Best Fitness Business Management Software 2018
Whether you manage a gym or boutique fitness studio, we'll help you find the best fitness management software to help you grow your business and save you time on administrative tasks like employee payroll, scheduling, and billing, and also greatly improve the customer experience.
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MINDBODY: Most Popular Fitness Membership Management Software
MINDBODY is the most popular membership management solutions for fitness-related businesses -- and for good reason, the software has one of the most comprehensive set of features in the industry. The comprehensive set of features may come with a steep learning curve, but those who invest the time to familiarize themselves with the software will be rewarded with the software’s powerful capabilities. Though MINDBODY can also be used by salons and spas, it’s most popular amongst fitness businesses. Read our in-depth MINDBODY review
Highlights
Price
MINDBODY is great for businesses looking to gain exposure through the mobile app and its 3.5 million users.
WellnessLiving: Excellent all-in-one Business Management Solution for Fitness Businesses
WellnessLiving is a comprehensive business management solution suitable for a wide variety of industries. Though the system is primarily used by fitness and wellness businesses, it's also suitable for other types of small businesses that need an affordable business management system. The software includes all of the features you need to manage your business, including advanced scheduling capabilities, staff management, and robust reporting capabilities, without requiring any costly add-ons or third-party integrations. WellnessLiving has quickly emerged as one of the best business management options for fitness and wellness businesses. Read our in-depth WellnessLiving review
Highlights
Price
Excellent all-in-one business management solution with a comprehensive set of features at an exceptional price.
Pike13: Intuitive Membership Management Software Startup
Pike13 (formerly known as Front Desk) is a simple membership management solution serving a wide variety of service-based businesses, ranging from fitness studios to dance studios, and music schools. Though not designed solely for the fitness industry, many of Pike13’s clients are fitness businesses and the software has become one of the most popular solutions in the space. The interface is designed to be user friendly and have a lower learning curve compared to its competitors. Read our in-depth Pike13 review
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Price
PTminder: Affordable, yet Powerful Personal Trainer Software
PTminder is a top choice for personal trainers and boutique fitness studios looking for a lightweight software system to help them manage their business more efficiently, without breaking the bank. The user-friendly design allows trainers and clients to easily schedule classes, and access any relevant data in one central location. In addition, the client management capabilities help facilitate communication between trainers and clients, which plays an important role in retaining clients and reducing cancellations and no-shows. The software also allows trainers to create workout and nutrition plans using a large library of exercises and foods. Read our in-depth PTminder review
Highlights
Price
Ideal for personal trainers and boutique fitness studios looking for an affordable system to help manage their business.
Zen Planner: For Single-Location Fitness Businesses
Trusted by over 5,000 fitness businesses, Zen Planner is a comprehensive web-based membership management solution designed for gyms, martial art schools, boutique fitness studios and boxes. The software includes all of the features necessary to manage and grow your fitness business, and is especially great for single-location fitness studios. We particularly like the unique social features of Zen Planner -- members can keep track of their workout progress through the software, and compare their performance against their peers. This unique social interactivity promotes a sense of community, and holds members accountable for their progress. Read our in-depth Zen Planner review
Highlights
Price
Zen Planner is ideal for fitness businesses looking to foster a sense of community.
Glofox: Value Membership Management Software
Glofox stands out from the competition with its ease of use and customization; each client receives a custom branded mobile app, which customers can download to view, book and pay for classes, courses and memberships. A booking and payment portal can also be integrated with your website or Facebook page. This level of customization makes Glofox a top solution for smaller gyms and fitness studios looking to save time, grow their community and promote their brand. Designed specifically for the fitness industry, Glofox offers a feature-rich product at a competitive price. Read our in-depth Glofox review
Highlights
Price
With an emphasis on their mobile app capabilities, Glofox is ideal for on-the-go small business owners.
Wodify: A Popular Option for CrossFit Boxes
Founded in 2012 and endorsed by decorated CrossFit athletes like Rich Froning, Wodify comes with a rich set of features that will appeal to box owners and athletes alike. Box owners can replace their existing whiteboards with the digital whiteboard kiosk provided by Wodify, which gives users a place to check in and view workout results. The software helps coaches create and schedule Workouts of the Day, while the full-featured member mobile app keeps users engaged and motivated even when they're not working out in your gym. Read our in-depth Wodify review
Highlights
Price
Wodify is ideal for CrossFit boxes that want to motivate and inspire their members.
EZFacility: Comprehensive Web-Based Fitness Business Management Software
Founded in 2003, EZFacility provides a comprehensive set of features for fitness businesses that are looking to streamline their everyday operations. One of the most impressive aspects of the software is that it gives gyms the chance to offer a custom branded mobile app for their members, without creating one from scratch. The software is also designed with sophisticated custom reporting capabilities that allow you to extract valuable insights about your most popular classes, best and worst revenue sources, peak gym hours, and more. Read our in-depth EZFacility review
Highlights
Price
Ideal for sports facilities and fitness businesses looking for a web-based management system to help manage their business from end-to-end.
Other Fitness Software Management Options
Key Questions
to Consider
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Will the online booking system take members away from your site?
Many of the top software providers enable members to book classes / appointments online. However, some providers will host these capabilities on their own web domain. This can divert traffic away from your website, which can potentially result in lost customers.
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Will your members have a custom mobile app?
A custom mobile app for your business can be a great way to build your brand, and increase customer loyalty. Some software providers have a generic app that includes all businesses who subscribe to the software. This can be a powerful marketing tool, since if you're one of the businesses, any user who downloads the app can discover your business and sign up for classes. The downside is that if a user is searching for your business through the app, they can possibly discover one of your competitors and go there instead.
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Does the software support the different membership options you provide?
If you have different types of memberships or introductory offers, you'll want to make sure that your software can accommodate all of them and keep track of their balances. It can get complicated to manage complex membership types, and if your software can't support them, then this can introduce additional headaches.
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Does the system support multiple locations?
If your business has multiple locations, you'll want to make sure that the software enables you to manage all of them from one centralized place. In addition, you'll want to be able to manage multiple schedules, and allow customers to visit various locations, while having their balances be updated accordingly. When analyzing reports, you'll want to be able to easily aggregate data across locations, and also analyze each location's performance individually. Some products charge extra for all of these capabilities, so you should factor that into the price.
Important Product Features to Look For
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Automated Billing & Payment Processing
Members can pay bills online, which means you’ll get paid regularly and on time. Business managers can also track and manage payroll through software.
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Marketing
Engaging potential or past clients through e-mail or push notifications can be helpful in growing your client base. It’s also important to be able to advertise promotions or deals to attract new members, and increase awareness of your brand.
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Scheduling
It's helpful to allow members to reserve spots in classes, or schedule personal training sessions online. Staff should also be able to easily access their schedules and understand how full their classes are.
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Workout Tracking
Enable members to track their progress and celebrate personal records. Some platforms also provide leaderboards to give members a sense of how their performance compares to others, and to help motivate.
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Point of Sale / Retail management
Track inventory and enable customers to purchase workout gear, snacks, and supplements on-line and in person.
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Mobile App / Website:
For members to book classes, check in, and track workouts, further helping you engage with your customers. Having a custom mobile app or website with your branding can be a great way to strengthen your brand and foster a sense of community with your members. Many of the top software solutions will also support integration with your existing website or Facebook page.
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Reporting/Analytics
Track information about retention rates, membership growth, sales numbers, monthly revenue and gain valuable insights about how your business is doing.
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Member Check-ins
Staff should be able to quickly check members in to their classes, or enable members to check themselves in so that they can get to their workouts faster.
Fitness Studio Resources
We've compiled our research into convenient guides in order to help you grow your fitness studio.