Coaches ask us a version of this question every week. Sometimes politely, sometimes suspiciously, often after a bad experience with another platform that promised free and then was not. The question: how is QuickCoach actually free, and is the model going to hold?
It's a fair question. A free online coaching platform always invites a degree of scepticism, and the fitness software category has earned its share. Platforms get acquired. Pricing changes. Free tiers shrink. Coaches who built their businesses on a particular promise end up paying for what used to be free, or moving to a new platform mid-roster.
The best response to that scepticism is not a slogan. It's a clear, honest explanation of how the model actually works. That's this article.
Quick answer
Yes, QuickCoach is genuinely free. The free plan holds up to 20 active clients with the full program builder and client apps, no time limit and no card. Coaches who want more can move to Pro at $39 a month. It's the same freemium model Slack and Figma run, built to last.
Quickfire answers about the free plan
- Do I need a card to sign up for QuickCoach?
- No. The QuickCoach free plan never asks for a card, and it doesn't expire.
- How many clients can I coach on QuickCoach for free?
- Up to 20 active clients. That covers most coaches: across 1,669 QuickCoach coaches, the median runs 6 active clients and 88% coach 20 or fewer at a time (see the full roster data).
- What happens when I sign my 21st client?
- On QuickCoach you either upgrade to Pro or set a finished client to inactive to free a slot. Your programs and client history stay put either way.
- How much is QuickCoach Pro?
- QuickCoach Pro is $39 a month, or $390 a year ($32.50 a month). It covers unlimited clients, so the price is the same at 21 clients or 300. There's a 14-day free trial.
- Can I take client payments on the free plan?
- Yes, through QuickCoach Client Billing and your own Stripe account. Client Billing is optional: a 10% platform fee on Free or 3.5% on Pro when you use it, plus Stripe's processing fee.
- Is habit tracking on the free plan?
- Yes, single habit tracking is on QuickCoach Free. Pro adds multi-habit tracking with rich check-ins, ready-made packs and full history, plus nutrition in client plans, both added in July 2026.
- Do my clients need to download an app?
- No. QuickCoach is a progressive web app, so there's no App Store download. It installs straight from the browser, lands on the client's home screen and behaves like any other app. On Pro it installs with your logo, name and colours (how clients install it).
How does QuickCoach's free plan work?
QuickCoach runs on two plans. The free plan covers up to 20 active clients with the program builder and client apps, with no time limit and no card. Pro is a flat $39 a month for unlimited clients and adds branding, multi-habit tracking and nutrition, the tools coaches need once they're operating at scale.
The free tier is not a trial. It is a real, fully functional coaching platform that thousands of coaches use as their primary tool, with no time limit.
Pro exists for coaches who outgrow the free tier or want more from it, like a branded app or nutrition in client plans. Moving up is their choice, made for the tools, not forced by a limit.
Why free is the right place for most coaches to start
Most coaches getting started online are running an experiment. They're testing whether they can convert their existing in-person clients to online delivery, or pick up a few online clients alongside their day job, or whether the whole online coaching idea actually fits the way they want to live. Coach Nick Hogan walks through one version of that transition in the in-person to online playbook that worked for him.
Asking that coach to commit to a monthly software subscription before they have proven the experiment is a barrier in the wrong place. Software cost is not what makes or breaks a coaching business in the early stages. The work and the consistency are. A free tier that actually works lets a coach focus on those things instead.
By the time a coach has built a roster that justifies investing in better software, they will know it. And they will know exactly what they need from us, because they will have used the platform long enough to see what works.
What's included in QuickCoach's free plan?
QuickCoach's free plan is a real coaching platform, not a stripped-down preview. Coaches running their practice on it have access to:
- Unlimited, customisable task library, plus the exercise video library
- Unlimited reusable, editable programs (with cloning and templates to cut program-building time in half)
- Client mobile and web apps, so clients have a proper experience for completing their training
- Client check-ins, feedback and progress tracking
- Single habit tracking for each client
- Up to 20 active clients
- Client Billing, so you can charge clients by card through your own Stripe account. It's optional: a 10% platform fee on Free when you use it, plus Stripe's processing fee
No time limit. No countdown to a forced upgrade. Coaches who never need anything beyond the free tier can keep using it indefinitely.
The 20-client cap is not a token figure either. For a coach doing genuinely individual work, 20 clients is most of a full-time roster; the capacity maths in our guide to how many clients an online coach can actually handle puts the realistic high-touch 1:1 ceiling at 15 to 25.
Give the platform a fair go, and tell us what would make it better. Coach feedback shapes what we build on both plans, and if your business grows to the point where Pro makes sense for you, it's there.
Run your first 20 clients free
Full program builder and client apps. No card, no time limit.
What Pro is, and who it's actually for
Pro is for coaches who have grown past the early stage and want their coaching to feel and look more polished, plus the room to keep growing past 20 clients.
What is in Pro:
- Unlimited clients
- Custom branding on the client app, branded client emails, and printed plans
- Push notifications to clients, plus activity alerts when clients complete work
- Training Insights, a dedicated view of each client's training
- Multi-habit tracking and nutrition in client plans: rich habit check-ins with ready-made packs, plus food search, food photo scanning, calories, macros and a client food log (photo results are estimates)
- Images on tasks, and ad-hoc exercises so a coach can add any exercise on the fly
- Workout sharing with branded templates and one-tap share
- Full workout and file history
- Priority support, with same-day replies
Pro is $39 a month, or $390 a year if you pay annually ($32.50 a month). It comes with a 14-day free trial, and the price doesn't move as your roster grows. Two optional add-ons sit outside that price and are billed separately: Coach Workflows ($14.99 a month) for automated check-in summaries and client reports, and the Nutrition Booster Pack ($12.99 a month) for barcode scanning. Nothing in core Pro depends on either. If you bill clients through QuickCoach, the Client Billing platform fee also drops from 10% to 3.5%. Coming in on a friend's recommendation? Free with Friends gives referred coaches 50% off their first month of Pro.
Most of these features matter more as a coach grows, with one exception. Plenty of coaches add a branded client app early, because it makes even a small roster look established. More than half of paying coaches are still within the free limit, so going Pro is usually a choice about the experience rather than the client count. A coach building a more visible business wants it sooner still. Pro is built around that genuine difference in needs, not around artificially limiting the free tier to push people into upgrading.
There's a category of freemium software that puts genuinely essential features behind a paywall and dares users to function without them. We've tried to build the opposite. The free tier is enough to actually run an early coaching practice. Pro is a real upgrade for coaches who have a real reason to upgrade. Both make sense on their own terms.
How does QuickCoach stay free?
QuickCoach Free stays free because the platform is built to run lean. A small, focused team and no large sales operation keep costs low, and QuickCoach runs as its own standalone platform. Free and Pro are two complete plans for different coaches, the freemium model Slack, Notion and Figma have run for years.
A free tier that runs alongside a paid tier is one of the most well-established business models in software. The mechanics are not unusual or fragile. They depend on a paid tier that's genuinely useful to the coaches who choose it, a free tier that's genuinely useful to the coaches who don't, and a product team that does both jobs well.
We're seeing it work. Over half of QuickCoach coaches stay on the free plan and run real practices on it, and coaches who move to Pro tend to stay there because the tools do real work for their business.
"I was so disappointed when I heard QuickCoach might be gone forever. I'm so happy you're keeping it going, and the new features are amazing."
Read Alisa's story →Alisa PyvovarchykACE-certified trainer, Kyiv. On QuickCoach since 2022, 99.9% program adherence.
"I have been using QuickCoach since its early days. I had never used any other program before, and I don't think I ever will."
Read Marko's story →Marko BubasFounder, Bubas Gym, Croatia. 13,100+ training plans completed on QuickCoach.
"I used ExorLive to create workout programs before. It was not efficient to create programs to send when the business grew and I coach more frequently one on one."
Read Alexandra's story →Alexandra WittborgPhysiotherapist, Elevate Movement, Stockholm. 71% of her clients on habit tracking.
The model also works because we're deliberate about cost discipline. QuickCoach is built and operated by a focused team. We do not run an enormous sales operation or brand-marketing campaigns at scale. We invest in the product and the community and let those compound. A lean cost base is what lets the free plan be this complete.
QuickCoach has been owned by Hale Health since late 2025 and runs as its own standalone platform. The full backstory is in why we acquired QuickCoach in late 2025.
Both plans keep improving. Client Billing, launched in October 2026, works on the free plan as well as Pro, and Pro gained multi-habit tracking and nutrition in July 2026. New Pro features never come at the expense of Free, which is still where most of the platform's growth happens.
None of this is a guarantee that nothing will ever change. Every product evolves. What we can commit to honestly is that the underlying model, a free tier with real tools for coaches getting started and a Pro tier for coaches operating at scale, is the model we are building around for the long term, because it is the model we believe in.
How does QuickCoach compare to other free personal trainer apps?
Most "free" tools for personal trainers fall into two camps. One is a paid platform with a short trial dressed up as free; after a week or two, the work of setting up clients evaporates. The other is a free tier that locks the client app, the program builder, or both, leaving a coach with software that can't actually run a practice. The difference between a free plan and a free trial is why these two camps exist, and our free plan versus free trial reference defines both.
QuickCoach is neither. The free tier includes the full program builder, the full client mobile and web app, unlimited programs, an unlimited task library, and up to 20 clients. No countdown timer. No feature lockout on the parts a coach actually uses every day. For coaches weighing it against the best free PT apps in the category, that's the difference worth checking.
Here is how the free tiers stack up across the platforms coaches compare us against most often.
| Platform | Free tier client limit | Time limit / trial |
|---|---|---|
| QuickCoach | Up to 20 active clients | No time limit, free indefinitely |
| Everfit | Up to 5 active clients | No time limit on the free Starter plan |
| Trainerize | 1 client | Free Basic plan, functions as a trial |
| TrueCoach | No free tier | 14-day trial only |
| My PT Hub | No free tier | 30-day trial only |
Sources: each platform's public pricing page (linked), free-tier limits verified May 2026. QuickCoach figures checked against the live app in October 2026.
Two platforms cap a working free plan well below what an early roster needs, and two skip the free plan entirely. For a fuller breakdown of paid pricing and features, read our comparison of the best free coaching software for 2026.
What this means for a coach starting today
If you're a coach evaluating QuickCoach right now, here's what you can take from this article.
Sign up for the free tier and run your coaching business on it for as long as you need to. The free tier is the product, not the trial.
Build on it. The free tier is designed for the early stages, with the core tools you need to onboard clients, deliver programming, and run a real workflow. When the time comes that you want more, Pro is the natural next step, and the move to Pro is something coaches choose because of specific tools they want, not because they were squeezed into it.
Build long-term plans on it. Coaches running their primary business on QuickCoach Free are not living on borrowed time. The free plan is a permanent part of how QuickCoach works, not a promotion, and it's the model we're building around for the long term.
Ask us hard questions about any of it. We'd rather answer them than have coaches making decisions based on assumptions. The email below reaches a real person. We read every message.
Start free, upgrade only if you need to
Free for up to 20 active clients. Pro is $39 a month with a 14-day trial when you want it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is QuickCoach really free for coaches?
Yes. The QuickCoach free tier has no time limit and supports up to 20 clients with unlimited programs, an unlimited task library, and a full client mobile and web app. Coaches can run their primary practice on the free tier indefinitely without paying.
What is the difference between QuickCoach free and Pro?
Free includes the program builder, unlimited programs, an unlimited task library, the exercise video library, check-ins, progress tracking, single habit tracking, the client mobile and web app, and up to 20 active clients. Pro adds unlimited clients, a branded client app with branded emails and printed plans, push notifications, Training Insights, multi-habit tracking, nutrition in client plans, branded workout sharing, full workout and file history, and priority support.
How much does QuickCoach Pro cost?
QuickCoach Pro costs $39 a month on monthly billing, or $390 a year, which works out at $32.50 a month. The price covers unlimited clients and every core Pro feature, and it does not rise as your roster grows. Pro comes with a 14-day free trial. Two optional add-ons, Coach Workflows and the Nutrition Booster Pack, are billed separately.
Can I charge clients on QuickCoach's free plan?
Yes. Client Billing works on Free and Pro and lets you charge clients by card through your own Stripe account, with one-off or recurring packages. Client Billing is optional: a 10% platform fee on Free or 3.5% on Pro when you use it, with Stripe's processing fee on top.
Will QuickCoach's free tier change or disappear?
The free tier is the foundation of the platform, not a promotional offer. QuickCoach runs as a lean, standalone platform. The model is the same one used by Slack, Notion, and Figma, and is the model QuickCoach is built around for the long term.
When should a coach upgrade to QuickCoach Pro?
Upgrade when you have outgrown the free tier in a specific way. Common triggers are passing 20 active clients, wanting a branded client app, adding habit tracking or nutrition to client plans, or wanting push notifications and priority support. A lower Client Billing platform fee (3.5% instead of 10%) also tips the maths once you bill a few clients through QuickCoach.
Is QuickCoach the best free app for personal trainers?
For personal trainers who want a real free tier with the full program builder, the client mobile and web app, unlimited programs, and no time limit, QuickCoach is built for that case. Coaches who need class booking, a session calendar, or a paid template marketplace will be better served elsewhere. For the core work of programming clients and running sessions, the free version of QuickCoach holds up against any paid platform in the category.
Can I use QuickCoach as a personal trainer client management app?
Yes. QuickCoach holds the client list, programs, task library, mobile and web client apps, and a record of every session and check-in inside a single workspace. The free tier supports up to 20 active clients, which fits most personal training rosters: across 1,669 QuickCoach coaches, 88% coach 20 or fewer at a time.
Last updated October 2026. QuickCoach pricing and plan features checked against the live app in October 2026. Competitor free-tier limits were verified against each platform's official pricing page in May 2026.
More on the platform and how we think about it on the QuickCoach blog. If you're comparing options, our roundup of the best free coaching software in 2026 and the full QuickCoach Pro pricing breakdown go deeper on the numbers. Questions about how the model works, what's in Pro, or whether QuickCoach is right for your business: support@quickcoach.fit.
