Club Automation Comparison FAQ

Mindbody is a popular choice for boutique studios and salons. Club Automation, on the other hand, is purpose-built for full-service health clubs and wellness centers. While Mindbody focuses on class scheduling and individual services, Club Automation delivers enterprise-level functionality including:

Multi-location support
Access control integration
Family and household account structures
Wellness program management
Centralized reporting across programs and sites

For organizations with complex operations or multiple service areas, Club Automation offers deeper functionality and better long-term scalability.

ABC Fitness primarily targets large, high-volume gyms and national franchises.
Club Automation, on the other hand, serves a diverse range of fitness and wellness organizations, including mid-market fitness, gyms, athletic clubs, multi-purpose facilities, racquet clubs and medical and hospital integrated fitness and wellness centers.
While ABC emphasizes serving large corporate chains, Club Automation is built for flexibility and member alignment, offering:

Robust billing and payment tools with integrated automation
Comprehensive member management for check-ins, contracts, and account history
Member engagement and retention features to deepen loyalty

Customizable reporting and operational insights tailored to your club’s needs

Support for service-based models like personal training, lessons, and wellness programs

If your club values a balance between operational control and exceptional member experience, Club Automation is the more adaptable, purpose-built solution

Zen Planner, part of the Daxko family of brands, is an outstanding all-in-one solution for boutique fitness businesses, martial arts schools, and functional fitness gyms. It includes Zen Planner Engage, a powerful marketing automation suite, and integrates seamlessly with SugarWOD for workout tracking and community engagement. Zen Planner is purpose-built for smaller, single-location operations that want a tightly integrated platform with marketing, scheduling, payments, and member experience all in one place.

Club Automation is ideal for organizations that require more complex infrastructure—like multi-location facilities, medically integrated wellness centers, or clubs with a broad mix of programs (aquatics, racquet sports, wellness, etc.). Both platforms are category leaders within their respective segments of the market.

For single-location studios, Zen Planner may be sufficient. But for complex or expanding organizations, Club Automation offers enterprise-grade capabilities.

WellnessLiving offers basic CRM and email tools, but Club Automation provides more advanced engagement and lifecycle automation tools:

Automated journeys triggered by attendance or inactivity
Real-time engagement dashboards
Integrated mobile app messaging and push notifications
Intelligent segmentation by usage, program, or location

For clubs that want to actively manage and improve retention, Club Automation delivers the tools to do it effectively and at scale.

PushPress is designed for functional fitness and CrossFit-style boxes. Club Automation is designed for more complex organizations that need to manage:

Multiple departments (e.g., tennis, swim, wellness)
Family memberships and group billing
Check-in access control systems
Sophisticated reporting and analytics

If your business has evolved beyond a single-program studio, Club Automation is a stronger long-term platform.

Exercise.com is well-suited for personal trainers and content delivery. Club Automation is a full operations platform with integrated billing, scheduling, CRM, reporting, and marketing. Key differences include:

Facility and staff management
Enterprise billing models and POS
Member-facing mobile app and self-service tools
Access control and check-in features

For facility-based operators, Club Automation offers a more complete and cohesive solution.

Traction Rec is a Salesforce-based solution often used by non-profits. However, for large-scale nonprofit fitness and community organizations like YMCAs, JCCs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and community recreation centers, Daxko Operations—also part of the Daxko family—is the leading platform.

Daxko Operations is the most complete solution in the nonprofit fitness market, offering:

Robust member management and engagement tools
Integrated marketing and communication features
Deep accounting and financial management capabilities
A broad ecosystem of tools for fundraising, volunteer management, and program delivery

For organizations that need to align mission, member experience, and operational excellence, Daxko Operations delivers unmatched depth and domain expertise.

Club Automation continues to be a strong choice for medically integrated and wellness-focused clubs, but for true nonprofit community operations, Daxko Operations is the gold standard.

Advantages of Club Automation include:

No need for Salesforce licensing or custom development

Faster onboarding and lower total cost of ownership

Native support for community-specific features (child care, financial assistance, wellness programs)

For YMCAs, JCCs, and similar organizations, Club Automation offers faster time to value with a stronger mission-aligned foundation.

Glofox is built for boutique studios and is strong on branding and virtual content. Club Automation supports hybrid models across multiple program types with:

In-person, virtual, and on-demand scheduling
Member engagement tools for all delivery types
Revenue tracking across physical and digital offerings
Cross-program participation tracking and engagement

Hybrid clubs that include child care, aquatics, or multi-service programming will find Club Automation more flexible.

Lower-cost platforms may appear attractive in the short term, but they often lack scalability, support, and critical operational features. Club Automation delivers:

Proven performance with large, multi-site organizations
Expert onboarding and ongoing support
Built-in tools to increase retention and grow revenue
Enterprise data visibility and forecasting

It’s not just about software—it’s about having a strategic partner to support your club’s growth and complexity over time