Are you searching for the best online coaching platforms to grow your coaching business? This article lists the top 7 platforms, each with unique features, to help you choose the one that best fits your needs. I’ve coached online for years, and picking a good platform makes such a difference.
Understanding Online Coaching Platforms
So, first of all, what are they? An online coaching platform is an application or website that helps you create and then manage a coaching business. These platforms use remote digital tools like videoconferencing and virtual whiteboards.
This makes it possible to coach clients without you being in the same room. In fact, it means you can go global and tap into an international pool of clients, offering your expertise to… well, absolutely anyone, anywhere.
At their best, these platforms streamline the coaching process, manage client progress, and handle administrative tasks to make your life easier.
Online coaching supports various formats:
- Individual sessions
- Group coaching
- Pre-recorded lessons
Platforms often provide continuous support, allowing your clients to access resources when they want and to stay in touch with you (if you want to).
Which Key Features Should You Look For?
Some features really aren’t worth it – and some are total game-changers. It will depend on your needs. Here are the things to look for when choosing:
- Content delivery: You have content to share. Make sure that’s as easy as possible. Check for storage limits, permitted file types and a simple organization system (e.g. folders). You also want the option to share different material with different clients or groups.
- Client management systems: Check for progress tracking and goal-setting options so that your clients can see their progress. They need to know that you’re helping them, or they won’t continue.
- Mobile apps: more and more traffic is going mobile – including for online learning. Think about whether your clients might need this option so it doesn’t harm your sales later.
- Courses: As you grow your business, you may want to release a course (that’s the closest thing to making passive income online). Some platforms allow you to do both. Something to think about for later.
- Videoconferencing: An opportunity to save money and tech headaches by ending an existing subscription and using the one built-in to your platform. Alternatively, check for easy integrations with your existing video platform.
- Scheduling: Check whether your chosen platform integrates with your calendar (Google, iCal, Outlook, etc.). To save all the back-and-forth, you want your clients to be able to see when you’re available and when you’re not.
- Communication: If your chosen platform lets you communicate with your clients directly from inside the platform, it could save you a lot of time. Feedback functions can significantly improve the quality of your coach-client interactions.
- Payment: Check whether you can integrate your preferred payment processor, e.g. Stripe, Square, or PayPal. This will save you time and make sure you get paid.
- Security: You want to make sure the information you hold on your clients is safe – at least encrypted with standard SSL encryption. Also, consider where the tool is hosted. Different countries have different data privacy and security regulations, and you need to be compliant.
- Community: Some platforms incorporate community features, allowing clients to engage around course materials, which can enrich the learning experience.
What Are The Top 10 Best Online Coaching Platforms?
Choosing the right platform can make coaching clients easier and more fulfilling, with impactful 1:1 or group coaching programs. I have tried most of the options out there in the search for my favorite.
1. Teachable
Best option for beginners
Teachable is well-known for its user-friendly interface.
It offers a variety of features for coaches and course creators, including a Learning Management System (LMS), customizable landing pages, and effective tracking for live coaching sessions. With Teachable, coaches can easily create landing pages and sell courses, so it can grow with you.
Key features
- Teachable has incorporated AI tools, including:
- Curriculum Generator to help you structure your course
- Quiz Generator to boost student engagement
- Summary Generator to provide students with content summaries
- Subtitles & Translations are generated automatically on your videos
- Payment processing
- Integrates with email marketing platforms so you can sell customers your next course
- It’s also an online course platform, so you can sell a course later if you choose
- Feedback quizzes, comments function, and completion certifications for clients
Verdict
This is a very beginner-friendly option – ideal if you’re starting out in the coaching world. It also has excellent customer service – again, perfect for finding help getting started. However, it does lack some high-end features and doesn’t give you the best bang for your buck.
2. Kajabi
Best for multiple income streams
Kajabi started out as an online course platform. It’s primarily used by coaches looking at multiple income streams. It offers comprehensive marketing tools and automated funnels to promote your coaching courses. This makes it powerful for coaches aiming to scale their business and reach more clients.
Key features
Verdict
- One-stop-shop: You can host your entire coaching business on Kajabi, including your website, sales funnels, and courses
- Calendar scheduling, invoicing, videoconferencing and email marketing all built-in
- Sell digital downloads, podcasts,
This platform is designed for the coach who’s looking to diversify income streams and launch a course or podcast or maybe sell digital downloads. This platform can really scale with your ambitions – and the price reflects that.
3. Coaching.com
Best for customization
Coaching.com, as the name suggests, is tailored specifically for coaching. This helps it look great and feel really easy to use. It’s also completely customizable, so it doesn’t matter what niche you’re in or whether you do things a bit differently.
Key features
- Keep organized with schedulers, automatic invoicing, and (branded) client portals
- Dashboard shows revenue, number of clients, scheduled hours and much more
- You can create resource libraries, assessments, personalized roadmaps, and homework assignments
- Built-in video calls and chat functions
- Comprehensive mobile app
- Create custom landing pages to sell coaching packages complete with e-commerce and client onboarding
- Get a listing on their directory of professional coaches
Verdict
It’s got everything you need and can even find more clients for you via its marketplace. (I’m not saying you’ll attract unlimited clients, but it’s a bonus.) It looks very slick and 21st-century (not all platforms do!) and is a great all-in-one tool with lots of options.
4. Satori
Best for custom coaching packages
Satori is a coaching program builder, so you can sell custom coaching packages on your website. The client portal is really useful for sharing documents, like client agreements. Satori includes most of the usual coaching tools on its platform.
Key features
- Create custom programs or save templates you can reuse
- Automatic calendar scheduling (with timezone conversion) and notification logs
- Automated billing
- One-click enrollment allows clients to sign up for your coaching services quicker
Verdict
It’s cheaper than other platforms. That said, there are no video-conferencing features, so you’ll need to sign up with another provider. Depending on what you need, Satori has some different options that may work better for you than the rest.
5. Simply.Coach
Best budget option
Simply.Coach doesn’t just offer tools to you but also your clients. You can create a workspace where they can track their progress and upload any homework. There are lots of tools for managing a coaching business smoothly.
Key features
- Contracting, invoicing, subscriptions and session packages
- Create surveys, goals and development plans
- Shared resources, reporting and insights
- Create a shared workspace for you and your clients to share files, etc.
- Email notifications and client chat facilities
Verdict
Again, there are no videoconferencing features. However, this is the cheapest option if you’re just starting out on your coaching journey. You’ll need to pay more as you grow your client list, so bear that in mind before signing up.
6. Profi
Best for reducing admin
Profi is an all-in-one platform for coaching and seamlessly selling online courses. This is an excellent choice for coaches looking to streamline their operations.
Profi integrates course sales and client management into a single interface. And as you grow beyond solopreneur, the platform allows coaching teams to co-manage clients.
Key features
- Financial reporting and billing integration with PayPal and Stripe
- Secure client portal with your own custom branding
- Integrated videoconferencing
- Calendar scheduling, CRM, create notes and forms, and collect e-signatures
- Create landing pages within Profi
Verdict
Another good all-in-one platform that takes care of everything for you. The price reflects that, but it does allow rather than the admin. This platform specializes in making your coaching life easier. And the platform can scale as your business grows.
7. Zoom + The Rest
Thanks to the pandemic, everyone knows Zoom. It’s really easy to use and has useful functionality, like the ability to record your calls. You can also have up to 100 participants for group coaching sessions on the free version.
There are plenty of successful coaching businesses that just use Zoom. So, if you go for a coaching platform that doesn’t support videoconferencing, you won’t scare anyone if you send a Zoom link with your calendar invite.
Calendly
Speaking of calendars, a special mention for Calendly. All it does is schedule coaching sessions, but it does it brilliantly. No more back-and-forth to find a time and it integrates with Zoom to send automated call invites.
So, if you decide not to sign up for a coaching platform, I recommend Calendly to make life simpler.
Nudge Coach
Nudge Coach takes a different approach to coaching. If you’ve ever thought about having your own coaching app, this is an easy way to stand out.
Summary
The right online coaching platform can transform your coaching business by enhancing client engagement and simplifying the admin process. Platforms like Coaching.com, Kajabi, and Teachable offer valuable features that will help you and make you look more professional. Win-win!
Choosing the best platform for your particular coaching practice will help grow your business. With the right tools, you can reach more clients, offer better services, and take your coaching journey to new heights.
Further reading on RichardRiviere.com…
If you’re interested in coaching people, have a look at the top 20 most profitable coaching niches.
Editorial Process
We believe in writing honest and unbiased reviews based on real-world experience. For more details, read our editorial process.
Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can compensate us at no cost to you if you make a purchase. These are products we’ve personally used and tested. This site is not intended to provide financial advice. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy.
Richard Riviere is a former wage slave who decided there must be more to life. Turning 50, he quit his job to try earning an income online and get his life back. From knowing zero about e-commerce, he managed to replace his 9-5 income within a year. He now teaches other midlifers how to start living life on their own terms.