SOFTWARE
Updated 2026-10-21
There are dozens of apps for personal trainers, and most of their websites say the same thing. The fastest way to choose is to ignore the feature lists and test the one workflow you will repeat hundreds of times: write a program, give it to a client, and check what they did.
The best personal trainer app is the one that makes your weekly loop fast: building programs from templates, delivering them to the client's phone, letting the client log every set (weight, reps and effort) in the gym, and showing you who trained and who is falling behind. Start with a free plan, run two or three real clients through it for two weeks, and only then pay. GoHarder is free for up to 3 athletes, so you can test the full loop with real clients.
Coach your athletes in GoHarder
Build programs, assign them to clients and review every logged set. Free for up to 3 athletes.
Start freeYou will build and edit programs every week. Check that you can create templates, duplicate them, reorder exercises, and set sets, rep ranges, rest and a target effort (RIR or RPE) per exercise. Look for set types like warm-up, drop set and failure if you use them.
If clients do not log, nothing else matters. The client side should show today's workout, the numbers from last session, a rest timer, and let them log a set in a couple of taps. Ask: would my least technical client manage this alone?
Your dashboard should answer three questions without opening every client: who trained this week, who is behind, and whose numbers are going up. Personal records, volume over time and activity history save hours.
A good library covers the exercises you program and lets you add your own. Clear images or video reduce "which machine is this?" messages.
Messages, notes and weekly check-ins next to the workout data keep context together. Switching between WhatsApp, email and a spreadsheet is where clients slip through.
If you give meal plans or macro targets, check whether the platform handles them or whether you will need a second tool.
Most platforms charge the coach per active client or by client tiers. Work out the monthly cost at your current number of clients and at double that number. Check whether clients pay anything, and whether there is a free plan for testing.
Gym and studio software (bookings, memberships, door access, point of sale) solves a different problem than coaching software. If you coach online or train clients in a commercial gym, you mostly need programming, delivery and review. Do not pay for a studio management suite you will not use.
If building is slow, clients do not log, or the weekly review takes longer than before, move on.
GoHarder is built for coaches who program strength and hypertrophy training. You build programs on the web dashboard with sets, reps and RIR targets, assign them to athletes, and they log every set in the iOS and Android app, with previous values, rest timer and personal record detection. You see activity, progress charts, body weight and weekly reviews on your dashboard, and message athletes in the app. It is free for up to 3 athletes; paid plans are tiered by number of athletes, and clients never pay to use the app.
Yes. Several coaching platforms have a free plan with a small client limit. GoHarder is free for up to 3 athletes, with the program builder, exercise library, client workout logging and progress analytics included and no credit card required.
In most coaching platforms, including GoHarder, the coach pays and clients use the athlete app for free. Check this before you choose: charging clients for an app adds friction to every sale.
With a handful of clients, yes. Spreadsheets break down when you have to check many clients a week: clients log late or not at all, there is no rest timer or previous-session numbers in the gym, and you have to open one file per client to see who is falling behind.
Gym software focuses on bookings, memberships and payments at a physical location. Coaching software focuses on writing programs, delivering them to clients and reviewing what they logged. Many online coaches need only the second.
Coach your athletes in GoHarder
Build programs, assign them to clients and review every logged set. Free for up to 3 athletes.
Start free