100 MB per spreadsheet.
where kahunas has built-in features
What a sheet needs extra work for
Four things come built in on a coaching platform and are separate jobs with a spreadsheet. That is the nature of a spreadsheet, not a fault.
Choose Kahunas if: those four jobs are where your time goes and a seat price from USD 5.00 down to USD 0.50 a month as your roster grows suits you. Features unlock by seat tier (Automations from 25 seats, white label from 200).
A coaching spreadsheet plus a simple client app
Two Google tools sit between a bare sheet and a platform. Google Forms builds a check-in form clients fill in from any device, and Google says you can export the responses into Google Sheets.
AppSheet is Google's no-code app builder. Its page says it connects to Google Sheets, captures data with forms, photos and signatures, and sends email, SMS and push notifications. That is Google's own no-code route to a client app. You still set it up and maintain it yourself, and on Starter the bill rises with your client count, as the table above shows. AppSheet also lists Publisher Pro at USD 50 a month per app for unlimited users, for public apps that hold no sensitive data and need no sign-in.
Build your own coaching app: what the stores ask for
Building your own app is a different scale of project. The vendors' pages cover the publishing side; the build and upkeep are on top. For the build cost see how much it costs to build a fitness app and build your own app vs a coaching platform.
- Apple. The Apple Developer Program lists a USD 99 annual membership. A free account lets you test apps on your own devices. The App Review Guidelines say every app is reviewed, and that an app should include features, content and UI that go beyond a repackaged website.
- Google Play. Play Console lists a US$25 one-time registration fee, a minimum age of 18, and says you may be asked for a valid government ID and a credit card under your legal name. For personal accounts created after 13 November 2023, Google requires a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in continuously for 14 days before you can apply for production access.
Kahunas's 2.0 post says app stores add steps between a client and their first workout, and that its client app installs from a link instead (kahunas.io/blog/kahunas-2-0, checked 12 November 2026).
Moving from Kahunas to a spreadsheet, and back
For a client who asks for their data, Kahunas's help centre describes a per-client copy as a zip with profile, check-ins, form answers, workout and nutrition logs, goals and uploaded photos, and says chat messages are not in it yet. A copy of your own account data comes from Kahunas support by email within one month (Kahunas help, checked 12 November 2026). What goes into a sheet from there is your own work. We found no guide from either vendor for moving between the two.
The Kahunas help centre has a guide on adding a client. For platform-to-platform steps, see how to switch from Kahunas.
Where Coachway fits, and where it does not
We build Coachway, so weigh this section knowing that. Next to a spreadsheet it is the platform route. Next to Kahunas it costs more per client.
Where it fits
- The jobs the table above says a sheet leaves to you are in the product: a client app with food logging (search about 3.7 million foods, scan a barcode, or snap a meal and fix the AI estimate before it logs), and a check-in that lands as one card with the change since last time.
- Payments run on your own Stripe account. Coachway takes 2.4% per transaction, plus Stripe's own fees.
- A library of 1,700+ exercises with demos, plus your own videos by upload or YouTube link. See the client app.
Where it does not
- It costs more than a spreadsheet, and more than Kahunas per client. Our US plan is USD 39 a month for the first 5 active clients, then USD 4.99 for each extra: USD 63.95 at 10 clients, 138.80 at 25, 263.55 at 50 and 513.05 at 100. Kahunas lists USD 50, 62.50, 100 and 150 at those counts. Other currencies are on the pricing page.
- There is no free plan.
- There is no white-label app. Your logo and brand colours go on the progress images you share, not inside the client app. Kahunas lists its branded web app from 200 clients.
- We take 2.4% per transaction. Kahunas states 0% commission on your sales. With a sheet you pay whatever your separate payment service charges.
- If ten clients and a sheet you like work for you, you may not need software at all.
For the wider field, read our guide to Kahunas alternatives. The Kahunas fees and seat tiers are on Kahunas pricing.
Kahunas vs Google Sheets, frequently asked.
Is Google Sheets enough to run an online coaching business?
For programming and tracking, often yes. A sheet per client handles workouts, weights and notes. What a sheet does not do on its own is take payments, send check-in reminders, give clients an app or log their food. You add other tools for those, or do them by hand. Checked 12 November 2026.
How much does Google Sheets cost compared with Kahunas?
Google lists no price for creating a sheet with a Google Account. Paid Google Workspace plans are priced per user, and Starter showed EUR 6.80 per user a month to us on a 1-year commitment, so one coach pays the same at any client count. Kahunas prices per seat: USD 50, 62.50, 100 and 150 a month at 10, 25, 50 and 100 clients, billed monthly. Both checked 12 November 2026.
Can I build a client app on top of a Google Sheet?
Google publishes a no-code tool called AppSheet that connects to Google Sheets. Its pricing page lists Starter at USD 5 per user a month and says you buy licenses for all users. If every client is a user, that is USD 50, 125, 250 and 500 a month at 10, 25, 50 and 100 clients, before your own license. AppSheet also lists Publisher Pro at USD 50 a month per app for unlimited users, for public apps that hold no sensitive data and need no sign-in. Checked 12 November 2026.
What does it take to publish my own coaching app in the App Store and Google Play?
Apple lists a USD 99 annual membership, and its guidelines say every app is reviewed. Google Play lists a one-time US$25 registration fee, and new personal accounts need a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before production access. The build is on top. Checked 12 November 2026.
Is a spreadsheet limited in how many clients it can hold?
Google gives the limit as up to 20 million cells or 100 MB per spreadsheet. A master sheet with 100 clients, 52 weeks and 40 columns is 208,000 cells, about one percent of that. Checked 12 November 2026.
What if I decide I want software after all?
Coachway is one software option. It costs more per client than Kahunas and has no free plan. If you are leaving Kahunas, the switch offer below has the terms, and the how to switch from Kahunas guide has the steps.
leaving kahunas?
We move you to Coachway in one day, free.
Sign up on coachway.io/kahunas/ and the checkout shows 30 days free. Card required, nothing is charged during your free month. Tell us what to move and a person from our team does the migration with you. We tell you what moves before anything changes, and client payment subscriptions are set up again on your own Stripe.
Coachway is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kahunas.
disclosure and sources
Coachway competes with Kahunas and offers software that sits next to a spreadsheet. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Kahunas or Google. Every vendor fact on this page was checked on 12 November 2026 on the vendor's own page:
- Google Sheets (what it is, offline, sharing, FAQ)
- Google Workspace pricing (per-user prices, shown to us in EUR)
- Google Drive Help: files you can store (spreadsheet size limit)
- Google Forms, AppSheet and AppSheet pricing
- Apple Developer Program and App Review Guidelines
- Play Console: get started and testing requirements for personal accounts
- kahunas.io/pricing, check-ins, nutrition, payments, branded app and the Kahunas 2.0 post
- Kahunas help: check-in reminders and client data requests
The cost figures are our own arithmetic from the published prices. Prices and limits change, so check each page before you decide. If Kahunas or Google publishes something that changes a fact here, or you want to send a correction, write to [email protected] and we will update the page and its date.
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