Mindbody vs. Studio Planner: The Indie Studio Guide

If you mention "studio software" to any fitness professional, they will immediately say "Mindbody." It is the Kleenex of our industry. But just because it is the biggest, does that mean it is the best for you?

The "Enterprise" Problem

Mindbody is built for the mega-gym. It is designed to handle thousands of members, complex payroll for 50+ employees, and retail inventory for a pro-shop.

If you are an independent studio owner with 2 rooms and 5 freelance instructors, using Mindbody is like renting a semi-truck to pick up your groceries. It works, but it is expensive, hard to park, and overkill.

Pricing Reality Check

Mindbody: Starts at $129/month, but critical features like "branded web tools" or "marketing automation" push that price to $399 or even $699/month quickly.

Studio Planner: We are built for the rental economy. Our tools are free for instructors, and our studio management suite starts at a fraction of the enterprise cost because we strip away the bloat.

User Experience

Have you ever tried to train a new front-desk staff member on Mindbody? It takes weeks. The backend is a maze of legacy menus.

Studio Planner is "Apple-simple." You can onboard a new admin in 15 minutes. We focus on the three things that actually matter: Bookings, Payments, and Access.