trainwell vs Future
Published November 12, 2026
trainwell is the better value and Future the more flexible commitment: trainwell is $149 a month billed every 3 months with a 14-day free trial, unlimited messaging and video calls and form checks; Future is $199 month to month ($149 on a 12-month plan), with a $50 first month refunded within 30 days, and it's US only. If you don't want to pay $150+ a month for a human coach, RIRLift is the free option: Coach plans from your history and every weight is set from the set you just did. It has no person checking in.
Free on iPhone and Apple Watch · No account · Coming to Android: join the waitlist
trainwell vs Future, row by row
| Feature | trainwell | Future | RIRLift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $149/month, billed in 3-month increments | $199/month; $149/month on a 12-month plan | Free; Pro $9.99/month or $79.99/year (better here) |
| Trying it | 14 days free from your first trainer call, card required | $50 first month, refunded within 30 days | Free, no trial, no account |
| Contact with your coach | Unlimited messaging and video calls | Kickoff video call, more calls when you book them, and messaging | None |
| Form feedback | Form-check videos and live form feedback in guided workouts (better here) | Record My Form videos sent to your coach | None |
| Nutrition | Healthy-eating guidance and habit tracking; no meal plans | General guidance; no meal plans or macro targets | None |
| Watch | Motion tracking on Apple Watch Series 5+ or Wear OS 3+ | Heart rate to your coach from Apple Watch Series 4+ or Wear OS 3+ | Logs every set and sets the next weight on Apple Watch |
| How the weight moves | Your trainer updates the plan | Your coach adjusts from what you report | Set after every set and session from load, reps and reps left (better here) |
| Where it works | iPhone or Android (better here) | US only, iPhone or Android | iPhone and Apple Watch |
trainwell for the lower price and more form feedback; Future if you want to pay month to month. RIRLift is the free pick for a lifter who needs the plan and the weights, not the check-ins.
What actually differs between trainwell and Future
-
The bill, and how you commit
trainwell is $149 a month but billed every 3 months. Future is $199 month to month, dropping to $179, $169 or $149 a month on 3, 6 or 12-month plans.
-
The trial, or the refund
trainwell gives 14 days free from your first trainer call, with a card on file. Future charges $50 for the first month and refunds it if you cancel within 30 days.
-
How much you hear from your coach
Both include video calls and messaging. trainwell lists both as unlimited; Future starts with a kickoff call, and you book more whenever you want.
-
What the Watch does
trainwell uses Apple Watch or Wear OS for motion tracking during guided workouts. Future uses it to send your heart rate to your coach. Neither needs one.
-
If neither is in budget
RIRLift is free: Coach builds a plan around your days and equipment, shows where your main lift is headed, and sets every weight from your last set.
trainwell or Future, in two real cases
Garage dumbbells, new to lifting, worried about form
Works from home, adjustable dumbbells and a bench, three days a week. Has never lifted and wants someone to look at their hinge.
| App | What it does here | For this lifter |
|---|---|---|
| trainwell | A trainer writes the home plan, reviews form videos and is on unlimited messages and calls, for $149 a month billed quarterly. | The best fit: the lowest price and the most form feedback. |
| Future | A coach writes the plan and reviews Record My Form clips, for $199 a month. | Fits too, for $50 more a month. |
| RIRLift | Plans the three days and sets each dumbbell weight. Nobody looks at the hinge. | Not yet. Come back once form is solid. |
When form is the worry, a person is worth paying for. trainwell is the cheaper person.
A year with Future, thinking about trainwell
Lifts three days a week at home and in hotel gyms when traveling. Happy with the coach, unhappy with $199 a month, and wants more say on form.
| App | What it does here | For this lifter |
|---|---|---|
| Future | Keeps the same coach for $199 a month, or $149 a month prepaid for 12 months. | Fits if the coach is the reason you stay. |
| trainwell | A new 1:1 trainer for $149 a month billed every 3 months, with unlimited messaging, video calls and form checks; 14 days free first. | The better deal, with more form feedback, if a new trainer is fine. |
| RIRLift | Keeps the three days as routines and sets every weight from the last set. Free, with no one checking form. | Only once form is no longer the question. |
Switching saves $50 a month. Dropping to free only makes sense once you no longer need a person.
Plans for training without a paid coach
-
The best workout with dumbbells, for the dumbbells you actually have
Adjustable dumbbells and a bench, 4 days
Adjustable dumbbells and a bench, four days, for the garage lifter once form is solid.
4× a week · 71 sets a week · ~45 min
Add to RIRLiftSee the planAdd to RIRLift
Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.
-
The best workout routine for men, for your week
Full gym, 4 days: chest, shoulders and arms first
Four full-gym days, like the lifter paying a coach for the program.
4× a week · 71 sets a week · ~45 min
Add to RIRLiftSee the planAdd to RIRLift
Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.
Make it fit you
-
Enter the program you were given
Rebuild your coach's routines in RIRLift, or ask Coach for a plan and review it before it applies.
-
Set the weights you already know
RIRLift doesn't import from trainwell or Future. Type in your current weight on each lift; it's marked Yours and progression carries on.
-
Keep a sign-off step
With Ask first, next session's weights wait on the recap until you confirm them, the way a coach's edits would.
-
Give the block a finish line
Set the program as a journey, such as week 3 of 8, and Coach shows where your main lift is headed.
When a different app fits better
- You want live form feedback during workouts. trainwell, which also has unlimited messaging and video calls.
- You want to pay month to month and can leave in 30 days. Future.
- You need form checks, accountability or Android. Either coach. RIRLift has no human coach and is iPhone only.
Questions
Is trainwell or Future better?
trainwell is cheaper, at $149 a month billed quarterly, and includes unlimited messaging and video calls. Future is month to month at $199, with a 30-day refund on the first month.
Does trainwell have a free trial?
Yes, 14 days from your first call with your trainer. A card is required and it renews unless you cancel in the app. Future has no free trial; its first month is $50 and refundable within 30 days.
Which one includes nutrition coaching?
Neither writes meal plans. trainwell's trainers teach healthy eating and the app tracks habits; Future's coaches give general guidance and don't set calorie or macro targets.
Do I need an Apple Watch?
No, for either. trainwell uses Apple Watch Series 5+ or Wear OS 3+ for motion tracking; Future uses Series 4+ or Wear OS 3+ to share heart rate with your coach.
Read next
-
Future app review
Future on its own, in more detail.
-
The best personal trainer apps
Both coaches ranked with the free options.
-
Caliber app review
A third coaching service, with a free app.
-
The AI workout planner that keeps planning after day one
How Coach builds a plan without a person.
More ways lifters use RIRLift
-
The AI workout planner that keeps planning after day one
A plan built for your goal, gym and week, with every weight set from what you actually lifted.
-
The home gym app that loads your own plates
A rack, a bar and your own plates: weights rounded to what you can load, and a plan that skips the machines.
-
The progressive overload app that decides your next weight
Next weight and rep target set from your weakest set, corrected between sets, with stalls caught early.