Question 1

What is NForge?

Accepted Answer

NForge is free software for fitness coaches and studios that puts everything in one app. Manage clients, generate full workout and nutrition programmes with AI, run classes online or in person, sell memberships and training plans from your own public storefront, and automate invoicing and payments. No subscriptions, no hidden costs.

Question 2

Who is NForge for?

Accepted Answer

NForge is built for personal trainers, online coaches, gym and yoga studios, and bootcamp and group-fitness instructors — anyone who runs classes in person or online, sells programmes, or manages client memberships and wants it all in one place.

Question 3

Is there a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

Yes, NForge is available on iOS and Android with full feature parity. Create programmes, host live classes, and track clients from your phone.

Question 4

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

Simply download the app and create your trainer account. No credit card required. You can start adding clients, building programmes, and scheduling classes immediately.

Question 5

Will NForge always be free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. NForge is free and will stay free. If we ever introduce premium features, they'll be optional add-ons for advanced use cases. Your current plan, with every feature included, stays free for existing users.

Question 6

Does NForge comply with GDPR?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. We take data privacy seriously. We only collect the minimum data needed to run your business, we never sell your information, and you can request deletion of your data at any time. Read our full privacy policy for details.

Question 7

Do my clients need to download an app?

Accepted Answer

No. Your clients don't need to install anything. They get programmes, invoices, and class links by email. When they book a live class, they click the link to join. That's it.

Question 8

What's the onboarding process?

Accepted Answer

Create your account and verify your email. Then connect your bank account through a quick, secure setup (takes a few minutes). That's a one-time thing, and you're ready to start earning.

Question 9

How do I set up payments?

Accepted Answer

You'll connect your bank account through a secure verification process during setup. Once that's done, client payments are automatically processed and deposited to your account after a 24-hour holding period.

Question 10

Can I use NForge from anywhere?

Accepted Answer

Yes. NForge works anywhere you have an internet connection. Host live classes from your home, gym, or while travelling. The mobile app gives you full control: manage clients, create programmes, and start classes from your phone.

Question 11

Can I use NForge on an iPad or laptop?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The mobile app is built for iOS and Android, but your clients can join classes from any device with a browser: iPad, laptop, desktop. You can manage your dashboard from any device too.

Question 12

How are programmes structured?

Accepted Answer

Programmes are built week by week. Add as many weeks as you need, from one deload week to a twelve-week training cycle. Each week has seven numbered days, and each day has three optional slots: a morning workout, an evening workout, and a nutrition plan. Fill all three for a full training day, leave workouts empty for rest days, or skip the nutrition plan for a cheat day. Days are numbered rather than dated, so every programme is reusable as a template across multiple clients.

Question 13

What are workout plans and nutrition plans?

Accepted Answer

They're standalone, reusable building blocks. A workout plan covers a single day's training: exercises with sets, reps, prescribed weight, tempo, rest periods, and notes. A nutrition plan covers a single day's meals: ingredients, portions, and automatic macro calculations for calories, protein, carbs, fats, and fibre. Create them in your plan library, then slot them into any day in any programme. Build a Push Day workout once and reuse it across ten different programmes. Your library grows over time, so building new programmes gets faster with every plan you create.

Question 14

How do I add clients?

Accepted Answer

Just enter their name and email address. That's all you need. Use a valid email because that's how they'll receive invoices and programmes. You can add health notes and emergency contacts later. Create or remove clients at any time.

Question 15

How does the workout planner work?

Accepted Answer

Add exercises with sets, reps, prescribed weight, tempo notation, and rest periods. Slot a plan into the morning (AM) or evening (PM) workout slot of any programme day. When you assign a programme to a client, you can customise their copy without affecting your original template. Great for individual adjustments while keeping master plans intact.

Question 16

How do nutrition plans work?

Accepted Answer

Add foods with portions and NForge calculates calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fibre automatically. Each programme day has one nutrition plan slot. Customise per client's dietary preferences and goals without affecting the original.

Question 17

How are programmes delivered to clients?

Accepted Answer

It's a three-step pipeline. You assign a programme to a client and set your price. NForge generates and sends a Stripe-powered invoice to the client's email. Once the client pays, their programme is delivered as a professional PDF. You get paid before your work leaves the platform.

Question 18

What format do programmes arrive in when emailed to clients?

Accepted Answer

Programmes arrive as professionally formatted PDF attachments. Your clients get a clean, branded document they can save, print, or view on any device.

Question 19

Can clients access their programme before paying?

Accepted Answer

No, and that's by design. Programmes are only delivered once payment clears. This protects your work and ensures you always get paid before your IP leaves the platform. You set the price, NForge handles the rest.

Question 20

How does the AI programme generator work?

Accepted Answer

Answer a short intake about your client — goals, experience, injuries, conditions, equipment, diet — and Forge AI (NForge's AI programme generator) writes a complete programme of up to 12 weeks: a full workout plan with sets, reps, tempo and rest, plus optional nutrition with daily targets and meals portioned to meet them. Every plan passes layered safety checks and an independent AI safety review, then it's ready in minutes for you to review, edit, and send under your name. Fair-use limits apply (1 generation per client per day, 10 per coach per day).

Question 21

Is AI programme generation safe for clients with injuries or health conditions?

Accepted Answer

Forge AI screens exercises against stated injuries and conditions during generation and again in an independent AI safety review. Anything contraindicated is removed — never silently substituted — and the plan is flagged with specific notes for the coach. Every plan is reviewed by the coach before a client sees it.

Question 22

Does the AI handle food allergies and dietary requirements?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Allergies and intolerances are screened at ingredient level on every recipe, including derivatives — a peanut allergy also excludes satay and groundnut oil. Dietary approaches like vegan or halal are enforced across the whole meal plan.

Question 23

Do AI-generated meal plans actually hit the macros?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every meal-plan day carries calorie, protein, carb, fat and water targets derived from your client's data, and portions are sized so the day's meals meet the calorie target.

Question 24

What is the Studio feature?

Accepted Answer

Studio is where you create and manage your online classes. Set your class name, description, pricing, and schedule with recurring patterns. Everything you create in Studio feeds into your Schedule, where you can see upcoming sessions and start them with a single tap.

Question 25

What is the Schedule?

Accepted Answer

The Schedule is your daily classes hub. It shows which classes are happening on any given day, generated automatically from the recurrence patterns you set. Flip between days to plan your week, and when class time arrives, start your live session directly from this screen. You don't add sessions manually; they appear from the classes you've created.

Question 26

How do live classes work?

Accepted Answer

Host HD video classes with up to 50 participants per session. When your scheduled class time arrives, start the class from the app and run your session. Participants join and you can see and interact with everyone in real-time.

Question 27

How do clients book and join classes?

Accepted Answer

Your classes are listed on a public page where anyone can discover them. Clients browse available sessions, book the ones they want, and pay securely. They're invoiced automatically when they sign up and receive everything they need to join when the class starts.

Question 28

What recurrence options are available for scheduling classes?

Accepted Answer

Five patterns: Daily (choose specific days, e.g. Mon/Wed/Fri), Weekly (one fixed day), Every Two Weeks (bi-weekly on a chosen day), Monthly (a fixed date from the 1st to the 28th), and Custom (pick specific dates for one-offs). Set it once and NForge generates your sessions automatically.

Question 29

Can clients adjust the class schedule when subscribing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you run a class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a client can subscribe to just Monday and Friday. They pick which of your scheduled days work for them (they cannot add days outside your schedule). Flexible for clients, fully under your control.

Question 30

How do clients find and subscribe to my classes?

Accepted Answer

Each class you create gets its own public page with a unique link. Share it on social media, your website, or via email. You can also invite specific clients directly by email with a pre-filled booking link. Clients browse the details, choose how many sessions to prepay, pick their preferred schedule, and pay securely. No account or app needed.

Question 31

What happens when a client's prepaid sessions run out?

Accepted Answer

When a client's prepaid sessions run out, their subscription pauses until they buy more. They can top up any time from the same booking link — no account needed — and their card is saved at checkout to make coming back quick.

Question 32

How does class scheduling work?

Accepted Answer

Set up your class once with your preferred recurrence pattern: daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or custom dates. NForge generates all upcoming sessions and they appear in your Schedule. Start them when class time arrives. You can modify or cancel individual sessions without affecting the overall pattern.

Question 33

What's the maximum number of participants in a live class?

Accepted Answer

50 participants per session. That's sized around group training, bootcamps, yoga classes, and small-group coaching, formats where the instructor's attention on individual participants still matters. If you're running events that need 200+ concurrent viewers, that's a broadcast, not a class, and you want a different tool for it.

Question 34

Can I use an external microphone for live classes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. NForge uses your device's active audio input, so if you connect a Bluetooth mic, USB-C mic, or any external audio device, it will automatically be used for your class. Great audio makes a great class.

Question 35

Can I run in-person classes, not just online ones?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Create a class as in-person and set its venue — a studio, a park, anywhere. It gets the same public booking page, payments, memberships and session credits as an online class. The difference: clients see the location and calendar details instead of a video link, and you tap 'Mark done' to consume a session (or NForge auto-completes it once the class time has passed).

Question 36

How do clients find me on NForge?

Accepted Answer

Three public surfaces work for you: your coach profile at nforge.fit/coach/your-handle (your bio, specialities, classes, and plans in one place), the coach directory where anyone can search by name or speciality, and a public booking page for every class you run. Publish once and they're live — no marketing spend required.

Question 37

How does selling training plans work?

Accepted Answer

Pick a programme from your library, set a one-time price in your own currency, and publish it as a plan. Buyers pay by card and receive the full programme as a professionally formatted PDF by email. Every sale also creates a client record in your business and sends you a 'Plan sold' notification, so a one-off buyer becomes a coaching lead.

Question 38

What does a buyer get when they purchase one of my plans?

Accepted Answer

The complete programme as a print-ready PDF, delivered to their inbox straight after payment. They don't need an account or an app — just a name, an email address, and a card.

Question 39

What does the marketplace cost?

Accepted Answer

Nothing to list, nothing monthly. The standard 7.9% fee applies when a plan sells — the same fee as every other transaction on NForge — and payouts reach your bank after the usual 24-hour holding period.

Question 40

What do I need before I can sell on the marketplace?

Accepted Answer

Two things: a published coach profile (a handle, a display name, and a bio) and a connected payment account — the same quick Stripe setup you use for invoicing. Until payments are connected, your listings show as available soon rather than taking money.

Question 41

Do buyers need the NForge app?

Accepted Answer

No. The marketplace is entirely web-based: buyers browse coaches, classes, and plans in the browser, pay by card, and get everything by email.

Question 42

What is the cancellation policy for my classes?

Accepted Answer

Clients can cancel at any time. If the next session is more than 8 hours away, unused sessions are fully refunded. If they cancel within 8 hours, that session credit is non-refundable but they can still attend. NForge handles this automatically, so you don't chase refunds or manage cancellations yourself.

Question 43

What happens if a client doesn't show up?

Accepted Answer

If a client books a session and doesn't attend, the session still counts as completed and their session credit is consumed. You still get paid for no-shows. This protects your time and encourages clients to cancel in advance if they can't make it.

Question 44

How do refunds work when a client cancels?

Accepted Answer

When a client unsubscribes, any unused sessions outside the 8-hour window are automatically refunded to their original payment method. You don't need to do anything. Refunds typically take 5-10 business days to reach the client.

Question 45

What does NForge cost?

Accepted Answer

NForge is completely free to use. We charge 7.9% on successful transactions only, which covers payment processing, HD video conferencing, automated invoicing, hosting, and support. You only pay when you earn.

Question 46

How does the 7.9% fee compare to competitors?

Accepted Answer

Most platforms charge $10-250/month whether you earn anything or not. NForge charges nothing upfront. The 7.9% only applies when clients pay you, and it covers everything: Stripe processing, HD video, invoicing, hosting, and support. Earn $1,000 in a month and you keep $921. With a competitor charging $99/month, you'd keep $901 before their processing fees.

Question 47

What currencies can I accept?

Accepted Answer

NForge supports multiple major currencies. Set the currency per class or programme. Payouts are deposited in your local currency via Stripe.

Question 48

How do payouts work?

Accepted Answer

When clients pay for classes or programmes, funds are held securely for 24 hours. This protects both you and your clients. After the holding period, payouts go automatically to your bank account via Stripe.

Question 49

How does invoicing work?

Accepted Answer

Fully automated. Invoices go out when clients book classes and when you assign programmes. Payments are processed through Stripe and you can track everything from your dashboard. No paperwork, no chasing.

Question 50

Is my money and bank information safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All payments run through bank-level encryption with PCI DSS compliance. Your bank details are never stored on NForge servers; they're managed by our verified payment processor. Funds are held safely and paid out directly to your bank account on schedule.

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NForge — Free Personal Trainer Software FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

STILL PAYING MONTHLYFOR SOFTWARE?

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