How We Test & Review LMS Platforms

We evaluate every platform by setting up a realistic fitness coaching scenario: creating a sample program, configuring payments, delivering content, and testing the client experience on mobile. This hands-on evaluation gives us insight that feature lists and marketing pages cannot.

How We Evaluate Each Platform

For every platform we review, we complete this process:

Create a free-trial or free-plan account
Build a sample 4-week fitness program with video lessons
Configure payment processing and membership options
Test the student-facing experience on desktop and mobile
Evaluate community, engagement, and analytics features

Our 6 Scoring Criteria

Each platform is scored out of 10 using a weighted framework designed specifically for fitness coaching use cases:

Criterion	Weight	What We Look At
Ease of Course Creation	20%	Time to publish a first course, drag-and-drop builder, template quality
Membership & Community	20%	Recurring billing, community forums, engagement tools, drip content
Payment Flexibility	15%	Stripe/PayPal support, coupons, bundles, upsells, transaction fees
Student Experience	15%	Mobile access, video quality, progress tracking, design polish
Scalability	15%	Growth from 10 to 1,000+ clients, multiple product types, API access
Pricing Value	15%	Free plan viability, feature-to-price ratio, hidden fees

The final score is the weighted average across all 6 criteria, rounded to the nearest 0.5.

How We Pick a "Top Pick"

Our Top Pick is the platform that scores highest across all 5 criteria for the typical fitness coach starting out. It's not always the cheapest or the most feature-rich. It's the one that gives the best results for the least friction.

We re-evaluate our Top Pick whenever a platform makes a major update, changes pricing, or a new competitor enters the market.

How We Keep Reviews Current

Pricing and features change. We handle this by:

Verifying pricing on the official website before each update
Displaying a "Last updated" date on every article
Re-testing platforms every 6 months at minimum
Noting the verification date in each verdict box

If you spot something outdated, let us know and we'll fix it within 48 hours.

Affiliate Transparency

We earn commissions when you sign up through our links. This does not influence our ratings or recommendations. Our scoring criteria are the same whether a platform pays us 0% or 30%.

Full details in our Affiliate Disclosure.

Trademarks

All product names, logos, and brands mentioned on this site are property of their respective owners. Use of these names does not imply endorsement.