Pay Pro, Pay Go, or in-app purchase — which one, and what does it really cost?
Three ways to get paid on TrainerPanel. One is free. One is a fair on-ramp. One has a cost we don't control. Here's the honest breakdown of each, so you pick the right one before your first sale.
No — on Pay Pro we take no cut of your payments; Stripe's standard processing fees still apply. Pay Go is an optional 2.50% handling fee plus processor fees, only until you connect your own Stripe. Selling inside your branded app through in-app purchase carries that same 2.50%, plus the app store's own commission on top — so web checkout is the lower-cost path until you need in-app selling.
Why "which payment path" matters
Every dollar you sell passes through one of three paths — and each one has a real, different cost.
Most coaching platforms bury this. Some charge you just to connect your own Stripe. Some quote "2.50%" without saying "plus processor fees." Almost none say anything honest about what happens once you sell inside a branded app. This page says all three plainly, including the one cost we genuinely don't control.
Have a Stripe account? Use Pay Pro — free, no cut. Don't yet? Pay Go gets you selling today for 2.50% + fees, until you connect your own. Selling inside your branded app? The app stores take their standard cut on top — sell on the web to avoid it where you can.
Pay Pro — connect your own Stripe, and we take $0
Pay Pro is the default we recommend for any coach who has, or can create, a Stripe account: you connect your own Stripe, and TrainerPanel charges $0 — no cut of your payments. Stripe's own standard processing fees still apply, exactly as they would with any tool; that's Stripe's charge, not ours.
Most coaching platforms charge you just to connect your own Stripe. We don't, and on Pay Pro we don't take a cut of what you earn either.
- TrainerPanel charge: $0. No monthly fee for Pay Pro, no per-sale cut.
- Stripe's fees still apply — see Stripe's own current rates, since they set and change them, not us.
- Best for: any coach who has (or can make) a Stripe account.
Pay Go — no Stripe yet? Start selling today
If you don't have a Stripe account yet — or can't set one up right now — Pay Go runs through TrainerPanel's own managed Stripe route, so you can start selling immediately. It carries a 2.50% handling and settlement fee, plus standard processor (Stripe) fees — always shown clearly, never buried in a bare "2.50%."
Pay Go is designed as a temporary on-ramp, not a permanent home. Connect your own Stripe whenever you're ready, and switch to Pay Pro — that's the intended path, not a retention trick.
- TrainerPanel charge: 2.50% handling + settlement, on top of standard processor fees.
- $9.99 minimum sale price on every sellable item — programs, courses, sessions, memberships, storefront listings and Direct custom charges. (Pay Pro, on your own connected Stripe, has no platform minimum.)
- Settlement: balances pay out at $250 or every 15 days, whichever comes first, so your money is never stranded. Standard payout timing is 2–5 business days; there's no instant-payout option today.
- Disputes: on Pay Go, you own refunds and disputes, including Stripe's $15 dispute fee.
- Best for: coaches who want to start selling before they've set up their own Stripe account.
In-app purchase — the one cost we don't control
If you sell digital goods inside your branded iOS or Android app, that purchase runs through the app store's own in-app-purchase system, not a web checkout. TrainerPanel's charge here is the same 2.50% Pay Go rate — it applies to every payment type, in-app purchases included.
On top of that, the app store itself charges its own standard in-app-purchase commission — that's Apple's or Google's cut, set by them, and TrainerPanel does not take any part of it. This is genuinely additional, on top of our 2.50%, not something we absorb or discount.
We deliberately don't publish a specific app-store commission percentage here — Apple and Google set and change that rate, so quoting a number risks going stale or wrong. Check the current App Store / Google Play terms for the live figure.
Separately, running a branded white-label app also carries coach-paid developer-account fees — $99/year for Apple, a one-time $25 for Google. Those are annual/setup pass-throughs, not a per-sale cost, and they apply regardless of which payment path you use inside the app.
Because IAP only matters once in-app digital selling is live on your white-label app, and because it's the one path with a cost we don't control, web checkout via Pay Pro or Pay Go is the lower-cost route today — use it wherever the app stores' own policies allow.
What TrainerPanel charges, and what's additional
Pay Pro's $0 is the hero contrast — the other two rows are additive, not ours to discount.
| Path | What it is | TrainerPanel charges | Other fees (additional) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay Pro | Connect your own Stripe account | $0 — no cut | Stripe's standard processing fees | You have (or can make) a Stripe account |
| Pay Go | TrainerPanel-managed Stripe route | 2.50% handling + settlement | + standard processor (Stripe) fees | No Stripe account yet, want to sell today |
| In-app purchase | Selling digital goods inside your branded app | 2.50% (same Pay Go rate — applies to every payment type) | + the app store's own standard in-app-purchase commission (additional, set by Apple/Google) + developer-account fees ($99/yr Apple, $25 one-time Google — separate pass-throughs) | Only once in-app digital selling is live on your white-label app |
Not sure which path fits your business today? Start on Pay Go if you don't have Stripe yet, connect your own Stripe when you're ready, and treat in-app purchase as a later decision — it only bites once your branded app is selling.
Payments, answered honestly.
The questions coaches ask before choosing a payment path — with straight answers, not sales pitches.
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Connect your own Stripe for free with Pay Pro, or start selling today with Pay Go — either way, the fees are shown clearly, before you ever take a payment.