Posted by on August 4, 2025 — Updated on August 4, 2025
Compare Playbook pricing, features, and limitations for fitness creators. Discover why Exercise.com is the best Playbook alternative for gyms and fitness professionals who want full business control.
Playbook is a mobile app platform that helps fitness influencers and content creators monetize their workouts by publishing them to a subscription-based app. It’s positioned for creators who already have an audience and want to generate passive income from digital workout libraries.
However, Playbook is built around the influencer model—not the fitness business model. It’s not an ideal solution for gym owners, personal trainers with in-person clients, or hybrid fitness businesses that require appointment scheduling, payment processing, in-depth reporting, or branded user experiences.
The biggest pain point for many fitness professionals is that Playbook owns the customer relationship. You don’t get a fully branded app, you don’t control pricing, and Playbook charges a percentage of your revenue. That makes it hard to build a long-term business where you own your brand and client relationships like you do when you build a custom branded fitness app with Exercise.com.
Playbook does not charge a monthly fee. Instead, it operates on a revenue-sharing model, where creators earn 80% of the subscription revenue after app store fees are deducted.
| Plan Type | Monthly Cost | Revenue Share | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Creator Plan | $0/month | 80% of revenue after app store fees | No upfront cost, but Playbook controls app experience and subscriber billing |
| Additional Fees | N/A | App store fees (15–30%) | Subtracted before the 80/20 revenue split |
There’s no custom branding, and you must apply and be approved to join the Playbook creator platform. The barrier to entry is typically higher for fitness professionals without large social followings.
To see why fitness influencers are switching, explore why Exercise.com is the best Playbook alternative.
While Playbook offers a quick way to publish digital workouts, it’s not built for fitness professionals who want to grow a real business. If you’re serious about scaling your gym, studio, or online coaching brand, Exercise.com is the best Playbook alternative with the best white label fitness app software.
Unlike Playbook, Exercise.com gives you:
With Exercise.com, you’re not just publishing content—you’re building a sustainable, scalable business on your terms.
Whether you’re a personal trainer, gym owner, or online coach, Exercise.com gives you everything Playbook doesn’t. That’s why we’re consistently ranked among the best software for fitness influencers, the best personal training software, and the best gym management software in the industry.
Playbook is a subscription-based workout app where fitness creators upload video content for paying subscribers. It’s built for influencers who already have large audiences and want to monetize their content.
Playbook charges creators nothing upfront, but takes a revenue share. After app store fees (15–30%), creators receive 80% of what’s left. Playbook keeps the remaining 20%.
Earnings vary widely and depend on your subscriber base. Playbook is best suited for creators with large followings, as earnings scale with reach. Smaller trainers or gyms may not generate meaningful income on the platform.
No. Playbook operates under its own brand. All workouts are hosted inside the Playbook app, and there is no option for your own branded app. This is a major limitation for fitness professionals trying to build brand equity.
No. Playbook lacks essential tools like scheduling, payment processing, client management, and POS. It is not designed for in-person fitness businesses. For those needs, Exercise.com is a far superior platform.