We’re going to do something unusual for a company blog: write a comparison post that’s actually fair.
You’re probably here because you’re shopping for billing and management software for your gym, martial arts school, or fitness studio. You’ve narrowed it down to three names — Glofox, Mindbody, and Member Solutions — and you want someone to lay it out straight.
Here’s our bias, stated upfront: we’re Member Solutions. We’ve been doing billing for martial arts schools and fitness studios since 1991. We think we’re the best option for a specific type of owner, but we also know we’re not the best option for everyone. If Glofox or Mindbody is a better fit for you, we’d rather tell you that than waste your time.
That said, there’s a question most comparison posts never ask — and it’s the one that matters most. We’ll get to it.
A quick note on how to read this
We’ve organized this comparison by the categories that actually matter when you’re running a school or studio. For each one, we’ll tell you what each platform does well and where it falls short. At the end, we’ll match each platform to the type of owner it serves best.
No “and the winner is…” after every section. Just the facts as we understand them.
Platform Overview
Glofox
Glofox (now part of ABC Fitness) is a mobile-first management platform built for boutique fitness studios. Founded in Ireland in 2017, they’ve grown quickly by focusing on a clean, modern interface and strong mobile apps for both owners and members. Their sweet spot is boutique fitness — yoga studios, cycling studios, CrossFit boxes, and similar concepts.
What they’re known for: Beautiful UI, strong branded mobile apps, and a modern tech stack that appeals to newer studios that want a polished digital experience.
Mindbody
Mindbody is the 800-pound gorilla. Founded in 2001, they serve tens of thousands of businesses across fitness, wellness, beauty, and integrative health. They’re publicly traded (went private in 2019, re-listed), have the largest consumer marketplace in the industry, and offer the most comprehensive feature set of the three platforms here.
What they’re known for: The Mindbody marketplace (a discovery app where consumers find and book local fitness classes), enterprise-grade features, and broad coverage across multiple wellness verticals.
Member Solutions
We’ve been around since 1991 — 35 years. We serve 11,000+ schools and studios, with deep roots in martial arts and a growing presence in fitness. Our platform (OnMat) handles the software side — scheduling, member management, POS, belt tracking, marketing tools. But what makes us different isn’t the software. It’s the team.
What we’re known for: A dedicated billing team that handles collections, payment recovery, and member account management on your behalf. Software plus a service team. We’ll explain why that matters more than you’d think. See the platform in action →
Membership Management & Billing
This is where most owners spend the most time and lose the most money, so let’s start here.
Glofox
Glofox handles membership management cleanly. You can set up recurring memberships, class packs, drop-in rates, and introductory offers. Their billing integrates with Stripe and other payment processors. When a payment fails, Glofox sends automated retry attempts and email notifications to the member.
Strengths: The member-facing experience is excellent. Members can manage their own accounts, update payment methods, and purchase packages through a branded app. For studios with straightforward billing (monthly memberships, class packs), Glofox handles it smoothly.
Limitations: When automated retries and emails don’t work — and they often don’t — it’s on you. You’re the one following up with the member, having the awkward conversation, or writing off the revenue. There’s no human backup behind the automation.
Mindbody
Mindbody’s billing engine is comprehensive. They support complex membership structures, tiered pricing, family accounts, autopay, and detailed financial reporting. Their system can handle large multi-location operations with sophisticated billing rules.
Strengths: If you need billing flexibility — different rates for different membership tiers, promotional pricing, corporate packages — Mindbody can probably do it. The reporting is deep, and the system can scale to enterprise-level complexity.
Limitations: Complexity cuts both ways. Mindbody’s billing setup has a learning curve, and some owners find themselves spending more time configuring billing rules than they expected. Like Glofox, when a payment fails and the automated emails don’t recover it, you’re the one dealing with it.
Member Solutions
Our billing engine handles the standard stuff — recurring memberships, family billing, frozen accounts, payment plans, and detailed reporting. The OnMat platform gives you a dashboard to see everything. But here’s where we’re different:
When a payment fails, our team handles it. Not an automated email. A person. They’ll retry the payment, contact the member professionally, call the bank if needed, dispute chargebacks, update expired card information, and follow up until the payment is recovered or the situation is resolved.
Strengths: You don’t deal with failed payments. At all. Most schools lose $2,000–$5,000 every month to failed payments they never notice or never follow up on. Our team catches those and recovers the revenue.
Limitations: If you want complete control over every billing interaction — if you want to be the one calling your members about failed payments — our model isn’t for you. We handle it, and some owners prefer to handle it themselves.
Scheduling & Class Management
Glofox
This is one of Glofox’s strong suits. Their scheduling interface is intuitive, and the member-facing booking experience through their branded app is excellent. Waitlists, recurring classes, staff scheduling, and capacity management all work smoothly. For boutique studios that run a class-based model, Glofox’s scheduling is hard to beat.
Mindbody
Mindbody’s scheduling is comprehensive and handles complex scenarios — multiple rooms, multiple instructors, workshops, events, series classes, and appointments. The integration with the Mindbody marketplace means members can discover and book your classes from the consumer app, which is a real acquisition channel.
Member Solutions
Our scheduling (through OnMat) covers the essentials — class schedules, recurring sessions, instructor assignments, and member booking. For martial arts schools, we have belt tracking and rank management built in, which is genuinely useful. For general fitness scheduling, we’re functional but not as polished as Glofox’s boutique-focused interface.
Honest take: If scheduling and class booking is your primary concern — if you run a high-volume boutique studio where the booking experience is a competitive advantage — Glofox has the edge here. Our scheduling works well, but it’s not our headline feature.
CRM & Lead Management
Glofox
Glofox includes lead management tools — you can track prospects, set up automated follow-up sequences, and manage trial-to-member conversion. It’s clean and functional, though not as deep as dedicated CRM platforms.
Mindbody
Mindbody’s CRM capabilities are the most extensive of the three, especially when combined with their marketing tools. Lead tracking, automated nurture campaigns, win-back sequences, and integration with the marketplace make it a strong choice for studios focused on lead generation and conversion funnels.
Member Solutions
Our CRM and lead management tools cover the fundamentals — prospect tracking, follow-up reminders, and conversion reporting. We also offer marketing tools through OnMat (email campaigns, text messaging). It’s solid but not our strongest suit.
Honest take: If lead generation and CRM sophistication is your top priority, Mindbody offers the most here. Their marketplace alone is a lead generation channel that neither Glofox nor Member Solutions can match.
Setup & Onboarding
Glofox
Glofox’s onboarding is streamlined and typically quick — many studios are up and running within a few days. Their interface is intuitive enough that most owners can self-serve through setup with some guidance. They provide onboarding support, but the platform is designed to be picked up without heavy hand-holding.
Mindbody
Mindbody’s onboarding takes longer — the platform is more complex, so there’s more to configure. They offer implementation support, but owners consistently report that the learning curve is steeper than expected. Budget 2-4 weeks for full setup, and expect to invest real time learning the system. For multi-location setups, it can take longer.
Member Solutions
Our onboarding takes 1-2 weeks. We assign you a dedicated account manager who walks through everything — importing your member data, setting up billing agreements, configuring your payment processing, and training you on the platform. Because we’re also setting up the billing service (not just software), there’s a bit more to coordinate, but you’re not doing it alone.
Honest take: Glofox is fastest to set up. We’re in the middle. Mindbody takes the longest. None of them are plug-and-play — any platform switch involves data migration and a learning curve.
Daily Usability
Glofox
This is where Glofox shines. The interface is clean, modern, and fast. The mobile app for owners is genuinely good — you can manage most daily operations from your phone. For owners who want a platform that feels like a consumer app rather than enterprise software, Glofox delivers.
Mindbody
Mindbody is powerful but dense. There’s a lot you can do, which means there’s a lot of UI to navigate. Some owners love the depth; others find it overwhelming for day-to-day tasks. The mobile app has improved but still doesn’t match the desktop experience.
Member Solutions
OnMat is functional and straightforward. It won’t win design awards, but it covers what you need for daily operations — checking member status, running reports, managing schedules. For martial arts schools specifically, the belt tracking and rank management features are things you won’t find in Glofox or Mindbody.
Honest take: If daily UI experience is a top priority, Glofox wins. If you need depth and don’t mind complexity, Mindbody. If you want simple and you’re in martial arts, OnMat fits.
Support
Glofox
Glofox offers email and chat support, with phone support available on higher tiers. Response times are generally good. Since their acquisition by ABC Fitness, some users have reported changes in support responsiveness, though this varies.
Mindbody
Mindbody offers tiered support — basic plans get email and chat, while higher tiers get phone support and a dedicated success manager. Because of the platform’s complexity, you may find yourself needing support more often. The quality of support varies by tier and by the specific issue.
Member Solutions
We provide phone support — actual humans who answer the phone. Every account has a dedicated account manager. For billing-specific issues (which are the ones that keep owners up at night), our billing team handles them proactively — you often don’t even know there was a problem until it’s already resolved.
Honest take: Our support model is different because our service model is different. You’re not just getting help with software; you have a team handling a core part of your operations. That said, for pure software support questions, all three platforms will get you answers.
Martial Arts Specialization
If you run a martial arts school, this section matters a lot. If you don’t, skip ahead.
Glofox
Glofox is not built for martial arts. It can work — you can set up classes, memberships, and schedules — but there’s no belt tracking, no rank management, no curriculum tools, and no understanding of how martial arts billing works (family plans across multiple programs, rank testing fees, equipment packages). You’d be fitting a martial arts peg into a boutique fitness hole.
Mindbody
Mindbody is a generalist platform. You can configure it for martial arts, but like Glofox, it lacks martial arts-specific features. Some large martial arts chains use Mindbody, but they typically need significant customization and workarounds.
Member Solutions
This is our home turf. We’ve served martial arts schools since 1991. Belt tracking, rank management, family billing across multiple students and programs, testing fees, equipment packages, trial-to-enrollment workflows — all built in. More importantly, our team understands martial arts billing. When a family has three kids in different programs with different testing schedules, our billing team knows how to handle that without creating a mess.
Honest take: For martial arts, we’re the clear choice. We’d say that even if we weren’t us. The specialization matters.
Boutique Fitness
If you run a yoga studio, cycling studio, Pilates studio, or similar boutique concept, this section is for you.
Glofox
Glofox was built for this. Their branded apps, booking experience, and class-based model are designed specifically for boutique fitness. If your business runs on class packs, drop-ins, and a premium member experience, Glofox understands your model.
Mindbody
Mindbody serves boutique fitness well, and the marketplace is a genuine advantage — potential members can discover your studio and book a class without ever visiting your website. For studios in competitive urban markets, that visibility matters.
Member Solutions
We serve fitness studios, and our billing and payment recovery works exactly the same regardless of vertical. But our platform was built with martial arts as the primary use case, and boutique fitness studios may find that Glofox’s member-facing experience is more aligned with the premium feel they want.
Honest take: For boutique fitness, Glofox is purpose-built. Mindbody gives you the marketplace. We give you the billing team. Which matters most depends on your biggest problem.
Pricing
Let’s talk real numbers. Pricing in this industry is notoriously opaque, so here’s what we know as of early 2026:
Glofox
- Range: $110–$220+/month depending on features and studio size
- Transaction fees: Varies by payment processor (typically 2.5–3.5%)
- Setup fees: Varies — some plans include onboarding, others charge extra
- Contract: Annual contracts are common, with discounts for longer commitments
- Note: Pricing has evolved since the ABC Fitness acquisition. Get a current quote — published pricing may not reflect what you’ll actually pay.
Mindbody
- Range: $159–$349+/month across their Essential, Accelerate, and Ultimate tiers
- Transaction fees: Varies by plan and processor
- Setup fees: Can range from $0 to several hundred dollars depending on the plan
- Contract: Monthly and annual options, with savings on annual
- Note: Mindbody is the most expensive of the three at comparable feature levels. The marketplace access may justify the premium if it drives real bookings for your studio.
Member Solutions
- Range: $99/month (annual) – $199/month (monthly)
- Transaction fees: 2.9% per transaction
- Setup fees: $0
- Contract: Cancel anytime — no long-term commitment required
- Note: Our pricing includes the billing team. That’s not an add-on. The humans who recover your failed payments, handle chargebacks, and manage collections are included in the same monthly fee.
Pricing reality check
On paper, we’re the least expensive. But cost comparison only makes sense when you’re comparing the same thing. Glofox and Mindbody are software platforms. We’re a software platform plus a billing service team.
The fairer comparison might be: what would Glofox or Mindbody cost you plus the revenue you lose because nobody is recovering your failed payments? For most schools, that’s $2,000–$5,000 per month walking out the door.
What Happens When a Payment Fails?
This is the section no comparison post writes, and it’s the one that actually determines how much money you keep.
Every membership business has failed payments. Credit cards expire. Banks flag transactions. Members change accounts and forget to update their billing info. Industry averages put involuntary churn (members lost to failed payments, not because they wanted to leave) at 10–15% of recurring revenue annually.
So here’s the question: when a payment fails at your school next Tuesday, what actually happens?
On Glofox
The system retries the payment automatically (typically 2-3 attempts over a few days). If it still fails, the member gets an automated email asking them to update their payment method. If the member updates it, great. If they don’t… it’s on you. You can see the failed payment in your dashboard. You can send another email. You can have an awkward conversation next time they’re in the studio.
Most owners don’t. They’re busy teaching. The failed payment sits there. After a while, the member stops coming. You’ve lost the member and the revenue — not because they wanted to leave, but because nobody followed up.
On Mindbody
Similar process. Automated retries, automated notifications, a dashboard showing failed payments. Mindbody’s reporting is more detailed — you can see exactly which payments failed and why. But the outcome is the same: the system notifies, and a human needs to act. That human is you.
Mindbody does offer some additional tools through their higher-tier plans — more sophisticated dunning sequences, for example. But the fundamental model is the same: software alerts you, you handle it.
On Member Solutions
The system retries automatically — same as the others. But here’s where it diverges: when the retry doesn’t work, our billing team takes over. Not an email. A trained billing specialist.
They’ll call the bank to find out why the transaction was declined. If the card expired, they’ll track down the updated information. If there’s a chargeback, they’ll file a dispute on your behalf. If the member needs to be contacted, they’ll do it professionally — no awkward conversations for you.
This isn’t an add-on. It’s not an upsell. It’s what we do. It’s included.
Why this matters more than any feature comparison:
Let’s say you have 200 members paying $100/month. That’s $20,000 in recurring revenue. If 10% of payments fail in a given month and nobody follows up, that’s $2,000 gone. If that pattern continues (and it will — failed payments don’t fix themselves), you’re looking at $24,000 per year in revenue that simply disappears.
No scheduling feature, no CRM tool, and no mobile app design makes up for $24,000 in lost revenue.
This is the question that comparison posts about “features” and “user interface” miss entirely. The most important thing your billing platform does isn’t process payments when they work. It’s what happens when they don’t.
What We’re Not Great At (Honest Assessment)
We said we’d be fair, so here’s where we fall short compared to the other two:
Brand recognition. Mindbody is a household name in fitness. Glofox has strong brand awareness in boutique fitness. If it matters to you that your members recognize the platform name, we’re less known.
Consumer marketplace. Mindbody’s marketplace is a real member acquisition channel. Glofox has a consumer app as well. We don’t have an equivalent. If you’re counting on your platform to bring in new members, we’re not the best choice for that.
Boutique polish. Glofox’s member-facing apps are beautiful. Their branded experience feels premium. Our member-facing tools are functional but not as visually refined. If the digital experience is a key part of your brand, Glofox has us beat.
Breadth of features. Mindbody does more things. Period. If you need a platform that covers fitness, wellness, beauty, and spa services — or if you need deep marketing automation built in — Mindbody’s scope is wider than ours.
We’ve chosen to be deep rather than wide. We do billing, payment recovery, and membership management — and we do it with a human team behind the software. That’s a deliberate choice, and it’s not right for everyone.
Who Is Each Platform Best For?
After 35 years of working with school and studio owners, we’ve learned that the right platform depends on what problem you’re actually trying to solve. Here’s our honest take:
Choose Glofox if:
- You run a boutique fitness studio (yoga, cycling, Pilates, CrossFit)
- A polished member-facing app is important to your brand
- You have straightforward billing (monthly memberships, class packs)
- You’re comfortable handling failed payments yourself or have staff to do it
- You want fast setup and an intuitive daily interface
- You’re earlier stage and want a platform that grows with you without overwhelming you
Choose Mindbody if:
- You want access to the Mindbody marketplace as a member acquisition channel
- You operate multiple locations or a large, complex business
- You need a platform that covers fitness, wellness, beauty, and spa under one roof
- You want deep CRM and marketing automation built into your platform
- You have the budget and team to handle the learning curve and higher cost
- You’re in a competitive urban market where marketplace visibility matters
Choose Member Solutions if:
- You run a martial arts school and need belt tracking, rank management, and family billing
- Failed payments and collections are your biggest revenue problem
- You want someone else to handle the billing completely — not just the software, the work
- You don’t have staff to chase failed payments, call banks, and dispute chargebacks
- You want transparent pricing with no setup fees and no long-term contract
- You’d rather teach your classes and let a billing team handle the money side
The Bottom Line
There’s no single best platform. There’s the best platform for how you run your business and what keeps you up at night.
If what keeps you up is “I need a better app for my members” — look at Glofox.
If what keeps you up is “I need more people finding my studio” — look at Mindbody.
If what keeps you up is “I’m losing money every month to failed payments and I don’t have time to deal with it” — that’s what we built our entire company around.
We’ve been recovering revenue for school and studio owners since 1991. Not because we have the flashiest app. Not because we have the biggest marketplace. Because when a credit card declines at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday, our team is the one who picks up the phone and gets the money back.
If that’s the problem you need solved, we should talk.
Want to talk through your setup?
If you’re comparing platforms and want an honest conversation about whether Member Solutions is the right fit — or if one of the others makes more sense for your situation — we’re happy to talk it through.
No sales pitch. No pressure. Just a conversation with someone who’s seen thousands of schools make this decision.
Talk to Our Team About Your Setup
Or call us directly — we still answer the phone.
