Which Online booking system is best suited for you?
When picking the right booking system for your fitness business, there are many features to look at, and in this article, I am sharing my honest review of 16 fitness & wellness class booking softwares based on price, features and customer service. Read on!
First, let’s start with a bit of background…
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Online booking systems provide fitness and wellness businesses a range of functionalities to manage class schedules, client memberships, staff and facilities (for those with more than one location).
All class booking softwares should include storing member information in a database, managing financial records and of course scheduling classes.
These online booking systems often integrate with other types of software such as a website (Yaay), Zoom for online classes, an accounting software, email marketing tools to increase interaction between members and managers, or social media marketing tools to increase brand awareness.
It often feels like the fitness and wellness industry is divided into two groups: the ones on Mindbody and the ones looking for an alternative.
If you’ve been looking for the ideal class booking system for your business, then you probably already know that there is an overwhelming amount of options out there! So how do you compare the most popular ones to make an informed decision without wasting precious hours or days? Well, you’ve landed at the right place! I’ve put together an overview of the systems most commonly used by other yoga and Pilates teachers in Australia to help you find the one that could suit your business.
Download the free detailed review and read on
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Download the free detailed review and read on *
Australian based online booking systems
KRIYA: Optimised for small to medium fitness businesses
Price range: From AU$29/mth to AU$129/mth
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: Yes with assistance
Overall rating: N/A
Value for Money: N/A
Features: N/A
Ease of Use: N/A
Customer Support: N/A
BALANCE WITH US: Supporting your online services
Price range: From US$0/mth to US$79/mth
Best suited for: Small to medium businesses
Website integration: Maybe
Overall rating: N/A
Value for Money: N/A
Features: N/A
Ease of Use: N/A
Customer Support: N/A
HAPANA: Well suited for multi-locations fitness businesses
Price range: From US$185/mth (Need to book a demo call to get a quote)
Best suited for: Medium to large businesses
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: 4.2 / 5
Value for Money: 4.5 / 5
Features: 4.1 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.3 / 5
Customer Support: 4.4 / 5
BOOKINGS ESSENTIALS: Priced per instructor
Price range: From AU$49+/mth to AU$145+/mth
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: N/A
Value for Money: N/A
Features: N/A
Ease of Use: N/A
Customer Support: N/A
BOOKAMAT: Well suited for small Aussie Wellness businesses
Price range: From AU$0/mth to AU$89/mth
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: 4.6 / 5
Value for Money: 4.8 / 5
Features: 4.3 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.2 / 5
Customer Support: 4.7 / 5
Affordable ONLINE booking systems
ACUITY SCHEDULING: a new favourite
Price range: From US$14/mth to US$45/mth
Best suited for: Small to Medium businesses
Website integration: Squarespace of course…
Overall rating: 4.8 / 5
Value for Money: 4.7 / 5
Features: 4.7 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.6 / 5
Customer Support: 4.7 / 5
MOMOYOGA: Designed with Yogis in mind
Price range: From US$20/mth to US$116/mth
Best suited for: Small to medium yoga studios
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: 4.6 / 5
Value for Money: 4.6 / 5
Features: 4.2 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.7 / 5
Customer Support: 4.5 / 5
MOMENCE: the new kid on the block
Price range: From US$20/month to custom quote
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: easiest with Squarespace
Overall rating: 4.4 / 5
Value for Money: 4.3 / 5
Features: 4.2 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.3 / 5
Customer Support: 4.5 / 5
VAGARO: The last minute surprise
Price range: From AU$45/mth to AU$135/mth
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: 4.7 / 5
Value for Money: 4.7 / 5
Features: 4.6 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.7 / 5
Customer Support: 4.7 / 5
TIMELY: Initially designed for the Beauty industry
Price range: From AU$35/mth to AU$400/mth
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: 4.7 / 5
Value for Money: 4.6 / 5
Features: 4.4 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.7 / 5
Customer Support: 4.7 / 5
Best suited for Medium to large fitness studios
MINDBODY: The one we all know
Price range: From AU$189/mth to AU$999/mth
Best suited for: Medium to large businesses
Website integration: easiest with Squarespace
Overall rating: 4.0 / 5
Value for Money: 3.6 / 5
Features: 3.9 / 5
Ease of Use: 3.8 / 5
Customer Support: 3.8 / 5
GLOFOX: the marketing focused tool
Price range: From US$110/mth (Need to book a demo call to get a quote)
Best suited for: Medium to large businesses
Website integration: easiest with Squarespace
Overall rating: 4.5 / 5
Value for Money: 4.4 / 5
Features: 4.3 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.6 / 5
Customer Support: 4.6 / 5
PUNCHPASS: the main contender
Price range: From US$39/mth to US$89/mth
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: easiest with Squarespace
Overall rating: 4.7 / 5
Value for Money: 4.4 / 5
Features: 4.4 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.6 / 5
Customer Support: 4.9 / 5
Other interesting booking systems
CALENDLY: Better suited to corporate services
Price range: From US$59/mth to US$259/mth
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: 4.7 / 5
Value for Money: 4.6 / 5
Features: 4.5 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.7 / 5
Customer Support: 4.4 / 5
WELLNESS LIVING: A “Mindbody alternative”
Price range: From US$59/mth to US$259/mth
Best suited for: Small to large businesses
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: 4.4 / 5
Value for Money: 4.3 / 5
Features: 4.3 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.3 / 5
Customer Support: 4.4 / 5
STUDIO BOOKINGS: Another “Mindbody alternative”
Price range: From US$25/mth to US$115/mth
Best suited for: Small to medium businesses
Website integration: Yes
Overall rating: 4.3 / 5
Value for Money: 4.2 / 5
Features: 3.6 / 5
Ease of Use: 4.3 / 5
Customer Support: 4.6 / 5
Do you also need a website in addition to a booking system?
Yes! Let me list five good reasons here…
1. GET FOUND ONLINE
There’s not much that is free in life… but being found on Google by someone who’s looking for your services in your area IS!
Now, picture this… one of your regular students tells their bestie about your studio and how they love your yoga classes and teaching style. Your client’s friend goes online, types “yoga – your business name – location”… and nothing.
You’re nowhere to be found. Perhaps they find you on Facebook but the information doesn’t really give them what they were looking for and doesn’t really build trust (see next point!).
They were hoping to find out how you can help them with their own yoga journey. They were most likely planning to scan your website to find out more about the type of classes you’re offering, whether other students rave about you like their friend and maybe book a class to try you out or subscribe to your newsletter to stay connected! Instead, they’ll move on and possibly put you in their too-hard basket or let’s look into this another day (which we all know never comes…).
2. STAND OUT AND BUILD CREDIBILITY
As more and more people go through their yoga or Pilates teacher training, it’s becoming even more important to stand out online.
A website builds credibility in the eyes of your students. It sends the message that your business is well-established and not just a side hustle.
Your website is an investment in growing your wellness or fitness business. It will help you look professional and also allows you to share what you stand for, and why you’re different! It is a space where you can share more about who you are and what you have to offer to current and future clients, to stand out amongst other teachers or studios.
3. CLEARLY SHARE WHO YOU WANT TO HELP
As most of us know, Pilates and barre classes are heavily attended by females.
Let’s imagine now, that you have a Pilates studio that is mainly offering classes for males or maybe for surfers (male & female). A website is really going to be the best online platform for you to share clearly what type of classes you’re offering and for whom these are best suited. You can share a clear brand identity throughout your website with a more masculine feel or a surf-inspired vibe, using photography and specific words used by this community.
This will also help with the first point as everything is connected… Having a website will help you connect with your ideal clients and be found by the type of people you want to work with!
4. BUILD DEEPER RELATIONSHIPS
Websites allow you to build a relationship with your site visitors (aka. a client or potential client). They allow you to tell stories and bring your audience into your world.
If you seek a deeper connection with the people you’re trying to reach, a website can help as it is an online space where you can share your thoughts, expertise and philosophy. It gives your clients a chance to learn more about you and your teachings so that they feel more connected to you and your business.
You can create a blog on your website to extend your teachings from your studio to the online space. This can help create conversations and new connections as existing clients talk about what they’ve discovered in your last blog post with their friends.
5. BUILD AN EMAIL DATABASE
Having a website is the easiest way to collect email addresses from your potential and existing students.
You can add an opt-in form to the pages on your website and connect it to MailChimp or to your website email marketing feature to easily collect email addresses and build up a list of subscribers.
Building a list of email addresses from people who connect with you and your philosophy is a great way to fill your classes, events or retreats.
Picking the right online booking system for your business can be a bit of a headache and I hope that I could bring some clarity by gathering this information.
One thing I know for sure is that I can save you the headache of designing a website (and selecting the right website hosting platform!). I’ve created my CORE website package for all fitness professionals who use or plan to use a booking system like one of those listed above as it includes designing your website AND embedding your timetable or any other widget from your booking system.
