TrainHeroic is built for strength and conditioning coaches, with a marketplace for selling programmes and solid athlete management tools. But its focus on S&C means it lacks several features that broader coaching businesses need. There is no AI assistant, no custom forms, no habit tracking, and no file storage. Here is a detailed breakdown.
TrainHeroic Starts at $49/mo. Athli Starts Free.
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TrainHeroic's cheapest plan costs $49 per month for up to 20 athletes. Athli's free Starter plan lets you coach up to 5 clients with mobile apps, workouts, a training calendar, the exercise library, and messaging. The Pro plan (from $20/mo) unlocks advanced features like the AI workout builder, questionnaires, and habit tracking, while add-ons for AI, automations, and payments give you even more. For coaches watching their budget, the maths is straightforward.
No AI Assistant for Programme Design
TrainHeroic is strong on strength and conditioning delivery but offers no AI-powered assistant. Every programme, progress report, and client communication has to be handled manually. With Athli's AI add-on ($25/mo), Lyra can generate complete training blocks, analyse an athlete's performance data, and provide coaching insights, all from a conversational interface.
Why this matters: Coaches managing large rosters benefit most from AI, automating the repetitive parts of programming so they can focus on high-value coaching decisions.
No Automation to Handle Client Follow-Ups
TrainHeroic has no automation flows to respond when athletes miss sessions or fall behind. All follow-up is manual. With Athli's Automations add-on ($20/mo), you can set triggers based on any client event and define multi-step action sequences including messages, reminders, and tasks that fire automatically.
Why this matters: Automated follow-ups keep athletes engaged and accountable without requiring you to monitor every session manually.
No Automated Client Onboarding
TrainHeroic requires manual onboarding for every new athlete. There are no automated sequences to assign programmes, deliver intake forms, or send welcome messages when someone joins. With Athli's Automations add-on ($20/mo), you can automate the entire new-client setup so athletes get a seamless first experience while you save time.
Why this matters: First impressions matter. Automated onboarding ensures every athlete receives a polished, professional start without additional admin work.
No Custom Check-In Forms
TrainHeroic lacks custom form building for check-ins, intake questionnaires, or wellness surveys. You are limited to their built-in tracking options. On Athli's Pro plan (from $20/mo), you get a full form builder to create any form you need, schedule submissions, and automatically link responses to client metrics and progress photos.
Why this matters: Custom forms let you collect the exact data points that inform your coaching decisions, not just what the platform decides to track.
No Habit or Custom Metric Tracking
TrainHeroic focuses on workout delivery but does not support daily habit tracking or custom metric monitoring. If you want to track sleep, hydration, or any other lifestyle factor, you will need a separate tool. On the Pro plan (from $20/mo), Athli includes habit and metric tracking for every client, letting you assign daily habits and define unlimited custom metrics, all integrated into their profile.
Why this matters: Results are not just about what happens in the gym. Tracking habits and lifestyle metrics gives you the complete picture of a client's progress.
No Dedicated File Storage for Athletes
TrainHeroic does not include per-client file storage for documents, meal plans, or supplementary resources. Coaches end up relying on email or external cloud storage to share files. Athli provides organised, per-client storage (5GB on Pro, unlimited on Max) where you can upload and manage any document alongside their training data.
Why this matters: Centralised file storage means you never have to dig through emails or shared drives to find a client's contract or nutrition plan.
The Verdict
TrainHeroic excels for pure strength and conditioning but leaves significant gaps for coaches who need a complete platform. Athli's free Starter plan gets you coaching immediately, while the Pro plan (from $20/mo) adds custom forms, habit tracking, and 5GB of file storage. Add-ons for AI ($25/mo) and Automations ($20/mo) fill the gaps TrainHeroic does not address at any price.