For: Fitness studios · Massage
Arketa vs Mindbody vs MeetScarlet 2026: which fits your studio?
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: There’s no single winner. Arketa fits a class studio that wants text reminders on every plan and a published Stripe card rate, and its FAQ says plans renew month to month. But it prices only its one-login Individual plan. Mindbody fits a studio that wants new clients from its consumer app, 24/7 phone support and a written 99.9% uptime promise. But every plan says “Let’s talk”, and leaving early means paying out the term. Checked November 5, 2026. Our #1 pick, MeetScarlet, includes a branded app from $349 a month plus $999 setup, but its store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks.
Key takeaways
- Neither publishes a full price list. Arketa prices only its one-login Individual plan, $49 a month billed annually; its studio plans say "Request a demo for pricing". Mindbody's headline is "Starting at $79 USD/month per location", and every plan card says "Let's talk" (checked November 5, 2026).
- Arketa publishes Stripe's card rate, 2.9% + $0.30, plus a 3% Arketa fee on Individual; its studio fee is set with an account executive. Mindbody publishes only the fixed part of its rate, $0.10 to $0.30 per transaction, and lets you use another processor.
- Arketa ticks text reminders and waitlists on both its plan columns; on Mindbody, text reminders and Pick-a-Spot start on Accelerate, whose price isn't published.
- Arketa's FAQ says plans "renew month to month unless you sign up for an annual plan". Mindbody's terms default to a 90-day first term, and if you leave early you owe "all fees owed for the entire Subscription Term".
- Mindbody lists you in its consumer app (20%, capped at $30, on a new client's first purchase) and offers 24/7 phone support and a 99.9% uptime commitment; we found no marketplace or uptime commitment for Arketa.
What Arketa and Mindbody are (and aren’t)
Arketa calls itself “all-in-one studio management software for all modalities including Pilates, yoga, gyms, and contrast therapy”, with a massage page too; its own summary says salon scheduling is “Not a fit”. Mindbody serves fitness, wellness and beauty businesses, and lists you in its consumer app on every plan. Our pick, MeetScarlet, is “a white-label booking app for appointment and class businesses”, and its terms page says “Scarlet is live, and founding studios can join now” (checked November 5, 2026). For other options, see our guide to booking software for fitness studios and our fitness class shortlist.
Arketa vs Mindbody vs MeetScarlet at a glance
| MeetScarlet (our pick) | Arketa | Mindbody | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Studios that want their own branded app at a published price and can wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps | Class studios that want text reminders on every plan, plans its FAQ says renew month to month, and a migration that moves saved cards | Studios that want marketplace clients, 24/7 phone support, or room to add spa and beauty services |
| Published price | $349/month plus $999 setup, or $3,490/year with setup free, for one location and 5 staff logins | Individual $49/month billed annually (1 login); studio plans “Request a demo for pricing” | “Starting at $79 USD/month per location”; every plan card says “Let’s talk” |
| Card processing | Stripe’s fees + 1%; on once your Stripe account is approved; its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet” | Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30, plus 3% on Individual; studio fee set with an account executive | Percentage not published; fixed $0.10 to $0.30 per transaction; third-party processor allowed |
| Text reminders | Scarlet Pro ($499/month), coming soon; email reminders “built but not sending yet” | Ticked on both plan columns | Email on Starter; text from Accelerate up |
| Spot booking | Spot maps (up to 100 spots) and an automatic waitlist “with every plan” | Listed on its classes page (“pick their exact bike, reformer, or mat”), plan not stated | Pick-a-Spot from Accelerate up |
| Branded app | Included on every plan | In the custom Studio Suite, or an add-on with no price shown | Add-on on Accelerate and Ultimate, price not published |
| Marketplace | None: not for “Businesses that want new clients mainly from a marketplace app” | None of its own found; ClassPass among its integrations | Its own consumer app on every plan: 20% of a new client’s first purchase, capped at $30 |
| Default contract | Monthly or yearly; plans “renew automatically until you cancel”, and cancelling takes effect at the end of the paid period | FAQ: month to month unless you choose annual; referral page mentions “a minimum one-year contract” | 90-day first term, then 30-day renewals; fixed terms of “12, 24, or 36 months” mentioned in its blog |
| Support | Instagram message to @meetscarletapp; it aims “to reply within one business day”. Its help site also offers email (“A person reads every message”) | Studio: live chat 24 hours Monday to Thursday, shorter hours other days, phone callback weekdays; Individual: chat or email in business hours | Phone, chat or email, 24/7 |
| Uptime | No status page or uptime commitment found | Status page; no uptime commitment found | 99.9%, with service credits once you’ve paid for 12 consecutive months |
| Biggest limitation | Its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet”; store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks | Studio prices not published, and “all sales are final” | Leave early and you still owe fees for the whole term; texts and Pick-a-Spot need a higher, unpriced plan |
Sources: Arketa pricing, Arketa support help, Mindbody pricing, Mindbody terms and Mindbody’s service level agreement, checked November 5, 2026. MeetScarlet: pricing, class booking, payments help and appointments help, checked November 5, 2026.
How we compared them
- Prices, card fees and billing basis, from each vendor’s pricing page and FAQ on November 5, 2026.
- Contract and exit terms, from Arketa’s pricing FAQ, terms and referral page, and Mindbody’s Terms of Service (updated March 20, 2026) and a Mindbody blog post.
- Booking, reminders, apps, payments and support, from each vendor’s feature pages and help articles.
- What users say, from the App Store and Google Play, labelled as other people’s opinions.
- We haven’t used any of the three hands-on, and MeetScarlet’s facts come only from its own pages, so this comparison is based on public documentation. Our method explains more.
Pricing compared (checked November 5, 2026)
| What’s published | MeetScarlet (our pick) | Arketa | Mindbody |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan prices | Scarlet $349/month or $3,490/year; Scarlet Pro $499/month or $4,990/year | Individual “$49/mo”, “Billed annually (save 17%)”; Studio Core, Growth and Suite “Custom” | “Starting at $79 USD/month per location”; Starter, Accelerate, Ultimate and Enterprise all say “Let’s talk” |
| Billing basis | Scarlet is “For one location”, with 5 staff logins (owner included); Scarlet Pro “includes up to 3 locations” and 20 logins | Individual: one team member login and one location; Studio: unlimited team members | Per location; the price doesn’t rise with staff |
| Setup | $999 one-time on monthly billing, free on yearly | No fee published for its migration help | “There’s no onboarding fee on any Mindbody plan”; data transfer “fees may apply” |
| Free trial | None: its terms say “There is no free trial”; it offers a demo | 7 days, aimed at independent instructors | Demo |
On the published figures alone, a solo instructor pays $49 a month on Arketa, billed annually, against Mindbody’s $79 “starting at” headline. That says little about a studio with a team, because neither publishes a studio price; Arketa also takes 3% of each Individual payment on top of Stripe’s fees. Get written quotes for the same setup, and compare them with what other booking apps cost.
Card fees: Arketa lists Stripe’s “2.9% + $0.30 USD” on every plan, and Individual partners pay Arketa “3% along with Stripe’s fees”; “Studio partners can discuss their options with their Account Executive”. Mindbody Payments charges “a payment processing rate plus a fixed fee of $0.10 to $0.30”, without publishing the rate, but Mindbody also allows “a third-party payment processor of your choice”. MeetScarlet publishes its own 1% on top of Stripe’s fees, not Stripe’s rate, and its card payments turn on once Stripe finishes checking your own Stripe account.
Booking and scheduling
Both are built around classes, with appointments, automatic waitlists and no-show handling. Arketa’s classes page says “When a spot opens, the next person on the waitlist gets in automatically”, and lets clients “pick their exact bike, reformer, or mat”, without naming a plan; its plans table ticks waitlist management and SMS and email reminders for both Individual and Studio. Mindbody puts “Resource management and Pick-a-Spot” on Accelerate and Ultimate, not Starter, and Starter sends reminders by email only.
Arketa’s plans table also lists unlimited video storage, livestream class management and an on-demand library. Our pick, MeetScarlet, says spot maps (up to 100 spots) and an automatic waitlist come with every plan, but classes need a client account, “Each Scarlet studio has one schedule”, and it has no streamed or on-demand video (“Scarlet books in-person classes”).
Memberships and payments
Both bill memberships automatically; Arketa also sells class packages. Arketa runs payments through Stripe, with no other processor, and when a renewal fails it “retries the payment up to 8 times within 30 days” and emails the client. Mindbody takes cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna and Tap to Pay through Mindbody Payments, or you can use another processor. Some of its promotions include Mindbody Payments, and its terms let it “recover the difference between the full price of all services and the discounted amount” if you stop using a required service.
Our pick, MeetScarlet, lists monthly memberships, minimum terms, packs and credits, with card payments through your own Stripe account. They turn on once Stripe finishes checking that account, and “Until Stripe is connected, members pay at the desk”. Its appointments help still says “no live card payment has been run yet”, so check with MeetScarlet before counting on card payments (checked November 5, 2026).
Client experience
Every Mindbody plan lists you in its consumer app, with a 20% fee, capped at $30, only on a new client’s first purchase. We found no consumer marketplace of Arketa’s own; it names ClassPass among its integrations. Both offer a branded app at extra cost with no published price: Arketa in its custom Studio Suite or as an add-on, Mindbody as an add-on on Accelerate and Ultimate. Our pick, MeetScarlet, includes one on every plan but has no marketplace, its Jane comparison page says email reminders are “built but not sending yet”, and text reminders (coming soon) need Scarlet Pro.
What users say (third-party opinion, not our own research, read November 5, 2026):
| Rating source | MeetScarlet (our pick) | Arketa | Mindbody |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Store, owner and staff app | No third-party ratings found (checked November 5, 2026) | 3.0 out of 5 (42 ratings, Arketa Business App) | 4.6 out of 5 (23,579 ratings, Mindbody Business) |
| Google Play, owner and staff app | No third-party ratings found (checked November 5, 2026) | 2.6 out of 5 (5 ratings) | 4.2 out of 5 (4,796 ratings) |
Arketa’s ratings come from few people, so read them with care.
Contracts
Arketa: its pricing FAQ says “All plans renew month to month unless you sign up for an annual plan”, and the Individual price shown is billed annually. Its referral page pays partners when a studio signs “a minimum one-year contract”, so ask whether your quote carries a term. Its terms say “all sales are final and no refunds may be provided”, and that pricing can change “with or without notice”.
Mindbody: unless your agreement says otherwise, the first term is 90 days, then 30-day renewals, and a Mindbody blog post mentions fixed terms of “12, 24, or 36 months”. Leave early and “you will remain responsible for payment of all fees owed for the entire Subscription Term”; fees are non-refundable, and fees that aren’t locked “are subject to change any time”.
MeetScarlet (our pick): its terms say plans “renew automatically until you cancel”, and a cancellation “takes effect at the end of the period you’ve paid for”. 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, and your data stays available after you cancel until you ask for it to be deleted (checked November 5, 2026).
Switching from one to the other
Mindbody to Arketa: Arketa’s help says an initial migration “with Stripe payment data” moves “Client accounts, active packages, active subscriptions, stored payment methods”, and that this “can only be done as part of your initial migration”; its homepage says “Most studios are live within 4 weeks”. Whether your Mindbody card data qualifies is a question for your quote.
Arketa to Mindbody: Mindbody offers free one-on-one onboarding and a data transfer service (“fees may apply”), but its terms make you “solely responsible” for a complete exit file from your old provider.
To MeetScarlet: it imports clients, “not booking or payment history”, and has “no direct importer for Mindbody, Fresha, Vagaro or others” (switching page).
Leaving either: export first. Mindbody’s blog says you can export your data yourself “in standard formats, such as CSV files”, with a paid export service “for an added fee” for up to 30 days after cancellation. Arketa’s plans table ticks “Full data export” without saying what it covers, and its terms say you can end your account by discontinuing use.
What about our pick, MeetScarlet?
Every MeetScarlet plan includes your own branded app on iPhone, Android and web, with class booking, spot maps and an automatic waitlist, and there’s no marketplace. It costs $349 a month or $3,490 a year for one location and 5 staff logins; Scarlet Pro is $499 a month with up to 3 locations, 20 logins and text reminders (coming soon). Both plans add a $999 setup fee on monthly billing, free on yearly. 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).
Card payments carry Stripe’s fees plus 1% to MeetScarlet and go through your own Stripe account, turning on once Stripe finishes checking it, but its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet”. Its FAQ says store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks”, and its Jane comparison page says email reminders are “built but not sending yet”. You also open your own Apple ($99 a year) and Google Play ($25 once) developer accounts. It imports clients only, and we found no status page, uptime commitment or third-party reviews (checked November 5, 2026). Choose MeetScarlet, our pick, if your own branded app at a published price matters most and you can wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps. Choose Arketa or Mindbody if you need card payments and email reminders working today.
Biggest limitations of each
- MeetScarlet (our pick): its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet”, store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks”, email reminders are “built but not sending yet”, and text reminders (coming soon) need Scarlet Pro (appointments help, terms).
- Arketa: studio prices aren’t published, the branded app and marketing automation cost extra with no price shown, “all sales are final”, and its business app has few ratings, averaging 3.0 on the App Store (third-party opinion) (Arketa pricing).
- Mindbody: no plan prices or card percentage. Text reminders and Pick-a-Spot need Accelerate, and campaigns Ultimate. Leave early and you owe the whole term (Mindbody Terms of Service).
Which should you choose?
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Want a branded app with a published price | MeetScarlet (our #1 pick) | Included on every plan, from $349 a month plus $999 setup, with spot maps and a waitlist; store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks, and its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet” |
| Solo instructor | Arketa | Individual is $49 a month billed annually, plus 3% and Stripe’s fees; Mindbody gives only a $79 “starting at” figure |
| Want text reminders without an upgrade | Arketa | Ticked on both plan columns; Mindbody’s start on Accelerate. Arketa’s classes page also lists spot booking, plan not stated |
| Want new clients from a marketplace app | Mindbody | Its own consumer app on every plan; 20% (capped at $30) on a new client’s first purchase |
| Want 24/7 phone support and an uptime promise | Mindbody | Phone, chat and email 24/7, and a 99.9% uptime commitment with credits |
| Want to keep your own card processor | Mindbody | It allows “a third-party payment processor of your choice”, but its terms let it claw back discounts tied to Mindbody Payments; Arketa uses Stripe |
| Want members’ saved cards to move with you | Arketa | Its first migration can move stored payment methods with Stripe data |
| Also offer spa or beauty services | Mindbody | Its site lists day spas, salons and barbershops; Arketa’s summary says salon scheduling is “Not a fit” |
The verdict
There’s no single winner. Arketa suits a class studio that wants text reminders on every plan and a published Stripe rate, and its FAQ says plans renew month to month. But it hides studio prices, and “all sales are final”. Mindbody suits a studio that wants marketplace clients, 24/7 support and an uptime promise, but its plans are unpriced and leaving early means paying out the term. Our pick, MeetScarlet, suits a studio that wants its own branded app at a published price and can wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps. Its email reminders are “built but not sending yet”. Read our Arketa review or Mindbody review, or see Arketa, which offered a 7-day free trial for independent instructors, and Mindbody, which starts with a demo, both checked November 5, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Arketa or Mindbody cheaper?
- We can't say for a studio, because neither publishes a studio price. Arketa's Individual plan is $49 a month billed annually for one login, plus a 3% transaction fee and Stripe's fees, and Mindbody's headline is "Starting at $79 USD/month per location". Get written quotes for the same setup (checked November 5, 2026).
- What are Arketa's and Mindbody's card fees?
- Arketa lists Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 on every plan, plus its own 3% on Individual; studios agree their fee with an account executive. Mindbody publishes only a fixed $0.10 to $0.30 per transaction on top of a rate it doesn't publish, and you can use a third-party processor instead.
- Which has the shorter contract, Arketa or Mindbody?
- Arketa's FAQ says plans renew month to month unless you choose annual billing, but its referral page mentions "a minimum one-year contract", so read your quote. Mindbody's terms default to a 90-day first term and then 30-day renewals, and a Mindbody blog post mentions fixed terms of "12, 24, or 36 months".
- Does Arketa or Mindbody charge a marketplace fee?
- Mindbody lists you in its consumer app on every plan and charges 20%, capped at $30, on the first purchase of a client the app sends you. We found no consumer marketplace of Arketa's own; it names ClassPass among its integrations.
- Which sends text reminders on the entry plan?
- Arketa ticks "SMS notifications + reminders" for both its Individual and Studio plans. Mindbody's Starter plan sends reminders by email only; texts start on Accelerate.
- Can I move members' saved cards to Arketa or Mindbody?
- Arketa's help says an initial migration "with Stripe payment data" can move "active packages, active subscriptions, stored payment methods", but only as part of that first migration. Mindbody offers onboarding and a data transfer service where "fees may apply", and its terms make you responsible for getting a complete exit file from your old provider.
- How does MeetScarlet compare with Arketa and Mindbody?
- Our pick, MeetScarlet, publishes its price, $349 a month plus $999 setup or $3,490 a year with setup free, and includes a branded app, spot maps and a waitlist on every plan. Its appointments help says "no live card payment has been run yet", so check before counting on card payments (checked November 5, 2026).
Sources
- Arketa pricing, checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa pricing (Markdown version: plans table, add-ons, FAQ), checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa classes and appointments, checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa: transfer clients (help article), checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa: subscription payment failures (help article), checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa: contact support (help article), checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa terms of service, checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa affiliate referral program, checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa free trial, checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa homepage (migration time), checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa llms.txt (the vendor's own summary, read as data), checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa Business App (App Store listing), checked November 5, 2026
- Arketa Business (Google Play listing), checked November 5, 2026
- Mindbody pricing, checked November 5, 2026
- Mindbody scheduling, checked November 5, 2026
- Mindbody Payments, checked November 5, 2026
- Mindbody Terms of Service (last updated March 20, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- Mindbody service level agreement, checked November 5, 2026
- Mindbody blog: contracts, cancellation and your data (last updated March 12, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- Mindbody Business (App Store listing), checked November 5, 2026
- Mindbody Business (Google Play listing), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet pricing and FAQ, checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet class booking (updated October 31, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet white-label booking app page, checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet switching page (updated October 31, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet vs Jane comparison (reminders; updated November 1, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet terms of service (updated November 5, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet payments help (updated November 5, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet appointments help (updated November 5, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet help: your Scarlet plan (cancel at period end), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet help: if something looks wrong (support), checked November 5, 2026
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