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Comparison

Online Personal Trainer vs Fitness Apps

A fitness app gives you workouts; an online personal trainer gives you a plan made for you, a weekly check-in and a real person to message, which is what keeps you going after week two.

Apps are cheap and easy to start. They are also easy to stop, because nobody notices when you do. Here is how the two compare.

Start now: £39 first monthSee the prices

By Bez (Behzad Hosseini), head coach and Level 3 personal trainer. Last reviewed .

Side by side

Online personal trainer compared with a fitness app
FeatureOnline personal trainerFitness app
Price per month£79Usually lessbut no coach
Plan made for youYesReady-made
Nutrition built on your foodYesNo
Weekly check-in with a personYesNo
Messages with a real coachYesNo
Plan changes for injuries and busy weeksYesNo
Form checks by videoYesNo

Why fitness apps are easy to quit

An app does not know you had a bad week. It does not notice when you stop opening it. It cannot tell that your knee hurts on lunges, or that you eat out three times a week for work.

A coach does. Every week you check in, and a real person reads it, replies and changes your plan. Knowing someone will ask how your week went is often the thing that gets you to the workout.

What a coach does that an app cannot

  • Notices when you slip

    Miss a check-in and your coach notices. An app just waits.

  • Fixes what is not working

    Weight stuck for three weeks? Your coach changes one clear thing, based on your real numbers.

  • Answers your question

    Not a help page. A reply from your coach about your plan and your body.

  • Works around injuries

    Sore back or knee? You get a different move, not the same video again.

  • Plans your real food

    Your meals, your takeaways, your weekends. Not a generic meal list.

  • Changes with your life

    New job, holiday, a baby. Your plan changes to fit, every week.

When is an app enough?

If you already train most weeks, know what to do and do not need anyone to check in, an app can be enough.

If you want a plan made for you but not the weekly check-in, choose Plan only for £29 a month: your own training and nutrition plan, written by a qualified coach and updated monthly.

If you have tried apps before and stopped, the missing piece is not another app. It is a person who checks in. That is our Coached plan.

Our prices

Recommended

Coached

£79 a month

First month £39
  • Training plan
  • Nutrition plan
  • Weekly check-in
  • Messages any time
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Plan only

£29 a month

  • Your training and nutrition plan
  • Updated monthly
  • Not included: No check-ins
Get my plan

All plans: no contract, cancel any time, 14-day money-back guarantee.

Questions people ask

Are fitness apps as good as a personal trainer?

Apps are good for ready-made workouts. They cannot check in with you, change your plan for an injury or answer your questions. A personal trainer can, and that is what keeps you going.

Can I keep using my fitness app with your coaching?

Yes. Keep your step counter, smart watch or food tracker. Send the numbers in your weekly check-in and your coach uses them.

What is the cheapest way to get a plan made for me?

Plan only, at £29 a month. You get your own training and nutrition plan, updated monthly, with no check-ins.

Is an online personal trainer worth the extra cost?

If you have started and stopped before, yes. Coached is £79 a month, first month £39, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Your first week starts today

Answer a few questions and get your plan within 48 hours. First month £39, then £79 a month. Cancel any time.

Start now: £39 first month