Planet Fitness says free small-group training comes with membership at participating clubs, and it does not publish a price for private sessions. Here is what that means for you.
This page is for anyone asking about Planet Fitness personal training: what it costs, whether there's a contract, and how to get out of one. HipTrain wrote it. We sell live 1-on-1 personal training over video, from about $14 a session, so we're an alternative to a gym trainer and we have a stake in your choice. Every fact about Planet Fitness below comes from Planet Fitness itself or a named news outlet, and the links are at the end.
Planet Fitness doesn't publish a price for private personal training, because its standard offer is free. Planet Fitness says PE@PF small-group training and a Design Your Own Program session are free with membership, though it lists in-club training as available at participating locations only, so check with your home club. In an interview The New York Times published in January 2026, CEO Colleen Keating said the company doesn't offer paid training, though it is testing personal training in some clubs. So for most members there is no separate training contract to cancel: you cancel the membership itself, by mail, in person or online.
Here's everything we found that Planet Fitness or a named outlet has published about paying for a trainer there.
Put together, the picture is clear. Planet Fitness moved away from paid private training more than 15 years ago and built its coaching around free help on the gym floor. If your club is one of the locations testing paid personal training, the price will come from that club, and we couldn't find any published rate. We won't guess one. Ask the front desk for a written price list before you agree to anything.
The free side is more generous than many people expect. Planet Fitness says its certified trainers will show you around the gym, teach you the machines, run small-group sessions and build an exercise plan with you. To get a plan made for you, you book a Design Your Own Program session in the PF app, on your club's web page or at the front desk. In that meeting the trainer asks about your goals, your medical background and your exercise history. Group sessions have limited space, but you can book ahead.
For general context only: outside Planet Fitness, Bark's latest U.S. data puts the average personal trainer at $50 to $90 a session. That's a national figure, not a Planet Fitness price. Our personal trainer cost guide breaks it down by city and setting.
For PE@PF, there isn't a separate training contract. The training is part of your membership, so the only agreement you sign is the membership agreement. That agreement is where the money terms live.
What we couldn't find: any published terms for the paid personal training the CEO says is being tested. We don't know whether it's sold by the session, in packs or by the month, whether it renews on its own, or what happens to sessions you don't use. If your club offers it, ask for a copy of the training agreement before you sign, and check whether it's a separate document from your membership. Your state may give you extra rights; check your state attorney general's consumer page.
Because free PE@PF training is part of membership, there's nothing to cancel on its own. You can simply stop booking sessions. If you want to stop paying Planet Fitness altogether, these are the three ways the company lists:
Keep a record of everything: your membership or agreement number, a copy of the letter or a screenshot of the online confirmation, the mailing receipt if you sent it by post, and the name of anyone you spoke to at the desk. Then watch your next bank statement to make sure the charges stopped.
If free group help covers what you need, Planet Fitness is hard to beat on price, and we'd tell you to stay. Where it stops is ongoing private coaching: apart from a program-design meeting, PE@PF is small-group and floor help, and the CEO says paid personal training is only being tested in some clubs.
That gap is what HipTrain fills, and for many people it's a cheaper way to keep a trainer than paying a private gym rate. You get live 1-on-1 video sessions with the same certified coach each time, and you can switch coaches anytime. Plans are billed monthly:
A gym trainer is the better choice in some cases. If you want someone to spot you on heavy lifts, teach you a specific machine in person, or you already have a trainer at your club you like, stay with that. HipTrain has no in-person sessions, a small coach roster, and far fewer reviews than the big apps (29 App Store ratings). You also need to be on camera at a booked time. You can also use both: Planet Fitness for solo workouts and a live coach at home. Our HipTrain vs Planet Fitness comparison covers that side by side.
"It is really easy to sign up and make schedule changes." (Bruce W., Google review)
Yes, but not in the usual paid sense. Clubs have certified trainers who run free PE@PF small-group sessions and can build a workout plan with you. In an interview The New York Times published in January 2026, the CEO said the company doesn't offer paid training, while testing it in some clubs.
PE@PF is included with membership at no extra cost at participating locations. Planet Fitness doesn't publish a price for private 1-on-1 sessions, so if your club offers paid training, ask that club for its rates in writing.
No. Planet Fitness says all trainers must be employed by the club franchise location, and outside trainers aren't allowed.
Send written notice by mail to your home club, cancel in person, or use the member portal online. Do it at least 7 days before your billing date. A $58 buyout fee applies if you leave a minimum-term membership early.
For learning the machines and getting a starter plan, the free help is good value. If you want a coach watching only you every session, you'll need a paid option, either at a club that offers it or online.
Want private coaching without a gym contract? Try your first HipTrain session free. No credit card needed.
We checked Planet Fitness's published pages in November 2026. Clubs are independently owned and set some of their own policies, so ask your home club for its current terms and any training price list.