Fitiva
Online, in person or hybrid: which coaching suits you?
Most people looking for a coach decide on the price first and only then on the model. It makes more sense the other way round. Training in person, online coaching and the hybrid mix are three different products. Here you can read what you get with each one and which one suits you.
Contents10 sections
In person: the hour with your coach
Classic personal training. You meet your coach at the gym, in the park or at your home, usually one to three times a week.
Strengths. Your coach sees you. Technique mistakes in a squat, a deadlift or your running form are spotted at once and corrected as you move. The fixed appointment creates commitment, and for beginners the hour with a coach is often where they feel safest.
Limits. It is the most expensive model, and the coaching ends when the hour is up. Your coach only knows what you eat, how you sleep and how you train on the other days of the week if you talk about it. Add the journey there and being tied to one place.
Online: plan, check in and chat
Your coach writes your training and nutrition plan, you train on your own, log what you did and get a review at regular intervals. You sort out questions in the chat or by video.
Strengths. Much cheaper, not tied to one place, and with coaching across the whole week instead of only during the hour. If you already train with clean technique and mainly need structure and someone who follows up, you are often better off here.
Limits. Your coach only sees you on video, if at all. That is not how you learn technique from scratch. And without a fixed appointment you need self-discipline, which many people overestimate. An online plan that never gets done is the most expensive plan of all.
Hybrid: the model most people actually mean
One session in person every week or every two weeks, plus the plan in the app, your training diary, a regular check in and the chat for the days in between. The hour in person is for technique, progress and motivation, the coaching in between is for putting it into practice.
For most people with a concrete goal, this is the best mix of results and price. Your coach sees your mistakes, the plan still runs seven days a week, and the cost sits between the other two models.
The three models compared
| Model | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| In person | Technique corrected as you move, and fixed appointments. The coaching ends when the hour is up. | highest |
| Online | Plan, review and chat across the whole week. For that you need discipline and clean technique. | lowest |
| Hybrid | Technique in the hour in person, plan and chat for the days in between. | in between |
Which model for whom
Decide by your goal and your everyday life, not by the hourly rate.
In person or hybrid
Beginners and people getting back into it
Someone standing next to you should show you the basic techniques. After that, one hour every one to two weeks is often enough.
Online or hybrid
Experienced, with clean technique
Above all you need a good plan, an honest review and someone who corrects you when you go off track.
In person
After an injury or with pain
Ideally with a coach who comes from physiotherapy. What your doctor says always comes first.
Online or hybrid
Short on time, often on the road
The plan travels with you, and you put sessions in person wherever they fit into your week.
Hybrid
Preparing for a competition
With close coaching in the final weeks, when every session counts.
What the models cost
In person you usually pay per hour or for a package. According to the Bundesverband Personal Training (German Federal Association for Personal Training), hourly rates in Germany range from €35 to €180 (as of 09/2026). Online coaching usually costs a fixed amount a month and is much cheaper overall. Hybrid packages sit in between and include the coaching between sessions.
So always work out the price per month, including everything that happens between sessions. How to do that is explained in the article What does personal training cost?
Questions for your coach
With every model, the most important question is what happens between sessions. If the answer is just a PDF, it is not coaching, it is a plan.
Three questions for the first conversation. What does the first session look like? Who adjusts the plan, and how often? What happens between sessions?
The full list is in Finding a personal trainer: 7 questions before your first session.
How Fitiva covers all three models
On the map in Fitiva you find coaches near you, see their open slots and book yourself, as a session in person or by video if your coach offers it. You pay online or in person, at the price you see on the profile beforehand. Some coaches also offer their coaching as a subscription, charged to your card at regular intervals, which you can cancel.
Between sessions, your plan is in the app. You train set by set, log your food, and your coach sees what you did, without screenshots. Check ins and chat run in the same app. For questions in between there is Ava, the AI in Fitiva. She knows your plan and answers right away, even while your coach is training. More on this in Ava between sessions.
Whether in person, online or hybrid, you decide with your coach. Fitiva itself is free for you, Ava included. At launch, coaches and events are available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
In short
- In person gives you the best technique correction at the highest price, and the coaching ends when the hour is up.
- Online is affordable and flexible, but takes self-discipline and clean technique.
- Hybrid combines the hour in person for technique and motivation with the app for putting it into practice. For most goals it is the best mix.
- Decide by goal and everyday life, not by the hourly rate.
Frequently asked questions about coaching models
Is online coaching as good as training in person?
For experienced people with clean technique, often yes, because the coaching runs across the whole week. If you are still learning the basic techniques, you are better off in person, because the coach corrects mistakes as you move.
What is hybrid coaching?
A mix of both. You meet your coach in person once a week or every two weeks, and for the days in between you have a plan, training diary, check ins and chat in the app.
What does online coaching cost by comparison?
Usually a fixed amount a month, and much less overall than regular training in person. For personal training in person, the Bundesverband Personal Training gives a range of €35 to €180 an hour (as of 09/2026). Hybrid packages sit in between.
Can I book a session by video on Fitiva?
Yes, if your coach offers video for that slot. When you book, you choose in person or by video.
Can I cancel a booked session?
Yes, right in the app, until the session starts. Whether you get money back is up to your coach.
