An honest comparison

Online coaching vs. in-person training — honestly compared.

I run an online coaching practice. Of course I think it works — I've coached eight hundred clients across thirty countries this way. But online is not better than in-person at everything, and I'm not going to pretend it is. Below is the most honest comparison I can write, including the places where a good in-person trainer down the street will outperform what I can do remotely.

// Side by side

Nine categories. Honest scoring.

Green check marks the model that wins each category for the average client. There is no overall "winner" — these are different products serving different needs.

"WIN" reflects the model that better serves the average self-motivated adult client. Your situation may flip the result on any single row.

// Be honest with yourself

When online is the wrong choice.

I refer prospective clients to local in-person coaches roughly twice a month. These are the four signals that send me toward that decision. Read them carefully before you sign up.

• 1

  You are coming back from a current injury and need hands-on assessment before any training load.

• 2

  You compete in a complex skill sport (Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, throws) where every rep needs same-second coaching.

• 3

  You have tried structured training online before and consistently fall off without an in-person session on the calendar.

• 4

  You don't own a smartphone or aren't willing to record short form-check videos weekly.

// When it works beautifully

When online is the right choice.

The clients who get the best results from my practice tend to share four characteristics. If three or four sound like you, the model will work.

• 1

  You travel for work, have a young family, or have a schedule that makes 6 AM gym appointments unrealistic.

• 2

  You've trained on your own for years and have the basic patterns down — squat, hinge, push, pull — and want a real plan layered on top.

• 3

  You want a coach who measures progress in trend data over months, not the dopamine hit of a single session.

• 4

  You want world-class programming at a fraction of in-person cost, and you're willing to do the daily self-reporting that makes it work.

// The cost math

What you actually pay.

A side-by-side cost comparison at the most common service tiers. Numbers based on national averages from the IDEA Health & Fitness Association 2024 personal-training rate survey.

Online coaching averages 70–80% lower cost at every tier. The savings come from no facility overhead and the time efficiency of asynchronous coaching — not from giving you less programming.

Try a free week — decide from inside the app.

Full programming, real check-in, full app access. If online isn't right for you, I'll tell you that and refer you to an in-person coach in your city.

Start My Free Week →