CoachVana

Overview

CoachVana is an all-in-one coaching platform for personal trainers, online coaches, gyms and coaching brands. It is best suited to coaches who want workouts, nutrition, client communication and payments in one service. Its free tier is useful for up to three active clients, but a coach who starts the trial at client four must arrange a paid plan to keep those additional clients active.

Key features

Programming and nutrition

The workout builder combines drag-and-drop blocks, supersets, 13 templates and a coach’s exercise library. That gives coaches several ways to assemble programs, while imports from spreadsheets, PDFs, Word documents or photos can reduce the work of moving existing programs and meal plans. Client lists can also be imported from CSV or Excel, and coaches can export everything they have built as one file—a useful measure of portability.

Clients can log food against calorie and macro targets using a database of 404,162 foods. Alongside meal planning, client goals and progress tracking, this makes CoachVana a practical choice for trainers who want nutrition and exercise workflows together. It is less compelling for someone seeking only a personal food diary.

Client operations, payments and connections

Client management, check-ins and messaging sit alongside coaching tools, and clients have mobile apps. Coaches receive payments through their own Stripe account; CoachVana says it takes 0% commission, including on marketplace clients. That avoids a platform commission on those payments, though it does mean payment processing runs through the coach’s Stripe account.

Optional connections include Apple Health, Health Connect, WHOOP, Garmin and Google Calendar. Typeform and Jotform responses can feed leads, applications or check-ins, extending the workflow beyond the core coaching tools.

Privacy and support

CoachVana says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, database access uses row-level security, and progress photos and documents are stored privately with short-lived signed links. It says it does not sell user data or use it for advertising; content sent to Anthropic for optional AI features is not used to train its models. The service is offered to US residents, processes data in the United States and requires users to be at least 18. Support is by email at [email protected], with a real person reading every message.

Pricing

The free plan is free forever and includes every coaching feature for the first three active clients. That is a meaningful way for a small roster to use the full coaching toolkit, but it is a firm cap: when a coach reaches a fourth client, they can start a 14-day trial without a card on file. If the trial ends without a plan, clients beyond the first three are paused until payment is set up.

The Coach plan costs $29/mo for up to five clients. Each additional five-client band costs +$8/mo, with the rate capped at $149/mo per coach at 76+ active clients. It is the straightforward upgrade for an individual coach who has outgrown the free limit; the per-client bands matter as a roster grows.

The other paid options target specific needs rather than replacing that core plan:

• AI action pack: $29 a month for 100 more AI actions a month, for coaches who need additional AI usage.
• Featured coach placement: $49 a month for a listing in the featured band, which the marketplace lists first.
• Gym or studio: $99/mo per location for trainers, members, classes and a front desk. Per-trainer client bands also apply, so the location fee is not the full cost when trainers need client capacity.
• Company or brand: $99/mo for a team of coaches under one brand, with per-coach client bands also applying.
• Featured brand placement: $199 a month for a featured band for a gym or company listing and every coach in it.
• White-label app: $199 a month plus $499 setup. CoachVana’s team builds and submits an app under the customer’s brand for review.
• Custom branded app: $199 once for the app name, colors and startup screen in the CoachVana phone app.

Choose the gym or company tiers for their respective team structures, not simply to expand an individual roster. The promotional placement and app options are add-ons for visibility or branding, rather than substitutes for the coaching plan.

Platforms

CoachVana is available on Android, iOS and the web, with a client mobile app for coaching away from a browser.

Who it's for

CoachVana makes the most sense for coaches who want to manage training, nutrition, progress and client communication alongside payments, especially those starting with a small roster or growing into its client bands. Gyms and coaching brands have dedicated plans, but should budget for the additional per-trainer or per-coach bands. Coaches outside the United States, or users under 18, are not a fit for the service’s stated availability and age requirements.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The free plan includes every coaching feature, so a coach can use the full toolset with up to three active clients without a subscription.
• Pro: Program and meal-plan imports, client-list imports and a one-file export make it easier to bring work in and take built materials out.
• Pro: The stated 0% commission on payments, including marketplace clients, keeps CoachVana from taking a platform cut of coach payments.
• Con: The free tier stops at three active clients, and extra clients are paused after the trial if no paid plan is set up.
• Con: Roster expansion can add cost in five-client bands; gym and company plans also carry separate per-trainer or per-coach client bands.
• Con: The service is limited to US residents and adults at least 18 years old.

Alternatives

Fitness Nutrition Software is a useful category overview for comparing options across the field.

• Cronometer is the better fit when detailed personal nutrient tracking matters more than coach and client operations: its free Basic plan tracks up to 84 nutrients and compounds, with reports and charts in a seven-day window.
• Practice Better suits practitioners seeking a client-management alternative with a free tier for three active clients, one practitioner license and 100 MB storage; its Starter plan is $35 a month.
• Tyzra is another coaching option with a free plan for five clients that never expires and requires no card; its paid plans use GBP pricing.
• Promealplan is worth considering for a meal-planning-focused workflow; its free plan is limited to three meal plans total, one team seat, seven days per plan, calorie-only planning and three branded client apps.
• Lifesum is an alternative to consider.
• MyFitnessPal is an alternative to consider.
• Nutritionix Track is an alternative to consider.
• Foodzilla is an alternative to consider.

Verdict

CoachVana is a strong match for a US-based coach who wants programming, nutrition tracking, client management and payments under one roof, with room to begin free at three active clients. Its integrated workflows and broad import options are persuasive reasons to choose it; the client pause after trial and rising roster fees are the reasons to look elsewhere or budget carefully as the business grows.