16 Virtual Coaching Tools to Help You Run Your Coaching Business

Nathan Vander Heyden November 10, 2022

Every good coach needs the right set of tools to help run their business.

After all, you want to maximize client success and build your revenue potential — without overloading yourself with too much "busy work."

As a coach, you need online tools to

  • stay in touch with clients,

  • conduct your sessions,

  • provide feedback, resources, and ideas in various formats, and

  • process all the behind-the-scenes paperwork that running a business entails.

Deciding what to use and when can get daunting when you're a new coach (even as a seasoned professional), so we've included some helpful tools for you to consider.

But before you sign-up for any new coaching software, let's consider some of the features coaches need to successfully run a business.

7 Favorable Features of Online Coaching Tools

Here are several things you should look out for when choosing the best tools for your online coaching program:

  1. Ease of use. Coaches want a platform that's easy to use, not only for themselves but for their clients, too. Too much friction at the onboarding stage, when scheduling meetings, and with communications can make clients go elsewhere.

  2. Simple and effective client communication. Keep all of your client communications, messages, questions, and sessions in one thread.

  3. Asynchronous messaging. Coaches don't always have time for a call. Neither do clients. With async messaging in between live calls, you can answer client questions when convenient.

  4. Group sessions. Set up and run coaching sessions with a whole group of clients quickly and easily.

  5. Progress updates. See how your clients are progressing. Are they taking action on what you talked about between sessions? Give them an easy way to update you, giving you new things to discuss in your next live (one-on-one) coaching session.

  6. Seamless integration. Clients use numerous messaging apps — Slack, Teams, Messenger, WhatsApp — and email. You want tools that integrate with stuff people use already. So that clients feel they can stay in contact without downloading and using another app.

  7. Pricing. You need a tool that's within your budget, so look out for user or client limits on each pricing tier when you're comparing.

Tools that support coaches: Our top picks

Here are a few suggestions for specific scenarios where some tools work better than others!

Best for solo coaches

If you run a solo coaching business, investing in an all-in-one solution for handling the business and admin can be a lifesaver. Satori handles time-consuming admin, like; creating packages, taking payments, scheduling sessions, and enrolling new clients.

Best for running group coaching programs

Group coaching requires excellent communication and coordination, so the ultra-powerful duo of Zoom + Clarityflow is our recommendation. You get high-quality live session management with Zoom and can handle all the asynchronous communication (like announcements, session replays, and follow-up conversations) with Clarityflow. Perfect.

Best for selling an online course

Most coaches we know do a good bit of teaching, too. So to seamlessly combine that with your coaching — Teachable is our top recommendation. Teachable makes it incredibly easy to create high-quality products from scratch, and it has an iOS and Android app, which is super handy for students (and many coaches).

Best for note taking or your "second brain"

Notion takes the cake here. You can use it for your second brain, your client portal, your customer database, or all of the above. It has endless possibilities to help you build your business and keep you organized. And you can take advantage of all the templates to save a ton of time.

Best for creating a custom online coaching platform

A coaching app helps you manage all your clients in one place for quick-and-easy coaching and client management. If you're looking for an app to personalize and "make your own," Nudge Coach is our top pick.

All right, now that we've shared our faves, let's take a closer look at each of them and check out the others that made the list.

Which online coaching tools have made the cut?

We have broken this list into four key sections based on what these tools do:

  • Communication and coaching sessions

  • Create and sell online courses

  • Note-taking and documentation

  • Business and admin

Let's dive right in.

Communication and Coaching Sessions

1. Clarityflow

Clarityflow is all about asynchronous messaging (all the communication that happens in between live coaching sessions).

Clarityflow makes it easier for clients to ask questions or for feedback and offers a space for coaches to reply and provide support without scheduling more live calls than your diary can handle.

Let's look at the features coaches and clients love.

CLIENT CONVERSATIONS ALL IN ONE PLACE

Clients rely on you to give them guidance, support, a sounding board, and a fresh perspective.

As a coach, that means replying with thoughtful insights, genuine support, and your best advice. And these conversations are too important to get lost in noisy inboxes or chat apps.

With Clarityflow, coaches can give each client dedicated digital space for messages, questions, and live chat coaching sessions.

ASYNCHRONOUS MESSAGING

Asynchronous messaging is a valuable online coaching tool. Especially when coaches and clients are busy.

Clients can ask questions or request feedback whenever they want. And as a coach, you can support them without scheduling a live call — anytime and anywhere. Everyone wins.

Send and receive messages in the format that suits you best, whether that is video, audio, or text.

NUMEROUS FILE TYPES AND INTEGRATIONS SUPPORTED

You can attach any file you need for coaching sessions — images, spreadsheets, and other documents.

Clarityflow also integrates with all popular tools. Slack, Chrome, Zapier, WordPress, ConvertKit — you name it.

Clients can also upload videos. Or you can share a recording of your live sessions together. And either of you can watch a video at 2x the speed, for when you're in a hurry or only need a quick recap.

BRANDED COACHING PLATFORM

Get a branded link for intake forms and client communications. Embed it on your website.

After every session, coaches get automatic transcripts. No more wondering what a client said when writing notes.

Who is Clarityflow for?

If you're a coach or consultant who needs to interact with your clients outside of live sessions (and would prefer to take the conversation out of email), then Clarityflow is an excellent tool for that asynchronous communication. Plus, you can use it to onboard new clients, follow up after sessions, and track progress.

Pricing: 14-day free trial, $49/month Basic plan, $99/month Pro plan, and $199/month Plus plan

Ready to give Clarityflow a try? Sign up for free here.

2. Zoom

Zoom is a video communication platform that needs no introduction.

During the pandemic, Zoom use exploded as companies worldwide switched to working remotely and from home (WFH).

Zoom became so widely used for anything that was face-to-face that even the CEO of Zoom experienced “Zoom fatigue.”

Zoom is a multi-faceted communications platform, encompassing everything from video calls to virtual spaces, webinars, contact center solutions, and other services for businesses of every size.

Coaches can use Zoom to arrange and host meetings with clients.

Who is Zoom for?

For coaches who run live sessions with clients.

Pricing: Zoom One starts with a Free plan (with a 100-attendee/40-minute limit), up to $19.99/month per user plan.

3. Loom

Loom is an asynchronous communication platform for pre-recording your screen and feedback to share with colleagues and clients.

Coaches can use Loom to record and share training sessions with clients.

Your clients can watch these when they have time and provide time-stamped feedback within the recorded video.

Start with a free plan, download Loom for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices, and share videos with your clients.

Who is Loom for?

Loom offers high-quality recording options with great editing features for coaches who find it helpful to record feedback via video.

Pricing: Free Plan (up to 50 users, 25 videos per person, 5 mins per video), or an unlimited plan for $8/month per user.

4. Voxer

Voxer is described as a “real-time Walkie Talkie app” for remote teams and individuals.

Coaches can use Voxer to record voice notes and send to clients, or use instant voice, video, or image-based communications to talk to clients in real time.

Who is Voxer for?

If you have a small number of clients you serve and prefer to swap audio messages, Voxer might be the best option. It's not specifically designed as a coaching tool but can work well for small groups.

Pricing: Free plan (basic features), $3.99/month, or $6 for businesses.

5. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the Meta-owned messaging platform used by over 2 billion people worldwide.

WhatsApp is another way for coaches to keep in contact and have live calls with clients for free.

However, unless you use WhatsApp Business and integrate it with other platforms — such as Clarityflow — it lacks numerous features that coaches need to run their businesses.

Who is WhatsApp for?

If you're a new coach and looking for something free and easy to use for client communication.

Pricing: Free for personal use. WhatsApp Business accounts get 1,000 free messages per month and then will pay a per-message rate.

Online Course Creation

One of the best ways a coach can scale is by creating and delivering online courses.

That way, your revenue isn't limited to the amount of time you've got available for one-on-one sessions with clients.

Let's look at a few tools that help with this.

6. Teachable

Teachable is an online course creation platform used by over 100,000 creators and coaches worldwide.

With Teachable, you can create courses, customize them, and the platform handles client payments and gets that money to you while also taking care of tax and other payout allocations.

Who is Teachable for?

Coaches and creators who want to monetize their expertise with courses and digital downloads. And who needs a complete solution for selling and delivering their online program (includes; landing pages, payment processing, email marketing software, and other marketing features.)

Pricing: Free, with prices ranging from $39/month (basic) up to $299/month for larger businesses.

7. Thinkific

Thinkific is another popular online platform for creating and selling courses.

Thinkific has all of the tools an online coach or creator needs to turn their knowledge into monetizable courses, including integrations with other software solutions, such as MailChimp and Salesforce.

Who is Thinkific for?

Coaches who sell courses, but who also want a community option so they can engage with their students and track client progress.

Pricing: Free, with $99/month (Start), $199/month (Grow), and a $499/month Expand option.

8. TrueCoach

TrueCoach is the go-to software for health & fitness — while other coaches can use it, its features might not be relevant for business, life, and other types of coaching.

It's a useful platform for engaging with clients, tracking client data, and creating branded coaching videos.

Who is TrueCoach for?

TrueCoach is customized for personal trainers, gym owners, and fitness coaches.

Pricing: From $25/month up to $119/month.

Note Taking

Taking notes and recording information is so important for coaches.

Outside of research and writing — recording client discussions, and noting next actions increase accountability (for both coaches and clients!)

9. Evernote

Evernote is one of the world's most popular note-taking apps.

With Evernote, you can create notes during and after coaching sessions, share them with clients, and even give mentees to-do lists so you know they're taking action.

You can even scan documents and connect Evernote with other apps, such as calendars.

Who is Evernote for?

Evernote is great for professional development as it can keep your ideas and "second brain" organized. If you do a lot of web clipping, and writing, it's an excellent tool for collecting research, stories, and ideas.

Pricing: Free, $7.99/month (personal), or $9.99/month for professionals.

10. Notion

Notion is a digital workspace for individuals and teams.

Coaches can use Notion to document sessions, keep on track with clients, and stay organized.

The tool comes with many templates to organize your work, as well as track your client's progress. You can create pages and databases of all kinds:

  • Calendars

  • Board views with individual cards

  • Simple text files for note sharing

  • Searchable databases to store important information

Who is Notion for?

As a professional coach, Notion can become your client portal, customer database, student area, and the single source of truth for everything to do with your business. Set up in the right it can compete with some of the best online coaching platforms!

Pricing: Free, with $4/month and $8/month (per user) options.

Business and Admin

Every coach has "behind the scenes" business to take care of.

And with the right apps and integrations, you can save time on this part of your online coaching to focus more on clients.

Here are some of the online coaching tools that can help you manage your own coaching business.

11. Nudge Coach

Nudge Coach is a white-label app that's designed for custom branding your coaching business.

Nudge Coach includes client chat, file sharing, messaging, automated program sequences, and goals features — all of which you can customize with your branding.

The tool also offers a “Cards" feature for coaching content. They're perfect for creating videos, audio, or written material that can be sent out using automated program sequences.

Who is Nudge Coach for?

This online coaching platform is best for coaching companies and professional coaches who want to create a branded app for their coaching clients. The app itself can be used to communicate, track progress, and share resources, but the real value is in designing coaching programs that deliver real transformations.

Pricing: Free Plan (1-5 clients), $60/month Grow plan (up to 50 clients), $100/month Scale plan (up to 100 clients), and White label (available upon request).

12. Quenza

Quenza helps coaches:

  • Increase client engagement, so they do the work between sessions

  • Spend less time on paperwork, admin, invoicing, and sending agreements

  • Scale a coaching practice beyond one-on-one sessions with your own programs and groups.

Who is Quenza for?

Quenza is for established coaches who are looking to scale their practice and need something to help keep clients on track and engaged. And has all the features you could want to help you run the coaching part of your business.

Pricing: From $49/month (Lite), $89/month (standard), up to $149/month (unlimited)

13. Satori

Satori is a platform for creating and delivering coaching programs.

Satori lets you design packages perfect to your needs, process payments, send questionnaires, and even sign agreements. It also integrates with Paypal, Zoom, Google Calendar, and Apple Calendar.

The platform comes with a handy timezone conversion feature that makes it easier to manage international coaching sessions.

Who is Satori for?

Pricing: Explorer (Free) Plan, $19/month Pioneer plan, and $39/month Trailblazer plan.

14. Paperbell

Paperbell makes it easier to do admin for your business — so you can focus on coaching.

Paperbell handles scheduling, payments, contract signing, and client management.

The tool also provides a digital hub for your clients, where they can download resources that you've created for them.

Paperbell integrates with Stripe, Zoom, and Google Meet, for quick communications.

Who is Paperbell for?

Paperbell is perfect for any new coaches who don’t want to worry about hitting user limits when they gain traction with their client roster. Paperbell offers unlimited everything and only has one subscription tier. Super simple and has no hidden costs.

Pricing: $40/month.

15. DocuSign

DocuSign is a cloud-based tool for sending agreements and contracts for clients to sign.

Over 1 billion users and 1 million customers use DocuSign to send, amend, and sign contracts.

Coaches can use this too, making it easier to get clients to sign on the dotted line before formal coaching sessions start.

Who is DocuSign for?

Any coach or consultant can benefit from the ease that Docusign makes sending and signing contracts.

Pricing: $15 per month (up to 5 eSignature documents), with $45 and $65/month options available.

16. Calendly

Calendly is a simple scheduling tool for individuals, businesses, and coaches.

Over 10 million people and businesses use Calendly to schedule meetings and calls.

Get set up, create a calendar to show your availability, and either send links to clients or embed the Calendly tool on your website so current and potential clients can see when they can book appointments.

Who is Calendly for?

Coaches who need basic appointment scheduling.

Pricing: Free (basic plan), with $8/mo and $12/month options.

FAQ: Coaching business tools and software

WHAT IS VIRTUAL COACHING SOFTWARE?

Coaches need software to run a successful business. Regardless of the services you offer — business, executive leadership, sales, marketing, life, weight loss, spiritual, or something else — coaches need a toolkit to succeed.

The best software makes it easier to communicate with clients, set up meetings, have live video calls, do group sessions, and run your complete end-to-end coaching program from one app.

WHAT FEATURES DO THE BEST ONLINE COACHING TOOLS HAVE?

The features you need depend on your coaching program, how services are structured, and client preferences.

Generally speaking, it's useful to have the following features:

  • Communication: Multi-channel (integrate with other messaging apps and emails), async, and live calls, so you can have sessions with clients, and they can ask questions whenever they need.

  • Calendar and scheduling: Set up live calls with clients, and have coaching sessions within the app.

  • A mobile app or website: So clients (and coaches) can keep working, communicate, and have sessions on the go.

  • Progress tracking: Somewhere to record goals, practices, and projects to track client progress between live calls.

  • Group sessions: Create, hold, and evaluate group sessions. And keep in contact with every attendee from those sessions.

  • Payment processing: A way to invoice clients and get paid.

HOW MUCH DOES VIRTUAL COACHING SOFTWARE COST?

Virtual coaching software can range anywhere from Free to $200 per month.

You can often combine a few different paid tools to get the job done. Or consider an all-in-one solution that can perhaps be paired with some free versions of other tools if any features you need are missing.

With Clarityflow, we have a free tier, a basic tier for $19/mo, and a premium tier for $39/mo.

You can also work with other coaches or advisors for $8 per month for every additional user (up to 5 team members).

Wrapping up…

We hope you found this list helpful and get to try out a few of these solutions to run a more prosperous coaching business.

Questions or feedback? Let us know on Twitter or via e-mail!

Want to add more value to your coaching packages (without more live calls)? Interact with clients using Clarityflow. Grab your free account here.

About Nathan Vander Heyden

Let’s talk about your coaching business

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