We spent months researching and using the most commonly recommended fitness studio software so you don’t have to. We scoured the review sites and asked hundreds of fitness studio owners for their opinions on the software solutions featured in this article.

The purpose of this ultimate guide is to provide you with insider knowledge so that you can confidently ask questions during your trial/review period and choose the right fitness scheduling software for your studio.

Best 15 Fitness Studio Software As Rated By Experts

1. StudioGrowth
2. Mindbody
3. Glofox
4. Momence
5. Wellness Living
6. Punchpass
7. Zingfit (Xplor)
8. Zenplanner
9. Bsport
10. Team Up
11. Vagaro
12. Acuity Scheduling (Squarespace scheduling)
13. Mariana Tek
14. Arketa
15. Omnify

#1. StudioGrowth

StudioGrowth provides a simple and easy-to-use admin interface with a strong emphasis on modern customer experience. All the customer-facing pages, such as the booking and purchase pages, are fully mobile-optimized. Fully branded iOS and Android apps are in development.

It provides the critical features required by any fitness studio that offers group classes and appointments: membership management, class packs/memberships, and payments.

StudioGrowth offers unique features such as QR code bookings, where customers can easily reserve classes by scanning a QR code. Additionally, the branding capabilities are robust, allowing you to brand your booking experience to match your brand, which for fitness studios, is crucial.

A nice touch offered is the on-demand bookings allowing your students to book 1:1 or privates based on the live availability of the instructors of your fitness studio.

You will find everything you need to grow your fitness business: marketing automation emails, discount codes, and various integrations (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Stripe, Zoom, ClassPass, etc.). There are very helpful features such as guest passes, priority waitlists, and longer booking windows for VIP members.

StudioGrowth provides fitness studio-specific features such as customer self-check-in, flash sales of packages and memberships, and integration with your website.

If you are building a brand and need a platform that helps you showcase your brand front and center, then StudioGrowth should be your top choice. The branding capabilities provided are second to none, and no other platform comes close in terms of branding configurability. The support provided is exceptional and sets StudioGrowth apart from the others.

To see their full list of features, click here.

Price:

• $99/month on the annual plan or $139/month on the monthly plan
• No additional or hidden fees
• Free data migration and onboarding

Why In The Top 15:

• Simple and robust
• Marketing automation capabilities within the platform
• Modern customer experience
• Cost-effective

#2. Mindbody

Mindbody Review

Mindbody is the grand-daddy of fitness software. If you ask your studio owner friends which software they use, most will use Mindbody. Mindbody almost has a monopoly in the space, and you will come across it in other studios or receive recommendations for it during your search. 

Mindbody was founded in the 2000s and was one of the first platforms of its kind. Over the years, the platform has innovated and remained ahead of the curve. Mindbody continues to invest in innovation by acquiring companies such as ClassPass. 

Mindbody has everything you will ever need to run your fitness studio business. However, the platform is not specific to fitness studios and caters to everything from saloons to art classes to music schools. 

You will be hard-pressed to find a more configurable platform on the market. However, the configurability comes at a steep price. The primary complaints of Mindbody users are:

1. The platform is cumbersome and hard to use
2. The user experience is not modern (however, recently, Mindbody have revamped their customer-facing pages)
3. The pricing structure is not friendly to small businesses

If you go with Mindbody, you will never have a shortage of features which you might experience with other providers who are still catching up to get to feature parity. 

Mindbody Price:

• Starts at $129/month and can go up to several thousands a year based on the features you use 
• Could charge fees per transaction depending on the plan. Discuss this with your Mindbody sales executive.

Why In The Top 15:

• The clear leader in the space, with the majority of fitness studios using Mindbody
• Extensive and un-matched feature set
• Decades of experience providing software to fitness studios

NOTE: Please enquire about data ownership before signing up with Mindbody

#3. Glofox (ABC Fitness Solutions)

Glofox Review

Glofox was founded in 2014 to serve the UK and Ireland’s gym and fitness studio market. Initially, the software catered to small gyms and fitness studios. 

Due to the initial success, the business was able to secure funding and, to date, has raised upwards of $20M in funding to serve the gym and fitness studio market. In 2022 Glofox was acquired by ABC Fitness Solutions.

However, raising investment and the acquisition has its cons. The platform has moved away from serving its initial user base of small fitness studios and gyms and currently primarily focuses on bigger studios, gyms, and franchises.

Glofox will be a good fit if you operate a traditional gym, given its roots in serving the gym market when it first started operations. Glofox is a mature platform offering all the features you will expect from fitness studio management software.

However, users of Glofox complain about the limited ability to configure discount codes and the price. They also don’t have the crucial substitution management feature. This feature is table stakes if you have more than 5 instructors at your studio. You can find an equivalent fitness software provider for a more affordable price. 

What sets Glofox apart is the in-depth knowledge of the gym and fitness industry. You can find various reports and blog posts that provide excellent information to new fitness entrepreneurs. They also provide a good lead capture and lead management system.

IMPORTANT: Your interaction with Glofox will begin with their sales agents who are known to be aggressive and exhibit a boiler room culture. We have seen reports of aggressive tactics and selling features and tiers you don’t need. Please be aware as you go into sales calls and never sign a deal without exploring the market and taking the time to make the right decision for your business. You will most likely be pressured during your sales calls and demos.

Glofox Price:

• Starts at $140/month and can go up to several thousand a year based on the features you use 
• All in with a branded app, you are looking at $400/month and at this price, there are much better options

Why In The Top 15:

• Focus on gyms and fitness studios
• A well-funded and established player now owned by ABC Fitness Solutions
• Workflows for both traditional gyms and boutique fitness studios
• Widgets that can be embedded in your site and offer the end-to-end flow within your website

#4. Momence (formerly Ribbon Experiences)

Momence Review

Momence is a new company in the space and came out of the ycombinator accelerator. The company initially started targeting yoga and fitness studios but has gradually moved towards any business offering experiences. They also rebranded to focus on this new market segment.

Momence is among the several start-ups that raise funding to go up against Mindbody yearly. So far, the company has worked with key influencers, and you will hear about Momence if you are part of fitness groups and masterminds. There has been a mass migration of studios from Mindbody to Momence lately due to referrals from other studio owners and the lower price compared to that of Mindbody.

Momence has all the features of Mindbody, and you will find all the features you need to run your fitness business. They have done a good job with their user experience, and I prefer the Momence backend over Mindbody. Their main selling point is the all-inclusive features in a single platform (which is not really a plus, read on to know why).

Momence offers a well-developed on-demand module allowing you to sell/rent on-demand content and also sell courses. Momence is a good option if on-demand content is a big part of your fitness studio.

The major complaint from Momence users is that the start-up not only charges you 5% per transaction but also charges your customers a 4% fee per transaction. The 9% transaction fee is in addition to any payment gateway fee you will pay. If you are a fitness studio, they charge you significantly more than individual users, and the pricing structure is not studio owner-friendly.

The second biggest issue is the reality of data ownership. Who owns your customer data, do you own it or does Momence own it? You need to clarify this issue as eventually, you don’t want what one other major platform has done, use your customer data to market services to your customers!

Momence sell their platform with the same features to different segments at different prices. This is another predatory pricing model of the industry that you need to be aware of. So if you are a large studio paying a premium, do negotiate the pricing down. There is no reason for a platform to charge you double for the same features. Additionally, the marketing suite does not replace Mailchimp or Constant Contact. If you need a very basic emailing automation system then it will work for you. You don’t have the ability to create magical branded emails as you can on Mailchimp or Constant Contact.

The team at Momence is world-class however, they are restricted by their business model of using a direct sales force and venture funding and their pricing for studios will always remain above $300/month plus revenue share in the form of transaction fees. If you are deciding on Momence vs. Mindbody, choose Mindbody as it is an established player offering the highest configurability and features at a more affordable price.

Momence Price:

Momence has tiered pricing and below is indicative of what you can expect:

• It starts at $0/month plus 5% per transaction and charges your customers 4% per transaction. 
• Premium tiers can cost you and your customers several thousand per year.
• Studios can expect to pay $300-$350/month plus extra transaction fees for the base plan. You may be given the option to offload transaction fees to your customers (please note, that you will get into legal trouble if you do this in many European countries).
• Core module without marketing suite: $200-$400/month
• Core module with marketing suite: $300-$500/month
• Core module + marketing suite + Branded app ($250/month): $550-$600/month

Why In The Top 15:

• Fast-growing software adopted by key fitness influencers and generating significant buzz in the industry
• Momence has done a good job working with top studios and, for the first time, offering a real challenge to the dominance of Mindbody. I am happy to see a company challenging the dominance of Mindbody and competing well.

NOTE: Please enquire about data ownership before signing up with Momence

#5. Wellness Living

Wellness Living Review

Founded in 2013, Wellness Living is among the established software providers in the wellness sector. Similar to Mindbody, Wellness living is a highly configurable platform. 

The platform serves various businesses without a specific focus on the fitness industry. A few years ago, Wellness Living was the only other option to Mindbody regarding cofigurability and the ability to serve large fitness studios with multiple locations and franchises. 

The users of Wellness Living complain about regular outages and malfunctioning key functionality, such as memberships and class packs. The user experience is dated, and the platform does not look as modern as that of other software companies for fitness studios.  

Recently, complaints about customer service have surfaced, and the company ties you into long-term contracts, which are challenging to terminate. 

Wellness Living Price:

• It starts at $129/month for the base plan and can go up to several thousands per year for the premium plans

Why In The Top 15:

• Established player with many fitness studios using the platform
• Can meet the needs of fitness studios with an extensive feature set

#6. Punchpass

Punchpass Review

Punchpass, founded in 2013, is among the few self-funded companies on the list. It started by serving small studios and individual operators. I have huge respect for what this small team has built in a market dominated by well-funded competitors. I am also loving their new rebranding.

During the pandemic, Punchpass saw significant growth, mainly driven by the need for streaming and on-demand solutions needed by fitness studios. Today Punchpass has a considerable customer base and good reviews. 

Over the years, Punchpass has remained true to its target market and provides all the tools that small and medium-sized fitness studios need. Although it lacks the configurability of Mindbody and Wellness Living, the platform is simple and easy to use.

If your requirements are simple and you do not require custom workflows, then Punchpass could be a good option. However, if you need flexibility in your operations, then Punchpass can feel limiting.

Punchpass Price:

• Starts at $49/month and goes up to $149/month depending on the features you use
• No hidden fees

Why In The Top 15:

• Established company servicing small fitness studios and individual operators
• Self-funded and has shown longevity (operating since 2013)—a much better option than some newly funded companies that may not survive the long term. 
• Easy to use

#7. Zingfit (Xplor)

Zingfit Review

If you have visited a famous boutique fitness studio such as 1Rebel or Boom Cycle, you have used Zingfit to book and reserve your class. A private equity group recently acquired Zingfit, so the management has changed since its founding in 2006. 

Zingfit offers custom experiences and is not shy to build custom booking experiences for its customers. The ability to provide custom development explains why many famous studios choose Zingfit. 

Zingfit offers a wide range of features focusing on customer attraction and retention features. They also provide a point-of-sale system (POS), which larger fitness studios often require. Zingfit also provides its own payment gateway. 

If you have a significant budget and want an “almost” custom booking experience for your fitness studio, Zingfit is a perfect choice. 

Zingfit Price:

• Starting at $149/month and going up to $459/month
• Zingfit uses its own payment gateway. Please compare the payment gateway charges against Stripe to understand the overall cost. 

Why In The Top 15:

• Unique ability to offer custom and unique booking experiences to its customers
• Used by some of the most famous studios in the world.

#8. Zenplanner

Zenplanner Review

Zenplanner, founded in 2006, is owned by Daxko, an enterprise company offering software solutions to YMCAs and JCCs. It began serving small wellness businesses and individual operators. It is best suited for Crossfit studios.

The Zenplanner offering is not specific to fitness studios. It is more suited for martial arts and semester-style teaching environments. However, Zenplanner has all the critical features required by fitness studios. 

They also provide advanced features such as a staff payroll module. By being in the industry for 15+ years, the platform has most of the features you will need for your fitness studio.

However, the main complaint of users is that the platform has poor user experience and looks dated. 

Zenplanner Price:

• Zenplanner charges based on the number of active users
• Pricing starts at $121/month and goes up to $257/month based on the number of active users
• Zenplanner uses its own payment gateway through partners

Why In The Top 15:

• Established player with 5000+ studios using the platform
• Extensive feature-set rivaling that of the industry leaders

#9. Bsport

bsport Review

Bsport is a French company that started in 2019 and currently looking to enter the US market. The company has several French and European customers but has a limited presence in the US and the UK. 

Bsport has focused heavily on marketing and customer retention. They offer unique features such as customer segmentation and a well-developed customer communication suite.

However, the biggest complaints of Bsport customers are:

• The platform is built for the French market. The translation of the terms and labels often doesn’t make sense to an English-speaking audience.
• With a heavy focus on marketing and customer engagement, the basics of scheduling, payments, and member management are overlooked. Studios complain of core functionality not working at times. 

Although Bsport is making a solid attempt to enter the US market, Bsport is a good option if you operate a fitness studio in France. However, you have several other fitness studio software companies for English-speaking markets that could better fit your fitness studio. 

bsport Price:

• $150/month plus $80/month for the branded app

Why In The Top 15:

• A new player entering the US market with some success
• Strong focus on marketing and customer retention offering a unique option to fitness studios that want marketing and customer retention in a single platform

#10. TeamUp

TeamUp Review

TeamUp was founded in 2012 in the UK and has a significant customer base in the UK. It has all the features you will need for your fitness studio. However, the platform has poor UI/X, and you will find a better and more modern booking experience provided by other fitness studio software companies. 

TeamUp has 10+ years of experience in the sector and has every feature you could want from a fitness studio management software. In the UK, it is a safe choice when you are overwhelmed with the options on the market. In the UK, they also offer direct debit payments using GoCardless. 

TeamUp Price:

• Pricing is based on the number of active customers
• Pricing starts at $99/month and goes up to $309/month

Why In The Top 15:

• An established player with an extensive customer base in the UK market

#11. Vagaro

Vagaro Review

Vagaro is another big operator in the space. Its valuation is over $1BN and serves the more comprehensive health and wellness industry. Vagaro focuses more on the salon and spa industry than the fitness industry.

When evaluating larger corporate providers, consider your wants and needs closely. 

Do you prefer working with a large corporation with the funds and resources to improve its platform? Also, if you are a small to a medium-sized fitness studio, you may never have your feedback or voice heard.

Or do you prefer working with small fitness software providers? Do you like the ability to have your voice heard and shape the platform? Also, are you comfortable with longer feature development timelines?

Vagaro will offer you all the features you need to operate your fitness studio. However, you will notice that the platform is more suited to a salon or spa environment. 

Vagaro Price:

• Pricing is based on the number of calendars used. For example, if you have three staff members with three different schedules, then you will use three calendars. 
• Pricing starts at $25/month for a single calendar and goes up to $85/month based on the number of calendars.

Why In The Top 15:

• An established player with significant resources
• Extensive customer base

#12. Acuity Scheduling (Squarespace Scheduling)

Acuity Scheduling Review

Acuity Scheduling was founded in 2006 and is an excellent scheduling platform for small businesses of all types. Squarespace acquired it in 2019, and it is now part of the Squarespace platform.

If you use Squarespace for your website, you can use Acuity Scheduling seamlessly integrated within your website.

Acuity scheduling will work for you if you have simple scheduling needs. Most fitness studios need robust and relatively configurable scheduling and member management platform. Acuity scheduling is not a good fit if your needs are beyond basic scheduling and calendar capabilities. 

Acuity Scheduling Price:

• Pricing is based on the features you use
• Pricing starts at $15/month and goes up to $50/month 

Why In The Top 15:

• Part of the Squarespace platform and allows you to get started seamlessly with scheduling if you use Squarespace.
• Mature, reliable platform serving calendering needs across sectors and industries

#13. Mariana Tek (Xplor)

Mariana Tek Review

Mariana Tek was founded in 2014, and Advent International acquired it in 2019 (the same group that acquired Zingfit, the number 7 fitness studio software on our list). 

It serves premium boutique fitness studios, which is reflected in its price. Mariana Tek is a good option, especially for spin studios or boutique fitness studios that require spot bookings. 

Apart from offering the most features needed by fitness studios, Mariana Tek provides unique marketing and community-building features. Mariana Tek will be a good option if you want an integrated marketing suite with your fitness studio software. 

Mariana Tek Price:

• Base pricing starts at $300/month and goes up based on the features you need
• They will give you the option to use their own merchant services. Explore the rates they provide v/s Stripe and other providers to get the best deal.

Why In The Top 15:

• Explicitly focused on the boutique fitness industry
• Backed by a group that has expertise in the fitness industry

#14. Arketa (formerly Sutra Pro)

Arketa Review

Arketa started as a platform aimed at serving the needs of yoga instructors (hence the previous name, Sutra). You can see the Arketa Reviews here.

It started as a marketplace for yoga and fitness professionals to sell their live stream and on-demand classes. They bet on the hypothesis that people would continue using fitness services online after the pandemic. 

However, people flocked back to fitness studios and gyms once fitness studios re-opened. Due to this, several startups with a similar “fitness professional marketplace” business model shut down. 

Arketa changed its business model and pivoted and now offers studio management software. 

Since Arketa was built to serve the needs of yoga professionals looking to offer their services online, it is an excellent option if your primary offering is live-stream classes or on-demand content. Arketa has done a brilliant job engaging influencers, and some influential fitness and yoga professionals use Arketa. 

Apart from the on-demand component, Arketa lacks several features you will need to run a successful hybrid fitness studio. Additionally, with the pricing model that takes a percentage of your revenue, you will find several other platforms that will be a better fit for your fitness studio. I would avoid Arketa if you wish to grow your fitness studio and build a long-term business.

The biggest concern I have about Arketa is their Google reviews. I have never seen such consistent bad reviews for any other provider. I typically don’t give much weight to Google reviews since these reviews can be faked. Anyone with a Google account can write a review without verification. However, I see Arketa responding to these bad Arketa reviews confirming that they are real. If you are considering Arketa, I would tread carefully and speak to existing customers to understand if they are a fit for you.

Arketa Price:

• Pricing is based on the features you use 
• Pricing starts at $0/month plus an 8% transaction fee per transaction and your payment processing fees. 

Why In The Top 15:

• A good option for studios whose primary offering is live-stream classes and on-demand content
• Some influential yoga and fitness professionals use Arketa

#15. Omnify

Omnify Review

Omnify is a scheduling and booking software for small businesses in general. They have quite a few fitness studios using their platform and so have experience in the industry. 

The platform is feature rich and mature. You will find all the features you need for your fitness studio software in Omnify, and the pricing is simple. However, Omnify seems more focused on the hospitality space than on boutique fitness studios. 

Omnify Price:

• Pricing is based on your features and the number of staff accounts.
• Pricing starts at $49/month and goes up to $599/month.
• Omnify takes a percentage of your revenue per transaction. Transaction fees range from 2% to 0.5% of your income per transaction and payment processing fees.

Why In The Top 15:

• An established player with a comprehensive feature set 

Fitness Studio Software Purchase Process

Review this guide and pick 2-3 fitness software companies best suited for your business. Check each company’s analysis “Best For” section to find the right fitness studio management software for your business.

Contact your top picks and set up demos. The prices mentioned could change, and you will get a new quote once you enter the demo phase.

Once you have completed the demos, request a sandbox. Give the company some scenarios: sample class packs, memberships, fitness class schedules, appointments, etc., and ask for a test platform.

Once you have completed the sandbox test, you can make the right choice of fitness class software for your business. The sandbox (free trial) will also give you an idea of the support the company can offer.

Fitness Studio Software Red Flags

There are some universal aspects related to the purchase of fitness studio software that you must consider:

1. Taking a percentage of your sales. Any company that takes a portion of your sales, whether hidden fees or additional processing fees, must be a red flag. This business model has no benefit to a fitness studio owner. As you grow and become more successful, you end up paying hundreds and thousands per month in (hidden) fees. 
2. Owning YOUR data: This is by far the most crucial issue that will come to haunt you if you choose the wrong provider. Some major providers in the industry structure their T&C/contracts etc. such that they own all your data. You heard that right, all your customer data belongs to them including your customer email ID, phone number, and address. They can market to your customers anytime even after you leave that provider. During demos do ask about data ownership and if you get a roundabout answer, run.
3. Making the fitness studio software your only online presence without a website. Some fitness business software gives you beautiful booking pages. However, you should also have a separate website to build your brand. There are several simple options, such as Squarespace, Wix, and Carrd, to create a beautiful website. However, do not use the in-built scheduling options provided by Squarespace and Wix. You should ideally have a website and a separate robust fitness studio scheduling platform connected seamlessly. 

Conclusion

This guide gives you all the information you need to shortlist your top 3 fitness studio software companies. I’ll be happy to discuss your specific situation and direct you to the right fitness business software provider for your business needs. You can easily schedule a call with me below.