TrueCoach’s 5% Transaction Fee: What It Actually Costs You Per Year
By Vishal, founder of Synrgetic. Yes, I run a competing platform – so check every number in this post yourself. They’re all from public pricing pages, checked July 2026.
In January 2026, TrueCoach introduced a 5% fee on client payments processed through its platform. Five percent sounds small. It isn’t – because unlike your subscription, it scales with your income, not your client count.
The maths nobody does
Your subscription is a fixed cost. A payment fee is a tax on growth. Here’s what 5% actually looks like at different income levels, on top of the $164.98/month (Pro, 50 clients) subscription:
| Monthly client payments | 5% fee/month | Fee per year | Fee + subscription per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $75 | $900 | $2,880 |
| $3,000 | $150 | $1,800 | $3,780 |
| $5,000 | $250 | $3,000 | $4,980 |
| $8,000 | $400 | $4,800 | $6,780 |
Read that last column again. A coach with a healthy $5,000/month roster is paying nearly $5,000 a year for software. That’s a month of your own revenue, every year, gone to your platform.
And here’s the part that stings: the fee rewards you for growing less. Raise your prices, sign a bigger client, sell a transformation package – TrueCoach’s cut grows with every win, while the product you receive stays exactly the same.
“But every platform charges processing fees, right?”
Payment processors charge fees – Stripe, PayPal, your card terminal all take their cut, typically around 3%. That’s unavoidable; it’s the cost of moving money.
A platform fee is different. TrueCoach’s 5% is charged by your coaching software, layered on top of whatever the payment processor takes. It’s not covering the cost of moving money – it’s a revenue share on your coaching business.
Your options
1. Absorb it. If your roster is premium-priced and TrueCoach’s workflow is deeply embedded in your business, $150–400/month might genuinely be worth it. Some businesses reach that point. Be honest about whether yours has.
2. Collect payments outside the platform. Invoice directly, use a standalone payment link, and keep TrueCoach for programming only. Workable – but now you’re running two systems and paying $164.98/month for half a platform.
3. Reconsider the whole bill. If you’re re-evaluating anyway, compare the full picture, not just the fee. A 50-client roster runs $39.99/month on Synrgetic with training, nutrition coaching, bookings, packages and business analytics included on every plan – no paid add-ons. The full head-to-head is here: Synrgetic vs TrueCoach.
If you decide to move
Don’t rage-quit mid-billing-cycle – a bad switch costs more than a bad fee. Export your data first (TrueCoach lets you export your client list as CSV, and workout history per client), pick a switch date at the start of a program block, and pilot with two or three clients before moving everyone.
We wrote the whole process up as a free, step-by-step Switching Kit – including exactly where the export buttons are, what transfers and what honestly doesn’t (no platform imports another’s workout history – anyone who claims otherwise, test it first), and a ready-to-send announcement message for your clients.
Prices and fees referenced are published rates checked July 2026 – always confirm against TrueCoach’s pricing page before making decisions.