What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for gym management software (fitness studios) on 2026-09-15

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-09-15

Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

The question asked, verbatim: best gym management software for fitness studios

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. Mariana Tek recommended
   Mariana Tek - best for premium boutique studios (cycle, Pilates, barre, HIIT)
2. Stripe mentioned
   Roughly $179-285/month per location, and notably it runs Stripe direct with no payment markup on top - you pay Stripe's published 2.9% + $0.30.
3. Zen Planner mentioned
   Zen Planner - best value for small-to-mid independent studios
4. Mindbody compared
   Fitness-specific workflows without the salon/spa bloat, cheaper than Mindbody, and strong on membership/contract management and retention reporting.
5. ABC Glofox mentioned
   ABC Glofox - best if your brand is the product
6. Glofox mentioned
   ABC Glofox - best if your brand is the product
7. TeamUp recommended
   TeamUp - best for lean group-fitness operations
8. Wodify mentioned
   Wodify - only if you're CrossFit or performance training
9. WellnessLiving mentioned
   WellnessLiving or Vagaro - the like-for-like Mindbody swaps
10. Vagaro mentioned
    WellnessLiving or Vagaro - the like-for-like Mindbody swaps
11. PushPress mentioned
    PushPress - best free/cheap starting point
12. Skip-unless-you-check-the-math mentioned
    Skip-unless-you-check-the-math: Momence.
13. Zenoti mentioned
    - Zenoti - Best Gym & Fitness Studio Software 2026 (https://www.zenoti.com/thecheckin/best-fitness-gym-software-2026)

Sources the engine cited

The answer, as recorded

## The short list, in the order I'd actually consider them **1. Mariana Tek - best for premium boutique studios (cycle, Pilates, barre, HIIT)** Purpose-built for class-based boutique fitness with real-time spot booking (bike/reformer picking), a strong branded app, and clean multi-location support. Roughly $179-285/month per location, and notably it runs Stripe direct with no payment markup on top - you pay Stripe's published 2.9% + $0.30. That last detail matters more than the headline price. **2. Zen Planner - best value for small-to-mid independent studios** Fitness-specific workflows without the salon/spa bloat, cheaper than Mindbody, and strong on membership/contract management and retention reporting. The usual pick when a studio outgrows spreadsheets but isn't ready for enterprise pricing. **3. ABC Glofox - best if your brand is the product** Members book through *your* app, not a shared marketplace. Best-in-class UX and dashboards for boutique studios where brand perception drives pricing power. Real-world pricing lands around $179-285/month per location. **4. TeamUp - best for lean group-fitness operations** From about $99/month, priced by active customer count. Unfussy, reliable, good member app and family accounts. Fewer bells and whistles, but very little to fight with. **5. Wodify - only if you're CrossFit or performance training** Workout programming, leaderboards, and PR tracking are native, not bolted on. Outside that niche it's the wrong tool. **6. WellnessLiving or Vagaro - the like-for-like Mindbody swaps** Same generalist feature footprint (scheduling, branded app, automated payments, marketing) usually at lower cost. Worth a look if you also sell retail, spa, or recovery services. **7. PushPress - best free/cheap starting point** Genuinely free tier for small gyms, solid automated billing and class scheduling. Good way to get off manual processes with near-zero commitment. **8. Mindbody - I'd name it last, deliberately** It's the most recognized platform and defensible for large multi-location operators who want the consumer marketplace demand. But for a single studio: pricing is a black box ($99 to $699+/month per location), typically 24-month contracts, a ~20% commission on marketplace-acquired clients on top of ~3.5% processing, and consistent reviewer complaints about support and getting out of contracts. **Skip-unless-you-check-the-math: Momence.** Features are appealing, but it layers a per-booking platform fee (2.5% on Pro, 5% plus a 4% client fee on the free tier) on top of ~3.9% + $0.30 processing. At volume that dwarfs any subscription savings. ## The one thing I'd tell you to do Ignore the monthly sticker price and model your *real* annual cost: subscription × locations + payment processing markup + marketplace commission + per-SMS and branded-app add-ons. Two platforms with the same $200/month tier can differ by thousands a year. Then ask each vendor point-blank about contract length and data export on the way out. Sources: - [Zen Planner - Best fitness studio management software for 2026](https://zenplanner.com/blogs/best-fitness-studio-management-software-for-2026/) - [Zenoti - Best Gym & Fitness Studio Software 2026](https://www.zenoti.com/thecheckin/best-fitness-gym-software-2026) - [Kisi - The 19 Best Gym Management Software for 2026](https://www.getkisi.com/blog/best-gym-management-systems-compared) - [Glofox - Best Mindbody Alternative for Boutique Studios](https://www.glofox.com/blog/mindbody-alternative/) - [Junocal - Most affordable fitness studio software in 2026 (with real prices)](https://junocal.com/blog/most-affordable-fitness-studio-software-2026) - [Capterra - Mariana Tek pricing & alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/175281/Mariana-Tek/) - [Koalendar - Mindbody Pricing 2026: Real Costs & Hidden Fees](https://koalendar.com/blog/mindbody-pricing-costs) - [PushPress - 7 Best Mindbody Alternatives for Gym Owners in 2026](https://www.pushpress.com/blog/7-best-mindbody-alternatives-for-gym-owners-in-2026) - [StudioGrowth - Momence vs Mariana Tek](https://studiogrowth.com/momence-marianatek/)

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Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.