6 Best Gym Management Software in 2023
This article is part of a larger series on CRM.
Gym management software lets you track membership, schedule classes, monitor inventory for gym merchandise, and market to new members. These features, combined with general customer relationship management (CRM) software tools like integrations and a mobile app, make it a powerful tool for overseeing a fitness center. We researched dozens of the best gym management software based on price, features, and usability to arrive at the top six options.
Here are our top recommendations for the best software for gyms and their use cases:
- TeamUp: Best overall gym management software and a great option for gyms or studios that service many families or groups
- ZenPlanner: Top fitness management software for users looking to enhance their member experience with progress tracking tools
- PushPress: Best software for a gym membership with a wide range of free features
- MindBody: Best gym management program for fitness centers’ customer service teams
- Glofox: Excellent gym system software for those wanting sales and lead management capabilities
- WellnessLiving: Solid health club system for studios looking to reward their clients for loyalty, purchases, and training progress
The best gym management tools offer essential features to centralize customer information management. Below are some of the most fundamental and common features gym management software should have:
Best Gym System Software Compared
Free Plan | Starting Price for Paid Plans | Free Trial for Paid Plans | Notable Gym Management Features | Customer Support | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | Starts at $99 per month for 0-100 active members | N/A | Family and group management features | 24/7 chat, email, and phone support plus online resources | |
N/A | $126 per month | 15 days | Workout tracking and retail management | Chat, email, and phone support | |
Up to 2 users | $159 per month | Duration not specified | Product, payroll, events, and booking management | Email, live chat, and Facebook support plus online sources | |
N/A | Customized pricing | N/A | Customer communication and review management | 24/7 phone and email support plus online resources | |
N/A | Customized pricing | N/A | Lead management, segmentation, and sales interactions | 24/7 chat, email, and phone support plus online resources | |
N/A | $89 per month | 14 days | Client management, loyalty awards, and rewards programs | Email and phone support plus online sources | |
TeamUp: Best Overall Gym Management Software With Family & Group Experience Features
What We Like
- No tiered pricing—all features are included regardless of what you pay; pricing depends on the number of members
- Ability to automate class-related communications, including booking confirmations and reminders
- Unique features for managing family subscriptions and group plans
What's Missing
- No free plan
- Email campaigns require outside integration
- No SMS campaign features
Pricing Summary*
- TeamUp: Starts at $99 per month for 0-100 active customers/members
- Free trial: 30 days
*Only monthly billing available
TeamUp lets gyms and fitness centers organize customer information and waivers, collect payments, and create events or classes members can sign up for online. There’s an option to design a branded mobile app that makes it convenient for members to book their appointments, make purchases, and keep their information and forms up to date.
TeamUp creates an excellent membership experience for families and groups. Businesses can collect information relating to family relationships, track their schedules, manage group payments, and offer discounts for siblings or other group sign-ups.
There’s also an emphasis on security through its Access Security Control feature. When activated in members’ mobile apps, it can be synced into the main software to manage access points and track those inside the facility. This means that only individuals registered and enrolled in the software can access the facilities of the gym.
One downside of TeamUp crucial for gyms is that email campaigns require outside integration with an email tool like Mailchimp. PushPress and WellnessLiving are ideal options for teams looking for those capabilities within the main system.
TeamUp Plan Summary & Features
Description | |
---|---|
Appointments | Ability to control availability and client ability to schedule their own appointments |
Customer & Membership Management | Data management for customers including tagging, health information, pre- and post-natal status, and photo storage |
Family & Group Management | Tracking for schedules, payments, waivers, and information related to a group such as a family as well as discount management for group sign-ups |
Payment Processing | Payment collection for memberships and purchases as well as sales forecasting capabilities |
Reporting | Dashboard and reporting on sign-ups, visits, member referrals, purchases, marketing activity, and insights on popular class times and frequent customers |
Waivers & Forms | Ability to request, collect, and store information and contacts required for membership |
Online Class Booking | Class creation with easy online booking for members with automatic waitlisting and no-show management |
Member App | Custom mobile app for members to book classes, fill out forms, make purchases, sign waivers, and keep data up to date |
Access Security Control | Smart security system synced to TeamUp account to monitor and set access points and stay informed on attendance for facility safety |
TeamUp’s family membership management feature (Source: TeamUp)
ZenPlanner: Best for Managing Customer Experiences for Specific Types of Fitness Centers
What We Like
- No tiered pricing—all features are included regardless of what you pay
- Comprehensive gym system software with marketing, staff, membership, and product management modules
- Great workout tracking and coach programming features
What's Missing
- Expensive starting prices
- No loyalty and rewards program management tools
Pricing Summary*
- 0 to 50 members: $126 per month
- 51 to 100 members: $176 per month
- 101 to 250 members: $227 per month
- 251+ members: $267 per month
- Free trial: None; only a free demo is available for booking
*Only monthly billing available
While most providers on this list have tools for managing member workouts and progress, none do it better than ZenPlanner. It provides specialized features for specific types of fitness centers like CrossFit, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), yoga studios, and traditional gyms. These include workout score tracking, lift percentage calculations, and skill and belt tracking. Coaches can also assign daily workouts through the app where athletes can view them in real time.
In addition, the platform offers tools to market your fitness center, manage payments, create appointments or classes, and provide a mobile app for members to use. There’s also a full retail management module for processing transactions and tracking inventory. It even tracks total account balances for members if they prefer to add the cost to their recurring bill.
The starting cost of ZenPlanner is one of its main downsides. For users who prefer a more cost-friendly option, we recommend WellnessLiving, which starts at $89 per month on the lowest tier. Users can also consider PushPress, the only provider on this list that offers a free plan.
ZenPlanner Plan Summary & Features
Description | |
---|---|
Billing & Payment Processing | Integrate payment processing with automated billing, credit card capture, self-service payments, and automatic bank deposits |
Website & Digital Marketing | Website can be integrated with ZenPlanner to acquire contact form submissions, list on Google My Business, manage Facebook and Google ads, and search engine optimization (SEO) activity |
Advanced Workout Tracking | Member viewing of daily workouts with progress tracking, lift percentage calculations, and the ability to engage athletes with performance data and leaderboards |
Member App | Custom-branded app for members to reserve spots in a class, submit waivers, pay bills, get to know instructors, and track workouts |
Staff App | Integrated app for staff to use on mobile devices or tablet to plan classes, manage check-ins, finalize point-of-sale activities for purchases, log working hours, and sell memberships |
Online Scheduling | Appointment and class management with booking options from the member app or online |
Retail Management | Inventory tracking with POS capabilities, payment processing, self-service customer payment options, and account balance tracking for members |
Reporting & Dashboards | Report generation and sharing for revenue and gym activity as well as automated notifications to receive alerts on time-sensitive issues |
Skills & Belt Tracking | Progress tracking specifically for martial arts studios to manage tests based on skills and distribute student-level belts |
Workflow Automation | Automation configuration for email campaigns, billing, member notifications, and alerts for belt or rank testing |
Member Experience & Progress Management | Ability to deliver workout regimens and track progress for improvement, rankings, and belt distribution |
ZenPlanner helps athletes track their progress in detail (Source: GetApp)
PushPress: Best Software for Gym Membership With a Wide Range of Free Features
What We Like
- Free plan available
- Integrates with popular third-party software like Mailchimp, Slack, Zapier, Facebook, and Google Workspace
- Includes point-of-sale (POS) system with inventory management
What's Missing
- No external integrations on the free plan
- Limited event management and registration features on Free and Pro plans
- Paid plans are relatively expensive
Pricing Summary*
- Free: Up to 2 users
- Pro: $159 per month
- Max: $229 per month
- Free trial: Available, but duration not specified
*Only monthly billing available
PushPress is a free fitness software and a robust gym CRM system that lets you communicate, organize member information and documents, and manage point-of-sale (POS) transactions and inventory. This product also allows users to create personal training sessions or events for members to sign up for and check in. There are even options to process payroll from the CRM for your staff and trainers.
Another standout feature is the workout tracking capability. Training staff can set a workout regimen for a member through the member app and track it in real time. In addition to some of the built-in features, PushPress lets you integrate with popular tools like Slack, Facebook, Google Calendar, Mailchimp, and Zapier.
Due to the comprehensiveness of the platform, PushPress is a relatively expensive product with no ideal subscription option between the free and Pro plan. WellnessLiving and TeamUp are better alternatives with lower-priced, more scalable paid plans.
PushPress Plan Summary
Free | Pro | Max | |
---|---|---|---|
Lead Management | Unlimited leads | Unlimited leads | Unlimited leads |
Member Management | Up to 100 members | Unlimited members | Unlimited members |
Staff Users | 2 | 15 | Unlimited |
Check-in App Integration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Product & Inventory Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Workout Tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Appointments Session Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Events Planning & Registration | Up to one | Up to five | Unlimited |
Documents Storage | One per record | Up to five per record | Unlimited |
Payroll Management | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
PushPress Key Features
- POS integration: Integrates with in-store tablets to process transactions while tracking product inventory
- Payroll processing: Ability to manage payroll for staff and trainers within the system
- Lead and member management: Lead and member data organization, document management for files such as waivers, and ability to send automated communication via email or text message
- Appointment tracking: Users can create and manage training session appointments, allow members to sign up, check in attendees, and create a waitlist when capacity is maxed out
The dashboard of PushPress provides a snapshot of members and gym activities. (Source: PushPress)
MindBody: Best for Managing Customer Service Operations
What We Like
- Unique referral management features
- Customer service capabilities through SMS text conversations with members
- Artificial intelligence (AI) messaging features to handle front desk activities
What's Missing
- Pricing plans are not disclosed
- Email and text marketing require high-tiered plans
- Branded member app, and dashboard features require add-on costs
Pricing Summary
- Customized pricing
MindBody offers robust gym management capabilities that allow fitness businesses to monitor operations, marketing, class scheduling, and customer experiences. Users can handle payment processing through the system, track referrals, and organize staff information to monitor hours and rates for payroll.
However, despite these excellent gym management features, MindBody stands out for its customer service features when it comes to communication and engagement. Teams can assist members with a two-way SMS conversation and use 24/7 AI to automate assistance through preconfigured class booking links and responses to common questions. There’s also a user-friendly system for collecting member data, reviews, and feedback.
MindBody’s mobile app is unfortunately not available in its entry-level plan—and requires an additional cost for mid-tier pricing plans or a subscription to the Ultimate Plus plan. For a lower-priced option to let your members access payments, track workouts, and book classes on a mobile app, we recommend TeamUp.
MindBody Plan Summary
Starter | Accelerate | Ultimate | Ultimate Plus | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Class, Appointment & Resource Scheduling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Client & Staff Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
iPad Self Check-in | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Intake Process With Digital Forms | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Comprehensive Report Generation | Basic reports only | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Smart Contact Lists | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Custom Email Templates | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Customer Review Prompts | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Email & Text Campaigns | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Real-time Dashboards | ✕ | Requires add-on | Requires add-on | ✓ |
Branded Mobile App | ✕ | Requires add-on | Requires add-on | ✓ |
MindBody Key Features
- Referral management: Modular system for rewarding customers for referrals and tracking referred business
- Customer engagement: Unlimited two-way conversational SMS with members including artificial intelligence (AI) conversations when you’re unavailable, including prompts to request customers to send feedback and post reviews
- Class and appointment scheduling: Online booking for events, classes, and workshops with check-in tracking, waitlist management, and pick-a-spot options for members
- Operations management: Inventory tracking, payroll reporting, and staff management for creating profiles, tracking hours, and calculating pay
MindBody allows gym owners to reach customers through various communication channels, including calls, in-app messages, and emails. (Source: MindBody)
Glofox: Best Gym Membership Software for Lead & Sales Management Features
What We Like
- Robust lead management capabilities
- All-in-one solution for managing sales, marketing, client experience, and administrative workflows
- Simple, user-friendly interface
What's Missing
- Pricing plans are not disclosed
- Limited third-party integration options
- No free plan available
Pricing Summary
- Customized pricing
Glofox gives its users a range of modules for managing sales, marketing, and the client experience. Teams can run ads on Facebook or Instagram, as well as deploy automated SMS and email campaigns. They also make it easy for studio or gym members to schedule classes, check in, and receive updates through the custom-branded mobile app. Glofox even lets businesses manage and accept payments as well as generate transaction reports.
While it acts as a comprehensive gym management solution, the lead and sales management features make Glofox stand out the most. You can store basic contact and potential member information in the database as well as collect lead information through web forms, filter out lead lists, and create customer segments for tailored marketing campaigns. There’s even tremendous functionality for tracking activity and history with a particular prospect.
Relative to other options on this list, Glofox has limited integration options. PushPress is a better alternative that lets users integrate with plenty of popular third-party applications, including Slack, Facebook, Google Calendar, Mailchimp, and Zapier.
Glofox Plan Summary & Features
Description | |
---|---|
Website Lead Capture | Ability to generate lead data into the system through online web forms |
Ad Campaigns | |
Client Experience Management | Ability to enhance customer experience with brand application and a simple class scheduling system |
Lead Management | Lead data organization with filtering and activity tracking |
Targeting & Segmentation | Leads and members can be put into groups or segments for campaign automation |
Class Scheduling Management | Classes can be set up for easy scheduling and member sign-up |
Payment Processing | Accepted payments through card or direct deposit for recurring or one-time transactions |
System Reporting | Full reporting on trainer performance, class performance, lead activity, and transactions |
Branded Membership App | Branded app customization for members for signing up for classes, viewing their membership plan, and staying up to date on studio news and offers |
Automated Emails & Text | Campaign options for targeting leads or members on an automated basis |
Glofox’s member dashboard (Source: Glofox)
WellnessLiving: Best for Loyalty Program Management Features
What We Like
- Scalable subscription options based on feature needs
- Offers the most affordable pricing options
- Built-in loyalty management for rewarding based on fitness contests, progress, and customer purchases
What's Missing
- No free plan
- Forms for collecting client information requires an add-on
- Expensive email and short message service (SMS) texting campaign features
Pricing Summary
- Basic: $89 per month
- Advanced: $129 per month
- Professional: $159 per month
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- Free trial: None; only a free demo is available for booking
WellnessLiving is a full business management platform for client information management, processing transactions, and deploying marketing campaigns via direct mail, email, or SMS. There’s also the ability to generate activity reports, interactive graphs, and inventory statuses. It has an AI tool that analyzes your gym’s data to better understand your business by evaluating membership patterns, churn potential and rates, and pricing effectiveness.
This all-in-one CRM system is ideal for fitness studios, especially ones that use rewards programs to incentivize progress relating to exercise goals and winning training competitions. This is useful for giving out points for frequent purchases from your studio, which are redeemable through the customizable client app.
Unfortunately, WellnessLiving does not offer a free-forever plan. If a free plan is essential to your business, we recommend PushPress, which has a free plan for up to two staff members.
WellnessLiving Plan Summary
Basic | Advanced | Professional | Enterprise | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Client Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
POS & Credit Card Processing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Client Application | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Digital Waivers & Contracts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Custom CRM Data Fields | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Payroll Tracking | ✕ | ✕ | 500 SMS | 1,000 SMS |
Customer Review Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Email & SMS Drip Campaigns | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Direct Mail & Groupon Vouchers | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
AI Dashboard Reporting | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Loyalty Program Management | Custom rewards only | Custom rewards only | Custom prizes and rewards | Custom prizes and rewards |
Franchise Cloud With Enterprise Reporting | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
WellnessLiving Key Features
- Staff management: Staff member tracking, payroll reporting, and administrative task management capabilities
- Client management: Basic client and lead management features with custom data fields, digital contracts and waivers, loyalty and rewards programs, and progress tracking for training goals
- Comprehensive marketing features: Email and SMS campaign deployment including drip campaigns as well as a direct mail designer, Google My Business class registration, and integrations with ClassPass
- Branded client experience with online booking system: Client application management to let customers check in, sign up for events, and book appointments with options to send gift cards through the app
How We Evaluated the Best Gym Management Software
To determine the best fitness club management software, we considered industry-specific software that offers niche features, such as tools for managing and tracking memberships. Additionally, we evaluated general features in a CRM, like integration options and reporting tools. We also evaluated typical product attributes such as price, ease of use, and customer support.
We picked TeamUp as the best overall gym fitness management system because of its simple pricing and wide range of membership management tools. These include appointment scheduling, bookings, membership renewal management, and payment processing. We also like its family subscription feature, which allows users to enroll their whole family in the system, and track each member’s individual progress.
The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process of the best gym management CRMs:
10% of Overall Score
Pricing took into account the availability of a free plan and various scalable pricing options that a user could affordably purchase when evaluating various scheduling software for gyms. We also looked at the availability for a subscriber to either pay monthly or save by paying annually.
10% of Overall Score
We looked at overall features we feel are necessities, such as CRM integration options, analytics tools, and a mobile app. We also evaluated customization options within the system, particularly for tailoring a pipeline to a specific business’ sales process requirements.
30% of Overall Score
This category was the most heavily weighted and took into account CRM features specific to membership software for gyms. For instance, client management tools, a system for managing retail gym merchandise, and the ability to schedule classes would be relevant to a gym owner or manager. Additionally, the feature to market using email or text campaigns is also beneficial to this type of business.
20% of Overall Score
The solutions were also evaluated on platform usability. This was analyzed in terms of the expertise required to set up an account, the ease of integrating with native or third-party applications, and the skill needed to use features. We also reviewed the overall intuitiveness of navigating the system’s interface.
20% of Overall Score
Extensive support and service help prevent poor user and patient experiences and outcomes users may encounter while using any of these gym management platforms. Help and support were evaluated in terms of customer service hours and the availability of support via phone, live chat, and email. We also looked at online resources for users to review, like tutorials, forums, and training modules.
10% of Overall Score
In addition to firsthand experience with these software solutions, we evaluated what users say about each product. These criteria consider how customers feel, based on their reviews, to gain insight into platform popularity, ease of use, and overall value for the price.
Gym Management Software Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
I am a gym owner, but how do I know if I really need gym management software?
Gym management software offers niche features that are particularly helpful to gym business owners, which are typically not found in general-purpose CRMs. As a gym owner, you can benefit from crucial features like membership tracking, workout progress monitoring, and renewal reminders.
In regular CRMs, features focus on managing leads and monitoring pipelines, automating marketing, or servicing customers. The only drawback is that this type of CRM is relatively more expensive than general-purpose CRMs.
The providers have similar features. How do I decide which one to subscribe to?
One useful way to narrow down your options is to check if a subscriber offers specialized features for the kind of gym that you own or manage. For example, ZenPlanner provides features specifically designed for CrossFit or MMA gyms. You can also decide based on your budget and the number of active members.
Bottom Line
Fitness software programs offer niche features to help you manage your gym and members effectively. If you are managing a large volume of active members, then it is ideal for you to subscribe to this industry-specific software. Leverage a fitness CRM platform by choosing one that offers a members’ portal for class bookings, a view of upcoming sessions, fitness monitoring, and receiving notifications from the studio.