All comparisons

HQ.training vs Final Surge

Both keep athletes free. Here is what else comes with each.

Final Surge and HQ both charge coaches a flat price rather than a fee per athlete. Final Surge is built around running and teams, with planned workouts sent to the watch. HQ adds strength coaching with exercise video, recovery data from rings and straps, AI planning, and a gym side.

Start coaching free See pricing

What this page says about Final Surge comes from Final Surge’s own pricing pages, blog and help center, read on 13 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check theirs before you decide.

The short version

HQ is the better pick if

  • You coach more than 100 athletes, or plan to: HQ has no cap at $19 a month.
  • You want HRV, sleep and weight from rings, straps and scales next to the training, for every athlete, free.
  • Strength matters: 184 exercises with video, supersets and circuits, ticked off set by set.
  • You sell plans and want to keep the price: HQ takes no cut, Final Surge’s marketplace keeps 30%.
  • You coach in a gym, or run one.

Final Surge is the better pick if

  • You want planned workouts on the watch without a download: it syncs to Garmin, COROS, Suunto, Apple Watch and Zwift.
  • You coach a school or club team and use its team walls and attendance roster.
  • Your athletes wear Polar, COROS or Suunto and you want those synced directly.

HQ.training and Final Surge, side by side

  • Included
  • Partly, or at extra cost
  • Not offered
HQ.training Final Surge
Athlete price Included: Free, with everything included Partly, or at extra cost: Free; Premium is $8 a month for HRV readiness, weather, routes and a public page
Coach price Included: $19 a month for any number of athletes, or $39 with more AI Included: $19 a month for 1 to 5 athletes, $39 for up to 100; more by quote
Structured workouts Included: Typed shorthand or drag-in blocks, by zone, % FTP, % LTHR, pace or RPE, in each athlete’s own numbers Included: Builder with pace, heart rate and power targets, on the web and the phone
To the watch Partly, or at extra cost: Download as .fit for the watch or .zwo for Zwift; no automatic push to the watch yet Included: Planned workouts sync to Garmin, COROS, Suunto, Apple Watch, Amazfit and Zwift
Strength Included: Supersets and circuits, 184 exercises with video, and your own videos Not offered: No sets-and-reps strength builder in its documentation
Fitness, fatigue and form Included: Fitness, fatigue and form for every athlete, free, with four weeks projected Not offered: Not in Final Surge’s own documentation
Recovery data Included: HRV, sleep and resting heart rate from Oura, WHOOP, Fitbit or Apple Health, and weight from Withings or Renpho Partly, or at extra cost: Through Apple Health or HRV apps only, not from Garmin or Polar
Devices Partly, or at extra cost: Garmin, Apple Health, Oura, WHOOP, Fitbit, Withings and Renpho; .fit, .gpx and .tcx uploads for other watches Included: Garmin both ways, COROS, Suunto, Polar, Wahoo, Zwift, Strava and more
Messaging Included: Direct messages, and a comment thread on every session Included: Workout comments, a mailbox and team social walls
Selling plans Included: Sell plans, courses, videos and coaching subscriptions; HQ adds nothing to Stripe’s card fee Partly, or at extra cost: Its marketplace keeps 30%
Billing athletes Included: Monthly or yearly coaching subscriptions in your store, with an optional free trial, paid out by Stripe; HQ takes no cut Partly, or at extra cost: Subscriptions at 6% + $3 a charge, programs at 5% + $4
AI Included: An AI plan builder for coaches and for athletes’ own training, included with a usage limit Not offered: None
Phone app Partly, or at extra cost: iPhone app in testing, Android next; the web works on any phone Included: iOS and Android
Gym and club tools Included: Timetable, memberships, check-in and point of sale on the Gym & Studio plan Partly, or at extra cost: An attendance roster with QR or GPS check-in for team sessions; no bookings or memberships
Export Included: CSV of workouts, weekly totals and health metrics for any date range, and of the food log and habits Not offered: No bulk export in its help center

What sets them apart

No cap on the squad

Final Surge is $19 a month for up to 5 athletes and $39 for up to 100, and above that it quotes. HQ is $19 a month at any size.

Recovery data for everyone

Final Surge brings in daily HRV and sleep only through Apple Health or HRV apps, not from Garmin or Polar, and its readiness score is Premium. HQ brings HRV, sleep, resting heart rate and weight from rings, straps and scales into every free account.

Strength next to the miles

Runners lift too. HQ’s builder takes supersets, circuits, sets that differ and a video for each exercise, and athletes tick each set off as they go.

Where Final Surge is ahead

Planned workouts reach the watch by themselves, it syncs more watch brands, and its team walls and attendance roster suit school and club squads.

Moving from Final Surge

  1. Start a coach account

    You get 14 days free, and your athletes never pay.

  2. Invite your athletes

    Each one accepts by email and connects their watch, ring or scale. Garmin brings their last year of activities with it.

  3. Rebuild your plans

    Type sessions in shorthand or drag in blocks, save them as plans, and send a block to the squad for up to twelve weeks at once.

Questions

Is HQ dearer than Final Surge?
For up to 5 athletes they cost the same, $19 a month. From 6 to 100 athletes Final Surge is $39 and HQ stays $19. Above 100, Final Surge quotes a price.
Can I import my Final Surge history?
Not from Final Surge itself: its help center documents no bulk export. Your athletes’ recordings come across from Garmin, Apple Health and the other services they connect, and .fit, .gpx and .tcx files upload.
Does HQ sync COROS, Suunto or Polar?
Not directly yet. Upload their .fit files, or on iPhone let them reach HQ through Apple Health if the watch’s app writes workouts there.

Sources

What this page says about Final Surge comes from Final Surge’s own pricing pages, blog and help center, read on 13 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check theirs before you decide.

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