2026 Studio Software Comparison: Mindbody vs Glofox

If you're comparing Mindbody and Glofox for your management platform, you'll find that both handle bookings, memberships, payments, and member engagement. The better choice comes down to what else you need from your software. Mindbody, with plans starting at $79/month per location in the US, is the stronger fit if you want a built-in way to get discovered by new clients, offer more than one type of service, or want a customized website included at no additional cost. Glofox is a solid option for fitness businesses that want a dedicated studio and gym platform and already have a steady source of new clients, with plans advertised from $99/month.

Below, you'll see how the two compare on features, pricing, marketing tools, and support so that you can match the platform to your business.

What are the key differences between Mindbody and Glofox?

Mindbody and Glofox both cover the fundamentals of running a fitness business, including scheduling and member management. Where they differ is in the details beyond the basics. The biggest gaps show up in client discovery, in which critical features come with lower priced entry level tiers, and in the range of businesses each platform is built to serve.

Glofox's website says it serves fitness businesses ranging from independent studios to growing gym brands, including gyms, fitness studios, Pilates studios, personal trainers, boxing gyms, yoga studios, and more.

Mindbody supports an even wider range of businesses, from single-location operators to enterprise brands. In addition to fitness, Mindbody serves wellness and beauty businesses such as med spas, salons, massage therapy practices, and physical therapy clinics. If you offer services beyond fitness, or plan to add them, that breadth lets you diversify and grow without switching platforms.

The table below puts Mindbody and Glofox side by side on business fit, pricing, included features, marketing tools, and support, so you can see where each platform lines up with your needs.

What should you consider when comparing Mindbody and Glofox?

Mindbody and Glofox both support the core operations of a fitness business, so the most useful comparison looks at how each platform helps you attract clients, which services your business offers, which features you can't do without, and what the full cost adds up to. Here's how the two stack up.

• Client acquisition: Mindbody has a built-in acquisition channel through the Mindbody app, which connects your business with 3M+ active consumers who are looking for classes and appointments. Glofox customers rely on their own staff and marketing to promote the business and attract new clients.
• Website: Mindbody includes a customized website, synced with Mindbody booking, scheduling, and payments, at no additional cost in every tier. Glofox doesn't currently offer a website, so you would either build one yourself on another service or invest in a custom development project.
• Service mix: Glofox can be a good fit for a class-only studio. Mindbody's booking software also handles hybrid operators who add appointments or wellness services, which gives you flexibility as your business grows.
• Reporting tools: Mindbody includes reporting and analytics, including weekly AI Summaries, in every plan, while Glofox offers advanced reporting on its higher-tier plans.
• What customers say: Mindbody serves 40K+ businesses compared with Glofox's 2K, and its Trustpilot rating is 4.4 compared with Glofox's 3.5.

How much do Mindbody and Glofox cost in 2026?

Mindbody plans start at $79/month and already include digital waivers, retail POS, unlimited staff seats, and a customized website at no additional cost. Glofox advertises plans from $99/month, but the features many studios need sit in higher tiers that require a custom quote. The scenario below shows how that plays out.

Cost scenario: a Pilates studio that needs waivers, retail sales, and a website

Say you run a Pilates studio that offers both group classes and private appointments. You want clients to complete current fitness forms and sign a waiver online, and you want to sell Pilates socks in your studio. You also want a fresh website that highlights your growing business.

On Mindbody, you can do all of this on the entry plan. Digital forms and waivers let your clients complete current fitness forms and sign a waiver online before their first class, and built-in retail POS lets you sell Pilates socks right at your front desk. Your customized website, included in every plan at no additional cost, stays synced with your booking, scheduling, and payments, so new clients can find your classes and appointments and book in one place. You also get custom reporting dashboards and weekly AI Insights to see how your business is doing.

On Glofox, you would need to move up to Boost or Elite to get waivers and POS. Third-party websites estimate those tiers at $160 to $250 per month. You would also need to budget the time and a monthly fee to build your own website on a service like Wix or Squarespace.

How do Mindbody and Glofox marketing and discovery tools compare?

Mindbody offers a well-known consumer app that can introduce your fitness or wellness business to new clients, while Glofox doesn't include a built-in channel for new client discovery. Glofox does offer lead capture and sales engagement tools, depending on tier or add-on, to help you manage and convert the leads you generate yourself. Mindbody also includes marketing and lead-capture tools on its Accelerate and Ultimate plans, so you can pair its marketplace with your own outreach.

Some competitors point to the 20% fee Mindbody charges for new clients to the Mindbody app. That fee applies only to a client's first visit, and the revenue a new client brings in can easily cover it. Think of it as one more tool in your client acquisition toolkit, with a cost just like social media advertising or incentives for referrals from existing members.

Is the Mindbody app new client fee worth it?

For a studio that wins just a couple of new clients a month, yes, and the math shows why. Say your Pilates studio gets two new clients a month from the Mindbody app. Each one starts with a $59 intro pack, and the 20% fee costs $11.80 per new client. Across 24 new clients a year, that is about $283 in fees. The intro packs cover those fees and leave about $1,133 in incremental revenue.*

Now add membership conversions. If one in four of those clients becomes a member on a $220-a-month plan and stays for an average of nine months, that is six new members a year, each worth about $1,980. Those memberships bring in about $11,880, so every dollar spent on the discovery fee comes back about 40 times over.

Even if only one in ten new clients becomes a member, the return is still more than 10 to 1. A single month of one membership covers more than nine months of fees. In other words, the fee is the cost of meeting clients who already want to book and who might never have found your studio otherwise. Your service and customer experience can then turn them into returning clients.

*This example is for illustrative purposes and assumes 24 new clients purchase a $59 intro pack, a 20% fee applies to each purchase, and 25% become members paying $220 per month for nine months. Actual fees, eligibility, conversion, retention, and revenue will vary. Revenue figures are estimates, not profit, and exclude other costs, taxes, and fees.

Which platform is right for your business?

Mindbody and Glofox both give you the tools to run bookings, memberships, and payments. The right choice comes down to how you plan to find new clients, which services you offer, and what your total cost looks like once you add the essential features you need.

Mindbody is built for businesses that want more from a single platform. You get a consumer marketplace that puts you in front of 3M+ active consumers, support for fitness, wellness, and beauty services, and an entry plan at $79/month that includes unlimited users, a customized website, retail POS, and digital forms and waivers. Glofox can be a good fit if you run a fitness business, want a dedicated studio and gym platform, and already have a reliable way to bring in new clients, with plans advertised from $99/month.

Before you decide, list your must-have features, ask each provider for an itemized quote, and compare the tier that includes everything you need. That approach shows you the full cost of each platform, not just the starting price.