7 GymDesk Alternatives in 2026: Real All-In Pricing for Gym Owners

GymDesk is good software. It's honest about its pricing, it was built with martial arts schools in mind, and every plan includes the full platform. Most owners who search for a GymDesk alternative aren't angry — they've just done the math on what happens as they grow. GymDesk prices by member count, door access is a Beta add-on that runs on partner hardware, and the branded member app costs extra. Stack those together at a few hundred members and the bill roughly doubles.

So this comparison uses one consistent benchmark: a 300-member gym that wants door access and its own branded app. That's the configuration where the pricing differences stop being rounding errors. Where a vendor publishes pricing, we use it; where they don't, we say so instead of guessing.

What GymDesk actually costs as you grow

From GymDesk's own public pricing pages: the plan is $75 a month up to 50 members, $100 up to 100, $150 up to 200, and $200 up to 400 — past that, it's "contact sales." Door access is an add-on labeled Beta at $100 a month for up to three doors plus $29 for each additional door, running on partner hardware (Kisi, Seam or Rhombus) with installation quoted separately. The branded member app is another $100 a month after the first free month.

Run the benchmark: at 300 members with doors and a branded app, that's $200 + $100 + $100 — about $400 a month before hardware. None of those numbers are hidden, and to GymDesk's credit there are no contracts, no setup fees and no cancellation costs. But the structure means your software bill climbs every time your gym succeeds. We've published a full feature-by-feature GymDesk comparison with sources cited if you want the line-item version.

1. ManageMemberships

ManageMemberships is the direct answer to the growth-pricing problem: the Core plan is $99 a month with unlimited members — the price at 300 members is the price at 1,000. Door access is native, not a partner integration: an $89 a month add-on with a $150 one-time hub, tied straight into the billing engine. When a payment fails, the door stops opening automatically — no overnight sync, no second vendor, no separate Kisi bill. The branded app (your name and logo in the App Store and Google Play) is included free on Core, where GymDesk charges $100 a month for it.

On the benchmark gym: $99 for Core plus $89 for door access — $188 a month, app included, against roughly $400 on GymDesk. There's also a free tier up to 50 members with no credit card required, so you can test the platform before committing to anything. Migration is done for you and included on every plan.

Learn more about ManageMemberships' native door access.

2. Kicksite

Kicksite competes most directly with GymDesk's martial arts heritage. It's built specifically for martial arts schools — belt and rank progression, promotions and attendance-based advancement are first-class features rather than custom fields, and its customer support has a strong reputation. Pricing is available on request rather than published. If you run a traditional dojo where rank ceremonies are the heartbeat of the business and you don't need 24/7 unmanned access, Kicksite deserves a serious look.

Compare ManageMemberships vs. Kicksite.

3. Zen Planner

Zen Planner has been a staple for CrossFit boxes, martial arts academies and coached-training gyms for years. Its strengths are workout tracking, skills and belt progression, and member engagement for communities where coaching is the product. Pricing tiers scale with member count, and extras like advanced marketing sit in higher packages. For door access it relies on third-party integration rather than its own hardware — the same structural pattern as GymDesk, so re-run the all-in math before assuming it's cheaper.

Explore the Zen Planner vs. ManageMemberships comparison.

4. PushPress

PushPress is strongest in the functional-fitness world — group classes, programming, and a polished member experience for coached gyms. Like GymDesk, it has a free entry tier, and like GymDesk, the real cost shows up in add-ons: door access routes through Kisi as a separate subscription, and features that feel core elsewhere are packaged as upgrades. If you're comparing the two ecosystems, we've broken down the add-on math in detail in our PushPress alternatives guide.

See how PushPress compares to ManageMemberships.

5. Mindbody

Mindbody is the heavyweight of the category, and the trade-offs are well known: its consumer marketplace can genuinely bring new members to studios in dense urban markets, and its scheduling handles complexity nothing else matches. In exchange, it's generally the most expensive option here, contracts are common, and small gyms often find they're paying for machinery built for chains. If you've been quoted Mindbody pricing and flinched, our Mindbody alternatives for small gyms guide covers that exact situation.

Read the Mindbody vs. ManageMemberships breakdown.

6. GymMaster

GymMaster is one of the few platforms besides ManageMemberships that treats 24/7 door access as its own product rather than a referral to Kisi — its Gatekeeper hardware is designed for unmanned gyms. If round-the-clock access is your whole business model, it belongs on your shortlist. Pricing tiers scale with member count and the access hardware is a separate purchase, so build the full quote — software, hardware, and per-door costs — before comparing against a flat-rate platform.

Discover how GymMaster compares to ManageMemberships.

7. MyStudio

MyStudio targets boutique studios and martial arts schools that sell more than memberships — events, camps, retail and trials — and its mobile-first member experience is a genuine strength. Its branded app is a paid tier rather than included, and door access isn't the product's center of gravity. For a studio where events and program sales drive revenue, it fits; for an access-controlled gym, the benchmark math gets expensive. We cover the details in our MyStudio alternatives guide.

Evaluate MyStudio and ManageMemberships side-by-side.

How to actually run this comparison

Whichever direction you lean, price the platforms the same way or the comparison is meaningless:

• Price at the member count you'll have in two years, not the one you have today. Tiered pricing punishes growth; flat pricing doesn't.
• Add every add-on you'll really use — door access, branded app, per-door fees, SMS credits — before comparing monthly totals.
• Ask what happens at the door when a payment fails. If the answer involves a second vendor or an overnight sync, lapsed members are walking in free.
• Get migration terms in writing — who moves the data, whether card tokens transfer, and what it costs.
• Include processing. A low software price with a high effective processing rate can cost more than the reverse at real volume.

FAQs About GymDesk Alternatives

What is the best GymDesk alternative?

It depends on what's driving the switch. If it's the growth-based pricing, the Beta door access or the $100-a-month app fee, ManageMemberships addresses all three directly: $99 a month at any member count, native door access for $89 a month, and the branded app included — $188 all-in at 300 members versus roughly $400 on GymDesk. If rank ceremonies are your business, look at Kicksite; if 24/7 access hardware is the priority, compare GymMaster too.

Is there a free GymDesk alternative?

Yes. ManageMemberships has a genuinely free tier for up to 50 members with no credit card required — not a time-limited trial. GymDesk's smallest plan is $75 a month for the same 50 members, so a new gym can run its first year on ManageMemberships for $0 in software.

How long does switching from GymDesk take?

Typically two to three weeks from start to launch, including data migration. GymDesk lets you export your members, attendance and payment history whenever you want, and it has no contracts or cancellation fees, so there's nothing holding the switch back. ManageMemberships handles the migration for you — here's how to switch gym software without losing members.