If you're running an independent personal training business, you're probably using at least four or five different apps right now. One for scheduling, one for payments, one for waivers, something for accounting, maybe a separate app for programming workouts — and your phone's notes app for everything in between.
It works, kind of. But it's also why you spend evenings doing admin instead of resting between clients. The good news is the personal trainer software market has matured significantly. There are better options now than ever — from specialized tools that do one thing really well to all-in-one platforms that replace your entire stack.
Here's a practical breakdown of what you actually need, the best options in each category, and whether it makes sense to consolidate.
What Software Do Personal Trainers Actually Need?
Before comparing tools, let's get clear on the functions you need to cover as an independent trainer:
- Scheduling and booking — Clients book sessions online, you manage your calendar
- Payment processing — Collect payments, sell packages, handle invoicing
- Client management — Store client profiles, track goals, log progress
- Waivers and forms — Digital liability waivers, PAR-Q questionnaires, informed consent
- Accounting and tax tracking — Log income and expenses, track mileage, generate tax reports
- Communication — Message clients, send reminders, share programs
Some trainers also need workout programming tools, nutrition tracking, and group class management. The more services you offer, the more tools you tend to accumulate.
Scheduling and Booking Tools
This is usually the first tool trainers adopt, because managing appointments via text message stops working around client number five.
Calendly
Calendly is the most popular general-purpose scheduling tool. You share a booking link, clients pick an available slot, and it syncs with your Google or Outlook calendar. The free tier supports one event type. Paid plans start around $10/month and add features like package scheduling and payment collection.
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity (now part of Squarespace) is built more for service businesses. It supports recurring appointments, package tracking, intake forms, and integrates with Stripe and Square for payments. Plans start at $16/month. It's more full-featured than Calendly for trainers because it handles packages and client history natively.
Square Appointments
Square Appointments is free for individuals and ties directly into Square's payment ecosystem. If you already use a Square reader for in-person payments, it's a natural fit. The booking page is simple but functional, and the payment integration is seamless.
What matters most for trainers: Look for recurring session support, package tracking (e.g., client bought 10 sessions, 6 remaining), cancellation policies with automated enforcement, and the ability to block buffer time between sessions.
Payment Processing
Getting paid shouldn't be complicated, but trainers often end up accepting payments through three different channels — Venmo from one client, checks from another, and hoping the third remembers to bring cash.
Square
Square is the most versatile option. Tap-to-pay on your phone (no extra hardware needed), online invoicing, and a free point-of-sale app. Processing fees are 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person transactions. If you're training at a gym, park, or client's home, Square's mobile payment options are hard to beat.
Stripe
Stripe is the go-to for online payments and recurring billing. If you sell packages or monthly memberships through a website, Stripe handles the recurring charges automatically. Fees are 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions. It's more developer-friendly than Square, so it works best when integrated into a platform rather than used standalone.
PayPal and Venmo
Many trainers default to Venmo because clients already have it. This works for casual arrangements, but it has downsides: no invoicing, no automatic receipts, hard to track for taxes, and the "friends and family" vs "goods and services" distinction creates confusion. If you use Venmo, always use the business profile to keep clean records.
For a deeper look at tracking your income for taxes, check out our complete guide to personal trainer tax deductions.
Client Management
Once you have more than a handful of clients, you need a system for tracking who's doing what — their goals, injury history, session notes, program progression, and progress over time.
Trainerize
Trainerize is one of the most popular trainer-specific platforms. It combines workout programming, nutrition tracking, habit coaching, and client messaging. Clients get a branded app. Plans start at $5/month for one client, scaling up based on client count. It integrates with MyFitnessPal for nutrition and Apple Health for activity data.
My PT Hub
My PT Hub offers similar features to Trainerize — workout programming, progress tracking, and nutrition planning. It also includes basic scheduling and payment features. Plans start around $30/month for up to 20 clients. The interface is clean, and clients can log workouts, track nutrition, and message you from the app.
TrueCoach
TrueCoach focuses specifically on workout delivery and client communication. You build programs, clients log their workouts and submit videos for form checks. It's particularly popular with strength coaches and trainers who do a lot of remote programming. Plans start at $19/month for up to 5 clients.
Waivers and Legal Forms
Every client should sign a liability waiver before their first session. If you're still using paper forms, you're creating storage problems and legal risk — a crumpled waiver in your car trunk isn't going to hold up if you need it.
Digital waiver platforms let clients sign on their phone before the first session, and the signed documents are stored securely with timestamps. Waivers complement but don't replace liability insurance — you need both.
WaiverForever
WaiverForever is designed specifically for businesses that need waivers. You create templates, clients sign on a tablet or their phone, and everything is stored in the cloud. It includes PAR-Q templates and custom form builders. Plans start at $15/month.
HelloSign (Dropbox Sign)
HelloSign handles electronic signatures for any document. It's more general-purpose than WaiverForever but works well for trainers who want to send waivers via email. The free tier allows 3 signatures per month. Paid plans start at $15/month.
Key forms every trainer needs: Liability waiver, PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire), informed consent for exercise, and photo/video release (if you use client transformations in marketing).
Accounting and Tax Tracking
This is the category most trainers ignore until April. Don't be that trainer. As a self-employed professional, you need to track income, expenses, and mileage throughout the year — and make estimated quarterly tax payments to avoid penalties.
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed is built specifically for freelancers and sole proprietors. It connects to your bank account, automatically categorizes transactions, tracks mileage via GPS, and estimates quarterly taxes. It exports directly to TurboTax. Plans start at $15/month.
Wave
Wave is a free accounting platform that covers invoicing, receipt scanning, and basic financial reporting. It's genuinely free (they make money on payment processing and payroll services). The interface is simpler than QuickBooks, which can be an advantage if you just need basic income and expense tracking.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is popular for service-based businesses. It combines invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking, and basic accounting. The invoicing features are the strongest part — if you regularly send invoices to clients, FreshBooks makes them look professional and tracks payment status. Plans start at $17/month.
For a detailed list of every deduction you can claim, read our personal trainer tax deductions guide.
The Problem with Using Separate Tools
If you're using best-in-class tools in each category, your monthly software bill might look like this:
- Scheduling: $16/month (Acuity)
- Payments: 2.6-2.9% per transaction (Square/Stripe)
- Client management: $30/month (My PT Hub)
- Waivers: $15/month (WaiverForever)
- Accounting: $15/month (QuickBooks)
That's roughly $75-100/month before you factor in payment processing fees. For a trainer seeing 20-30 clients, that's manageable. But the bigger problem isn't cost — it's fragmentation.
Your client data lives in five different places. Your schedule doesn't talk to your payment system. Your waiver platform doesn't know about your client profiles. You're copying information between apps, switching contexts constantly, and spending hours on admin that should take minutes.
This is why the industry is moving toward integrated platforms.
All-in-One Platforms
The trend in personal trainer software is consolidation. Instead of stitching together five apps, trainers increasingly want one platform that handles everything.
The appeal is obvious: one login, one dashboard, one monthly bill. Your schedule feeds into your payment system. When a new client books, they automatically get a waiver to sign. Payments are logged as income in your financial reports. Everything is connected.
Platforms like FitForce are designed to solve exactly this problem — combining client management, scheduling, payments, waivers, insurance, and tax tracking in one place built specifically for independent trainers. Instead of being a general business tool adapted for fitness, it's purpose-built for the way trainers actually work.
The key things to evaluate in an all-in-one platform:
- Does it cover your must-haves? Scheduling and payments are table stakes. Does it also handle waivers, insurance, and accounting?
- Is it built for trainers or adapted for trainers? Generic business tools require workarounds. Trainer-specific tools understand your workflow.
- Can you grow with it? Your needs at 5 clients are different from your needs at 50. The platform should scale with you.
- Does it reduce admin time? The whole point is spending less time on paperwork and more time training clients.
If you're just starting your personal training business, choosing an integrated platform from the beginning saves you the pain of migrating data later. If you're established and using separate tools, the switch takes some setup but typically saves 5-10 hours per month in admin time.
Making the Right Choice
There's no single right answer for every trainer. Your choice depends on where you are in your business:
Just starting out (1-5 clients): You can get by with free tools — Square Appointments for scheduling/payments, Wave for accounting, and a PDF waiver. Keep costs low while you build your client base and figure out your workflow.
Growing (5-20 clients): This is where the cracks show in a cobbled-together stack. You're spending too much time on admin, dropping balls on follow-ups, and losing track of who paid for what. An all-in-one platform starts making financial and operational sense.
Established (20+ clients): At this point, efficiency is everything. You need streamlined systems that let you focus on training, not context-switching between apps. An integrated platform with automation (auto-reminders, auto-invoicing, expiration alerts) pays for itself in time saved.
Whatever you choose, the goal is the same: spend less time running your business so you can spend more time growing it. Your clients hired you to train them, not to manage spreadsheets. Pick tools that respect that.