Best for
Best for class-based studios and gyms that want new clients to find and book them through a consumer marketplace app.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Gym & Studio Management Comparison
Mindbody vs. Zen Planner
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for martial arts schools, CrossFit gyms and boutique studios that bill members every month.
- Small and mid-sized
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Mindbody | Zen Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | lower value From $79 / location / month Starting price for North America and Asia. The price of each plan is given by sales; Enterprise is a custom multi-location quote. | From $99 / month Studio plan. Priced by the number of active members and, for several sites, by location; month-to-month, with an annual contract on request. Payment processing fees may apply. |
| API | Not stated | Yes, an API for custom integrations |
| Memberships and plans | Memberships and autopay contracts, also sold from the Business app | Membership management with belt and rank tracking for schools that use them |
| Billing and payments | Mindbody Payments, powered by Stripe, with autopay contracts, automatic updates for expired cards, notices for failed or expiring payments and chargeback tracking | Automated billing and payment processing through Zen Planner Payments or other integrated processors; members update payment details and see billing history in the app |
| Attendance and access control | Digital check-in for classes and appointments, also from the Business app; door access such as turnstiles and lock hardware through third-party integrations | Attendance tracking and reporting with check-in from the member app; unattended 24/7 gym access through the HybridAF integration |
| Class scheduling and booking | One schedule for staffing and bookings, updated in real time; clients book through the Mindbody app, branded website widgets or mobile devices | Online scheduling and booking for classes and appointments, with live class schedules embeddable on the gym's website |
| Lead and renewal management | Lead management with a sales pipeline, follow-up tasks and funnel analytics; the built-in sales pipeline is on Ultimate | Lead capture from Essentials up; Ultimate and the Engage product add CRM, automated email and text follow-ups, trial nurturing and win-back campaigns for members who have not been in lately |
| Member app | Businesses are listed in the Mindbody consumer app for discovery and booking; a branded app for iOS and Android is an add-on | A standard Zen Planner member app shared by all customers; a branded app in the App Store and Google Play is a $39 a month add-on |
| Integrations and API | An integrations marketplace for payroll, door access, marketing and other tools, and a developer portal | An API for custom integrations, plus integrations including ClassPass, Wellhub, SugarWOD, Mailchimp, HybridAF and Zapier |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS) | Not stated |
| Onboarding | Not stated | Guided onboarding |
| Company size | more entries Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Small and mid-sized |
| Integrations | Stripe | more entries ClassPass, Wellhub, SugarWOD, Mailchimp, HybridAF, Perkville, Zapier, Google Calendar, Slack, Shopify |
Add a tool
Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price Mindbody From $79 / location / month Zen Planner From $99 / month
- Company size Mindbody Small and mid-sized, Enterprise Zen Planner Small and mid-sized
- Memberships and plans Mindbody Memberships and autopay contracts, also sold from the Business app Zen Planner Membership management with belt and rank tracking for schools that use them
- Billing and payments Mindbody Mindbody Payments, powered by Stripe, with autopay contracts, automatic updates for expired cards, notices for failed or expiring payments and chargeback tracking Zen Planner Automated billing and payment processing through Zen Planner Payments or other integrated processors; members update payment details and see billing history in the app
- Attendance and access control Mindbody Digital check-in for classes and appointments, also from the Business app; door access such as turnstiles and lock hardware through third-party integrations Zen Planner Attendance tracking and reporting with check-in from the member app; unattended 24/7 gym access through the HybridAF integration
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Mindbody
Strengths
- Listing in the Mindbody consumer app on every plan
- Unlimited users on the Starter plan
- No onboarding fee on any plan
- Automated email and text campaigns on Ultimate
Limitations
- Only the starting price is published; each plan is priced by sales
- Door access needs third-party hardware and integrations
- The branded app and AI Concierge are add-ons on Accelerate
- Data transfer and custom data conversion can cost extra
Zen Planner
Strengths
- Only active members count towards the price
- Month-to-month subscription
- Belt and rank tracking for martial arts schools
- Implementation specialists migrate member and billing data
Limitations
- Only starting prices are published; multi-location prices come in a demo
- The branded app is a paid add-on
- CRM and marketing automation need Ultimate or Engage
- Payment processing rates are not listed
Plans
Pricing
Mindbody
- Starter Not stated Business management, integrated payments, booking widgets, a business website, a Mindbody app listing, basic reporting and unlimited users.
- Accelerate Not stated Adds advanced analytics, room and resource management, Pick-a-Spot and promo codes; branded app and AI Concierge as add-ons.
- Ultimate Not stated Adds automated email and text campaigns, a sales pipeline for leads, 24/7 AI front desk support and a monthly text bundle.
- Enterprise Custom quote Custom multi-location plan.
Zen Planner
- Zen Planner Studio From $99 / month Membership management, billing and scheduling, staff and member apps, attendance tracking and reporting, payment processing and payroll.
- Zen Planner Essentials From $198 / month Adds a branded website, lead capture and form integration, and SEO optimization.
- Zen Planner Ultimate From $348 / month Adds marketing automation and CRM, AI-powered email and text campaigns, and lead management and retention tools.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Mindbody
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
Zen Planner
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
Before sending, the author has to confirm three things: that they have used the product themselves, that they work neither for the vendor nor for a competitor, and that nobody is paying them for the review. We also ask whether the vendor invited them to write it. That answer is required, either answer is accepted, and it stays with the review.
Every review is read by a person before it appears. An email address is required and is confirmed: we send a link to it, and a review does not reach us until the author opens that link, so a review has a sender who was reachable at least once rather than being anonymous. Where what somebody writes needs backing, we ask them for evidence that they used the product, and a review that does not get it is not published. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.
What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on their own declaration, on whatever we ask them for, and on the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.
A vendor cannot buy a review, and cannot have one removed or changed because they dislike it. We remove or edit a review only if it breaks our rules or the law, for example a false statement of fact. Paid placement has no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Mindbody https://www.mindbodyonline.com/business · checked against the official source on 2026-11-12
Zen Planner https://zenplanner.com · checked against the official source on 2026-11-12
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.