Coach RecapA Paperbell alternative with a free plan and real session notes
Paperbell is $57 a month before you’ve signed a client. Coach Recap is free for your first three, and it keeps the notes Paperbell doesn’t.
- Free for 3 clients
- Every feature on every plan
- Set up in 5 minutes
Why coaches go looking for an alternative
Paperbell is a good product. Its reviews are strong and its checkout automation is the best in the category. The coaches who leave, or never start, usually say one of four things.
- The price. $57 a month ($47.50 annually) with no free plan is steep when you have four clients.
- No mobile app. Paperbell runs in the mobile browser and says so.
- Messaging is email. There’s no in-app chat; client replies land in your inbox.
- Notes are just notes. No goals or action items that carry from one session to the next.
If none of those bother you, stay on Paperbell. If two or more do, read on.
What Coach Recap does differently
Paperbell is organised around selling the package: the sales page, the checkout and the contract. Coach Recap is organised around the client: the profile, the sessions, the notes and the goals. Scheduling and payments are there too, as parts of the client record.
Session notes with goals and action items
Every session has notes, linked goals and action items. Open items stay on the client’s profile and appear when you open the next session. Full-text search finds any note for any client. Read more under session notes.
A free plan instead of a trial
Three clients, every feature, no time limit, no credit card. It’s meant for real paid sessions, and you can stay on it as long as you like.
Apps for iOS and Android
Read a client’s history on the way to a session and write the note on the way back.
Chat, two calendars, euro pricing
In-app chat instead of email threads. Google Calendar and Outlook synced together instead of one. Pricing in euros, GDPR compliant, no ads and no data selling.
What you’d give up
These are the Paperbell features Coach Recap doesn’t have. If any of them are central to your practice, don’t switch.
- Hosted sales pages and a mini-site per package
- E-signature contracts at checkout via Dropbox Sign
- Instalment plans, deposits, coupons and sliding-scale pricing
- PayPal as a payment option
- SMS reminders
- Group packages with seat limits and recurring group calls
- Dripped content and embedded video per package
- Zapier triggers
The full side-by-side, including pricing scenarios, is on the Coach Recap vs Paperbell page.
Pricing next to each other
| Active clients | Coach Recap | Paperbell |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Free | $57/month |
| 4–20 | €29/month | $57/month |
| 21+ | €79/month | $57/month |
Both offer two months free on annual billing. Both charge no platform commission on client payments beyond the processor’s fee. Paperbell prices verified September 2026; see Coach Recap pricing for the full plan details.
Switching takes an afternoon
Import your clients, connect your calendar, recreate any packages with sessions remaining as programs, and send clients your new booking link. Because the free plan has every feature, you can do all of that before you pay anything, alongside your Paperbell account, and switch clients over when you’re sure.
Frequently asked questions
Why do coaches look for a Paperbell alternative?
The reasons that come up most in reviews are price ($57 a month with no free plan, which is a lot for a coach with a handful of clients), the lack of a mobile app, messaging that runs through email instead of in-app chat, and only being able to sync one calendar. Coaches who want to track goals and action items between sessions also find Paperbell’s notes too light.
Is Coach Recap cheaper than Paperbell?
For most solo coaches, yes. Coach Recap is free for up to 3 clients and €29/month for up to 20. Paperbell is $57/month or $570/year regardless of client count. Above 20 active clients Coach Recap’s unlimited plan is €79/month, which is more than Paperbell, so the saving is for smaller practices.
Can I move my clients from Paperbell to Coach Recap?
Yes. You can import your client list when you set up Coach Recap, connect your Google or Outlook calendar and share your new booking link. Existing packages with sessions remaining can be recreated as programs with the right number of sessions left.
What does Paperbell do that Coach Recap doesn’t?
Hosted sales pages per package, e-signature contracts at checkout, instalment plans, coupons and deposits, PayPal, SMS reminders, group packages with seat caps, and dripped course-style content. If you rely on those, Paperbell is the better choice.
Your next session could be the first one with everything in one place.
Free for three clients. Five minutes to set up.
Start free