Starting a coaching software practice can be overwhelming: you have to find time to schedule each session, track your clients’ progress, invoice them, hold video calls, and keep everything organized somewhere you can actually find again. Paid coaching platforms promise to solve all of that, but can run you up to $30 to $200 a month.
Fortunately, a good set of free tools can solve most of your needs as a new or part-time coach. Below you’ll find an overview of the categories of software you’ll need, the best free options in each, and how to combine them into a functioning stack.
What “Coaching Software” Actually Means
When you search for “coaching software,” you might be surprised to find that most options don’t actually serve one specific purpose. Instead, they’re collections of tools to help you run your practice, including:
- Scheduling and booking software
- Video conferencing
- Client management (CRM)
- Payments and invoicing
- Communication with clients
- Sharing worksheets and other resources between sessions
Some companies offer all of the above in one place, usually for a monthly subscription, but you can get most of these capabilities for free if you use a combination of different tools. Below are the best free options in each category, along with some recommendations for how to put them together.
The Best Free Scheduling Software for Coaches
Calendly (Free plan)
Features: 1 event type. The free plan allows you to schedule meetings with automated time zone detection and calendar syncing. Great for a single type of session, such as 45-minute coaching calls.
Cal.com
Features: Unlimited event types. An open-source alternative to Calendly with a generous free tier that allows unlimited event types.
Google Calendar Appointment Schedules
Features: Scheduling in Google Calendar. If you’re already using Google Workspace, you can use the built-in appointment scheduling feature to let prospects book calls with you directly from your calendar.
The Best Free Video Conferencing for Coaching Sessions
Zoom (Free plan)
Features: Unlimited 1:1 meetings, 40-minute limit on group meetings. Free plan includes unlimited one-on-one calls and group meetings that can last up to 40 minutes, good for most individual coaching needs.
Google Meet
Features: 1:1 meetings have no time limit. Google Meet has no time limits on one-on-one calls and is deeply integrated with Google Workspace scheduling tools.
Whereby
Whereby’s free plan includes no-download meetings with a persistent link for each session.
The Best Free CRM Tools for Coaches
HubSpot CRM (Free)
Features: Contact tracking + notes. One of the most feature-rich free CRM options, great for tracking contacts, notes, and follow-up actions.
Notion
Features: Lightweight database for tracking clients. Some independent coaches use a simple database in Notion to track their clients and their notes between sessions.
Airtable
Features: Similar to Notion but with a spreadsheet focus. Like Notion, Airtable can be used to build a custom CRM with a little bit of setup.
The Best Free Payment and Invoicing Tools
PayPal and Wise
Features: Professional-looking invoices with no monthly fees. PayPal and Wise both allow you to send invoices for payment with no monthly fees, only a small percentage cut from each payment you receive.
Wave Invoicing
Features: Unlimited free invoices. Wave Invoicing is another free option that specializes in invoicing for small businesses.
The Best Free Tools for Communicating With Clients
WhatsApp Business
Features: Dedicated business line with no SMS fees. WhatsApp Business lets you communicate with clients without using your personal phone number, and has built-in response templates.
Email (with a separate coaching address)
Features: Simplicity of email. A Gmail address with a clear subject line can be enough to organize communication with clients, especially if you’re just starting out.
The Best Free Tools for Sharing Worksheets and Other Resources
Google Drive and Docs
Features: Storage and document creation with no account needed. Google Workspace tools are free to use and easy to share with clients who don’t want to create another account.
Canva (Free plan)
Features: Templates for polished worksheets. Canva’s free plan includes templates that can help you design professional-looking worksheets, planners, and other resources.
Putting Free Tools Together Into a Full Stack
Below is an example of how you might combine the tools above into a full-time free stack for a solo coach:
- A prospect books a call with you using Calendly or the Google Calendar appointment scheduler
- They receive a calendar invite with a Google Meet or Zoom link
- You take notes on the session in Notion or Airtable
- Send a follow-up message using WhatsApp Business or email
- Share any worksheets or resources using Google Drive
- Send an invoice using Wave or PayPal when the session package is complete
All of the tools above are free to use, and should be sufficient for a solo coach with a handful of active clients. You may want to upgrade to a paid plan once your practice grows to the point where the free tools begin to hinder your growth.
When Do Free Tools Stop Being Enough?
The capabilities of free tools are often more limited than their paid counterparts, and most coaches eventually outgrow them. The most common pain points include the lack of customization options in free scheduling software, the 40-minute limit on free Zoom group meetings, and the need for a more robust CRM as your client base grows. Most coaches reach this point somewhere between a handful of active clients and a couple dozen.
The Reality of Free vs. Paid “All-in-One” Coaching Platforms
Most “all-in-one” coaching platforms offer a single place to schedule meetings, send invoices, track clients, and hold video conferences. They tend to be much easier to use than a combination of separate tools, but you’ll have to pay a monthly fee to use them.
For many coaches, it’s worth it: once your practice grows to the point where separate free tools begin to slow you down, a paid all-in-one solution can be a good investment. However, it’s common for coaches to start with a free stack and only move to a paid platform once they’ve validated their business model and have a good idea of what they need.
Free Tools by Coaching Niche
The tools recommended below are good general-purpose options, but may vary depending on the type of coaching you do.
Life and Wellness Coaches
Life coaches tend to focus on helping clients track their progress between sessions. This can be done using a simple database in Notion or Airtable, or you can use Google Forms to create a questionnaire for your clients to fill out before each session.
Business and Executive Coaches
Business coaches often work with clients on more formal documents, such as setting goals or planning out a quarterly review. Google Docs’ commenting and suggestion features are useful for collaborating on documents between sessions.
Fitness and Health Coaches
Fitness coaches often need to track their clients’ progress, and may want to use a Google Sheets template to do so. WhatsApp Business can also be useful for communicating with clients and sending them progress photos.
Career Coaches
Career coaches often work with clients on resumes and cover letters, and Google Drive’s commenting features can be useful for collaborating on these documents. Most other tools can be used similarly to other types of coaching.
Staying Private and Secure With Free Tools
Coaches often work with sensitive information, and it’s important to take reasonable steps to keep it secure. The most important thing is to make sure that any folder or database that contains client information is private and not shared publicly.
You should also enable two-factor authentication on any tools that store or share client information. Each tool’s privacy policy will also state whether they can use your clients’ data for their own purposes, such as advertising.
Some coaches work in particularly sensitive areas and may want to invest in a single upgraded account for one tool, such as the CRM, to get better privacy protections. In most cases, however, a free stack should be sufficient as long as you take reasonable precautions.
Migrating From a Free Stack to a Paid Platform
If and when you decide to move to a paid platform, it’s much easier if you’ve been using free tools that allow you to export your data. Keeping your notes in a Notion or Airtable database, for example, means you can easily export them later when migrating to a new platform. Using a separate email address for your coaching practice also makes it easier to consolidate everything later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a truly free all-in-one coaching platform?
Most all-in-one coaching platforms offer a free trial, but very few have a permanently free plan. A combination of separate free tools will almost always give you more functionality for less cost than an all-in-one platform.
Can I hold group coaching calls for free?
Yes, but you’ll have to schedule them in advance and use either Google Meet or Zoom’s group meetings function.
What’s the easiest free tool for a brand-new coach to set up?
Calendly + Google Meet + Google Sheets or Notion is a good free stack for a new coach to set up in just a few hours.
Do free tools look unprofessional to clients?
Not really: most clients won’t care if you use a free tool, as long as it gets the job done.
When should I upgrade from free tools?
You should upgrade from free tools when spending more time working around their limitations would cost you more than upgrading would.
Can I accept credit card payments for free?
Yes: most invoicing tools, including PayPal, Wise, and Wave, let you accept credit card payments for free.
What’s the biggest mistake new coaches make when setting up tools?
The biggest mistake is signing up for too many tools at once. It’s much easier to start with one tool in each category and move to more advanced options as needed.
A Quick-Start Checklist
- Set up a separate email address for your coaching practice
- Set up a free scheduling tool and share the link
- Set up a video conferencing tool and save the link
- Set up a simple CRM or notes system in Notion, Airtable, or Google Sheets
- Set up a free invoicing tool
- Set up a shared Google Drive folder structure, with one subfolder per client
Pros and Cons of a Free Tool Stack
Pros
- No cost to get started, which is especially important for new coaches
- More flexibility than an all-in-one platform, at least until you’ve settled on one
- You know what you need before you pay for it, reducing the risk of wasting money on an inferior platform
- Some free tools are used by legitimate businesses, so clients won’t be put off by the lack of branding
Cons
- More setup and maintenance than an all-in-one platform
- More difficult to organize and keep track of everything as your practice grows
- Free plans can change or be discontinued at any time
- Clients have to use multiple tools to communicate with you
For most new coaches, the pros significantly outweigh the cons, at least until their practice becomes large enough that the extra maintenance isn’t worth it.
A Comparison of the Best Free Tools
- Calendly (Free) — Best for scheduling one type of session
- com — Best for scheduling multiple types of sessions
- Zoom (Free) — Best for most individual coaching needs
- Google Meet — Best for coaches who use Google Workspace
- HubSpot CRM (Free) — Best for tracking contacts and notes
- Notion — Best for coaches who want to build their own system
- Wave — Best for coaches who invoice per session
Final Thoughts
You don’t need an expensive all-in-one platform to run a legitimate coaching practice. The tools described above can help you schedule meetings, hold video calls, track your clients’ progress, invoice them, communicate with them, and share resources, all for free. Start with the tools that best fit your needs, and upgrade when and if necessary.
