White-Label Fitness Apps in 2026: Store-Listed Apps vs Branded Web Apps (Real Costs)

The 3 types of "branded fitness app" (don't pay for the wrong one)

Before comparing prices, check which of these three architectures a software vendor is selling you:

What we learned publishing over 10,000 white-label apps

Before Kahunas 2.0, branded store apps were our core business: we published over 10,000 white-label coaching apps to the Apple App Store and Google Play. They work, and for plenty of coaches they're still the right choice. Here's where they shine, and what they ask of you.

What store-listed apps do well:

• Discovery and credibility. A listing under your own name is searchable in the App Store and Google Play, and "download my app" carries weight on an Instagram bio or a sales call.
• A familiar install. Clients already know how to download an app, so there's nothing new to explain.
• Deeper device access. Native apps get fuller access to device features such as Apple Health.

What they ask of you:

1. You become the publisher. Apple's App Store Review Guideline 4.2.6 expects templated apps to be published from the business's own Apple Developer Program account ($99/year), and Google Play needs its own Play Console account ($25 one-time) with identity verification. A lapsed renewal or an unanswered compliance request can take your clients' app offline until it's fixed.
2. In-app sales carry store commission. Sell digital packages, challenges, or courses inside a native app and Apple or Google require In-App Purchase billing (15% under the Small Business Program, 30% standard). Most white-label apps take payment on the web instead and link clients out to check out.
3. Every update goes through review. New features reach clients after store review and once they update the app, so some clients always run an older version.
4. Onboarding has an extra step. A new client who pays on your website at 9pm still has to find your app in the store, remember their Apple ID password, download it, and log in before workout one.

That experience shaped Kahunas 2.0: we kept the branding coaches valued and moved delivery to a web app that installs from your link.

How a 3-tap branded web app (PWA) handles the same jobs

Modern iOS and Android treat an installed Progressive Web App (PWA) like any other icon on the client's home screen:

• 3 taps from your link: Clients open yourbrand.kahunas.app, tap Share -> Add to Home Screen -> Add, and launch a full-screen app with no browser address bar, in light or dark mode.
• Works offline in the gym: Sets, cardio, food logs, weigh-ins, check-ins, and saved videos store on the device when gym Wi-Fi drops and sync automatically once signal returns.
• Push notifications included: Installed home screen web apps deliver native push notifications on both iOS (16.4+) and Android for check-in reminders, chat replies, and automated nudges.
• Direct Stripe & PayPal checkout inside the experience: Because no app store sits between you and your client, clients can purchase packages, courses, or challenges from inside their app with no store commission and 0% Kahunas commission.

White-label & branded fitness app pricing compared (checked 28 October 2026)

Here is what every major coaching platform charges when you want your own brand on the client experience, alongside total monthly cost across 5, 20, 50, 100, and 200 clients (including payments and meal planning):

Deep dive: what you can customise in Kahunas at 200 seats

Disclosure: Kahunas is our product, so we want to be crystal clear on when branding unlocks and what it changes.

Below 200 seats (from $15/month), your clients still get the 3-tap instant web app with offline logging, workouts, 1.5M+ foods, Labs, wearables, and check-ins, carrying default Kahunas branding. Once you select 200 seats ($200/month monthly, or $160/month billed annually at $0.80/seat) (and you can choose the 200-seat plan on day one even if you have 60 clients and want full white-label branding), four controls unlock together:

1. Branded App: Upload your logo (PNG, JPEG, WebP, or GIF) and pick any custom hex colour. Both replace Kahunas defaults on the client's home screen icon, inside the client app (in light and dark mode), on your login screen, and across your team's coach portal.
2. Custom Web Address: Claim your own yourbrand.kahunas.app subdomain so login links, client app links, and package checkout URLs carry your business name.
3. Verified Email Sending Domain: Add three DNS records (CNAME, MX, TXT) so welcome emails, receipts, and automated check-in nudges arrive from hello@yourbrand.com instead of no-reply@kahunas.io.
4. Menu Personalisation: Choose which two destinations sit beside Home in your clients' bottom navigation bar (Workouts, Nutrition, Content, Community, or Courses), tucking everything else cleanly under More.

At $200/month ($160/month annual) for 200 seats, including workouts, nutrition, recipes, automations, Crew AI assistants, screen recording, communities, courses, challenges, team seats, and 0% payment commission, you pay $58 to $75/month less than Trainerize Studio Plus ($275/mo) or HubFit Premium + White Label ($258/mo), with $0 in Apple developer fees.

Which route should you pick?

• You have 5–50 clients and want your own App Store listing at the lowest possible cost: Test PT Distinction Pro ($59.90/month) or Master ($89.90/month), and confirm exact iOS App Store listing steps during your 1-month free trial.
• You sell creator memberships and courses first, with light workout programming: Look at Movement Pro ($99/month), which also uses a no-store web app model.
• You run a multi-location physical gym: Look at Trainerize Studio ($275/month) or Exercise.com.
• You run an online coaching business (or coaching team) and want instant 3-tap client onboarding, deep training + nutrition + blood Labs + AI triage, 0% payment commission, and no store listing to maintain: Choose Kahunas. Start at your current seat count (from $15/month) and unlock full white-label branding at 200 seats ($200/month monthly, $160/month yearly), or select the 200-seat plan right away to launch your logo, hex colour, custom domain, and sender email on day one.

FAQ

How much does it cost to build a custom fitness app from scratch vs white-labelling?

Hiring an agency to build and maintain custom iOS, Android, and web coaching apps with food databases, exercise video streaming, wearable APIs, and Stripe billing runs $40,000 to $150,000+ upfront plus thousands per month in server and maintenance retainers. White-label coaching platforms and branded web apps deliver that infrastructure for $59.90 to $275/month.

Can clients get push notifications from a branded web app on iPhone?

Yes. Since iOS 16.4, when an iPhone user adds a web app to their Home Screen in 3 taps, it runs full screen and supports native push notifications just like an Android or store-downloaded app.

Do app stores take a cut of coaching packages sold in-app?

Apple and Google charge 15% to 30% commission on digital subscriptions and courses sold via In-App Purchase, which is why most white-label coaching apps take payment on the web instead. With a Kahunas web app, clients pay through your own Stripe or PayPal link at 0% store fee and 0% Kahunas commission.

Bottom line

A listing under your own name in the App Store is a real asset, and we spent years building them for coaches. On the platforms above it costs $59.90 to $275+/month, plus a $99/year Apple developer account and store review on every update. If you'd rather clients install from your link in three taps, see how a branded web app feels on your own phone: start a 14-day free trial on Kahunas, backed by our 3-month money-back guarantee. Compare all major platforms side by side in our Best Online Coaching Platforms for Personal Trainers guide.

Sources

Checked 28 October 2026:

• kahunas.io/pricing, /features/web-app, /features/branded-app, /features/custom-domain, and /features/personalisation
• trainerize.com/pricing
• mypthub.net/pricing
• hubfit.com/pricing
• ptdistinction.com/pricing
• everfit.io/pricing