Trainerize is the largest coaching software, owned by ABC Fitness Solutions. It's a fine starter platform — but their Custom Branded App is locked to the $250/mo Studio plan, and most coaches pay $77+/mo for an app that puts their name on the App Store, not yours. Cadence flips that.
Under 100 clients? Cadence Coach is $99/mo flat with a real branded app. Trainerize Pro is $20-77/mo without a branded app — to get one you'd need their $250/mo Studio plan. Cadence ships in 24 hours; Trainerize's branded build takes 2-4 weeks.
Advertised prices vs. real-world bills. We did the math from Trainerize's published pricing + add-ons most coaches need.
Comparing what's actually included in each platform's most-bought tier (Trainerize Pro vs Cadence Coach), based on Trainerize's published pricing as of May 2026.
| Feature | Trainerize Pro | Cadence Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Branded app (your name in App Store) | ✗ Studio tier only ($250/mo) | ✓ Included |
| Time to launch your branded app | 2-4 weeks | 24 hours |
| App store review required | Yes — 1-3 weeks | No — PWA |
| AI plan generation | Templates only | ✓ Claude Haiku 4.5 |
| Stripe payment integration | Add-on (~$10/mo + 3.5%) | ✓ Connect, no markup |
| Video coaching | $30/mo add-on | ✓ Included |
| Advanced nutrition (meal planning) | $25/mo add-on | ✓ Included |
| Pricing transparency | Tiered + 3 add-ons | Flat $99/mo |
| Cross-device sync | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-location management | ✓ | Q3 2026 roadmap |
| Client capacity (Coach tier) | 25 (Pro) | 100 |
| Setup fee | $0 | $299 one-time |
| 30-day money-back guarantee | No | ✓ |
| Concierge brand call before build | No (self-serve) | ✓ 30-min call |
Real reviews from G2, Capterra, and the Trainerize Reddit community. We didn't make these up — and we built around them.
"Custom branding is gated to Studio at $250/month. As a solo coach with 30 clients I can't justify that price, but my clients see Trainerize everywhere instead of my brand."
— Trainerize coach, G2 review summary, 2026
"Pricing balloons fast. The base plan looks cheap but you end up paying for video coaching, advanced nutrition, payment processing as separate add-ons."
— Trainerize coach, Capterra review, 2026
"Setup of the custom branded app took six weeks once we factored in the App Store review. Lost momentum with new clients during that gap."
— Trainerize Studio coach, Reddit r/personaltraining
"AI workout builder feels like templates with names swapped. It's not actually adapting to my client's last 14 days of training."
— Trainerize coach, G2 review
"The coach app and client app are separate. Two interfaces to maintain, and clients sometimes download the wrong one."
— Trainerize coach feedback summary
"Even on Studio, when I want a feature changed, the response is 'we'll consider it for the roadmap.' I'm one of 100,000 customers."
— Multiple Trainerize Studio reviews
Trainerize wins on a few specific use cases. Here's where we'd send you their way honestly.
| If you need... | Pick |
|---|---|
| Multi-location gym management with 500+ clients across multiple branches | Trainerize Studio ($250/mo) |
| Integration with ABC Fitness Solutions gym management ecosystem | Trainerize |
| Cheapest possible plan + don't care about branding (just delivery) | Trainerize Grow ($9/mo) |
| Branded app for a solo or small-team coaching practice (under 100 clients) | Cadence Coach |
| Speed-to-launch (live in 24 hours, not weeks) | Cadence |
| AI-native plan generation that adapts to logged data | Cadence |
| Studio-tier custom design with your domain + App Store presence | Cadence Studio ($299/mo) |
Export your roster + programs from Trainerize as CSV. Drop them into Cadence. Your branded app is live in 24 hours from your brand call. Existing client subscriptions migrate without a missed payment.