Exercise.com vs Gymdesk

Exercise.com scores 8.0/10 vs 7.8/10. Best for: Personal trainers and gym owners with 1-10 locations who sell online workout programs alongside in-person training and need custom branded apps.

Exercise.com logo

Exercise.com

8.0
Better overall
vs
Gymdesk logo

Gymdesk

7.8

Exercise.com scores higher overall at 8.0/10 vs 7.8/10. Buy Exercise.com if you are a trainer or gym owner selling online programming alongside in-person sessions. The workout builder and custom branded app are unmatched. Skip if you only need class scheduling and billing, because you will pay $239+/mo for workout features you never use.

Exercise.com
Gymdesk

Rank

#4 of 21

Rank

#10 of 21

Features

18/18

Features

15/18

Starting at

$239/mo

Starting at

$75/mo

User reviews

4.7/5 (355)

User reviews

4.8/5 (167)

What they cost

Exercise.com Gymdesk
Starting at $239 /mo $75 /mo
Free trial No Free tier available
Number of plans 1 4
Exercise.com pricing verified: 2026-03-01 Gymdesk pricing verified: 2026-03-01

What the pricing really means

At first glance, Gymdesk looks cheaper at $75/month vs $239/month. But sticker price is only part of the story. Look at what is included on the base plan, how many users you get, and whether you need add-ons to get the features you actually need. The $99/month plan that requires $200 in add-ons is actually more expensive than the $250/month plan that includes everything.

Where Exercise.com wins

  • Workout builder is the best in the category. You can program progressions, assign plans to clients, and deliver workouts through a custom branded app
  • Custom branded iOS and Android apps included in your plan: your gym name, your logo, your colors. Clients download your app, not a generic one
  • Covers in-person scheduling, online training delivery, and e-commerce (sell programs, merch, supplements) in one platform
  • Support team rated 4.9/5 on Capterra. Trainers report getting setup help and workout template guidance within hours

Where Gymdesk wins

  • All features are included in every plan with no feature gating or upselling
  • Exceptional customer support with response times consistently within hours
  • Free gym website included with every account, ready to use immediately
  • No contracts, no hidden fees, and a free plan for up to 15 active members after trial ends

Where Exercise.com falls short

  • Starts at $239/mo with no public pricing breakdown: you must sit through a sales call to get your actual quote
  • A solo personal trainer paying $239/mo needs to sell at least 3-4 extra online clients per month just to cover the software cost
  • Interface is feature-dense with a steep learning curve. Plan on 2-3 weeks before you feel comfortable navigating everything
  • No consumer marketplace for client discovery. Unlike Mindbody, new clients will not find you through the app itself

Where Gymdesk falls short

  • No dedicated staff mobile app, only a member-facing app
  • Reporting tools are basic and lack advanced custom report building
  • No built-in payroll management features
  • Smaller company with a less mature ecosystem of integrations compared to larger competitors

Who is each product built for?

Exercise.com

Target: 1-10 locations

Buy Exercise.com if you are a trainer or gym owner selling online programming alongside in-person sessions. The workout builder and custom branded app are unmatched. Skip if you only need class scheduling and billing, because you will pay $239+/mo for workout features you never use.

Gymdesk

Target: 1-400 members

Gymdesk is an excellent choice for small gyms and martial arts schools that want simple, transparent pricing with all features unlocked from day one. The included free website and member app add strong value. Best suited for facilities with under 400 members who value simplicity over enterprise-grade analytics.

Martial Arts SchoolsCrossFit BoxesYoga StudiosPersonal TrainingGeneral Fitness

Feature comparison

Feature Exercise.com Gymdesk
Scheduling & Booking
Class/session scheduling
Online booking
Attendance tracking
Members & Staff
Member management
Membership plans
Staff management
Client portal/app
Payments & Billing
Payment processing
Automated billing
Retail/POS
Fitness Tools
Workout/program builder
Mobile app (client)
Mobile app (staff)
Waivers/forms
Marketing & Growth
Website builder
Marketing/email tools
Reporting/analytics
Integrations/API

Common questions

Exercise.com scores 8.0/10 vs Gymdesk's 7.8/10 in our ranking. Exercise.com is the better pick for 1-10 locations. Gymdesk is better if you need small to mid-size gyms, martial arts schools, and crossfit boxes that want all features included at every tier with no contracts.

Exercise.com starts at $239/month. Gymdesk starts at $75/month. Watch for add-on costs — the base price often does not include all features. Pricing last verified 2026-03-01.

Exercise.com: No free trial. Gymdesk: Yes, 30-day free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.

Exercise.com covers 18 of 18 features we track. Gymdesk covers 15 of 18. Exercise.com has broader feature coverage, but more features does not always mean better — pick the tool that covers what your business actually needs.

No, Exercise.com does not have a mobile app. Gymdesk does not have one either.

Yes. The main effort is migrating your data (customer lists, job history, invoices). Plan for 1-2 weeks of overlap where you run both. Most gym & fitness studio tools can import CSV data. Ask both vendors about migration support before you sign.

The bottom line

Pick Exercise.com if...

Personal trainers and gym owners with 1-10 locations who sell online workout programs alongside in-person training and need custom branded apps

Pick Gymdesk if...

Small to mid-size gyms, martial arts schools, and CrossFit boxes that want all features included at every tier with no contracts.

Related comparisons