Mindbody vs. Zen Planner

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Mindbody
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
Mindbody is business management software for gyms and spas, as well as fitness and yoga studios built around appointment scheduling and online bookings and calendaring, from the company of the same name in San Luis Obispo, California. Notably, the platform also contains marketing automation to maintain club member engagement, and enrollment.
$129
per month
Zen Planner
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
Zen Planner is a comprehensive member management software for gyms, affiliate gyms, martial arts schools, MMA schools and fitness studios. The vendor says this solution provides everything necessary to turn the user’s passion into a successful business. With integrated payment processing and automated billing, a self-service Kiosk iPad App, an engaging Member App for Android and Apple devices, scheduling, automations, Advanced Workout Tracking, belt and skill tracking, site templates and…N/A
Pricing
MindbodyZen Planner
Editions & Modules
Starter
$129
per month
Accelerate
$259
per month
Ultimate
$399
per month
Ultimate Plus
$599
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MindbodyZen Planner
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsZen Planner offers straightforward, no-nonsense pricing plans for fitness businesses. Pricing is based off the number of active members your fitness business currently has. Pricing plans start at $75 a month. There are no contracts, startup fees or hidden fees, and key features like payment processing and workout tracking are included in the monthly plan.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MindbodyZen Planner
User Ratings
MindbodyZen Planner
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
MindbodyZen Planner
Likelihood to Recommend
Mindbody excels in areas that rely on the "bread and butter" of its design: scheduling, member management, and payment processing. Overall as a fitness center management solution, Mindbody is by far the best product we have used and they have evolved their capabilities in good alignment with our needs as well.
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I have used Zen Planner at 3 different Jujitsu schools. Every school that has used it, has had great success in keeping their attendance records straight for their students. This is great when promotions are coming up, or special seminars that need to reach everyone. I don't know that Zen Planner is a great product for places that don't need to communicate with their clients on a regular basis.
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Pros
  • Mindbody has a plethora of capabilities that range from something as simple as check in to more complex as reports. All in one spot.
  • Mindbody has an over-the-phone support time and major of their team members are well versed and educated.
  • Mindbody allows for you to cooperate with both your clients and your staffs needs.
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  • Being able to log in from a phone saves quite a bit of time
  • If I want to see if there is an upcoming class I can check in on the app
  • I can have multiple accounts for any company that uses Zen Planner without having to download a separate app to log in.
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Cons
  • Some processes are not initially intuitive and take some training to learn.
  • The price could be a little lower to help small business owners succeed.
  • Some sort of alert when a client creates a profile and already has one.
  • A way to view which clients haven't signed a waiver when logged into the staff computer.
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  • The kiosk (attendance) interface seems to be lagging.
  • A stronger android app.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
No questions about that, I'm with Zen Planner for a while! They have everything I need and more.
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Usability
Settings are often buried, user interface rules vary depending on whether it's a newer feature or an older one. From daily usage, people learn how it works and get used to it, but it's not something someone could just pick up without any training or hand-holding.
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Reliability and Availability
Constant errors and TERRIBLE PRODUCT support
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Performance
Fails at everything form availability to reliability.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Mindbody support takes forever to get back to you via email in my experience. The process is not as simple as it was back when they had the chat feature. I really wish they would bring that back! Most items are normally some weird glitch that they can fix in minutes but you have to wait days now.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Mindbody is really the only system of its kind that is widely used by fitness and yoga studios. Its app is the industry standard for looking up and signing up for classes, so most students rely on it exclusively. If there were another viable alternative it would have to promise more ease of use and intuitive backend.
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I have not used any product that are similar to Zen Planner in any way.
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Scalability
Constant errors and ZERO support from the company.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Working with the Mindbody software has been a very positive experience overall. i have only had a few problems arise but was able to get those squared away by taking with my boss.
  • Mindbody keeps me positive about wanting to come in to work because I do not have to spend time scheduling and taking in payments. I just get to come in and teach my class which is what I really love to do and after a few clicks on my app it does the rest for me.
  • The only negative impact Mindbody has had on me is that I have to carry my laptop computer around with me to classes since taking credit card payments does not work on the app. i also have to make sure i always have wifi available if i am using my laptop which i wouldn't have to if it worked on my phone.
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  • Zen Planner has cut the time I need to wait in line to sign in. I can do this right from my phone without any issues.
  • Being able to track my progress and seeing special classes that will be coming up is a great way to find out, without having to go into the school and ask
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ScreenShots

Zen Planner Screenshots

Screenshot of Detailed Member InformationScreenshot of Instructor BiosScreenshot of Advanced Workout TrackingScreenshot of Retail Sales & Inventory ManagementScreenshot of Embedded SchedulesScreenshot of Quick Check-Ins