Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
Academy for Health and Fitness vs Royal Open College
Academy for Health and Fitness
Higher score in this comparison
Royal Open College
What sets them apart
| Compare | Academy for Health and FitnessReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives | Royal Open CollegeReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £25 | £19.99Lower |
| Price per year | £59.99 | £49Lower |
| Certificate fee | £0Lower | £12.99 |
| Number of courses | 3,000 | 6,431Higher |
| Price per month | £11.99 | Not confirmed |
| Free tier | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 14 days |
Same on both: Platform type (Subscription), Access period (12 months), Graded assessments (Yes), Team plan (Yes).
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Key differences
- Academy for Health and Fitness scores higher overall: 9.5 vs 9.2.
- Price from is lower at Royal Open College: £19.99 vs £25.
- Price per year is lower at Royal Open College: £49 vs £59.99.
- Certificate fee is lower at Academy for Health and Fitness: £0 vs £12.99.
- Number of courses is higher at Royal Open College: 6,431 vs 3,000.
- Credit recognition: only Academy for Health and Fitness offers Ofqual.
- Subjects: only Academy for Health and Fitness offers It.
- Certificate types: only Royal Open College offers Completion.
Our verdict on each
Academy for Health and Fitness
Academy for Health and Fitness suits UK learners who want a professional certificate counting for CPD or Ofqual without a separate charge. Entry is £11.99 a month and the annual plan £59.99, both covering 3,000 courses in a single subscription.
Royal Open College
Royal Open College suits UK learners who want business CPD at a low subscription price and will accept pay per course. The annual plan runs at £49 and the money back period stands at 14 days. Treat the certificate fee as a separate line when you budget.
Score breakdown
| Area | Academy for Health and Fitness | Royal Open College |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.4HigherCertificate fee of £0, with monthly and yearly plans at £11.99 and £59.99. | 9.2Course entry at £19.99, subscription at £49, certificate at £12.99. |
| Offer | 9.3A catalogue of 3,000 courses, 12 months of access and a team plan. | 9.3A free tier, 6,431 courses and 12 months of access per subscription. |
| Trust | 9.9HigherProfessional certificates with credit recognition in cpd and ofqual, run by Mayfair College Ltd.. | 8.8CPD credit recognition and a 14 day money back window. |
The numbers side by side
| Fact | Academy for Health and Fitness | Royal Open College |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £25 | £19.99 |
| Price per year | £59.99 | £49 |
| Certificate fee | £0 | £12.99 |
| Number of courses | 3,000 | 6,431 |
| Access period | 12 months | 12 months |
Which one suits you
Pick Academy for Health and Fitness if certificate fee matter most.
Pick Royal Open College if price from, price per year, and number of courses matter most.
Where they rank in our lists
| Ranking | Academy for Health and Fitness | Royal Open College |
|---|---|---|
| Online course platforms | 169 of 349 | 191 of 349 |
| Online professional certificates | 39 of 95 | 45 of 95 |
Licences and countries
| Country | Academy for Health and Fitness | Royal Open College |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | Not confirmed |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Academy for Health and Fitness | Royal Open College |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Business, ItCovers more | Business |
| Certificate types | Professional | Completion, ProfessionalCovers more |
| Credit recognition | Cpd, OfqualCovers more | Cpd |
| Legal entity | Mayfair College Ltd. | Not confirmed |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Academy for Health and Fitness | Royal Open College | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | £25below the median | £19.99below the median | £32 |
| Price per month | £11.99below the median | Not confirmed | £16 |
| Price per year | £59.99at the median | £49lowest quarter | £59.99 |
| Certificate fee | £0at the median | £12.99highest quarter | £0 |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 14 daysat the median | 14 days |
| Number of courses | 3,000highest quarter | 6,431highest quarter | 250 |
Median across 172 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Academy for Health and Fitness
Pros
- The certificate fee on the plan is £0, so a professional certificate adds no extra charge at the end of a course.
- The plan ranks 15 of 78 on monthly price and 15 of 78 on yearly price, both near the front of the table.
- Assessments are built into the courses, so the finish carries a professional certificate rather than a completion note.
Cons
- Access runs for 12 months, so the fee is committed for the whole window even after a course is finished.
- The starting price is the weaker figure, ranking 89 of 220 on that measure.
- Courses sit in business and it, so a coding or data reader finds a narrow catalogue.
Royal Open College
Pros
- The subscription plan is priced at £49 for the year, well under the €71.91 site median.
- Individual courses start at £19.99, so buying one topic costs less than a year of access.
- CPD credit recognition is in place, which matters for UK professional development.
Cons
- A certificate costs £12.99 on top of study, so the all in figure is higher than the subscription line suggests.
- Catalogue size is the strength and the weakness: 6,431 courses covers a lot but the single listed subject is business.
- The money back window of 14 days is shorter than the 30-day upper quartile of money back periods across the site.
Who each suits
Academy for Health and Fitness
Who it suits
- Learners in the UK who need recognised continuing development, since credit recognition covers cpd and ofqual.
- People who want a single subscription to hold both a qualification and a wide catalogue of 3,000 courses.
- Teams training several people at once, since a team plan is available.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who want to browse at no cost: Hotmart lists $0.
- Learners whose subject is coding or data, since courses here sit in business and it.
Royal Open College
Who it suits
- UK professionals who need CPD credit and can finish a course quickly
- Employers buying a single subscription for staff training
- Learners who prefer paying per course over a yearly commitment
Who should look elsewhere
- Learners wanting university credit, since the only credit recognition listed is CPD
- Anyone comparing cheapest entry, where Hotmart lists a lower starting price
- Fitness and health specialists who need regulated certificates, an area where DRCertifications sits
Questions about each
Academy for Health and Fitness
How much does Academy for Health and Fitness cost?+
The subscription starts at £25, and the same plan runs at £11.99 for a month or £59.99 for a year. Entry and ongoing billing both sit on that one plan rather than on a separate introductory tier, so the figure quoted at sign up is the figure carried afterwards.
Is there a charge for the certificate?+
The certificate fee on the subscription is £0, so the professional certificate adds nothing beyond the plan price. Courses and the certificate both sit inside the same subscription, and nothing is payable at the point of completion.
Royal Open College
How much does a course cost at Royal Open College?+
Individual courses start at £19.99, and that is the entry figure readers compare. Some courses sit above it, so the cheapest option is not representative of everything. The catalogue holds 6,431 courses, so prices vary by topic. Business is the single subject area listed.
What does the annual subscription cost?+
The subscription plan lists at £49 for the year and gives 12 months of access. That figure puts Royal Open College at 11 of 78 brands, one of the stronger subscription positions on the site. The annual line is the cheapest way to reach several courses if you study regularly.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
Academy for Health and Fitness
Royal Open College