WhatsAppBuyer's guide
Best booking platforms for personal trainers in 2026
Square Appointments, Acuity, Fresha, Mindbody, TeamUp, Trainerize, PT Distinction and Believe Websites compared for UK personal trainers, on published prices for a solo trainer and a studio of three, how each one charges (per trainer, per client or per location), what a marketplace takes from a £40 first session, and who gives you a website of your own.
·11 min read
The short answer
- Square Appointments is free for a single location with no limit on staff calendars and includes text and email reminders; Plus, at £29 a month per location, adds class booking, waitlists and cancellation fees.
- Acuity Scheduling by Squarespace costs £12 a month for 1 bookable calendar, £22 for up to 6 and £40 for up to 36 when paid monthly, or £11, £20 and £37 paid annually; text reminders start on the £22 plan.
- Fresha costs £14.95 a month for one person or £9.95 per bookable team member, excluding 20% VAT, and takes 20% of a new marketplace client's first booking, minimum £4, which is £8 on a £40 session.
- Mindbody's UK pricing page says plans start at £89 a month per location with unlimited users and a listing on the Mindbody app, and asks you to talk to sales for each plan's price.
- TeamUp charges by active customers, not trainers: £99 a month for up to 100 and £139 for 101 to 200, month to month with no setup fee.
- Trainerize and PT Distinction are coaching apps priced in US dollars by number of clients: Trainerize from $10 a month for 2 clients, PT Distinction from $19.90 a month for 3 clients, with unlimited trainers free on PT Distinction.
- Believe Websites costs £49 a month flat for any number of trainers, takes 0% commission, and designs and builds a bespoke website on your own domain for £0 upfront; its text reminders and card payments are built but not switched on, and it has no workout programming or client app.
Personal training books differently from a salon. Sessions are usually the same length, sold in blocks or packages, and repeated weekly with the same client. Some trainers work alone across a gym floor and a park; others run a small studio with two or three coaches and a few group classes. Many also coach clients online, between sessions, through an app. And new clients mostly find a trainer by searching their town and reading the reviews.
This guide compares eight options on what decides it for a trainer: what you pay each month on your own and with three trainers, what the price is counted on (trainers, clients, active customers or locations), what a marketplace takes from a first session, and whether you end up with a website of your own. Every figure was read from each company's own pricing page on 30 October 2026.
The quick answer
- Paying nothing for 1-to-1 booking, with text reminders: Square Appointments Free, for a single location, any number of trainers.
- A simple booking page to embed in a site you already have: Acuity Scheduling, from £12 a month for one calendar.
- Group classes, memberships and a gym-style member app: TeamUp from £99 a month, or Mindbody from £89 a month per location.
- Coaching clients online with programmes and nutrition: Trainerize or PT Distinction, both priced in dollars by the number of clients you coach.
- A big consumer marketplace: Fresha, at £14.95 solo or £9.95 per trainer plus VAT, with commission on new marketplace clients.
- A trainer who wants their own website, built for them, and to keep every penny of every booking: Believe Websites, £49 a month flat for any number of trainers.
The price, side by side
Trainerize and PT Distinction price in US dollars only; Trainerize says its prices are subject to applicable taxes. TeamUp, Mindbody and Acuity show pounds but do not say whether VAT is included. Square's page does not mention VAT. Monthly-billing prices are shown where a page offers both.
| Monthly price | What the price counts | VAT | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | £49 flatwebsite built for you, £0 | Nothingunlimited trainers | — | 12 months, then monthly |
| Square Appointments | £0 Free / £29 Plus / £69 Premium | Per locationno staff limit | Not stated | Not stated |
| Acuity Scheduling | £12 / £22 / £40£11 / £20 / £37 paid annually | Bookable calendars1, up to 6, up to 36 | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Fresha | £14.95 solo£9.95 per team member | Per bookable team member | Excluded (20%) | None |
| Mindbody | From £89plan prices by sales call | Per locationunlimited users | Not stated | Not stated |
| TeamUp | £99 up to 100 customers£139 for 101 to 200 | Active customers a month | Not stated | None, month to month |
| Trainerize | $10 for 2 clientsPro $25 for 5 up to $135 for 50 | Clients coached | Plus applicable taxes | Monthly or annual |
| PT Distinction | $19.90 for 3 clients$59.90 for 25, $89.90 for 50 | Clients coachedunlimited trainers free | Not stated | None |
The pricing models are the real difference here. Fresha and Acuity count the trainers taking bookings. Square and Mindbody count locations. TeamUp counts the customers who booked or bought something that month. Trainerize and PT Distinction count the clients you coach. We count nothing: £49 whatever the size of the team.
What it costs: one trainer, and a studio of three
single location, no staff limit
up to 6 calendars, VAT not stated
3 × £9.95, plus VAT
website built for you, unlimited team
per location, VAT not stated
up to 100 active customers
Trainerize and PT Distinction are left out because they price in dollars and by clients rather than trainers. On your own, the same options cost £0 on Square, £12 on Acuity Starter, £14.95 plus VAT on Fresha, £49 with us, and from £89 on Mindbody; TeamUp stays £99 up to 100 active customers.
On subscription alone we are not the cheapest. Square is free and sends text reminders, and Acuity and Fresha cost less than £49 for most small teams. Those prices are the booking system only: they do not include a website designed and built for you, which is what the £49 is mostly for.
Classes, packages and coaching between sessions
Only what each company's pricing page lists. A blank or "not listed" means the page did not mention it, not that the product cannot do it.
| Group classes | Packages or memberships | Text reminders | Programmes and client app | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | No | No | Coming soon | No |
| Square Appointments | Plus and Premium | Not listed | All plans | No |
| Acuity Scheduling | All plans | From Standard | From Standard | No |
| Fresha | Group bookings | Yes | 20 free a monththen £0.06 a text | No |
| Mindbody | Yes | Yes | SMS marketing on Ultimate | Branded app as an add-on |
| TeamUp | Yesbuilt for group fitness | Not listed | Not listed | Branded app as an add-on |
| Trainerize | Classes listed | Session packs | Not listed | Yes |
| PT Distinction | Group training | Packages | Scheduled SMS | Yes |
Trainerize puts its premium scheduling, such as shareable booking links, in a Business add-on at $25 a month, and Stripe payments in another at $10 a month. PT Distinction says every feature is included in every plan and lists "Integrate into your website", but does not name an appointment calendar on its pricing page. Both are first of all coaching apps: programmes, nutrition, habits and messaging between sessions.
What a marketplace takes from a first session
Two of the eight list a consumer marketplace on their pricing pages. Fresha's marketplace takes a one-off fee on a brand-new client who finds you there; returning clients and clients from your own links are free. Mindbody lists the Mindbody app, which it says has 3M+ monthly shoppers, on every plan, but its pricing page does not say whether a booking from the app costs a fee.
20% one-time, minimum £4, plus VAT
not stated on the pricing page
0% on every booking; no marketplace
£40 is an illustrative session price. Square, Acuity, TeamUp, Trainerize and PT Distinction list no marketplace commission on their pricing pages.
Your own website
- Square includes a Square Online booking website on every plan, and a booking widget for a site you already have.
- Acuity embeds in your existing website; the "Powered by Acuity" label comes off only on Premium. It is sold by Squarespace, whose own website plans start at £14.40 a month paid annually; we compared the two in Believe Websites vs Squarespace.
- Fresha sells a Smart Website for £12.95 a month on top of the subscription.
- Mindbody lists a Customized Website on every plan, described as "Zero DIY".
- Trainerize includes a Trainerize.me website profile from its Grow plan. TeamUp and PT Distinction plug into a website you already have.
- Believe Websites designs and builds a bespoke website for you, on your own domain, with booking built in, and changes it when you message us. That, and the monthly article about your town and services, is what the £49 is for.
Where we lose
- No coaching tools. We have no workout programmes, nutrition tracking or client app. If you coach online, Trainerize or PT Distinction does a job we do not.
- No classes, packages or memberships. Square Plus, Acuity, Fresha, Mindbody and TeamUp all handle group sessions; we book individual appointments.
- Text reminders and card payments are built but not switched on. We send email confirmations and reminders, and cannot take a deposit or sell a block of sessions online yet.
- No marketplace. We do not send you people browsing for a trainer. Fresha and Mindbody can.
- A 12-month minimum term. Fresha, TeamUp and PT Distinction say there is no contract. Ours is 12 months because the website is built for £0 upfront, then month to month.
- We cost more than the booking-only options. Square is free and Acuity starts at £12.
So which one should you pick?
- You train 1-to-1 and want free booking with texts: Square Appointments Free.
- You already have a website and just need a booking page in it: Acuity Starter, or Standard for texts and packages.
- You run classes and memberships from a studio: TeamUp or Mindbody.
- Most of your coaching happens in an app between sessions: Trainerize or PT Distinction, and pair it with a booking system.
- You want new clients from a marketplace and accept the fee: Fresha.
- You want a proper website of your own, built and kept up to date for you, one flat price for the whole team and 0% commission: Believe Websites.
Comparing for a different kind of business? See the best booking platforms for massage therapists, which covers intake forms and Jane, or Believe Websites vs Square Appointments for the free option in more depth.
Common questions
- What is the best booking app for a personal trainer in the UK?
- It depends on how you work. Square Appointments is free for 1-to-1 booking at a single location and sends text reminders. Acuity suits a trainer who already has a website. TeamUp and Mindbody suit studios running classes and memberships. Trainerize and PT Distinction suit online coaching. Believe Websites suits a trainer who wants a website built for them with booking inside, at £49 a month flat with 0% commission.
- Is there a free booking system for personal trainers?
- Square Appointments has a Free plan for a single location with no limit on staff calendars, including text and email reminders; it charges 1.75% on in-person card payments on that plan. Trainerize has a free plan for 1 client. PT Distinction offers a 1-month free trial, and Fresha a 7-day trial.
- How much does Mindbody cost in the UK?
- On 30 October 2026 Mindbody's pricing page said plans start at £89 GBP a month per location, with unlimited users. Its three plans, Starter, Accelerate and Ultimate, each say "Let's talk" rather than showing a price, and the page does not say whether VAT is included.
- How does TeamUp charge?
- By active customers, meaning people who booked or bought something that month: £99 a month for up to 100 and £139 for 101 to 200 on 30 October 2026. TeamUp says there is no setup fee and no contract, and the price adjusts if your active customers go down.
- Do Fresha and Mindbody take commission on personal training bookings?
- Fresha takes a one-time 20% fee on a brand-new client who finds you through its marketplace, minimum £4, which is £8 on a £40 session; returning clients and your own links are free. Mindbody's pricing page lists a listing on the Mindbody app on every plan but does not say whether bookings from it carry a fee. Believe Websites takes 0% on every booking.
- Can I take payment for blocks of sessions with Believe Websites?
- Not yet. Believe Websites' card payments are built but not switched on, so it cannot take deposits or sell packages online today, and its text reminders are not switched on either; it sends email confirmations and reminders. Square, Acuity, Fresha, Mindbody, Trainerize and PT Distinction all take payments.
Sources
- Square Appointments UK pricing — checked 30 October 2026
- Acuity Scheduling by Squarespace, plans and pricing — checked 30 October 2026
- Fresha pricing (en-GB) — checked 30 October 2026
- Mindbody business pricing (GBP) — checked 30 October 2026
- TeamUp pricing (GBP selected) — checked 30 October 2026
- ABC Trainerize pricing (USD) — checked 30 October 2026
- PT Distinction pricing (USD) — checked 30 October 2026
- Believe Websites pricing and terms — checked 30 October 2026
Competitors' prices change. Every figure here was read from the company's own public pricing page on the date shown. If something is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.