The fitness industry has long been anchored by in-person activities and community engagement. Now, millions of people are trying to connect with fitness instructors virtually, while working out in their own homes. This has led to a surge in fitness coach and trainer apps; but which one is the best fit for you?
App-based fitness has become one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, with predictions it will reach nearly $15 billion in the next few years. Home-based activities are up across the board, and research firm McKinsey reported that many people expect to continue doing more at home in the coming months (top of the list is exercise).
So how can you grow in the shifting digital landscape of health, wellness, and fitness? Let’s take a look at the five best fitness coach and trainer apps in the marketplace with a quick review of the leading solutions.
Fitness Coach & Trainer App Review
Best overall: Burnalong
With a large user base and an easy onboarding process (this group was live in less than 10 minutes), Burnalong stands out with its modern platform, easy-to-use functionality, and clear value. Burnalong works with instructors from many different specialties including yoga, boot camp, Tai Chi, older adult fitness, strength, adaptive workouts, cycling, and cardio. They also go way beyond fitness and work with specialists who post content on sleep, chronic condition management, financial health, mental and emotional health, nutrition, and more.
They are also the only app we found that pays you directly for posting classes.
Instructors can record and post classes from anywhere in the world and get paid for every view. Keep your classes on Burnalong and they will keep paying you whether you post classes regularly or not (though the highest earners – thousands of dollars a month – are those who engage with the community).
Best how-tos: PT Distinction
PT Distinction is an app that has excellent ratings across portals like GetApp, Capterra, and Trustpilot. It has also won numerous awards and is beloved by physical therapists. PT Distinction helps personal trainers serve more clients more efficiently, and save time in the process.
Featuring an exercise library with more than 1,000 videos, a website integration, and custom branding, it has everything you need for your PT business. You can also integrate it with several other leading apps, from Paypal and MyZone to FitBit and MyFitnessPal.
Best value: Burnalong
An app that pays you and is free to use is always going to top our list by providing the best value. Burnalong pays instructors every time their class is viewed. With hundreds of thousands of users, those minutes add up quickly.
With more than 50 wellness categories to post in, Burnalong is great for certified personal trainers, nutrition experts, group exercise instructors (especially yoga and HIIT), and other certified wellness professionals. View all of their categories here.
Best for homework: Justcoach
Described as an all-in-one coaching solution, you have everything you need with Justcoach. Their features allow you to make the most of your time with clients with progress tracking, workouts, meal plans, nutrition, and habit coaching. The tool is also incredibly easy to use; watch the live demo on their site to get a good understanding of how it all works.
Best for nutrition: Total Coaching
Next, we have Total Coaching, a personal training software designed to help you manage exercise and nutrition programs. There is a database of more than 25,000 foods and a bank of 1,000 3D animated exercises.
Total Coaching provides real-time nutrition analysis, making it straightforward when it comes to managing what your client is eating. You can also create custom questionnaires for your clients to get a better understanding of their needs or how they are currently finding your program.
Best for bookkeeping: PT Minder
PT Minder is a fitness business management solution that enables you to manage client data, including their progress, payments, and bookings. Your clients have the option of booking workout sessions online and completing the payment processing procedure too.
You can integrate PT Minder with many other solutions, including your website, Mailchimp, Google calendar, Facebook page, and more.
What’s next for fitness coaches?
Whether you are a freelance fitness trainer, an aspiring online wellness coach or planning on digitizing your fitness studio, we hope our list of the five best fitness coach apps will help you grow your business.
At Burnalong, we are committed to providing a wide diversity of content for our users with inclusive tools, taught by thousands of local fitness professionals across the country. We realize we are a bit biased but if you are looking for an easy app for fitness coaches, plus the chance to get paid for every view your classes receive, we are the perfect fit for you.
Hoping to grow your business? Introduce yourself to us and become a Burnalong instructor. If you are feeling social and want to discuss this blog with fellow professionals, check out our friendly Facebook group.
