Search "best CRM for gyms" and the results split into two unrelated categories.
Some lists point you to general-purpose CRMs like HubSpot. Others point to
gym management platforms — PushPress, Wodify, Zen Planner, Mindbody, Glofox —
that bundle membership billing, class scheduling, and a lead-follow-up module
into one system. For almost every gym owner, the second category is the right
one. A general CRM tracks contacts and deals; it has no concept of a
membership, a recurring dues charge, a class roster, or a waitlist, and you'd
spend months bolting those on. The products gym owners actually compare each
other against are the all-in-one platforms, and "CRM" inside that world
usually means one module — lead capture and follow-up — sitting on top of
billing and scheduling, not the whole system.
The real split within that category is by gym type and growth stage: tools
built for a single independent box or studio, tools built specifically for
CrossFit affiliates, tools built for martial arts schools, and platforms built
for multi-location or franchise operators who need a branded app and
centralized reporting across sites.
PushPress: the default for independent boutique and CrossFit gyms
PushPress positions itself for "CrossFit gyms, martial arts academies,
boutique yoga and pilates studios, and other independent fitness businesses
running between 50 and 500 members," according to its own comparison content.
Its base plans run from a free tier through Core Pro at $159 a month and Core
Max at $229 a month, all month-to-month with no long-term contract, and Core
Max advertises card processing as low as 2.75% plus $0.30 per transaction.
The CRM layer, called Grow, is a separate add-on: $329 a month on top of a
Core plan, with a $699 one-time setup fee for new customers. A "Full Stack"
bundle that combines Core Pro, Grow, and the workout-tracking and
branded-app add-ons runs $599 a month. In other words, the headline entry
price is not the price of the lead-follow-up features — those sit a tier up,
which is worth knowing before you shop on the $0 or $159 number. On Capterra,
PushPress holds a 4.7-out-of-5 rating across 186 reviews, though its
billing-and-invoicing score there is a comparatively weak 3.0.
Wodify: built specifically for CrossFit affiliates
Wodify is the narrower, CrossFit-specific option. Its own pricing page lists
an Essentials tier at $79 a month per location, covering billing, scheduling,
client management, and digital waivers; the Accelerate tier adds lead
management, insights dashboards, and pre-built automations; Ultimate adds
performance tracking and a custom website. Plans are month-to-month with no
long-term contract required, and processing runs 2.6% plus $0.25 on credit
cards or 1.5% plus $0.30 on ACH.
On Capterra, Wodify rates 4.5 out of 5 across 154 reviews, with a strong
billing-and-invoicing score of 4.7 — better than PushPress's on that specific
metric — but weak third-party integrations (2.0) and, by its own tier
structure, only "minimal" marketing automation until you're on Accelerate or
above. If your gym's identity is built around tracked workouts and leaderboard
culture, that's Wodify's actual strength; the CRM piece is closer to a
bolt-on than a differentiator.
Zen Planner and Gymdesk: martial arts and small-box specialists
Zen Planner and Gymdesk both skew toward martial arts schools and smaller
single-location operations rather than CrossFit boxes or boutique studios.
Zen Planner rates 4.3 out of 5 on Capterra across 270 reviews, with strong
marks for payment processing (4.5) and membership management (4.5), alongside
complaints about "frequent software bugs and glitches." A rival comparison
(PushPress's own "Zen Planner alternatives" post, so read it with that bias in
mind) describes Zen Planner customers reporting "a steep learning curve, an
app that feels limited next to newer tools, support that can be slow to
reach, and a payments setup that locks you in," and estimates migrating card
data out at $1,000 to $1,500 — a concrete number worth confirming directly
with Zen Planner before you sign, since a competitor is the one citing it.
The same comparison places Gymdesk around $75 to $200 a month with 2.9% plus
$0.30 processing, month-to-month, and best suited to smaller martial arts and
BJJ schools rather than larger, multi-program gyms.
Mindbody: the option for multi-location and marketplace reach
Mindbody is the platform most likely to come up if you run more than one
location or want to be discoverable through a consumer booking marketplace.
Its own pricing page starts the Starter tier at $99 a month per location, with
no per-user charge — pricing scales by number of locations, not staff seats —
but email/SMS marketing and lead management are reserved for the top Ultimate
tier, not included at entry. On Capterra, Mindbody's review base is by far the
largest in the category at 2,993 reviews, yet it lands at a middling 4.0 out
of 5, and "high and unpredictable pricing" is the complaint reviewers raise
most. Read that combination honestly: Mindbody has reach and reporting depth
that smaller platforms don't, and it costs more to find out whether that
depth is worth it for your gym specifically.
Glofox: boutique studios and franchise brands wanting a branded app
Glofox's own comparison content pitches it at "boutique studios, growing
gyms, and multi-location operators (including global brands)," with a
branded member app included in the price rather than sold as a separate
add-on, plus support for 17-plus languages and payments in 100-plus markets —
relevant if you operate, or plan to operate, outside a single country. That
same Glofox content is a useful outside read on its competitors, too: it
describes PushPress as best for "boutique fitness studios... and small
single-location gyms," with CRM and workout-tracking sold as separate add-ons
on top of the base plan, and it describes Zen Planner's strength as workout
and skill-progress tracking, with a weakness in language and currency support
for gyms operating internationally.
TeamUp: the budget class-scheduling option
TeamUp is the leanest of the group and the one most focused on class
scheduling rather than a full CRM. Glofox's own comparison describes it as
best for "class-based studios (yoga, pilates, HIIT, group fitness)," priced
as a flat monthly fee based on active member count rather than per booking.
On Capterra it posts the best reviewer sentiment in this comparison — 4.8 out
of 5 across 346 reviews, with the category's highest ease-of-use score
(4.7) — but a marketing-automation score of only 2.3, which tracks with its
positioning as a scheduling tool first.
What to check before you commit
Pricing, tier gating, and processing rates in this category change often, so
treat every number above as a starting point to confirm on the vendor's own
current pricing page, not a final quote.
- Find out which tier actually includes the CRM/lead features. On PushPress and Wodify, lead management and automated follow-up are add-ons or higher tiers, not part of the base plan — the entry-level price you see first is rarely the price of the feature you're shopping for.
- Ask what it costs to leave, specifically around payment processing. Migrating stored card data between processors is where lock-in tends to live in this category, not in the software itself.
- Match the tool to your program, not just your budget. Martial arts schools have real use for belt/rank tracking that a boutique-studio platform won't have, and CrossFit boxes have real use for workout and leaderboard tracking that a scheduling-first tool like TeamUp doesn't attempt.
- Read the processing-rate fine print, not just the software subscription. Two platforms with similar monthly fees can differ meaningfully once card and ACH processing rates are added on real transaction volume.
- Weigh the review pattern, not just the star average. A platform with a high average built on a small review count reads differently than one with a merely good average built on thousands of reviews.
A reasonable default
For a single-location, independent gym or studio — CrossFit, boutique
fitness, yoga, or pilates — PushPress is the lower-risk starting point: a
usable free or low-cost core plan, month-to-month terms, and a clear (if
separately priced) upgrade path to lead management once you actually have
lead volume to manage. If your gym's culture is built around tracked workouts
and CrossFit-specific programming, Wodify's Essentials-to-Ultimate ladder is
worth pricing against PushPress directly, since the two overlap closely on
audience. If you run a martial arts school, Zen Planner's or Gymdesk's belt
and rank tracking will save you more real work than a generic CRM module
ever would. And if you operate, or plan to operate, more than one location,
Mindbody's or Glofox's higher price and steeper review complaints are the
cost of the multi-site reporting and marketplace reach that single-location
tools simply don't build for.
If you can't yet tell which of those you are, that's the answer itself: you
don't have a multi-location or franchise problem yet, so don't pay for a
platform built to solve one.
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