TLDR (Summary)
The best all-in-one CRM for coaches is Plutio ($19/month).
Plutio replaces the stack of scheduling apps, contract tools, Stripe for payments, and note-taking apps. When a client signs a coaching package, sessions are ready to schedule, payments process automatically, and progress tracking happens in one place under a custom brand.
Research shows that toggling between apps costs around ~9% of time, before counting hours spent copying client info between systems.
Explore the Freelancer Magazine for in-depth guides on project management, pricing, proposals, and more.
What is all-in-one software for coaches?
All-in-one software for coaches combines scheduling, proposals, contracts, session tracking, client portals, and invoicing in one connected platform, replacing separate standalone tools, a document tool, notes apps, and Stripe. Coaches manage the complete client journey from discovery call through ongoing engagement without switching between apps.
A typical coaching week involves opening a booking app to check bookings, then notes apps for session notes, then a spreadsheet to count remaining sessions, then Stripe for overdue payments. Four apps to check before the first session starts.
Here is how most coaches operate:
- a booking app or a scheduling app handles scheduling but knows nothing about packages. When a client books session 5 of a 6-session package, nothing updates automatically.
- a document tool or HelloSign stores contracts that nobody looks at again until a dispute arises.
- Stripe or PayPal processes payments with no connection to sessions delivered.
- notes apps or Google Docs holds session notes that grow increasingly hard to find.
- A spreadsheet that is supposed to track everything but is always out of date because updates require manual effort.
Scheduling software costs $16/month. Contract software costs $35/month. a notes app costs $10/month. Total: $60-80/month on subscriptions.
What is the hidden cost of app switching for coaches?
When a client books session 5 of a 6-session package, nothing happens in your scheduler. You have to remember to check your spreadsheet, update the count, and start the renewal conversation at the right time. Miss that moment? You lose the momentum of a client who was ready to continue.
A Harvard Business Review study found that knowledge workers toggle between apps 1,200 times per day, losing 9% of productive time to context switching. For coaches with 20 active clients, that translates to 5-10 hours per week spent on admin instead of coaching.
When scheduling, packages, payments, and progress live in one place, you stop managing tools and actually coach.
Why coaches need an all-in-one platform
Coaches who grow beyond a handful of clients face a compounding problem: administrative overhead scales with every new engagement.
What works for 5 clients breaks down at 15. Each new client means another set of proposals, contracts, project timelines, invoices, and follow-ups, all managed across disconnected tools.
The context-switching cost
Every time you switch between apps, you lose focus. Research shows knowledge workers lose significant productive time to app-switching throughout the day. For coaches, this translates to billable hours spent on coordination instead of client work.
The tool fragmentation problem
When scheduling lives in one app, projects in another, invoicing in a third, and contracts in a fourth, nothing connects. Tracked time doesn't automatically appear on invoices. Signed contracts don't trigger project setup. You become the bridge between all your tools.
The scaling tipping point
Most coaches hit a threshold where the manual approach becomes the primary bottleneck to growth. Connected software lets you push past this ceiling by automating repetitive coordination tasks.
An all-in-one platform absorbs administrative work that would otherwise scale linearly with your client count.
Key features coaches need
The essential features for coaches connect client management with project delivery, billing, and communication in one platform.
What does coaching-specific scheduling look like in Plutio?
A discovery call is not the same as a regular session. Discovery calls are 30 minutes, available Monday through Thursday, and require a pre-call questionnaire. Regular sessions are 60 minutes, available any weekday, and need the client to complete their homework first. Intensive days are 3 hours, available once per week, and require a deposit.
In Plutio, you create session types that match how you actually work:
- Discovery calls: Their own availability windows, duration, and intake form that captures what brought the prospect to coaching.
- Regular sessions: Synced with Google Calendar so your availability updates automatically when life happens.
- Intensive days: Deposit requirements built into the booking flow.
- Check-in calls: For clients between packages who need occasional support.
When someone books a discovery call, Plutio creates a lead automatically. Their intake form answers are already attached. When a client books session 4 of their 6-session package, the count updates automatically. You see "2 sessions remaining" without opening a spreadsheet.
Plutio sends automatic reminders at intervals you choose (24 hours, 2 hours, whatever works). Clients can reschedule directly from the reminder without back-and-forth emails.
See how scheduling connects to packages
What happens when coaching proposals connect to everything?
You have just finished a great discovery call. The prospect is excited. In a disconnected system, this is where momentum dies. You open a document tool for a proposal, HelloSign for a contract, Stripe for a payment link, then manually create their client record. By the time everything is set up, 24 hours have passed.
In Plutio, you send one document that contains everything:
- Package options: Presented side by side. The 6-session starter for clients testing the waters. The 12-session transformation for committed clients. The VIP intensive for accelerated results.
- Contract terms: Embedded directly. Cancellation policy, confidentiality agreement, session rescheduling rules. The client reads and signs in the same flow.
- Payment structure: Built in. Full payment upfront with a discount, or split into 3 monthly installments. The client chooses and pays immediately.
- Included resources: Listed clearly. The workbook they will receive. The assessments they will complete. The Voxer access for between-session support.
When the client accepts, Plutio creates their client record with the signed contract attached, sets their package allocation based on what they purchased, opens their first session for scheduling, and activates their payment plan.
See how proposals automate client setup
What does it look like when coaching contracts stay connected?
Three months into working together, your client wants to pause their package due to a family emergency. What does your contract say about pausing? In a disconnected system, you scramble through HelloSign, email, and Google Drive trying to find the document.
When contracts are embedded in your coaching workflow, they become living documents you can actually reference:
- Attached to the client record: When a client asks about her cancellation policy, you pull up their profile and the answer is right there. No searching through email or cloud storage.
- Different templates for different offerings: Your 1:1 coaching agreement is not the same as your group program terms. Each package type has its own contract.
- E-signatures that are legally binding: Your client signs directly in the proposal. The signature is timestamped, IP-logged, and court-admissible.
- Automatic attachment to renewals: When a client renews their package, the new contract references the original terms unless you specify changes.
When you can actually find the contract, you can give a real answer on the spot. When a client asks "can I roll my unused sessions into next month?" you open their record, check the contract, and respond immediately.
See how contracts connect to client records
What does continuous context look like for coaches?
A client session. They mention something about the boundary-setting work from "a few sessions ago." In a disconnected system, you open notes apps and start scrolling through pages, breaking eye contact while they wait.
In Plutio, every interaction with a client builds on what came before:
- Session notes attached to dates: Not in a separate app. Directly on the client's timeline. Session 7 is where you discussed boundaries with their business partner. Session 9 is where they reported the first successful conversation.
- Action items that persist: The homework from session 7 ("Have one boundary conversation this week") is visible until they mark it complete. You can see what carried forward and what was accomplished.
- Original goals always visible: The client came to you wanting to reclaim 10 hours per week from his business. Every session, you can reference that north star without searching for the intake form.
- Progress over time: The timeline shows patterns. The client tends to struggle after travel weeks. Their breakthroughs cluster around accountability conversations. Seeing these patterns helps you coach better.
Before a session, you spend 2 minutes reviewing the client's timeline. You see the boundary work was session 7, the successful conversation was session 9, and there was a setback in session 11. You start the session with: "Last time you mentioned things slipped after your trip to Denver. What has shifted since then?"
The deciding factor for coaches is integration depth. Features that connect with each other eliminate duplicate effort across your workflow.
How much can coaches save by switching to Plutio?
Let us do the actual math most coaches avoid.
What do coaches typically spend on software subscriptions?
A typical coaching tool stack:
- Scheduling software: $12-15/month for the features coaches need (multiple event types, integrations)
- HelloSign or similar: $25-35/month for e-signatures and proposal tracking
- note-taking apps: $10-15/month for client notes and session tracking
- CRM or Airtable: $20-45/month to track client relationships
- Stripe fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (unavoidable with any processor)
Total: $67-110/month before you have processed a single payment.
What is the time cost nobody calculates?
The bigger number is the one you cannot see on invoices:
- New client setup: 20-30 minutes copying information between systems per client
- Session prep: 5-10 minutes hunting for notes and context before each session
- Payment chasing: 2-4 hours per month following up on failed payments and sending reminders
- Renewal tracking: 1-2 hours per month checking spreadsheets and sending manual outreach
Conservative estimate: 5-10 hours per week on administration. At a coaching rate of $150/hour, that is $750-1,500/week in opportunity cost.
What does Plutio cost compared to a coaching tool stack?
Plutio Core: $19/month (up to 9 active clients). Plutio Pro: $49/month (unlimited clients, 30 contributors). Includes scheduling, proposals, contracts, client management, client portal, invoicing, and payment processing. Everything connected in one platform.
The subscription savings add up, but the real value is connecting session tracking, renewals, and billing into one workflow. Coaches using Plutio replace scattered admin with a system that handles the coordination automatically.
Why coaches choose Plutio over fragmented tool stacks
When packages, session scheduling, progress tracking, and invoicing connect in one platform, the manual coordination that takes time away from actual coaching drops away. Here is what changes when your coaching tools work together.
Coaching businesses run on session continuity, not scattered apps. Most coaches piece together a scheduling app, a contract tool, a note-taking system, and payment software, none of which know about session counts or package limits.
The Plutio difference
- Package → Sessions: When a client signs a coaching package, their session count is ready. Book session 4 of 6, and the count updates automatically. No spreadsheet to maintain.
- Sessions → Progress: Session notes, action items, and original goals live on the client's timeline. Walk into every session with full context in seconds.
- Depletion → Renewal: When a client books their second-to-last session, you get notified. Start the renewal conversation at the right moment instead of weeks later.
- Clients → Branded Portal: Clients access resources, complete homework, and check upcoming sessions at your custom domain. Fewer "can you resend that?" emails.
The result: coaches using Plutio capture renewals at the right moment because session counts and depletion alerts are built into the workflow.
For detailed tool comparisons, see our comparison hub or alternatives pages.
How to set up Plutio for your coache business
Setting up Plutio takes 2-4 hours for initial configuration, with immediate benefits for all clients from day one.
Step 1: Configure your brand (30 mins)
Upload your logo, set brand colors, and connect your custom domain if on the Max plan. Link your Stripe or PayPal account for payments. Set your business details for invoices.
Step 2: Build your templates (1-2 hours)
Create project and proposal templates for your most common services. Start with 2-3 core templates:
- Standard engagement: Your most common project type with milestones, tasks, and deliverables pre-configured.
- Quick project: A streamlined template for smaller, faster engagements.
- Retainer/recurring: Template for ongoing monthly clients with recurring tasks and billing.
Step 3: Connect integrations (20-30 mins)
Sync your Google Calendar or Outlook. Connect Stripe or PayPal for payments. Link QuickBooks or Xero if you use them. Test each connection before going live.
Step 4: Import existing clients (30 mins)
Export your client list from your current tool as CSV and import into Plutio. Map fields, verify data, then invite clients to their new portals.
Step 5: Test with one real project
Send your next proposal through Plutio. Let it create the project automatically, track time, and invoice the client. One real project will show you exactly where to refine your templates.
Common setup mistakes to avoid
- Over-customizing too early: Start minimal and refine based on actual use.
- Migrating everything at once: Focus on new clients first, migrate active ones second.
- Skipping the test project: One real engagement reveals more than hours of configuration.
Build templates for the 80% cases. Customize edge cases individually as they come up.
Organizing your coache workflows
Structured organization is the difference between a business that scales smoothly and one that drowns in admin as it grows.
Organize by service type
- Core service: Your primary offering with detailed project templates and milestone tracking.
- Secondary services: Additional offerings with their own templates and pricing structures.
- Retainer work: Recurring engagements with automated billing and repeating task lists.
- One-off projects: Quick-turn engagements with streamlined templates.
Organize by client stage
- Prospect: Initial inquiry received, proposal being prepared.
- Active: Contract signed, project in progress.
- Delivered: Work complete, final invoice sent.
- Recurring: Ongoing relationship with scheduled touchpoints.
Template best practices
- Start with 3 templates maximum, expand as patterns emerge.
- Include task estimates so you can track actual vs. budgeted time.
- Build in review milestones where clients approve before you proceed.
- Add automation triggers: proposal signed → project created → client notified.
Consistent structures mean consistent delivery. Templates ensure every client gets the same quality regardless of how busy you are.
What does a client portal look like for coaching businesses?
In Plutio, your clients log into their own portal at yourcoachingpractice.com (your custom domain, not a third-party URL) where they can see upcoming sessions, access resources, complete action items, and message you.
What can coaching clients see in their portal?
"Hey, can you resend that values worksheet?" Your client sent this email at 9pm because she could not find the attachment from three weeks ago. You see the message at 7am, dig through your sent folder, and forward it.
When your clients access their portal, they see:
- Upcoming sessions: With the ability to reschedule if needed, without emailing you.
- All their resources: Organized by when you shared them. The values worksheet from week 3. The journaling prompts from week 5. The celebration planning guide from the final session.
- Their action items: With checkboxes. They complete the task, check it off, and you see the completion before your next session.
- Session notes you choose to share: Some coaches share full notes. Others share key takeaways. You control what clients can access.
- A message thread: For between-session questions that does not get buried in email.
Coaches with client portals get fewer email interruptions.
The portal is fully branded with your coaching practice. Your logo, your colors, your domain. Clients experience your brand at every touchpoint, not someone else's software.
How to migrate to Plutio
Migration typically takes 3-5 hours of active work spread over a weekend. The best time to switch is between projects rather than mid-delivery.
Step 1: Export from your current tools
Most tools provide CSV export. Export your client list, active project details, and any template content you want to recreate in Plutio.
Step 2: Build templates in Plutio (2-3 hours)
Don't try to replicate your old system exactly. Use this as an opportunity to build cleaner workflows. Focus on your 3 most common project types.
Step 3: Set up integrations (30 mins)
Connect payment processing (Stripe/PayPal), calendar sync (Google/Outlook), and accounting (QuickBooks/Xero). Test each one before going live.
Step 4: Import client data (30 mins)
Upload your client CSV. Map fields to Plutio's structure. Run a small test batch first to verify everything looks right.
Step 5: Run parallel for new work
Use Plutio for all new clients and projects immediately. Keep your old system running for in-progress work only. Don't try to migrate active projects mid-stream.
Step 6: Phase out the old tool
Once all in-progress work completes in the old system, cancel that subscription. Keep your exports as archives.
Common migration pitfalls
- Trying to migrate everything: Focus on active clients and forward-looking workflows.
- Switching mid-project: Finish in-progress work on the old system.
- Not testing integrations: Verify payment processing works before relying on it.
Migration pays back in time saved on every future client interaction.
