PT Distinction vs Trainerize: Which Coaching App Should You Choose?
PT Distinction suits a coach with a larger roster who wants circuit and superset programming, an AI meal planner, and a branded app bundled into a mid-tier plan. Trainerize suits a smaller roster that wants the cheapest entry price and a native meal planner, without adding up a base fee plus a per-extra-client rate by hand.
- At 5 clients, Trainerize Pro ($25/mo) is cheaper than PT Distinction Basic plus 2 extra clients ($19.90 + 2 x $6.00 = $31.90/mo).
- At 30 clients, PT Distinction Pro plus 5 extra clients ($59.90 + 5 x $2.40 = $71.90/mo) edges out Trainerize Pro at 30 seats ($79/mo).
- At 100 clients, PT Distinction Master plus 50 extra clients ($89.90 + 50 x $1.60 = $169.90/mo) is well below Trainerize Pro at 100 seats ($225/mo).
- PT Distinction bundles a branded app into Pro and Master at no extra fee. Trainerize charges $169 one-time for a branded app on Pro, or $275/mo on Studio for a fully own-listed app.
- PT Distinction's per-extra-client rate falls as you move up tiers, from $6.00 on Basic to $1.60 on Master, which is why its price advantage grows with roster size.
PT Distinction vs Trainerize price at 5, 30 and 100 clients
PT Distinction prices each plan as a base fee plus a per-extra-client rate that falls as you move up tiers: $6.00 per extra client on Basic, $2.40 on Pro, $1.60 on Master. Trainerize prices Pro by client seat instead, a single number per roster size with no separate extra-client maths.
- PT Distinction
- $31.90/mo (Basic $19.90 base + 2 extra at $6.00)
- Trainerize
- $25/mo (Pro, 5 client seats)
- PT Distinction
- $71.90/mo (Pro $59.90 base + 5 extra at $2.40)
- Trainerize
- $79/mo (Pro, 30 client seats)
- PT Distinction
- $169.90/mo (Master $89.90 base + 50 extra at $1.60)
- Trainerize
- $225/mo (Pro, 100 client seats)
| Roster size | PT Distinction | Trainerize |
|---|---|---|
| 5 clients | $31.90/mo (Basic $19.90 base + 2 extra at $6.00) | $25/mo (Pro, 5 client seats) |
| 30 clients | $71.90/mo (Pro $59.90 base + 5 extra at $2.40) | $79/mo (Pro, 30 client seats) |
| 100 clients | $169.90/mo (Master $89.90 base + 50 extra at $1.60) | $225/mo (Pro, 100 client seats) |
At 5 clients, Trainerize's flat seat price beats PT Distinction's base-plus-extras total. The lines cross by 30 clients, where PT Distinction's falling per-client rate starts pulling ahead.
By 100 clients the gap is over $55 a month in PT Distinction's favour, because its per-extra-client rate keeps dropping while Trainerize's seat price keeps climbing. See our Trainerize pricing guide and PT Distinction pricing guide for the full tier breakdowns.
Workout building
PT Distinction's builder supports circuits, supersets, giant sets and the 6-12-25 format, with pre-made templates and custom YouTube or Vimeo video import; a blog post states over 1,200 exercise videos in its default library. Trainerize includes an AI Workout Builder plus a growing Combo Exercise Collection, aimed at general fitness styles, though it does not publish a total library count.
A coach programming advanced strength formats gets more named support from PT Distinction's format list, useful alongside a one rep max calculator for percentage-based loading. Trainerize's AI builder leans more general-purpose.
Nutrition
PT Distinction includes an AI Meal Planner with hundreds of example plans and a photo food diary, and describes its MyFitnessPal link as covering food, meals, macros, calories and micronutrients. Trainerize builds in a Smart Meal Planner and Flexible Meal Planner, with in-app food logging by photo, barcode or search, plus its own MyFitnessPal sync.
Both treat nutrition as a core feature rather than an add-on, so the difference comes down to whether you prefer PT Distinction's AI-generated plans or Trainerize's logging-first approach. Neither charges extra for it.
Check-ins and habits
PT Distinction offers habit tracking and live activity feeds across its plans. Trainerize shows weekly summaries of fitness and nutrition progress, with habit streaks and badges.
Neither vendor breaks this out as a separately priced add-on, so it is a matter of workflow preference rather than cost. See our own approach in check-ins.
Payments
PT Distinction takes payments natively through PayPal, or through Stripe via Zapier, with no stated markup fee of its own. Trainerize's Stripe integration is a $10/mo add-on on Grow and Pro, with no per-transaction percentage disclosed on official pages.
PT Distinction's PayPal-first setup suits a coach already using it, while its Stripe route runs through a Zapier connection rather than a native integration. Trainerize's add-on is native but costs the same every month regardless of how much you process.
Branded app
PT Distinction's pricing page states that Pro and Master include your own custom branded iOS and Android apps at no extra fee, while Basic gets standard, non-branded apps; its separate features page says every feature is in every plan, which conflicts, so the plan table above is treated as authoritative. Trainerize charges a $169 one-time fee on Pro for a branded app on the shared Trainerize Apple listing, or a fully own-listed app from Studio at $275/mo.
If a branded app matters and your roster clears 25 clients, PT Distinction's Pro plan folds it into the subscription with no extra fee. Trainerize reaches a shared-listing branded app sooner in absolute price, but only after a one-time charge on top of Pro.
PT Distinction
- Entry price
- $19.90/mo base (Basic, 3 clients, then $6.00 each)
- At 30 clients
- $71.90/mo (Pro base + extras)
- At 100 clients
- $169.90/mo (Master base + extras)
- Branded app
- Included on Pro and Master, no extra fee
- No flat per-client price; every roster size means adding a base fee to an extra-client charge by hand
- Basic gets standard, non-branded apps only; the branded app needs Pro or above
- The features page conflicts with the pricing page over which plan includes what
- A falling per-extra-client rate makes a large roster cheaper than seat-based pricing
- Circuits, supersets, giant sets and the 6-12-25 format built into the workout editor
- A one month free trial, cancel inside it and pay nothing
Trainerize
- Entry price
- $25/mo (Pro, 5 clients)
- At 30 clients
- $79/mo
- At 100 clients
- $225/mo
- Branded app
- $169 one-time (shared Apple listing)
- A Pro branded app still appears under Trainerize's own name in the App Store
- Grow and Pro both tack on another $10 a month once you start taking payments
- Seat-based pricing overtakes PT Distinction's falling rate past roughly 30 clients
- Cheaper than PT Distinction at a small roster, no base-plus-extras maths required
- Logging food and syncing it to MyFitnessPal both happen inside the built-in planner
- Published pricing all the way to 200 clients on Pro and 500 on Studio
Who is each one for?
PT Distinction suits a coach running 30 or more clients who wants circuit and superset programming, an AI meal planner, and a branded app that stays included as the roster grows rather than costing more with each seat.
Trainerize suits a coach with a small or newly started roster who wants the cheapest entry price, a native meal planner, and a single published number per seat count rather than a rate to calculate.
If neither fits
Scraler puts workouts, nutrition, check-ins, habit tracking and chat inside one client app from the entry plan, with a client count that only ever reflects who is still active, since archiving someone removes them from it immediately. Premium keeps Stripe payments inside that same price, no separate percentage, and adds AI generation plus a client community.
Ultimate is the tier that unlocks the white-label app: your own Apple Developer account handles iOS, Scraler's Google Play Console handles Android, at no extra cost either way. A card is needed to start the trial, though nothing is billed unless the account stays active past it. Scraler is newer and smaller, worth weighing against everything it bundles together. See pricing or Best Apps for Personal Trainers.
One branded app covers workouts, nutrition, check-ins and messaging for every client, payments arrive with Premium, the white-label option opens on Ultimate, and archived clients are never part of the count. Free for the first 14 days, a card is required to begin, and the account is charged only if it is still open once the trial finishes.
Start free trialMore comparisons
Ready to look beyond just these two? Trainerize alternatives rounds up more options, including where PT Distinction fits. Weighing Trainerize against other platforms too? See Everfit vs Trainerize and TrueCoach vs Trainerize, or start from the full cost comparison.
Frequently asked questions
- Is PT Distinction or Trainerize cheaper?
- It depends on roster size. At 5 clients Trainerize Pro is $25/mo against PT Distinction's $31.90/mo. By 30 clients PT Distinction is cheaper at $71.90/mo versus $79/mo, and by 100 clients the gap widens to $169.90/mo versus $225/mo in PT Distinction's favour.
- Does PT Distinction or Trainerize include a branded app?
- PT Distinction includes a branded iOS and Android app on Pro ($59.90/mo base) and Master at no extra fee, per its pricing page. Trainerize charges a $169 one-time fee on Pro for an app on the shared Apple listing, or a fully own-listed app from Studio at $275/mo.
- How does PT Distinction's per-extra-client pricing work?
- Each plan includes a base number of clients, then charges per extra client at a rate that falls by tier: $6.00 on Basic, $2.40 on Pro, $1.60 on Master. That falling rate is why PT Distinction gets relatively cheaper as your roster grows past around 30 clients.
- How much does each platform charge for payments?
- PT Distinction takes payments through PayPal natively or Stripe via Zapier, with no stated markup fee. Trainerize's Stripe integration is a flat $10/mo add-on on Grow and Pro, with no per-transaction percentage disclosed.
- Can I migrate from PT Distinction or Trainerize to another platform?
- Most coaching platforms expect a manual rebuild. Scraler's free switch page does that work for you, turning an export from PT Distinction, Trainerize or another platform into rebuilt clients, workouts and meal plans.
