Booking Shortlist

For: Fitness studios

Best booking system for fitness classes in 2026: 6 apps compared

By Booking Shortlist · Published · Updated · Prices checked on · Based on public documentation

Disclosure: Our #1 pick is MeetScarlet, and we are affiliated with them. We also cover competing tools and where they shine. We may earn commissions from links on this page. Details

The short answer: For a studio choosing its first class system, Arketa, Glofox and Momence document all three class tools we looked for, but only Arketa of the three prices a plan, for one login. WellnessLiving publishes its prices, with Book-a-Spot from its $199 Business plan. Vagaro and Square Appointments publish low prices and card rates, but we found no spot booking on either. Mindbody’s spot booking and texts need an unpriced higher plan. Checked November 4, 2026. Our #1 pick, MeetScarlet, says it’s live; its help says “no live card payment has been run yet” (November 5, 2026).

Key takeaways

  • Arketa, Glofox and Momence document all three class tools we looked for (checked November 4, 2026).
  • Of those three, only Arketa publishes a plan price: $49 a month, billed annually, for its one-login Individual plan. Glofox's FAQ says "as low as $99USD/month" for "eligible" studios, and Momence says "Let's talk pricing".
  • WellnessLiving publishes its prices: Starter is $69 a month, billed monthly, for one staff member, and Book-a-Spot starts on Business at $199 a month ($39 a month for two months, on an offer that ends November 15, 2026).
  • Vagaro and Square Appointments publish prices and card rates, but we found no spot booking on either; Square says you can "cancel or switch plans anytime".
  • Mindbody lists capacity controls, automatic waitlists and Pick-a-Spot, but Pick-a-Spot and text reminders start on Accelerate, and every plan card says "Let's talk".

What fitness class booking software is (and isn’t)

Class booking software runs a weekly timetable: members book a place with a membership, pack or drop-in price, full classes get a waitlist, and reminders go out before class. The best online booking system for fitness classes also lets members pick their bike, mat or reformer. It isn’t a video platform, and we didn’t compare appointment-only tools.

This page is for a one-location fitness studio choosing its first system. Leaving Mindbody? Our Mindbody alternatives cover six of these apps.

How we chose these apps

  • Seven class-studio criteria, each marked Yes, Partly or No below: (1) capacity with an automatic waitlist, (2) spot booking, (3) memberships that renew automatically, and class packs, (4) text reminders on the entry plan, (5) a published price for one location, (6) a published card rate, and (7) cancelling any time.
  • The entry plan is each vendor’s cheapest plan with classes, named in the table; Momence publishes no plans.
  • Prices, card rates and terms from each vendor’s own pages, checked November 4, 2026.
  • We haven’t used these apps hands-on, so this list is based on public documentation. We don’t score apps; see our method.

The shortlist at a glance: criteria, prices and limitations

Why this order: class tools first. Apps are ordered by Yes marks on criteria 1 to 3, then by total Yes marks, then by Partly marks. It’s a count of documented features, not a quality ranking, with no score behind it. Square Appointments, also considered, comes last; our pick, MeetScarlet, sits outside the order.

App (entry plan)1. Capacity and automatic waitlist2. Spot booking3. Memberships that renew automatically, and class packs4. Texts on entry plan5. Price for one location6. Card rate7. Cancel any time
MeetScarlet (our #1 pick, not placed by this rule)Yes (its class page; classes need a client account)Yes (map of up to 100 spots)Partly (documented; its help says “no live card payment has been run yet”)No (texts need Scarlet Pro; email reminders “built but not sending yet”)Yes ($349 a month plus $999 setup)Partly (Stripe’s fees plus 1%; on once your Stripe account is approved)Partly (renews automatically; cancelling takes effect at the end of the paid period)
1. Arketa (Individual)YesYesYesYesPartly (Individual only)Partly (studio fee “Let’s talk”)Partly (referral page: “a minimum one-year contract”)
2. Glofox (core plans)YesYes (listed as included)YesYes (listed as included)No (“as low as” figure only)NoPartly (month-to-month only if the order form names no term)
3. Momence (no plans published)YesYesYesPartly (texts billed in usage tiers)NoNoNo (cancel after your contract date)
4. WellnessLiving (Starter)YesPartly (Book-a-Spot from Business)YesYesYesPartly (gateway fees only)No (auto-renews for an equal term)
5. Vagaro (one location)Partly (waitlist; no class capacity setting described)NoYesYesYesYesPartly (“Exclusions apply”; free reader means 12 months)
6. Mindbody (Starter)YesPartly (Accelerate, price not published)Partly (no class packs named)No (email only)No (“Starting at” headline only)Partly (fixed part only)Partly (90-day first term)
Also considered: Square Appointments (Plus)Partly (class spots; waitlist described for appointments, no automatic move-up)NoPartly (subscriptions don’t track classes used)YesYesYesYes

Yes: documented on that plan, or with no higher plan named. Partly: higher plan only, part of it, or a documented catch. No: not published or not found. Checked November 4, 2026 (MeetScarlet’s card payment notes and terms, November 5, 2026).

Spot booking matters mainly for spin and reformer rooms, so studios that don’t need it should look at WellnessLiving, Vagaro and Square first.

AppOne location, one instructorThree instructorsCard rate
MeetScarlet (our #1 pick)$349/month plus $999 setup, or $3,490/year, 5 staff loginsSameStripe’s fees plus 1%; on once your Stripe account is approved; its help says “no live card payment has been run yet”
ArketaIndividual $49/month billed annually, “1 team member login”Studio plans “Custom”Stripe 2.9% + $0.30, plus 3% on Individual
GlofoxQuote form; FAQ “as low as $99USD/month” per location for “eligible” studiosNot publishedNot published
Momence“Let’s talk pricing”; branded app $250/month on topNot publishedNot published (fees shown in your Stripe account)
WellnessLivingStarter $69/month billed monthly, or $62 billed annually, one staff memberBusiness $199/month billed monthly, or $179 billed annually ($39 for 2 months; offer ends November 15, 2026)Gateway $16-$18/month, $0.11-$0.32 per transaction and $199/year; processor rate not published
Vagaro$23.99/month for 6 months, then $30.00, one calendar$43.99 for 6 months, then $50.00, three calendars2.6% + 10¢ in person under $4,000/month
Mindbody“Starting at $79 USD/month per location”; every plan card “Let’s talk”Same: unlimited users per locationPercentage not published, plus $0.10-$0.30
Square Appointments (also considered)Plus $49 per location/month (Free, $0, has no classes)Same $49: priced per location2.5% + 15¢ in person on Plus

Sources: vendor pricing pages and terms, checked November 4, 2026; MeetScarlet’s card payment notes, checked November 5, 2026. US dollars, before tax. See also what booking software costs.

The best booking systems for fitness classes in 2026

1. Arketa, best for full class tools with a published starter price

Arketa’s classes page says “When a spot opens, the next person on the waitlist gets in automatically”, and clients “pick their exact bike, reformer, or mat”. Individual includes “Class packages + memberships”, with failed renewals retried “up to 8 times within 30 days”, and “SMS notifications + reminders” come on Individual and Studio plans. Its FAQ says plans renew month to month unless you choose annual billing.

Where it loses: studio prices are hidden. The $49-a-month Individual plan is billed annually, has “1 team member login” and adds a “3% transaction fee + Stripe fees” (Stripe is 2.9% + $0.30); the studio fee is “Let’s talk”. Marketing automation is “a paid add-on”, its terms say “all sales are final”, and its referral page mentions “a minimum one-year contract”.

Best for: studios that want every class tool and will book a demo. See Arketa’s pricing page, or read our Arketa review.

2. Glofox, best for class-led studios happy to get a quote

Glofox says it’s “Built for class-led fitness businesses of all kinds”. You set “capacity limits, booking windows, and cancellation policies per class”, and waitlists, spot booking and email and SMS reminders are listed under “All included. No add-ons.” Recurring and credit pack memberships “all bill automatically”, and its FAQ says eligible single-location studios “can purchase online and start immediately”.

Where it loses: the pricing page is a quote form; its FAQ’s only figure is “as low as $99USD/month for eligible fitness studios”, per location, plus processing fees and “optional add-ons”. Its terms make fees “non-cancelable and non-refundable” and let Glofox end the agreement “for convenience at any time”. “Many reports download as row-level data”, but after you leave, your data comes back only once you pay an “off-boarding fee” it doesn’t price.

Best for: class studios that want a fitness-only system. Compare it in Glofox vs Mindbody.

3. Momence, best for class tools plus behaviour-triggered marketing

Momence lets studios “set capacity to match the room or equipment”, and “Waitlists promote an opening automatically when a spot opens”. Customers can choose “a favorite reformer”, and studios sell “unlimited memberships, class packs, intro offers”, with retries on failed renewals. Email and SMS sequences “fire on actions like a first visit, a lapse, or an abandoned checkout”, and its help centre lists SMS reminders.

Where it loses: the pricing page says only “Let’s talk pricing”; the one published price is its branded app, “$250 per month on top of your existing Momence subscription”. Texts are billed in usage tiers, payments run through a new Stripe account, and no card rate is published. With an active contract, “you can request cancellation after the date specified in your contract terms”.

Best for: studios that want marketing automation and can negotiate price and term. See Momence’s pricing page, or read our Momence review.

4. WellnessLiving, best for published prices with spot booking on Business

WellnessLiving’s waitlists cover “classes, events, appointments, and assets”, with clients “automatically promoted in the order they join”. Starter is $69 a month billed monthly for “One Staff Member”, with “Email and SMS Notifications” and memberships “automatically billed to your clients”. Book-a-Spot, where clients “choose their favorite spot”, starts on Business: $199 a month billed monthly ($39 for two months, on an offer ending November 15, 2026). Setup and migration are free, but “Sales history” can’t be imported.

Where it loses: its terms auto-renew “for an additional term of equal length”. You can export your client list yourself, but its payments addendum charges “100% of the fees that WL would have received” if you leave a fixed term early, plus a “data extraction and transfer fee” per data set for your data. Gateway fees come on top (see the table), and “additional merchant fees may apply”.

Best for: studios with a team that want a price first. See WellnessLiving’s pricing page.

5. Vagaro, best for a low published price with memberships and packs

Vagaro prices one location by bookable calendar: $23.99 a month for one calendar for the first 6 months, then $30.00, plus $10 for each extra calendar up to seven. Every plan includes “Customer waitlist options” and memberships, its fitness page offers “tiered memberships and class packs” on autopay, and it sends free reminders “via email, text, or push notification”. Its optional Fill My Books charges “a per-booking fee (5% for existing customers, 20% for brand-new ones)”; use neither it nor Daily Deals and “you won’t be charged any booking fees”.

Where it loses: we found no spot booking, class capacity setting or automatic waitlist move-up; its waitlist lets you “Choose who gets the spot”. “Cancel anytime with no cancellation fees” carries an unexplained “Exclusions apply”, and the free card reader means processing with Vagaro “for at least 12 months after activation” or paying “a $150 early cancellation fee”.

Best for: small studios that want a low price with memberships and packs. Read our Vagaro review.

6. Mindbody, best for growing studios that want detailed class rules

Mindbody lets you set “maximum capacity for classes” and online capacity separately, and “the next waitlisted client is automatically moved to the class roster”. Memberships renew automatically, every plan includes unlimited users per location, and support runs “by phone, chat, or email 24/7”.

Where it loses: the pricing page says “Starting at $79 USD/month per location”, but every plan card says “Let’s talk”. Starter sends email reminders only; texts and Pick-a-Spot start on Accelerate, whose price isn’t published, and we found no class packs named. Only the fixed “$0.10 to $0.30” of the card fee is published, and its terms default to a 90-day first term, with fees owed “for the entire Subscription Term” if you leave early.

Best for: class studios that plan to grow and will get a quote. Read our Mindbody review, or Mindbody alternatives if you’re already on it.

Also considered: Square Appointments

On Plus ($49 per location a month), Square marks Partly, No and Partly on the class tools: classes have set spots, but its waitlist is described for appointments, and its subscriptions “won’t keep track of how many classes a subscriber has already redeemed”. It’s a Yes on the other four, including cancelling “anytime”, but with no class-tool Yes it comes last under our rule. See our Mindbody alternatives.

Where our pick, MeetScarlet, fits for class studios

MeetScarlet gives your studio its own branded booking app on iPhone, Android and the web. Its class page says spot maps and an automatic waitlist come “with every plan, from $349 a month”. That’s its own claim; the same page says classes need a client account, “Scarlet books in-person classes”, and “Each Scarlet studio has one schedule”. It costs $349 a month plus $999 setup, or $3,490 a year with setup free, for one location and 5 staff logins; Scarlet Pro is $499 a month with up to 3 locations and 20 logins. Its terms page says “Scarlet is live, and founding studios can join now”. Founding studios pay $299 a month instead of $349 for the first 24 months, on monthly billing, with the $999 setup included at no charge; MeetScarlet plans 10 places (checked November 5, 2026). Text reminders (coming soon) are Scarlet Pro only, its Jane comparison page says email reminders are “built but not sending yet”, and email and text automations need a separate bundle with no published price. There’s no marketplace: its site says it isn’t for “Businesses that want new clients mainly from a marketplace app”. Its payments help says card payments (Stripe’s fees plus 1%) go through your own Stripe account and turn on once Stripe finishes checking it, but its appointments help still says “no live card payment has been run yet”, so check with MeetScarlet before counting on card payments (both checked November 5, 2026). Its terms say plans renew automatically, and cancelling takes effect at the end of the paid period. It doesn’t refund part-used months or years, except under its founding-plan refund rules. You can export the member list as a CSV file at any time (checked November 5, 2026). Store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks”, under your own Apple ($99 a year) and Google ($25 once) developer accounts. It imports clients, “not booking or payment history”, and has no direct importer. For support, its terms say “message @meetscarletapp on Instagram”, and “We aim to reply within one business day” (checked November 5, 2026); its help site also offers email (“A person reads every message”). We found no status page, uptime commitment or third-party reviews as of November 4, 2026. Choose MeetScarlet, our pick, if a branded app with spot maps matters most and you can wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps; choose an app above if you need payments or entry-plan texts today.

Which fits your studio?

Your situationLook atWhy
Spin, reformer or other spot-booked classesArketa, Glofox, Momence or MeetScarlet (our pick)Spot booking with no higher plan named; WellnessLiving needs Business, Mindbody Accelerate; MeetScarlet’s card payments turn on once your Stripe account is approved, and its store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks
You want a price before any sales callWellnessLiving, Vagaro, Square Appointments or MeetScarlet (our pick)Plan prices published for one location; MeetScarlet adds $999 setup on monthly billing
One instructor starting outArketa Individual, WellnessLiving Starter or Vagaro (one calendar)$49/month billed annually, 1 login; $69/month, one staff member, no Book-a-Spot; or $23.99 for 6 months, then $30.00
Three to seven instructors on a budgetVagaro or Square PlusVagaro $43.99, then $50.00, for three calendars; Square $49 per location
You want behaviour-triggered email and text marketingMomenceSequences fire on a first visit, a lapse or an abandoned checkout
You don’t want a long contractSquare Appointments, Arketa (ask about the term) or Glofox (check the order form)Square: “cancel or switch plans anytime”; Arketa: month to month, per its FAQ; Glofox: month-to-month if the order form names no term
You want new clients from a marketplace appMindbody or VagaroMindbody: 20% (capped at $30) of a new client’s first purchase. Vagaro: no booking fees unless you opt into Fill My Books (5% existing, 20% brand-new clients) or Daily Deals
You want an app under your own studio’s nameMeetScarlet (our pick) or WellnessLiving BusinessProIncluded in the plan: MeetScarlet $349 a month plus $999 setup, with card payments on once your Stripe account is approved; MeetScarlet’s store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks; BusinessPro $349 a month list price

The verdict

Pick by what you need first: class tools (Arketa, Glofox, Momence), published prices (WellnessLiving, Vagaro, Square Appointments) or your own app (MeetScarlet, our pick, live now, with store apps in about 4 to 6 weeks and card payments on once your Stripe account is approved). Try Vagaro (30-day free trial), Square Appointments (30-day free trial of Plus), Arketa (7-day free trial of Individual) or Momence (free trial, length not stated). Or see Glofox, WellnessLiving and Mindbody, which offer demos or a quote form.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best booking system for fitness classes?
It depends on what you need first. On our seven criteria, Arketa, Glofox and Momence document the most class tools, while WellnessLiving, Vagaro and Square Appointments publish their prices; our #1 pick, MeetScarlet, suits studios that want their own branded app and can wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps (checked November 5, 2026). The others were checked November 4, 2026.
What is the best online booking system for fitness classes with spot booking?
Arketa, Glofox, Momence and our pick, MeetScarlet, list spot booking with no higher plan named. WellnessLiving needs Business ($199 a month), Mindbody needs Accelerate (unpriced), and we found none on Vagaro or Square.
Which fitness class booking apps publish their prices?
WellnessLiving, Vagaro, Square Appointments and MeetScarlet publish plan prices for one location, and Arketa publishes only its one-login Individual plan ($49 a month, billed annually). Glofox gives an "as low as $99USD/month" figure for "eligible" studios, Mindbody only a "Starting at $79 USD/month per location" headline, and Momence no prices at all (checked November 4, 2026).
Which class booking apps send text reminders on the entry plan?
Glofox, WellnessLiving, Arketa, Vagaro and Square Appointments list text reminders on their entry plans. Mindbody's Starter sends reminders by email only, and Momence bills texts in usage tiers. MeetScarlet's text reminders (coming soon) are on Scarlet Pro ($499 a month) only, and its Jane comparison page says email reminders are "built but not sending yet".
How much does class booking software cost for a studio with three instructors?
From each pricing page, checked November 4, 2026: Square Plus $49 per location, Vagaro $43.99 a month for six months and then $50.00 for three calendars, WellnessLiving Business $199 a month billed monthly, and MeetScarlet $349 a month plus $999 setup. Mindbody says "Starting at $79 USD/month per location" with unlimited users, but every plan card says "Let's talk", and Glofox says "as low as $99USD/month" for eligible studios. Arketa's and Momence's studio prices aren't published.
Can I avoid a long contract with fitness class software?
Square Appointments says you can "cancel or switch plans anytime", though subscription fees already paid aren't refunded. The others each have a catch: Arketa's referral page mentions "a minimum one-year contract", Vagaro's free card reader means 12 months of its processing, WellnessLiving renews for an equal term, Glofox is month-to-month only if your order form names no term, and Mindbody's terms default to a 90-day first term.
Does MeetScarlet handle fitness classes?
Its class page says class booking with pick-your-spot maps and an automatic waitlist "comes with every plan, from $349 a month", though classes need a client account and "Each Scarlet studio has one schedule". Card payments go through your own Stripe account and turn on once Stripe finishes checking it, but its appointments help still says "no live card payment has been run yet" (checked November 5, 2026).

Sources

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