Comparison for HR and L&D
Torch coaching alternatives with published per seat pricing for managers
Torch sells tiered human coaching, group coaching, mentoring and the Spark AI practice tool on quoted annual contracts. If your Torch program covers directors and executives but 150 first-line managers still get nothing, here is how the other options compare and what each one costs.
In short
The main Torch coaching alternatives are BetterUp, CoachHub and Sounding Board for human coaching, and an AI coaching platform for broad manager coverage. Every human coaching vendor in this group prices by quote. AiMentoring Teams publishes its price: 12 USD per seat per month billed yearly or 25 USD monthly, minimum 10 seats, with a weekly roadmap, scored roleplay and reviews of real work for every person.
Why buyers shortlist Torch coaching alternatives
Torch was founded in 2017 by two psychologists, Cameron Yarbrough and Keegan Walden, and built its offer around matching credentialed coaches to the seniority of the person being coached. Executive coaches for VPs and the C-suite hold an ICF PCC, while Core and Emerging coaches for directors, managers and individual contributors hold an ICF ACC, and every coach has at least five years of experience. In July 2025 Torch bought Praxis Labs, an AI learning company, and its Spark AI tool now runs voice roleplays and check-ins between sessions.
That is a solid program for a leadership population. Buyers start comparing alternatives at renewal or budget time for three reasons. Torch lists no prices, so the cost of adding a new group is unknown until a proposal arrives. Annual contracts make a 30-person pilot slow to approve. And because coach time sets the price, the program tends to stop at directors, while the managers who run most teams day to day sit outside it.
- Quote-only pricing. Torch quotes per organization by tier, session frequency, program length and add-ons.
- Annual commitment. Programs run on yearly contracts, so testing a new group means a contract change.
- Coverage stops at the cohort. A human coach for every first-line manager is a large line item at any vendor.
- Spark AI sits inside the program. It is part of a Torch package, not a self-serve product with a public price.
The best Torch coaching alternatives compared
Review sites group Torch with very different products. G2 lists BetterUp next to performance suites such as Lattice, Leapsome and Culture Amp, and mentoring tools such as Together. CB Insights puts Sounding Board among its closest competitors. For a buyer who wants coaching, not a performance review tool, the real shortlist comes down to four options.
- BetterUp. The largest human coaching brand, with AI features added in recent years. Enterprise programs are quoted, and its individual plans start at 89 USD a month. See our BetterUp alternatives comparison.
- CoachHub. A large global coach network in many languages plus the AIMY AI coach, sold by quote. Strongest fit for multinational companies. See the CoachHub alternative page.
- Sounding Board. Credentialed coaches, group Leadership Labs and a mentoring module, now part of BTS. Closest to Torch in format. See the Sounding Board alternative page.
- AiMentoring. An AI mentor for every manager, team lead and individual contributor, with a public per-seat price and monthly billing. It does not provide human coaches.
How much do Torch alternatives cost
None of the human coaching vendors above publish enterprise prices, so the honest comparison is your quote against a published number. Here is the yearly math for a US company that wants to coach 150 managers. The human coaching rows use an assumed 1,500 USD per person per year only to show the shape of the decision; replace it with the figure from your Torch, BetterUp or CoachHub proposal. AiMentoring rows use the prices on the pricing page.
| Scenario for 150 managers | Annual cost | Who gets coached |
|---|---|---|
| Human coaching for 30 directors at 1,500 USD each (assumed) | About 45,000 USD | 30 people |
| Human coaching for all 150 at 1,500 USD each (assumed) | About 225,000 USD | 150 people |
| AiMentoring Teams, 150 seats billed yearly | 21,600 USD | 150 people, weekly AI coaching |
| AiMentoring Teams, 150 seats billed monthly | 45,000 USD | 150 people, cancel any month |
| Human coaching for 30 directors plus AiMentoring Teams for 120 managers | About 62,280 USD | 150 people, mixed |
The 1,500 USD figure is an illustration, not a Torch price. When you ask Torch for a quote, ask it to split coach tier, sessions per person, program length and the cost of Spark AI, so you can compare line by line. Our Torch coaching pricing guide lists the questions to ask.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Torch for first-line managers
Yes. For managers who need practical help every week, an AI coach is the cheaper route, and it reaches everyone at once instead of a cohort at a time. Most of what a new manager needs is frequent and specific: prepare a one-on-one with a quiet report, rewrite a performance review that sounds vague, rehearse telling a peer their project is late, plan a first 90 days.
AiMentoring is built for that rhythm. Each manager writes a goal, takes an 8 to 12 question level assessment and gets a monthly roadmap with three to five tasks a week. A Friday check-in shrinks the plan after a hard week. The mentor reviews real work, such as a review draft or a meeting agenda, against a rubric, and on Teams and Enterprise managers rehearse difficult conversations in a scored roleplay before they have them. The AI leadership coach page shows a full manager roadmap.
Where Torch is still the better choice
Torch gives you human coaches matched to seniority, group and team coaching, a sponsored mentoring program and Spark AI practice tied to the same program. For a VP in a hard transition, a newly promoted director or a leadership team working through a reorganization, a credentialed human coach is worth paying for, and nothing on this page claims an AI replaces that. AiMentoring does not match people with human coaches or mentors and does not run live group sessions.
The split most mid-size companies settle on is simple: keep Torch, or another human coaching firm, for the top 20 to 40 leaders, and give every manager below them an AI mentor at a known price per seat.
What HR sees, and what stays private
Managers only use a coach honestly if their own boss cannot read it. In AiMentoring the HR panel shows active seats, goals, milestone progress and the weakest skills per team, always as an aggregate of at least five people. Conversations, uploaded files, assessment answers and individual scores are never visible to HR, managers or workspace admins. Details are on the security page.
Teams and Enterprise include six company tracks HR can switch on per group: onboarding, manager development, sales coaching, leadership, upskilling and internal mobility. For a group that sits below a Torch cohort, manager development is the usual first track. The AI coaching for employees page covers a company-wide rollout.
How to test an AI coach next to a Torch program
- 01
Pick the uncovered group
Choose 20 to 50 first-line managers who sit below your Torch cohort.
- 02
Create a Teams workspace
Buy 10 or more seats on monthly billing and switch on the manager development track.
- 03
Invite by email domain
Each manager takes a level assessment and gets a roadmap in the first session.
- 04
Read the HR panel at week 4
Check active seats and milestone progress per team, all anonymous.
- 05
Compare at renewal
Put pilot results and the per-seat cost next to the Torch proposal before you sign.
Torch and the main alternatives side by side
| AiMentoring | Torch | BetterUp | CoachHub | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coaching style | AI mentor with goal, assessment and weekly roadmap | Human coaches by tier plus Spark AI | Human coaches plus AI features | Human coaches plus AIMY AI coach |
| Published enterprise price | Yes, 12 USD per seat per month billed yearly | No, by quote | No, by quote | No, by quote |
| Minimum to start | 10 seats, monthly billing | Annual contract | Enterprise contract | Program contract |
| Who it reaches | Every manager, team lead and individual contributor | Executives to emerging leaders | Leaders and employees in a program | Leaders and employees in a program |
| Group or team coaching | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mentoring program | No | Yes, sponsored mentoring | No | No |
| Roleplay of hard conversations | Yes, scored, on Pro, Teams and Enterprise | Yes, Spark AI voice roleplay | Ask for the current AI features | Yes, AIMY roleplay scenarios |
| Review of real work | Agendas, reviews, decks, CVs against a rubric | In coaching sessions | In coaching sessions | In coaching sessions |
| HR reporting | Anonymous aggregates, groups of 5 or more | Program dashboards | Program dashboards | Program dashboards |
| Best for | Coaching the whole manager layer at a known cost | Tiered human coaching by seniority | Large human coaching programs | Global programs in many languages |
Questions buyers ask when comparing Torch
What are the best Torch coaching alternatives?
For human coaching, the closest alternatives are BetterUp, CoachHub and Sounding Board, all sold by quote. For coaching every manager at a published price, an AI coaching platform such as AiMentoring is the cheaper fit, at 144 USD per seat per year or 25 USD per seat monthly with a 10 seat minimum.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Torch?
Yes, if the people you need to reach are managers and individual contributors rather than executives. An AI coach costs a fraction of human coaching per person and reaches everyone at once. Keep human coaches for senior leaders and give the rest of the manager layer AI seats.
How much does Torch coaching cost?
Torch does not publish prices. It quotes each organization on an annual contract, and the price depends on coach tier, number of people, session frequency, program length and add-ons such as group coaching, mentoring and Spark AI.
What is Torch Spark AI?
Spark AI is the AI practice tool inside Torch programs. It runs voice roleplays and check-ins between human coaching sessions. Torch strengthened its AI work by acquiring Praxis Labs, an AI learning company, in July 2025.
Who are Torch competitors?
CB Insights lists Sounding Board among Torch competitors, and G2 places Torch next to BetterUp, Lattice, Leapsome, Culture Amp and Together. For coaching specifically, BetterUp, CoachHub and Sounding Board are the direct rivals.
Can an AI coach replace a Torch coach?
Not for executives. A credentialed human coach is the better tool for a senior leader in a transition. An AI coach fits frequent, practical manager work such as one-on-one prep, review drafts and rehearsing hard conversations.
Can HR read the coaching conversations?
No. In AiMentoring, HR sees adoption, goals, milestone progress and skill gaps only as aggregates of five or more people. Conversations, files, assessment answers and individual scores stay private to the employee.
See your first month before you pay
Coach every manager below your Torch cohort for a known price per seat, starting with 10 seats.