CoachVana

Overview

CoachVana is a coaching platform for personal trainers, online coaches, gyms and coaching brands. It suits coaches who want workout, nutrition and client-management workflows in one place; its free tier is a useful start, though growth beyond three active clients means deciding whether to pay.

It combines programming, food tracking, check-ins, messaging and payments, with mobile apps for clients. The main caveat is geographic: CoachVana is offered to US residents, processes data in the United States and requires users to be at least 18.

Key features

Programming and nutrition

The program builder supports draggable blocks, supersets, 13 templates and a coach’s exercise library. That mix gives trainers room to build their own routines or start from a template. Imports of programs and meal plans from spreadsheets, PDFs, Word documents or photos can ease a move from existing materials; client lists can be imported from CSV or Excel. Coaches can export everything they have built as one file, a useful safeguard for portability.

Clients can log food against calorie and macro targets using a built-in database of 404,162 foods. Meal planning, food tracking, client goals and progress tracking make CoachVana a fit for trainers who want nutrition and workouts alongside client coaching, rather than a standalone food diary.

Client operations and integrations

Client management, check-ins and messaging sit alongside the coaching tools. Optional connections include Apple Health, Health Connect, WHOOP, Garmin and Google Calendar; Typeform and Jotform responses can feed leads, applications or check-ins. These links may help join client workflows, though their value depends on the services a coach already uses.

Coaches take payments through their own Stripe account, and CoachVana says it charges 0% commission, including on marketplace clients. That avoids a platform commission on those payments, but still means the coach needs a Stripe account. Support is by email, and the company says a real person reads every message.

Privacy and data handling

CoachVana says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, database access uses row-level security, and progress photos and documents are stored privately behind short-lived signed links. It also 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. Those are meaningful protections for sensitive client material; the US-only availability and processing location may rule it out for some coaches.

Pricing

The Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free, is billed Free forever and includes every coaching feature for the first three active clients. That is a substantial way to try the core workflow, but the client cap is strict: at client four, a coach 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 29.00 USD per month, billed $29/mo, for up to five clients. Each additional five-client band costs +$8/mo, with the price capped at $149/mo per coach at 76+ active clients. It is the natural next step for an independent coach outgrowing the free cap, but costs scale with client volume.

Other paid options serve narrower needs. The AI action pack is 29.00 USD per month, billed $29 a month, for 100 more AI actions a month. Featured coach placement is 49.00 USD per month, billed $49 a month, for a listing in the marketplace band shown first. A gym or studio plan costs 99.00 USD per month, billed $99/mo per location, and includes trainers, members, classes and a front desk; per-trainer client bands also apply. The Company or brand plan is 99.00 USD per month, billed $99/mo, for a team of coaches under one brand, with per-coach client bands also applying.

Featured brand placement costs 199.00 USD per month, billed $199 a month, for a featured band for a gym or company listing and every coach in it. The White-label app costs 199.00 USD per month, billed $199 a month plus $499 setup; CoachVana builds and submits an app under the customer’s brand for review. Custom branded app is 199.00 USD per once, billed $199 once, for an app name, colors and startup screen in the CoachVana phone app. These extras make sense for businesses that need visibility or branding, not coaches who only need the core coaching workspace.

Platforms

CoachVana is available on Android, iOS and web. Clients can use a mobile app, while coaches can use the web platform. Its stated US-resident restriction and minimum age of 18 are important eligibility limits.

Who it's for

CoachVana is strongest for US-based coaches who want workout programming, nutrition tracking, client communication and payments together, and for gyms or brands that need team-oriented plans. The free tier is practical for a small roster; the client bands give growing solo coaches a defined upgrade path. It is a poor fit for under-18 users, people outside the US, or anyone who wants only nutrition tracking.

Pros and cons

• Pros: All coaching features are included on the free tier for up to three active clients, making it possible to start without a subscription.
• Pros: Program templates, a personal exercise library and broad document imports support both new programming and migration of existing plans.
• Pros: Food logging against calorie and macro targets, plus meal planning and progress tracking, keeps nutrition within the coaching workflow.
• Pros: Coaches keep payment processing on their Stripe account, and CoachVana says it takes no commission.
• Cons: The free tier stops at three active clients; after a 14-day trial, excess clients pause without a paid plan.
• Cons: The Coach plan’s price rises in client bands, so expanding a roster increases the recurring bill.
• Cons: Service is limited to US residents, with data processed in the United States, excluding coaches who need another region.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Fitness Nutrition Software.

• Practice Better is worth considering for practitioners who want its free tier for three active clients, 100 MB storage and one practitioner license.
• Cronometer is a better fit for individual nutrient tracking: its free Basic plan tracks up to 84 nutrients and other compounds, with reports and charts over a seven-day window.
• Promealplan may suit someone focused on meal plans and client apps; its free tier allows three meal plans total, one team seat, seven days per plan, calorie-only plans and three branded client apps.
• Well&Co is an alternative with a €29.00 per month Starter plan for up to five clients, including a day plan builder, nutrition and activity tracking, messaging and basic analytics.
• Foodzilla is a paid alternative with a Starter plan at 37.00 USD per month, with five clients included and a minimum of five and maximum of 50.
• Tyzra offers a free tier for five clients with no card required and no expiry, which may suit a coach prioritizing a larger free client allowance.
• Healthie is a paid alternative whose Core annual-billing plan costs 18.00 USD per month and includes 10 active clients, scheduling, payment processing, charting, telehealth and a client portal.
• Nutrium is another paid alternative.

Verdict

Choose CoachVana if you are a US-based coach who wants programming, nutrition, client operations and payments under one roof, with a free way to start at up to three active clients. Its main trade-offs are the client cap that triggers a paid decision and its US-only availability. Coaches who need more free clients or a tool centered on one specific nutrition workflow should compare alternatives before committing.