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About PT Distinction

Your journey to a thriving online training business begins with PT Distinction. You can find out how today with a free trial.

Learn more about PT Distinction

Pros:

Really great bit of software that doesn't cost the earth and can meet any PT or coach's need. Responsive nad helpful staff.

Cons:

It can be a bit confusing on how to link all the components together.

PT Distinction ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.7
Customer Service
4.8
Features
4.8
Value for Money
4.8

Likelihood to recommend

9.4/10

PT Distinction has an overall rating of 4.9 out 5 stars based on 438 user reviews on Capterra.

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Filter reviews (438)

Paul
Paul
Personal Trainer & Online Coach in UK
Verified LinkedIn User
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

The best online training software!

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: PT Distinction has saved me enormous amounts of time when it comes to programming workouts for my online clients. I can programme months in advance very quickly. This is a huge benefit to me.

Pros:

The workout builder is by far the best and easiest to use of all the softwares I have tried. The app is so simple to use and provides everything I need for my online coaching business.

Cons:

No- I love it all! However, the only thing I would suggest is perhaps creating a meal plan within the app itself.

John
Personal Trainer and Health Coach in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Best fitness software!

5.0 7 months ago

Comments: I have used and will continue to use PT distinction for my coaching business. There is zero other software that comes close!

Pros:

Love the ease of use as a trainer and especially having my own personalized app!

Cons:

N/A - would love more features for nutrition if able

Josh
Online Coach in Canada
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Outdated

2.0 last year

Comments: Only have it for the ease of use for clients - would have switched back to Trainerize if Trainerize worked similar to PT Distinction in how they view their workouts.Probably should have switched back. Trainerize is much easier to use, setup programs, and change things on the fly with.

Pros:

Ease of use for clients, newer updates on the mobile app are nicer.

Cons:

Creating programs and any kind of scheduling on the calendar is not user friendly.They do not like feedback.Simple things that would make life easier on the coach like drag and drop to move workouts around a monthly calendar and add tracking items/ habits to a monthly calendar or atleast having the calendar in the same view as when you're adding workouts, habits, tracking etc to the clients calendar would make life oh so much easier.As it is you have to constantly check go back or refresh the calendar on a separate tab to double check and reference what you're doing.This has made me make many mistake in scheduling for clients.

PT Distinction Response

last year

Hi Josh, I'm pleased your clients are enjoying the app and find it easy to use. Have you seen our latest updates? Among other things, these include a month view and year view of the calendar. Any item can be dragged and dropped from one day to another. Was there anything else you found difficult?

Angela
Female Health Coach in UK
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Great Product and easy to use

5.0 8 months ago

Comments: I have no complaints at all and thoroughly enjoying using PTDistinction. Having the addition of the Facebook groups, GDFY & The Academy has made a HUGE difference. I would absolutely recommend to others to use.

Pros:

I did so much research on the different App's available and this came out tops for me in usability, price, functions etc. I used the Gold Done for You Service and joined the Ninja Academy - great resource to use to boost my business model. Since using this for past 5 months or so, i have found it easy to get around, add in bespoke parts for my clients. There is probably so much more that i have still to find to use!!!

Cons:

Probably lack of exercises that i use for my clients. I have had to create numerous. My avatar is more middle age/older females, so lots more body weight exercises and mobility needed.

Christine
Owner, Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Very Happy with this App Provider

5.0 8 months ago

Comments: I'm very happy with PT Distinction overall.

Pros:

I like that PTD is continually making improvements and updates to their app so it's a better experience for both coaches and clients.

Cons:

The help desk can be slow to resolve issues, and they don't notify me when it is resolved. I always need to "pull" for updates rather than simply receiving them.

Monika
Personal Trainer in UK
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Average.

3.0 12 months ago

Comments: It’s good for the starting personal trainers, system price wise . Unfortunately didn’t meet my criteria

Pros:

Nothing really , maybe it’s good for the people who only started

Cons:

It wasn’t what I was looking for.

PT Distinction Response

12 months ago

Hi Monika, I'm sorry you didn't find what you were looking for on PT Distinction. We're actually the only platform that caters for both beginner trainers and very advanced coaches. With programming, assessments, smart communication, exercise technique reviews, nutrition coaching, habit coaching, automations, groups, leader-boards and more we have everything high class trainers need to produce incredible online coaching. Did you miss these things or simply want something different?

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source

Useful Personal Training platform with many features.

5.0 last year

Comments: I was pleasantly surprised by the features and how simple and easy it was to set everything up. Unfortunately, it's only available in English.

Pros:

PT Distinction has the potential to save me enormous amounts of time when it comes to programming workouts, its possibel to plan months in advance very quickly and all the scheduling can be automated. The workout editor is one of the best I used and it's very easy to create automated packages to suit different approaches to new clients. This is a huge benefit to scale in the future.

Cons:

I really like PT Distinction , it has all te features I need except localization, its only available in English. And the app needs to be optimized.

Lisa
Owner/Traianer in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Review of PT Distinction

4.0 last year

Comments: Overall it was a good experience but I changed apps due to some other options that became available.

Pros:

This was a great platform for my first try using a fitness app. It was easy to use and upload videos. Their support team was very helpful. I loved having a new option for my clients to use and got good feedback.

Cons:

My clients didnt like that they could not listen to their music while using the app. that may have changed now.

Andrew
Founder in Australia
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Great one-stop tool for health fitness coaches

5.0 8 months ago

Comments: I've reviewed most health and fitness apps and this trumped them all for me. Customer support is always helpful and prompt.

Pros:

It's easy to use and has great functionality that allows customisation to create my own programs and schedule it out for my clients. Love that you can customise the brand of the app to your own.

Cons:

Not being able for clients to upload photos in the forms.

Marielle
Fitness Trainer in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Personal Trainer Review

4.0 last year

Comments: Great! I enjoy the app or I would've switched!

Pros:

How many features it has for all different types of things for me to do in the industry so i can stay with this app. I love the branding feature!!!!!

Cons:

It's kind of slow sometimes and it's really confusing on how to write progressions in for clients and update programs which is crucial for me.

Andy
Director in UK
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The game changer I needed for my business

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Time is important to me and initially, it took time to set up but now I concentrate on other things whilst the business runs itself giving me many hours back each week.

Pros:

The system is an amazing asset to my business. I have an automated button on my website which leads the client to the PT distinction software allowing them to join and download their very own app which is branded to my business. Once they have gained access they enter a 12-week fat loss course which automates emails with all learning tools, educational videos, and much more straight to the client when I want them to receive it. They also complete consultation forms which allow me to design fitness programs based on their goals which my library now has an abundance of programs covering all areas. The clients are learning and achieving whilst I concentrate on the support. Such an easy software to use and integrates to PayPal for payment ease. Saves me so much time and allows my business to run smoothly.

Cons:

I would like to see at the end of a program the client being congratulated and letting them know if they have achieved any personal bests, this was a good area my old software gave.

Alan
Personal Trainer in UK
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The best out there and I have used quite a few to get to PTD

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Not only is the software top drawer. the help you get from the guys is second to none.
My dealings with [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] in particular have been very helpful.
They even have an Online University which is extremely helpful.
if you are a PT and want to enhance what you offer. This is the software for you!!!

Pros:

PTD is everything you possibly need as a PT. It keeps your clients, diary, payments, programmes, habit tracking, emails and messages all in one handy place. With the recent updatye on Android now complete it is the perfect package. It has been especially helpful in recent times with clients having to train at home because of Covid. Even better as it is a useful tool when doing my Zoom PT sessions as I can show clients the videos of what exercises are in their programmes and go through them with them. Easy!!!!

Cons:

Two things that I think would enhance it would be : 1. Better nutritional plans. This would really make it the PERFECT system out there. 2. A Marketplace where we could purchase ready made programmes, food plans and content,

Gino
Personal Fitness Trainer in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

I can say YES to every question now

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: I have basically everything i would tell my client to do as home work in the palm of their hands. A video series to should proper form when ever they need. Typically trainers are just trainers not video gurus so having the reference is perfect. My benefit from the program is using it to train multiple people at once and get more results. BES THING IS I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF TO MY CLIENTS OVER AND OVER. I let the app do it.

Pros:

I can give anyone I meet an automated program and still work with other clients. I can create custom routines to give my clients as homework and reference so if they forget anything its there all in one place. and the ORGANIZATION is amazing, easy to track everything and to see progress.

Cons:

The android app features are still catching up and not as user friendly as the IOS app. Such as seeing pictures or uploading pictures.

Ayo
Head Coach in UK
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Excellent software, supported by a team that cares.

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: PT Distinction enables me to deliver fitness and nutrition coaching to a large number of people to a much higher standard, and in far less time than previously possible. The support team respond quickly to requests, and the system is constantly being upgraded. I highly recommend it.

Pros:

The best features for me are the Program Builder, the 'Group Management' system, and the quality of the app/client website login portal. I love the ease with which you can deliver a multifaceted suite of coaching options to a large number of individuals, whilst maintaining the ability to quickly customise as required.

Cons:

It doesn't integrate with Apple Health or Garmin Connect which is a shame as many of my clients use one or the other. There are various workarounds to this though, to be fair.

Amber
Personal Trainer/Nutrition Coach in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

The Best Personal Training Software

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Overall, PTDistinction is a fantastic platform. I won't name names, but before I found PTDistinction, I tried out 4 other (well-known) platforms and none of the others come close as far as features and ease of use. I spend half the time doing the same work as on any of the platforms and PT Distinction has many more features.

Pros:

PTDistinction pros? Where do I start? Ease of use: Absolutely. I love that features are easy to find and simple to use. I can tab through fields and add things quickly. I can set out whole programs and launch them for clients easily. Lots of features: I have found that there is almost no limit to the types of things that I can add for clients. Any type of habit tracking, template, coaching resources, assessments and on. And unlike some other platforms I tried, more features does not make this platform any less streamlined. Tons of exercises. And if there is an exercise not already in the database, it's incredibly easy to add. I also used to use a second platform for nutrition coaching, but I can do everything in PTDistinction now.

Cons:

The only things that I could want for is messaging notifications and app availability. I would prefer if the app would give notifications when my clients message me. However, without having an app available for the coaches side this isn't available. The app be valuable for when I need to use the platform on the go from my phone. I often pull up a client's workouts during in person sessions and I currently have to do that from the web browser, which is less than ideal.

Dylan
Personal trainer in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Highly recommended

5.0 4 years ago

Pros:

Pt Distinction has checked off all boxes for me and my business. My clients love the ease of use within my own branded app that they provided me. They use the system for all their workouts, and I fully believe that their progress has been impacted by the fact that they have an easy to use program that I can adjust, and vary because there are hundreds of different workouts that I can add.

Cons:

My clients haven't had any issues with the software at all, so since they are happy, I am very happy with everything provided.

Terrie
Owner/Founder in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Great product for your personal training business

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: My overall experience with this software is that I am satisfied with what PT Distinctions provide me as a small and independent business owner and personal trainer to help me manage my clients programs effectively and effectively.

Pros:

I like that it had many easy to use options to build a client program.

Cons:

That it doesn’t give you notifications on when or if your app for the AppStore is completed

Ginni
Owner in Portugal
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Online Coach Review

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: Great! Simplified my check-ins with my clients and my back-end work.

Pros:

The simplicity of the system and mobile application for clients

Cons:

Clients find it hard to adjust to, but one its used a few weeks it's simple! I wish I could see the clients MFP diaries with the sharing permissions in the Food Diary option.

John
Trainer in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Review

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: my short time on PT Distinction has been a learning curve but excited for all the possibilities in the future!

Pros:

Product is easy to use, simple and strait forward!

Cons:

The software can perform many task its overwhelming.

Filipe
Personal Trainer in Portugal
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Why PTD is the best software if you want to save time and make your life easier

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: PTD was the first investment I made into my business. I coach Nurses and realized their time is too valuable to waste doing things that were unnecessary. And it was happening just because I didn't want to invest in a software. I was using Excel spreadsheets and PDF files and thought I was just replacing it to something more professional. But oh boy was I wrong. I got just so much more. This is a tremendous upgrade. You can't compare. It just looks so professional. I can do absolutely EVERYTHING with this. I can't think of something that I tried to do and couldn't! I'm using PTD for less than 2 years now, but I extremely happy with how this turned out. You can imagine it would not be easy to coach Nurses in a pandemic! But I had my best year yet, and I believe that PTD was a big part of it.

Pros:

6 main things that I absolutely love about PTD: - Their support is just unmatched. I wish I could have this kind of support in my business. Your difficulties and doubts are always answered. If you want to do something and don't know how they'll literally guide you. And they do this fast. I just sent an e-mail at 1:27 AM and got a response at 11:52 AM. It's nuts. - Organization. Everything is in here, besides an email address, you don't need anything else. Everything looks that it belongs together and to the same brand. - It's easy to use for our clients. Even my mom could use this, and she doesn't know how to Google things. - Versatility of their Program builder. Resistance training? Yes. HIIT? Yes. LISS? Of course. Circuit training? Absolutely. You can even put a video of any class that you do! - Groups and templates. Imagine your perfect program. With workouts, videos to teach them something, e-mails, etc. Everything that you want, and everything prepared in advance and laid out perfectly. Now imagine that someone joins and you just click one button and everything just happens. What? Yes. This is the power of Groups. It just saves you a ton of time and makes everything so much easier. - They are always improving. Literally always working on something. I'm using PTD for less than 2 years and they did a massive upgrade to their iOS app, another massive upgrade to the Android app, they rebuilt their "program" section and a ton of little things that we (users) ask for.

Cons:

You have to dedicate yourself to learn this. Since it offers so many different things to suit your style of coaching, it has a lot of stuff to learn. Once you get the principles and connect everything together, it becomes easy. If you're willing to learn, you can save a ton of time not having to do the same things yourself when they can be automatized. It's a huge potential benefit. But if you want something that just does the basics and is super simple to use, maybe there are better options. I just see this just kind of like exercise. If you just want to walk as an exercise, it's super easy and you just have to do it. But you'll get the results of just walking. But if you're willing to learn how to squat, deadlift, bench press, etc., and take that time, it will eventually get easier and you'll be able to maybe get better results. So if you want the best coaching service, you need this.

Melanie
CEO/Founder in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Super helpful app for programming & coaching clients!

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: Overall, so much time-saving because I can create and use templates. I love that the exercises all have videos, and I can upload and/or link to videos for unique exercises - it's a real plus for my online clients to have the videos to refer to!
This app has allowed me to really grow and flourish in my online training capacity.

Pros:

I love that I can create my own workout programming and 'template' them - so I am not re-creating the wheel each time. I also appreciate the new Dashboard feature, which allows me to see at a glance all my client activity. And I really love that I have been able to brand this app with my logo, etc - so when my clients use it, it is like they are using my OWN personal training app - so fabulous!

Cons:

I have had some trouble with exercises disappearing in my templates. I cycle through 10-12 templates and when I go in to review them before assigning to clients/groups - I have often found whole sections and/or exercises to be gone....like they dropped out of the template somehow. This is very frustrating because I then have to go back in and re-program that template...which takes any 'time-saving' feature completely out of the picture! That is my biggest frustration at this point - it should be that the templates are saved completely and not mysteriously deleting exercises.

Kevin
Owner/Trainer in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

PT Distinction Walks the Talk

4.0 4 years ago

Comments: The software has allowed me to continue with my business through the pandemic. I am able to move in-person training clients to the app and also use it as part of remote/video training service.

Pros:

PT Distinction is easy to use and fits into my business concept of building relationships. It is incredibly easy to provide services to my clients. But where PT Distinction truly excels far and above is their customer support. They provide several avenues for support including email, Facebook support groups, and YouTube video instruction. They are clearly interested in building relationships with their customers.

Cons:

From my client's perspective, there are some minor annoyances mainly in using the software mostly related to timer / workout integration. But as they see how flexible the app is, they are enjoying it. From my perspective as a trainer, it would be nice to be able to do more client management from the smartphone app (though if there is, I have not found how to do it yet). Also, it is not set up well to run a group "class" workout easily. This would be a nice option.

PT Distinction Response

4 years ago

Thank you Kevin. We try hard to provide great support! Re: timer and workout integration for your clients, both of these are already in the app so clients shouldn't need to integrate anything, but please reach out to our team if you're trying to set up something different that we may be able to help with. Re: Making changes on your phone, you can login on your phone via the main web portal and it loads as a web app, this gives you all tools to coach your clients, create programs etc.. on your mobile. We're happy we've helped you during the pandemic and allowed you to grow an online business that will continue to grow when the world goes back to normal.

Kyri
Personal Trainer in UK
Leisure, Travel & Tourism, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Face to face personal trainer

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: Fantastic experience overall after having a shocking experience with MYPTHUB. Have already recommended PTD to my fellow PTs as it was exactly what I was looking for for my own business. The best thing for me is the Facebook group where the guys at PTD reply to any question you have very quickly, and they are constantly updating the app with new features, listening to their customers. Their customer service is very, very good.

Pros:

I love the programming side, so quick, easy and efficient to use saving me hours of programming time. The entire user interface is easy to use, very quick to navigate between clients and very customisable. I love the group option to further speed the admin side of personal trainer up which is completely necessary.

Cons:

A big feature missing currently is the option to replace exercises. I have had to change the format of my workout plans for my clients so as to not frustrate them when the gym is busy and they are having to improvise

Daniel
Nutrition and health coach in UK
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Dissapointed

3.0 3 years ago

Comments: I have use PtD for years and have never felt 100% comfortable with it. From my end (as a coach) it was great , very very good as it is so powerful but but for my clients the app is too "clinical" and it's not very user friendly, I had to make a video for absolutely everything I wanted to get my clients to do as it wasn't very intuitive. In the past 6 months the software has become even more unusable and I have now transitioned to a new software. the customer service took a downward turn as well and it felt as if any answer you did get was from a position of "We can use it, why can't you". It's a shame because it could be so much better than anything else out there but they seem to have focused far too much on what their software can do and not enough on how good it is to use. In short... I enjoyed the power it had and what it could do, it wasn't easy to use but when you knew how to use it it could be great, the problem is, My clients hated it.

Pros:

The software is super powerful, it can literally do anything but you need a degree to be able to use it

Cons:

Client side the software is clunky and too "busy" too much going on and not enough customisation

Ben
Online Coach in UK
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

PTD Distinction Review

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: Very good. Improved client service.

Pros:

Scheduling & daily habits/targets on client dashboard.

Cons:

Clients able to view their workouts that have been logged/recorded.

PT Distinction Response

2 years ago

Hi Ben, Thank you for the great review. Clients can see all of their logged workouts by going to Programs, opening the workout and clicking the chart icon on any exercise to see all previous results.