Whether you’re just starting out or managing dozens of athletes, TrainingPeaks can help you create a better experience for both you and your athletes. But which Coach Edition subscription should you choose? Basic or Unlimited?
Whether you choose a Basic or Unlimited coaching subscription, you get access to the exact same powerful coaching features and business tools. Crucially, both plans allow you to add an unlimited number of Premium athletes to your roster. Whether your athletes self-pay or you choose to invest in them as Coach Paid Premium athletes starting at just $9 each, there are no caps on your growth. The main difference simply comes down to how your athletes’ accounts are funded. Let’s take a deeper look at the two subscription options to see which fits your business best.
Quick Comparison: Basic vs. Unlimited Coach Tiers
| # of Basic Athletes | # of Premium Athletes | Cost | |
| TrainingPeaks Coach Edition Basic | 4 | Unlimited | $21.99 / month |
| TrainingPeaks Coach Edition Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $54.99 / month |
TrainingPeaks Basic Coaching Subscription Explained
The Basic coaching plan is great for new coaches and experienced coaches alike. You can attach a maximum of 4 Basic (free) athlete accounts to your subscription. However, any athlete who uses a TrainingPeaks Premium account (whether they pay for it themselves or you pay for it via Coach Paid Premium) does not count toward this 4-athlete limit.
If you choose to upgrade your athletes to Premium with a coach paid subscription, you pay as you grow ($9 for each Premium athlete added), so you never pay for more than you need.
What You Get:
- One free Premium athlete account: Typically used by the coach for their own personal training.
- Up to 4 basic athlete accounts
- Access to the workout builder and calendar tools
- Communication and feedback options with Premium athletes
- Viewing metrics and historical data
- Advanced analytics and planning tools
- Payment and billing management
Best For:
- Coaches working four or fewer athletes
- New coaches looking to pay as they grow
- Experienced coaches who customize training for each athlete
TrainingPeaks Unlimited Coaching Subscription
Like Basic, the Unlimited Coaching subscription gives you full access to TrainingPeaks coaching tools and one free Premium athlete. It also allows you to add more Coach Paid Premium athletes for $9 per athlete. The main difference is that you can attach to an unlimited number of Basic athletes, making it ideal for individual coaches or coaching organizations working with more than four basic athletes.
What You Get:
- One free Premium athlete (which can be used on yourself)
- Unlimited number of attached athletes (Basic or Premium)
- Advanced analytics and planning tools
- Access to the workout builder and calendar tools
- Communication and feedback options with Premium athletes
- Viewing metrics and historical data
- Payment and billing management
Best For:
- Coaches who don’t include Coach Paid Premium as part of their coaching packages
- Coaching teams or businesses with a high volume of low-touch athletes
- Experienced coaches who customize training for each athlete
Pricing and Value Breakdown
A Basic Coaching Subscription starts at $21.99 a month and allows coaches to pay as they grow. Unlimited starts at $54.99, and allows you to add Coach paid premium athletes for $9 per athlete. You can add an unlimited number of self-paid Premium athletes at no additional cost on both subscription types.
However, once you start to add more than 10 Coach Paid Premium athletes, you’ll start to unlock better discounts. The more athletes you add, the bigger discounts you receive. This is true for both Basic and Unlimited subscriptions.
Here’s a breakdown:
| Number of Coach Paid Premium Athletes | Cost Per Athlete (Monthly) | Discount Applied |
| 1 – 9 Athletes | $9.00 | Base Rate |
| 10 – 19 Athletes | $8.55 | 5% Discount |
| 20 – 49 Athletes | $8.10 | 10% Discount |
| 50 – 99 Athletes | $7.65 | 15% Discount |
| 100 – 199 Athletes | $7.20 | 20% Discount |
| 200 – 499 Athletes | $6.30 | 30% Discount |
| 500 – 999 Athletes | $5.40 | 40% Discount |
| 1000+ Athletes | $4.50 | 50% Discount |
You can determine your price by using this estimated cost calculator.
Why Pay for Premium?
The real value for both you and your athletes comes with athlete Premium accounts, either coach paid or self paid.
Why? Premium features add value to your business, and Premium athletes stay on the platform longer. Simply put, they are more invested and less likely to churn.
Premium athletes have access to:
- Metrics such as Form, Fatigue, and Fitness
- Flexibility to move workouts.
- Notifications and alerts when you leave comments, notes, or update an athlete’s training plan
- Recovery metric charting with Health Insights
- Messaging to send photos, videos and files
- TrainingPeaks Virtual for indoor cycling
- Deeper analysis tools with Analyze 360
Regardless of whether you choose a Basic or Unlimited coach edition, the real value for your coaching business is unlocked when your athletes use Athlete Premium Accounts (whether Coach Paid or Self Paid).
Providing Premium access increases athlete retention (reducing churn) because athletes become deeply invested in tracking their data. Many successful coaches simply roll the $9 (or discounted) Coach Paid Premium fee directly into their monthly coaching packages.
For case studies and examples of how Coach Paid Premium can boost your business and coaching experience, check out this article: Why Coach Paid Premium Is More Valuable for Coaches and Athletes
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can have an unlimited number of athletes on a Basic Coach account, provided that any athlete beyond the first 4 is a Premium athlete (either Self-Paid Premium or Coach-Paid Premium). Only Basic (free) athlete accounts count toward your 4-athlete roster limit.
Your base monthly platform subscription will increase from $21.99 to $54.99. However, your volume discount tiers for Coach Paid Premium athletes remain exactly the same.
No. If an athlete pays for their own TrainingPeaks Premium subscription, they do not cost you anything extra, and they do not count against the 4-athlete limit if you are on the Basic Coach subscription.
