Momence vs Mindbody is the most requested comparison I get these days from studio owners.
Momence is on a major campaign to acquire Mindbody customers and has set up call centers, hiring an army of sales agents to call studios using Mindbody, or any other provider for that matter, and sell them on the vision of switching to Momence.
The general dissatisfaction with Mindbody, as it held a monopoly in the space, led to thousands of studios changing to Momence over the last few years. However, we are now approaching a point where the benefits of switching from Mindbody to Momence are negligible.
We have reached a point where the support (indicated by online reviews) offered by Momence is causing studios to switch back to Mindbody.
I have used both Momence and Mindbody, and I have also spoken to hundreds of studio owners who are considering Momence or Mindbody. I have also worked with studio owners who come to us, having switched from Momence and Mindbody to StudioGrowth.
In this guide, I will provide a straightforward and unbiased comparison of Mindbody vs. Momence, so that you can make the right choice for your studio. At the end of this guide, I will also introduce you to StudioGrowth as an option you could consider. So let's get started.
If you are further along in your research and want to see how StudioGrowth compares directly to Mindbody or Momence, you can review my Mindbody alternative or Momence alternative page for a broader comparison.
Best Fit Target Audience
Momence vs Mindbody vs StudioGrowth
If you are evaluating Mindbody across several alternatives, you may also want to see how it compares with other leading platforms. I have written detailed comparisons including Mindbody vs Glofox, Mindbody vs Vagaro, and Mindbody vs WellnessLiving, which can give you a wider perspective before making a final decision.
If you’re evaluating Mindbody beyond Momence, we’ve put together a complete comparison of leading Mindbody competitors covering pricing, contract terms, and best fit by business type.
Brief History
Let's begin with a brief overview of Momence and Mindbody.
Mindbody is the company that started it all. They are the pioneers who introduced online wellness class scheduling and member management in the early 2000s. Over the last few decades, Mindbody has remained the leader in its space and continues to innovate. It has fought off hundreds of competitors that challenged its dominance.
Mindbody has made some brilliant acquisitions to remain at the forefront of innovation in the space. Although the founders are no longer with the company, Mindbody boasts some of the best leadership in the domain. Their majority shareholders include the best PE firms in the industry, such as Vista Equity Partners.
Momence, on the other hand, is a relatively new company emerging from the popular startup accelerator Y Combinator. The founders, although young, have built a product that is well-received in the market.
NOTE: In January 2025, Momence was acquired by Clubessential Holdings, which also owns a suite of other providers, including ClubReady.
However, their platform has recently been plagued by bugs and complaints of poor customer service. See the reviews below taken from Trustpilot:
The challenge for Momence will be to demonstrate to the market that it is a business that will be sustainable in the long term. As with the majority of venture capital-backed companies, most shut down or are acquired.
Momence has two options: to build a $100M+ revenue business or die trying. They seem to be having an employee morale issue, as indicated by employee reviews on Glassdoor:
Why is this important for you? You typically want to work with a business with stable leadership, which is here for the long term. After an acquisition or shutdown, it is the end users who suffer.
Now that you are familiar with the background of these companies, let's delve into the question of Mindbody vs. Momence. We will look at their critical differences across these topics:
- Unique Selling Proposition
- Data Ownership
- Price
- Customer Service
- Leadership & Longevity
- Features
Feature & Quality Comparison Chart
| Feature | Mindbody | Momence | StudioGrowth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scalability & Stability | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Innovation & Features | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Ease of Use | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Customer Support | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Pricing Transparency | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Marketplace & Network | ★★★★★ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| All-in-One Platform | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Data Ownership Clarity | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ |
Unique Selling Proposition
Momence
The most significant selling point of Momence is its all-in-one platform approach, offered at a lower cost compared to Mindbody.
The all-in-one platform (scheduling, member management, messaging, single inbox, marketing) is not a new concept, and Mindbody already provides it. The way Momence differentiates is by offering the entire all-in-one platform at a single all-you-can-eat pricing.
There is a place for marketing automation when you have an established brand and are doing in excess of $500k/ year in revenue. Meta ads integration would only be relevant for multi-location and franchise studios that operate ads at scale.
To summarize, the unique value of Momence is its all-in-one platform approach, which offers a lower price than Mindbody and is particularly well-suited for niche studios.
Mindbody
The unique selling proposition of Mindbody is that it is the single largest software provider in the market for fitness and wellness businesses. It has the largest network of studios using its platform. It can also expose you to millions of new customers through its marketplace.
The unique selling proposition of Mindbody is not any gimmick, and no other company can provide what Mindbody can. Mindbody has all the features that Momence has and then some. The biggest issue is the high price tag and the constant price increases.
In short, Mindbody provides advantages that no other provider in the market can match.
Data Ownership
The biggest complaint I hear about Mindbody is that in the app, your customers are shown other similar studios! How does Mindbody achieve this? Will Momence do this in the future?
Several studio owners have mentioned that Momence is not transparent about data ownership at the time of writing this article. Your customer data belongs to you and you alone! No one should be able to use your customer information and market other studios, products, and services to them.
You will need to do your research and ask the hard questions during your demos. Some of these companies, as stated in their terms and conditions, reserve the right to own your customer data. As a business owner, you do not want to allow it.
When it comes to data ownership, both Momence and Mindbody walk the grey area, and it is up to you to get clarification on the matter. If possible, avoid any provider that claims ownership of your customer data.
Price
As of this writing, Momence is significantly cheaper than Mindbody, which is the primary reason many Mindbody users have switched to Momence. However, Momence is steadily increasing its pricing as it acquires more customers.
Momence pricing can vary from $350 to $650+, depending on the apps you want (marketing suite, branded app, etc.). Mindbody is slightly more expensive, with costs ranging from $150 to $1,200 per month for a single location.
Additionally, you are facing significant hidden fees and processing fees with both providers. During your demo, do ask for a full breakdown of all the hidden and processing fees.
Customer Service
Recently, Momence has been criticized online for its poor customer service. I decided to give it a try and agree with the reviews. The only way I could contact them was through a web chat, and it took them 24+ hours to get back to me. To finally resolve my issue related to being overcharged, it took them several weeks to correct the issue.
Mindbody does offer 24/7 support. However, the first line of support is typically handled by customer support agents who have limited knowledge of your business. Due to this, Mindbody support may seem impersonal. However, given the recent complaints about Momence support, Mindbody wins in this comparison.
Leadership & Longevity
As a studio owner, it is in your best interest that the software platform you choose should be around for years and decades to come. The last thing you want is for the business to shut down or have a complete change in leadership.
Momence is a venture capital-funded startup designed to deliver substantial returns to its investors. The path forward for Momence is to be acquired by a more prominent company, go public through an IPO, or go bankrupt.
In January 2025, Momence was acquired by Club Essential Holdings. It will be interesting to see how this acquisition impacts the trajectory of Momence.
Mindbody, on the other hand, has been through that journey already. It has been bought and sold multiple times, and its current owner, Vista Equity Partners, is likely to take it public. Due to this, you do not have to worry about the longevity of Mindbody.
Mindbody is an industry veteran and a financially sound business. Momence, on the other hand, focuses on growth and has significant market risks ahead. If I wanted to go with a safer option that will be around for the next few decades, I would choose Mindbody.
Features
Both Mindbody and Momence provide a wide feature set. Momence was able to enter the market and truly innovate with its marketing suite and innovations such as the meta ads integration. This has compelled other providers in the market to raise their standards.
For small and mid-sized studios, both Momence and Mindbody are great choices in terms of feature comparison alone. However, for franchises and multi-location studios, Mindbody is a better option.
Mindbody has the largest network of studios and also operates as a partner for its enterprise customers. They offer financing when needed and have dedicated account managers in place to support their clients. Moreover, you can get access to their APIs to build truly customizable experiences for your customers.
However, when it comes to ease of use, Momence shines in this comparison. I have found the platform to be much simpler to use than Mindbody and intuitive.
StudioGrowth
If you are currently exploring Momence vs Mindbody, I encourage you to consider StudioGrowth.
StudioGrowth is a good fit for studios that are just starting up and it supports scaling studios from $0 to $1M in revenue per year.
Review the studioGrowth features, and if they match your requirements, it could be a significantly better option for you. The unique selling proposition of StudioGrowth is:
- You own 100% of your data.
- Lightweight, easy-to-use platform with good reviews
- Better customer experience
- Fraction of the cost of Mindbody or Momence
- World-class support. It is the highest-rated software for customer support.
You can read more about StudioGrowth and how it compares to the top 10 fitness scheduling software here.
How Does StudioGrowth Compare to Momence & Mindbody?
In terms of features, StudioGrowth offers everything you will need to start and grow your fitness and wellness business. Recently, they have invested heavily in feature development and are at par with both Momence and Mindbody.
They launched their branded app, which is provided to all customers. They also have the option to create a custom app for you on the app stores. With innovations like community feed and in-app messaging, the mobile app is winning over customers.
Their marketing suite is on par with the marketing automation provided by Momence. Before Momence entered the market, customers relied on third-party vendors for their marketing automation needs. However, you now have a truly all-in-one platform, including newsletters and communications provided by all three providers.
Where StudioGrowth truly shines is in the customer support it provides. The support is provided by the founders and the engineers building the platform. Momence had a similar approach, but it grew far too quickly to maintain this difference.
Another reason to choose StudioGrowth is the transparent pricing with no hidden fees. Hidden fees can significantly increase your monthly bill. StudioGrowth does not charge any processing fees except the Stripe fees. If you process $10,000/month, you end up paying $100 more per month for every 1% increase in processing fees.
This guide provides all the information you need to make an informed decision between Mindbody and Momence. If you'd like to see how StudioGrowth compares in detail, please schedule some time with me. Depending on your studio type you can explore the StudioGrowth solutions for yoga, Pilates and fitness.
Ready to Make Your Decision?
Schedule a personalized demo to see how StudioGrowth compares to Mindbody & Momence.
Schedule Your Demo
