All prices in USD. Market ranges below come from Trainerize's 2026 pricing guide and Hevy Coach's package guide, both checked on 29 October 2026 and listed under Sources. Your market may price in pounds, euros or Australian dollars; the maths works the same once you swap the currency.
What online personal training costs in 2026
Trainerize's 2026 guide to personal trainer pricing puts monthly online personal training rates between $100 and $500+/month, with a lower-touch template programme and weekly check-ins at the low end and custom programming with nutrition coaching and regular one-to-one calls past $300/month. The same guide puts in-person sessions at roughly $40-$100 per session in the US, citing a NASM average of $61 per hour for one-to-one training.
Hevy Coach's guide to pricing online packages works from the same shape: it uses $100/month as a typical average online programme price that a $200/month coach has to justify with extra value, and profiles one established online coach selling tiers from $97 to $399/month, with the higher tiers adding faster programme progressions and nutrition adjustments.
That gives you three reference bands for 2026:
| Package shape | Typical monthly price | What the client gets |
|---|---|---|
| Template programme, group support | $100-$200 | Pre-built training blocks, app access, group chat or community, fortnightly or monthly check-ins |
| Custom one-to-one coaching | $200-$350 | Personal programme, nutrition targets or meal plan, weekly check-in with feedback, messaging between check-ins |
| Premium one-to-one coaching | $350-$500+ | Everything above plus regular calls, daily access, habits, wearable or lab reviews and fast replies |
Treat these bands as a market check, not a price list. A new coach with no results to show will struggle at $350/month however good the package looks on paper, and a coach with a waiting list leaves money behind at $150/month.
Start from your costs, not the market
Your floor price is the amount each client must cover before you earn anything. Three costs go into it:
- Coaching software per client. Divide your monthly software bill by your active clients. On Kahunas pricing, 25 clients cost $62.50/month, which is $2.50 per client. On per-client add-on models the figure climbs: our Trainerize pricing breakdown works out at roughly $3-$5.50 per client per month once payments and nutrition add-ons are included.
- Card processing fees. Stripe's standard US card rate is 2.9% + 30 cents per payment, so a $200 monthly payment costs you $6.10 in fees before the money reaches your account. Platforms that add their own transaction fee cost more: TrueCoach pricing shows how its flat 5% fee takes $10.00 from the same $200 payment.
- Your time per client. Add up programming, check-in review, messages and calls for one client across a month, then price your hour. Two hours a month at $200/month pays $100/hour before costs. Four hours a month at the same price pays $50/hour, below the $61/hour NASM average for in-person one-to-one work.
A worked example at $200/month
Say you coach 25 clients at $200/month on Kahunas, taking card payments through your own Stripe account:
| Line | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Client payments (25 x $200) | $5,000.00 |
| Coaching software (25 seats) | -$62.50 |
| Card fees at 2.9% + 30 cents (25 x $6.10) | -$152.50 |
| Left before tax, marketing and other costs | $4,785.00 |
Software and card fees together come to $215/month, or $8.60 per client. If each client takes you two hours a month, that $4,785 covers 50 coaching hours at $95.70/hour before tax and other business costs. Run the same sum with your real software bill and your real check-in time; the structure holds at any price.
How many clients you need at each price
| Monthly package price | Clients to bill $3,000/month | Clients to bill $5,000/month | Clients to bill $10,000/month |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150 | 20 | 34 | 67 |
| $200 | 15 | 25 | 50 |
| $250 | 12 | 20 | 40 |
| $400 | 8 | 13 | 25 |
This table is gross billings before software, card fees and tax, rounded up to whole clients. It shows the trade every online coach makes: a $150 package needs 67 clients to bill $10,000/month, which means 67 weekly check-ins, while a $400 package needs 25. Price and workload move together.
Two pricing models that work online
Monthly subscription
Charge a fixed monthly fee for ongoing programming, nutrition and check-ins, with no fixed end date. Subscriptions suit general fitness, muscle gain and long-term fat loss, where progress compounds over months. They also smooth your income: 25 clients at $200/month bill the same $5,000 in a quiet month as in January. The risk is drift, so give the subscription a rhythm clients can feel, such as a new training block every 4-6 weeks and a progress review every 12 weeks.
Fixed-term package (paid up front or in instalments)
Charge one price for a defined block, usually 8, 12 or 16 weeks, paid in full or split across the block. A 12-week package at $600 equals $200 every four weeks, but the fixed end date creates urgency, a natural before-and-after moment, and a decision point where happy clients renew. Fixed terms suit transformations, event prep and a first offer for new clients who will not commit to an open-ended subscription.
Many established coaches run both: a 12-week starter package that rolls into a monthly subscription. Kahunas packages support subscriptions, one-off payments, a set number of payments and an upfront period that rolls into a subscription, with plans assigned at checkout.
What justifies charging more
Clients pay for access, customisation and proof, roughly in that order:
- Access: Daily messaging and same-day replies cost more than one weekly check-in. Spell out response times in the package so a premium price buys a visible difference.
- Customisation: A programme built around a client's equipment, injuries and schedule, plus nutrition that adapts weekly, outprices a template with macro targets.
- Data depth: Reviewing sleep, steps and heart rate from a client's wearable, or blood test markers through Labs, takes specialist time and supports a premium tier.
- Proof: Documented client results in your niche. Until you have them, price at the low end of your band, collect results, and raise prices for new clients as proof builds.
Three pricing mistakes that cost coaches money
- Pricing online as discounted in-person training. Online clients compare you with other online offers, not with your gym-floor hourly rate. Trainerize makes the same point in its pricing guide: online coaching carries different overhead, not zero overhead, once software, programme writing time and marketing go in.
- Forgetting fees and software until the margin is gone. At $100/month, a 5% platform card fee plus $5.50 of software add-ons can take over 10% of every payment. Build both into the price from day one.
- One package for everyone. A single $200 offer forces budget clients to walk away and premium clients to underpay. Two or three tiers built from the bands above let each client pick their contact level.
When and how to raise your prices
Raise prices for new clients first when any of these hold: you have a waiting list or a full roster, your close rate on sales calls sits well above half, or your newest results are stronger than the ones your current price was built on. Grandfather existing clients at their current rate for a set period, tell them the date it ends, and let churn do the rest. Small, frequent rises ($20-$30/month every 6-12 months) beat one large jump, because each new cohort anchors to the last. For the mechanics of packages and payment links, see how we price and compare platforms in the best online coaching platforms guide.
FAQ
How much should I charge for online personal training as a beginner?
Start in the $100-$200/month band with a template-based programme and weekly check-ins, and trade the lower price for testimonials, before-and-after permission and referrals. Move new clients up the band as your results and waiting list grow.
Is $200 a month expensive for online coaching?
No. It sits in the middle of the $100-$500+/month range Trainerize reports for online personal training in 2026, and it only needs 25 clients to bill $5,000/month before costs.
Should I charge per session online?
Per-session billing suits live video sessions. For app-based coaching, monthly subscriptions and fixed-term packages bill more predictably and match how clients use the service between sessions.
How much do online personal trainers make?
It depends on roster size and price: 20 clients at $250/month bill $5,000/month, and 50 clients at $200/month bill $10,000/month, before software, card fees and tax. Your take-home depends on how many hours each client needs from you each week.
Do I need a certification to charge for online coaching?
Coaching platforms do not generally ask for one, but clients, insurers and the law where you and your clients live may. Check the requirements in your area before you sell coaching.
The bottom line
Charge from your costs up, then sanity-check against the $100-$500+/month market. Keep software and card fees under control, because at online coaching prices they decide how much of each payment you keep. Kahunas pricing starts from $15/month with 0% commission on your own Stripe and PayPal accounts, and the 14-day free trial lets you run your first paid package before you commit.
Sources
All checked 29 October 2026.
