The picks
- PushPress — Best for independent gyms and class-based fitness
- Mindbody — Best for boutique studios that want marketplace visibility
- ABC Glofox — Best for growing gyms and multi-location operations
- TeamUp — Best budget option for small group fitness studios
- HubSpot CRM — Free CRM for gyms focused on lead nurturing, not member management
#1 Pick
PushPress is the default for independent gym owners. The free CRM tier is genuinely free, not a trial. It was built ground-up for class-based fitness, not retrofitted from generic scheduling software. This is the answer for 80% of gym owners asking this question.
Why I picked this
PushPress Core gives you member management, scheduling, and billing at $0/month. The tradeoff is higher payment processing fees (4.19% + $0.30 vs. 2.89% + $0.30 on Pro). For a gym doing $10K/month in membership revenue, that’s roughly a $130 difference in processing costs. Do the math for your volume — at some point Pro pays for itself.
The whole workflow assumes you run classes. Scheduling, WOD tracking, member check-ins, capacity limits, waitlists. If your gym runs on a class schedule, PushPress speaks your language.
The member-facing app is good. Members book classes, log workouts, and manage their membership from their phone. They actually use it daily. That matters — software your members hate is software that creates more work for you.
Integrated billing handles recurring charges, failed payment recovery, holds, and freezes. You’re not wiring together Stripe and a spreadsheet.
The community adoption in CrossFit and functional fitness is organic, not bought. Gym owners recommend it to other gym owners. That says more than any feature list.
Fair warning: the jump from free to $159/month is steep. There’s no $50 middle tier. You’re either on the free plan with higher processing fees, or you’re all-in on Pro. For small gyms doing low volume, the free tier works. Once you’re processing enough payments, the math flips.
Key features for gyms
- Free tier (Core) — Real member management at $0/month, not a 14-day trial
- Class scheduling — Capacity limits, waitlists, recurring schedules
- Member app — Class booking, workout logging, membership management
- Integrated billing — Recurring charges, failed payment recovery, holds/freezes
- WOD tracking — Built for CrossFit and functional fitness programming
Skip this if…
- You run a traditional open-floor gym with no classes — the class-based workflow won’t fit
- You’re a yoga or Pilates studio where marketplace discovery matters — Mindbody’s consumer app is a real advantage there
- You need multi-location franchise management — Glofox handles that better
- You’re deeply embedded in Mindbody already — switching means losing your marketplace booking base, and that’s a real cost
#2 Pick
Mindbody is the market leader in boutique fitness. It’s the only platform with a consumer app where millions of people search for and book classes. Expensive, and the UI is showing its age, but the marketplace effect is real.
Why I picked this
The consumer marketplace is genuinely unique. People open the Mindbody app, search “yoga near me,” and find your studio. No other gym software does this. For boutique studios where new member discovery matters — yoga, Pilates, barre, cycling — that built-in demand is worth the premium.
The platform goes deep: scheduling, staff management, retail POS, client profiles, automated marketing, payroll integration. It’s a full business operating system, not just a CRM.
Integration ecosystem is the broadest in the category. ClassPass, corporate wellness programs, insurance reimbursement. If your studio works with employer wellness benefits, Mindbody is likely already on the approved vendor list.
The tradeoff: expensive and getting more expensive. Starter at ~$99/month is just the beginning. Add marketing tools and you’re looking at 20% marketplace fees plus 3.5% payment processing on bookings through the Mindbody app. Lower tiers are limited in ways that push you toward pricier plans.
The honest answer: owners report feeling locked in. Leaving Mindbody means losing your marketplace visibility, reviews, and booking history. That lock-in is real. The interface is dated compared to PushPress. Customer support gets mixed reviews.
Mindbody makes most sense for studios where discovery matters. If your gym fills through community reputation and referrals, the marketplace premium is wasted money.
Key features for gyms
- Consumer marketplace — Millions search for and book classes in the Mindbody app
- Deep platform — Scheduling, POS, staff management, payroll, automated marketing
- Integration ecosystem — ClassPass, corporate wellness, insurance reimbursement
- Client profiles — Visit history, purchase history, automated re-engagement
- Retail POS — Sell merchandise and supplements alongside memberships
Skip this if…
- You’re price-sensitive — this is the most expensive option on the list, and costs creep up
- Your gym fills through word of mouth, not marketplace discovery — you’re paying a premium for a channel you don’t need
- You want a modern, clean interface — the UX hasn’t kept pace with newer tools
- You’re a CrossFit or functional fitness gym — PushPress is built for your workflow, Mindbody isn’t
#3 Pick
ABC Glofox is the growth and scale option. If you’re opening a second location, building a franchise, or turning your gym into a brand, this is where you look. The ABC Fitness acquisition gives it enterprise credibility that standalone gym software doesn’t have.
Why I picked this
Multi-location management is where Glofox pulls ahead. One dashboard, centralized member database, location-specific schedules and pricing. PushPress and Mindbody can technically handle multiple locations, but Glofox was built for it.
The branded mobile app is better than competitors. Your members see your brand when they open the app, not the software company’s. For gym owners building a brand identity, that matters more than most people realize.
Lead management and sales pipeline are more developed than PushPress or Mindbody. Track prospects from inquiry to tour to trial to member. If you have a front desk team responsible for converting walk-ins, the sales tools actually help.
The ABC Fitness acquisition connects you to enterprise infrastructure — payment processing, industry partnerships, a larger ecosystem of fitness business tools.
The tradeoff: pricing isn’t transparent. You have to talk to sales. Third-party estimates put it at $100-600+/month depending on features and locations. Small single-location gyms will likely overpay for capability they don’t need. Implementation takes longer than self-serve tools — you’re not live in an afternoon.
The honest answer: Glofox is overkill for a single small gym. It’s the right call if you’re thinking in terms of locations, not a location.
Key features for gyms
- Multi-location management — Centralized dashboard, per-location schedules and pricing
- Branded member app — Your logo, your colors, your brand
- Lead management — Sales pipeline from inquiry to conversion
- Enterprise infrastructure — ABC Fitness ecosystem, payment processing, integrations
- Membership management — Flexible tiers, family plans, corporate packages
Skip this if…
- You run a single small gym and plan to stay that way — PushPress is simpler and cheaper
- You want transparent pricing before talking to sales — Glofox won’t show you numbers upfront
- You need the tool live in a week — implementation takes longer than self-serve options
- You’re a boutique studio where marketplace discovery matters — Mindbody handles that, Glofox doesn’t
Honorable mentions
#4
TeamUp charges by active members, not feature tiers. All features are included at every level. A studio with 80 active members pays $104/month. The pricing scales as you grow, so you’re never paying for capacity you don’t use. Class scheduling, attendance tracking, payments, and member management are all included. No surprises.
Choose this if: You run a small group fitness studio, budget matters, and you want predictable pricing that scales with your actual member count.
Skip it if: You need a branded mobile app, multi-location management, or a consumer marketplace for discovery. TeamUp keeps it simple — sometimes too simple.
#5
HubSpot is not gym management software. It’s a real CRM — lead tracking, email sequences, deal pipelines. It belongs on this list for gyms with genuine CRM needs: selling corporate wellness packages, running personal training lead funnels, or managing franchise sales. The free tier for up to 5 users is generous. It won’t schedule a single class or process a membership payment.
Choose this if: You have a lead generation problem, not a member management problem. Your gym needs to nurture prospects through email, track deals, and manage a sales pipeline.
Skip it if: You need scheduling, class management, or billing. HubSpot does none of that. Every other tool on this list is a better fit for day-to-day gym operations.
How to choose
Choose PushPress if you’re an independent gym or CrossFit box and want modern software that understands class-based fitness. The free tier means there’s no risk in trying it. Most gym owners should start here.
Choose Mindbody if you run a boutique studio — yoga, Pilates, barre, cycling — where new members find you through marketplace discovery. The premium is worth it if the Mindbody app actually drives bookings for you.
Choose ABC Glofox if you’re scaling beyond one location or building a gym brand. Multi-location dashboard, branded app, and enterprise infrastructure. Not worth it for a single small gym.
Choose TeamUp if you’re a small group fitness studio watching your budget. Pay for what you use. All features included. No surprises.
Choose HubSpot CRM if your problem is lead nurturing, not member management. Selling corporate wellness, running ad campaigns for personal training leads, or managing franchise inquiries. Free for up to 5 users.
The decision tree:
- Independent gym or CrossFit box? → PushPress
- Boutique studio wanting marketplace visibility? → Mindbody
- Multi-location or franchise? → ABC Glofox
- Small studio, tight budget? → TeamUp
- Need lead nurturing, not member management? → HubSpot CRM (free)
Most gym owners should start with PushPress. The free tier means there’s no reason not to try it.
What should a gym CRM actually do?
Most gym owners googling “gym CRM” actually need gym management software. A CRM tracks leads and sales relationships. Gym management software handles scheduling, billing, check-ins, and member communication. Every tool on this list except HubSpot is gym management software that includes CRM features. HubSpot is a real CRM with no gym management.
Here’s what matters:
Class and schedule management. If you run classes, your software needs scheduling, capacity limits, waitlists, and reservations. This is non-negotiable for class-based gyms. Open-floor gyms without classes can skip this.
Member billing and payments. Recurring billing, failed payment recovery, holds, freezes, and multiple membership tiers. If you’re still chasing payments manually, this alone justifies the software cost.
Member check-in and access control. Badge scanning, app-based check-in, or door access integration. Know who’s in your gym and when they’re coming. Attendance data tells you which members are at risk of canceling before they tell you.
Lead management. Capture walk-ins and web inquiries. Track follow-ups. Convert prospects to members. This is the actual “CRM” part, and most gym management platforms handle it well enough that you don’t need a separate tool.
Mobile experience. Members expect to book classes and manage their membership from their phone. If the member-facing app is bad, your front desk fields more calls and texts.
A note on what doesn’t belong: you’ll see review sites listing monday.com, Salesforce, and Pipedrive as gym CRMs. They’re not. None of them handle scheduling, billing, or member check-ins. A project management tool is not a gym CRM. If a list includes generic PM tools alongside gym software, it’s padding the list for SEO.
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