Coaching software buyer's guide
16 criteria to check, what coaching software really costs, and a checklist to run during the trial. Written for independent coaches, coaching firms and HR and L&D teams.
What is coaching software?
One platform to run a coaching practice, so the admin stops getting in the way of the coaching.
Coaching software is the platform that coaches, coaching firms and organizations use to manage clients, schedule and run sessions, track goals and progress, keep notes, sell packages and handle invoicing, all in one place rather than stitching together a calendar, documents, email and a payment tool.
Choosing one comes down to three things: how well it supports the coaching itself, what your clients experience, and what it will cost you once you have grown. The criteria below cover all three, with the question to ask any vendor. Where we describe our own coaching software, we say so.
If you mainly need to run the day-to-day of a practice, from client records and scheduling to session notes, agreements and invoices, see our coaching practice management software.
The criteria
Four groups: the coaching itself, your client's side, the business, and room to grow. For each one, the question to ask any vendor, and how Coaching Loft answers it.
Ask: Does each client's history, files, goals and notes live in one record, or across several screens and tools?
In Coaching Loft: One record per client, with every engagement, file and session kept against it.
Ask: Can clients book straight into your own calendar, with reminders and recurring sessions?
In Coaching Loft: Scheduling syncs with your calendar. Clients book, reminders go out, and recurring sessions are set once.
Ask: Are notes structured and kept with the engagement, and can action items be shared with the client?
In Coaching Loft: Structured notes and shared action items on every plan. AI Notepad Summaries turn raw notes into structured sections on Premium and Master.
Ask: Can you set goals with the client and track progress between sessions, not only during them?
In Coaching Loft: Goals and actions are set with the client and tracked between sessions, in their portal and yours.
Ask: Does the platform bring anything to the session itself, such as questions or assessments?
In Coaching Loft: A built-in library of 500+ coaching questions, and assessments whose results come into the coaching conversation.
Ask: Does every client get a portal, and is there a fee for each client you add?
In Coaching Loft: Every client gets a free portal on every plan. There is no per-client fee; each plan includes a set number of active clients.
Ask: Can coaches and clients use it properly from a phone?
In Coaching Loft: Coaches use the browser or the iOS and Android apps. Coachees and admins use the web app on any device, including their phone.
Ask: Can a client accept an agreement and buy a package without a separate document or payment tool?
In Coaching Loft: Packages and agreements are part of the engagement, so the paperwork and the coaching stay in the same place.
Ask: Can you invoice for sessions and packages, and get paid, inside the platform?
In Coaching Loft: Invoicing and payments run inside the platform, for packages and for single sessions.
Ask: Does it connect to the tools you already use, such as your calendar, email marketing and CRM?
In Coaching Loft: Google Calendar and Outlook sync, Zapier, Mailchimp, PayPal and HubSpot.
Ask: Can you see sessions, goals and outcomes in a report, and does the report build itself?
In Coaching Loft: Reports on Core and above. AI-Generated Reports and Predictive Analytics on Premium and Master, and on every firm and enterprise coach seat.
Ask: Do you pay per coach, per client, or per employee coached? What happens to the bill when you grow?
In Coaching Loft: You pay for coaches only. Client portals are free, and on firm and enterprise accounts coachee and admin seats are free and unlimited.
Ask: If you go from solo to a firm, or run a program across an organization, do you have to move platforms?
In Coaching Loft: The same platform runs a solo practice, a firm and an enterprise program, so nothing has to be migrated as you grow.
Ask: Can you assign and move clients between coaches, oversee their activity, and match coachees to the right coach?
In Coaching Loft: Assign or move clients between coaches and oversee every coach and coachee from one dashboard. AI Coach Matching pairs coachees with coaches by goals, expertise, availability and style.
Ask: Can clients see your brand and your domain instead of the vendor's?
In Coaching Loft: White label and a custom domain on firm and enterprise accounts: your logo, colors and navigation. The Master plan carries your own brand identity too.
Ask: Is client data encrypted, is the vendor GDPR compliant, and can it connect to your company sign-in?
In Coaching Loft: GDPR compliant with 256-bit encryption, a security audit report for procurement teams, and SSO as a paid add-on. More on the security page.
Pricing
Coaching software is priced in one of three ways. Per coach: you pay for each coach on the platform, and clients come free or within a limit. Per client or per employee coached: the bill rises with every person you coach, which matters most for organizations rolling coaching out to many employees. Flat tiers: a set price for a set number of clients or features.
Compare the price at the size you expect to be in a year, not the size you are today, and look for what sits outside the headline price: fees per client, AI features held back for higher tiers, and add-ons such as single sign-on or white labeling.
| Plan | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Getting listed, 2 active clients | $12 a year Paid yearly only |
| Core | A professional practice, 10 active clients | $25 a month or $250 a year |
| Premium | 30 active clients and the full AI suite | $55 a month or $550 a year |
| Master | Unlimited clients and your own brand | $95 a month or $950 a year |
| Firms and enterprise | Several coaches, one program | $95 per coach seat a month 12-month term, or $950 per seat a year. Coachee and admin seats free |
Core, Premium, Master, firm and enterprise accounts come with a 30-day free trial, and firm and enterprise accounts include onboarding at no extra cost. Full details on the pricing page and the firms and enterprise pricing page.
Checklist
Whichever platform you choose, run through these during the trial, not after it.
One platform
The pieces coaches often run across separate tools, in one place and talking to each other.
Every client, their history, files and engagement in one record.
Clients book straight into your calendar; sessions, reminders and logs handled.
Set goals and actions with the client and track them between sessions.
Structured notes and shared action items, kept with each engagement.
Sell coaching packages and capture agreements without the paperwork.
Invoice for packages and sessions and get paid, inside the platform.
A built-in library of powerful coaching questions to use in any session.
Send assessments and bring the results into the coaching conversation.
Turn engagement and outcomes into reports, with AI assistance on higher plans.
See the full breakdown on the features page.
Built for how you coach
Whether you coach on your own, run a firm of coaches, or build coaching into an organization, the tools fit the way you work.
Look professional, cut the admin, and give clients a portal they actually use, from your first client to a full book.
Coaching software for coachesAssign coaches to clients, oversee utilization and quality, white-label the platform, and let AI handle matching and reporting.
For coaching firmsRun a measurable coaching culture across the organization, mixing internal and external coaches, with tracking and governance.
Enterprise coachingWhy Coaching Loft
Clients, sessions, goals, packages and invoicing in one login, so nothing lives in a spreadsheet you forget to update.
The platform gets out of the way of the conversation.
A coaching asset built in, not a bolt-on, ready in any session.
Start solo and grow into a firm or an enterprise program on the same platform, with AI matching and reporting on higher plans.
Questions
Start from how you coach today and how you expect to coach in a year. Check the coaching tools (client records, scheduling, notes, goals), what your clients experience (portal, mobile, agreements), the business side (invoicing, integrations, reporting, pricing model) and whether it scales to several coaches or an organization. Then run the trial with real clients before you decide.
At a minimum: client management, scheduling and session tracking, goals and notes, and a way to sell packages and invoice. Beyond that, the platforms that earn their place add a client portal, assessments, reporting, and coaching content such as a questions library, so the whole engagement lives in one place.
It depends on the pricing model. Some platforms charge per coach, some per client or per employee coached, and some by tier. Coaching Loft starts at $12 a year on Basic, with Core at $25, Premium at $55 and Master at $95 a month; firm and enterprise accounts are $95 per coach seat a month, with coachee and admin seats free.
Independent coaches who want to manage and grow a practice, coaching firms coordinating multiple coaches and clients, and organizations building an internal coaching culture. Coaching Loft serves all three on the same platform.
Yes. The Core, Premium and Master plans and every firm and enterprise account come with a 30-day free trial, so you can explore the platform before committing.
Yes. Firms get coach assignment, oversight and white-labeling; enterprises get program management across internal and external coaches with tracking and governance. Every plan includes free coachee portals.
Start free in minutes, or book a walkthrough and we will set it up around how you coach.