Perspire vs. Exercise.com
The Best Exercise.com Alternative for Independent Fitness Coaches
A side-by-side look at Perspire and Exercise.com for independent trainers who want an audience, not an enterprise software bill.
Why switch
Why fitness coaches switch to Perspire
Here is why independent trainers, coaches and fitness creators choose Perspire.tv to grow an audience and earn from their content:
The comparison
Perspire vs. Exercise.com
What is Exercise.com?
Exercise.com is all-in-one fitness business management software, aimed at gyms, studios with training teams and coaching businesses handling high client volume. Its headline product is a custom-branded web and mobile app: your logo, your colors, your own listing, with workout delivery, assessments, booking, billing, CRM, POS and reporting built in. Pricing is quote-based, commonly listed from around $239 a month, with no free version and no self-serve trial. It is a serious platform for a business that has already reached a certain size.
What is Perspire?
An online fitness platform that combines live streaming and on-demand video in one place. Think of it as a creator marketplace built for fitness. You set up your own channel, go live or upload workouts, and price your content in Coins. New users discover you through Explore, category pages and search, and every Coin they spend supports you. Perspire is free to join and takes a flat 20%, so you keep 80% of what you earn.
| At a glance | Perspire | Exercise.com |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Independent fitness creators | Gyms, studios and high-volume PT businesses |
| Revenue model | Free to join, keep 80% of sales | Quote-based monthly subscription |
| Cost before your first sale | $0 | Full subscription from day one |
| How you start | Sign up and publish the same day | Sales call, quote, onboarding |
| Built-in audience | Yes, a public marketplace | No, your branded app is invisible until you fill it |
| Content sales | Sell to any user on the platform | Sell to people you already have |
Discovery
Get discovered: an audience beats a branded app
A custom-branded app sounds like the finish line. In practice it is an empty room with your name on the door. Nobody browses the App Store looking for an independent trainer they have never heard of, so every single download still has to come from your own marketing. You are paying for the shop fittings and supplying all the footfall yourself. Perspire flips that. It is a public, browsable marketplace where new users find you. Here is where you show up:
- Explore feed: your live sessions and videos appear where users browse for workouts.
- Categories: you show up under the categories you teach, like yoga workouts, HIIT sessions and strength training, so users browsing that style find you.
- Popular Instructors and trending: active trainers get featured to fresh audiences.
- In-app search: users searching inside Perspire can find your channel and your classes.
There's a home for your niche too. Creators teach everything from dance classes and barre workouts to pilates classes, core training, cardio workouts and boxing workouts, each landing in front of users who are already browsing that style.
Pricing
you do not pay until you earn
- No cost to start: free to join, no monthly fee, no credit card required.
- You keep 80%: Perspire takes a flat 20% of the Coins spent on your content, and that same split applies to every type of sale.
- Coins, in plain numbers: Coins start at $10 for 100, so about 10 cents each. A 50-Coin class is about $5 of user spend, and roughly $4 of that is yours.
- Paid out through Stripe: your earnings convert to USD and transfer to your connected bank account.
- No setup project: no quote, no demo, no implementation period before you can publish.
| Feature | Perspire | Exercise.com |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to join | Free to join, no card | Quote-based, commonly listed from around $239/month |
| Free version or trial | Free to use | No free version, no self-serve trial listed |
| Risk before revenue | None | The subscription runs whether you sell or not |
| Time to publish | Same day | After a sales process and setup |
| Built-in audience | Yes, a public marketplace with Explore and search | No, you bring everyone |
| Sell live recordings | Yes, auto-saved and rentable | Not a built-in revenue stream |
| Public video sales | Yes, set your own price per video | Digital products sold to your own contacts |
| Branded storefront page | Yes, a free public channel | Yes, a fully custom app, at a premium price |
Live streaming
Go live, then sell the replay
Live streaming is Perspire's most developed feature. You run the whole thing from your trainer Dashboard, and one class can earn money more than once:
- Schedule from your Dashboard: set the date, time and length, pick a fitness level, and tag the equipment your class needs.
- Go live early: start the stream up to 15 minutes before the scheduled time, and choose your mic and camera at launch.
- Real-time chat: once you are live, you see your attendees and chat with them during the session.
- Two prices, one class: set a Live Training Price for booking a seat, and a Recording Price for renting the replay.
- The replay keeps selling: Perspire saves every recording automatically, and renters get 72 hours of access.
Revenue streams
Four ways to earn from one channel
Perspire lets you stack several income streams from the same work, and you set every price yourself:
- Live seat bookings: real-time paid classes.
- Recording rentals: the 72-hour replay of each live session.
- On-demand videos: standalone workouts you upload and price one by one.
- Channel subscriptions: recurring access to all your content, for steady income.
You can also sell Fitness Programs: structured multi-day plans and challenges bundled into one package. Together, this gives you a full creator funnel. Free content attracts followers, paid one-offs convert them, and subscriptions keep them coming back. The distinction that matters: Exercise.com gives you excellent machinery for selling to people who already know you. Perspire gives you the machinery and the people.
On-demand video
Build a video library that sells while you sleep
- Upload and price: mark each pre-recorded workout free or paid in Coins.
- Organize into Collections: group videos into series or playlists, perfect for a themed set or a multi-part plan.
- Control every detail: set the title, description, thumbnail, fitness level and equipment tags on each video
- Discoverable by default: your videos sit in a public catalog users are already browsing.
- Earn passively: your library keeps selling in the background while you focus on new content.
Your brand
Your channel is your storefront
On Perspire, your account is a public channel that doubles as your marketing page. It gives an independent trainer a credible, branded home without a build project:
- Your public profile: set a username, write an About Me bio, add a profile picture and social links.
- Build trust: add your certifications or licenses so users can see your background.
- Get matched to the right users: set your specialties, so a prenatal-yoga coach and a powerlifting coach reach different audiences.
- One home for everything: your videos, live sessions and subscription offers all live on one page.
- Share in one click: copy a direct link to any session and post it on social media or send it to your contacts.
Getting started
How exactly does Perspire work for trainers?
Getting started on Perspire takes minutes, and there is nothing to pay up front. Here is the whole flow:
- Sign up free: create your trainer channel in minutes, no monthly fee, no credit card.
- Set up your channel: add your bio, profile picture, certifications and specialties so the right users find you.
- Connect Stripe: link your account once so your earnings can pay out to your bank.
- Create your content: go live or upload pre-recorded workouts, and group your videos into Collections.
- Set your prices in Coins: price live seats, recordings, videos, subscriptions and programs however you like.
- Get discovered and earn: new users find you through Explore and search, and you keep 80% of every Coin spent on your content.
Start building your Perspire channel for free
No monthly fee. No credit card. Keep 80% of everything you earn.
Get Started for FreeFAQ
What you might be wondering
Is Perspire free for trainers?
Do I need a demo or a quote to get started?
Do I get my own branded app on Perspire?
Does Perspire have live streaming?
Can I sell recordings of my live classes?
How do trainers get paid on Perspire?
How is Perspire different from Exercise.com?
Full feature set
Everything Perspire gives fitness creators
Built-in marketplace
Show up in Explore, category pages and Popular Instructors so new users find you.
Live streaming
Go live with real-time chat. Start up to 15 minutes early and pick your mic and camera.
Dual-price live and replay
Charge for live seats, then sell the saved recording at its own price.
On-demand video
Upload workouts, set them free or paid, and group them into Collections.
Channel subscriptions
Offer unlimited access to your content for steady, recurring income.
Programs
Bundle multi-day plans and challenges into one package you can sell.
80/20 revenue split
Keep 80% of every Coin spent on your content. No monthly fee to join.
Stripe payouts
Earnings convert to USD and pay out to your bank through Stripe.
Multi-device access
You and your audience can use Perspire on phone, tablet and computer.
Branded channel
A public profile with your bio, certifications, specialties and social links.