CoachVana

CoachVana is a coaching platform for trainers, online coaches, gyms and coaching brands. It is strongest for coaches who want workout programming, nutrition, client communication and payments in one service. Its free plan is tightly capped, while team and branded-app options add meaningful costs beyond the basic coaching subscription.

Overview

Client management, workout programming, nutrition tracking, check-ins, messaging and payments share a platform with Android, iOS and web access. The combination suits a coaching business that wants to handle delivery as well as client operations; it is more than a standalone food log or workout builder.

CoachVana is operated by Tampa Bay AI Solutions, LLC, based in Tallahassee, Florida. The service is offered to US residents, processes data in the United States and requires users to be at least 18.

Key features

Programs, nutrition and portability

The program builder supports drag-and-drop blocks, supersets, 13 templates and a coach’s own exercise library. That gives coaches multiple ways to structure training, while imports from spreadsheets, PDFs, Word documents or photos can ease the move from existing plans. Client lists can be imported from CSV or Excel, and coaches can export everything they have built as one file, a useful safeguard against being locked into a single workflow.

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 practical fit for coaches who combine exercise and nutrition guidance. Someone seeking only a personal food diary may find the broader coaching setup unnecessary.

Client operations, payments and connections

Check-ins and messaging sit alongside client management. Coaches receive payments through their own Stripe account, and CoachVana says it takes 0% commission, including on marketplace clients. That avoids a platform commission on those payments, though it does not remove the need to use Stripe.

Optional connections include Apple Health, Health Connect, WHOOP, Garmin and Google Calendar. Typeform and Jotform responses can feed leads, applications or check-ins. These connections can support a more joined-up coaching process, but they are optional rather than a reason to choose the service on their own.

The privacy policy says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, database access uses row-level security, and progress photos and documents use private storage with short-lived signed links. CoachVana 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. Support is by email at [email protected], and the support page says a real person reads every message.

Pricing

Solo coaches

Free costs nothing, billed Free forever, and includes every coaching feature for the first 3 active clients. That is a generous feature set for a coach starting small, but the client cap is the deciding limitation. At the fourth client, 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 a month, billed $29/mo, for up to 5 clients. Each additional block of 5 clients adds $8/mo, with the fee capped at $149/mo per coach at 76+ active clients. It is the natural step up for a growing solo practice, though the per-coach client bands mean costs rise with scale rather than staying at the entry price.

The AI action pack costs $29 a month, billed $29 a month, and adds 100 AI actions a month. It is an add-on for coaches who need more AI usage, not a substitute for the Coach plan. Featured coach placement costs $49 a month, billed $49 a month, for a listing in the marketplace band shown first; it makes sense only for a coach seeking that placement.

Teams and branding

Gym or studio costs $99 a month, billed $99/mo per location, and includes trainers, members, classes and a front desk; per-trainer client bands also apply. Company or brand also costs $99 a month, billed $99/mo, for a team of coaches under one brand, with per-coach client bands applying. These plans address different operating structures, but neither headline price captures the added client-band charges.

Featured brand placement costs $199 a 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 a month, billed $199 a month plus $499 setup; CoachVana’s team builds and submits an app under the customer’s brand for review. Custom branded app costs $199, paid once, billed $199 once, for the app name, colors and startup screen in the CoachVana phone app. The white-label option is a larger commitment for a separate branded app, while custom branding is a lower-cost way to adapt the existing phone app’s appearance.

Platforms

CoachVana is available on Android, iOS and web. Clients have a mobile app, while the web platform supports the broader coaching service.

Who it's for

CoachVana is best for US-based coaches who manage a small client roster or run a coaching business that needs training, nutrition, check-ins, messaging and payment workflows together. The free tier suits a coach with no more than three active clients; the Coach plan fits a solo practice ready to expand. Gyms, studios and brands can choose dedicated team plans, but should account for the additional per-trainer or per-coach client bands.

It is a poor fit for users outside the US, anyone under 18, or a coach who needs more than three free active clients without moving to a paid plan after the trial.

Pros and cons

• Pros: The free plan includes every coaching feature, making it useful for trying the full coaching workflow with up to three active clients.
• Pros: Program and meal-plan imports, client-list imports and a single-file export ease migration and improve portability.
• Pros: CoachVana says it takes 0% commission on payments, including marketplace clients, and coaches receive funds through their own Stripe account.
• Cons: The free plan pauses clients beyond the first three if the 14-day trial ends without a paid plan.
• Cons: Team plans carry per-trainer or per-coach client bands, so their starting prices do not reflect the full cost as teams grow.
• Cons: Availability is limited to US residents, and users must be at least 18.

Alternatives

Fitness Nutrition Software is a useful category starting point if you want to compare options across the field.

Choose Cronometer instead if nutrient tracking is the priority: its free Basic plan tracks up to 84 nutrients and other compounds and provides reports and charts within a 7-day window.

Practice Better is an alternative with a free Sprout plan for 3 active clients, 100 MB of storage and 1 practitioner license, or a Starter plan at $35 a month.

Tyzra is another freemium coaching option, with a free plan for 5 clients that never expires and requires no card.

Lifesum is a freemium option for readers considering a different nutrition app.

Promealplan offers a free plan with 3 meal plans total, 1 team seat, 7 days per plan, calorie-only planning and 3 branded client apps.

MyFitnessPal and Nutritionix Track are freemium alternatives to consider.

CURA is another freemium option, available on web.

Verdict

CoachVana is a strong fit for a US-based coach who wants client management, training and nutrition workflows, and payments in one service, with a genuinely feature-complete free tier for a three-client roster. Look elsewhere if you need a larger free client cap, live outside the US, or want a focused nutrition app rather than a broader coaching platform.