Exercise.com vs Zen Planner
Exercise.com scores 8.0/10 vs 7.2/10. 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 scores higher overall at 8.0/10 vs 7.2/10. 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 
Zen Planner Rank
#4 of 21
Rank
#17 of 21
Features
18/18
Features
18/18
Starting at
$239/mo
Starting at
$99/mo
User reviews
4.7/5 (355)
User reviews
4.3/5 (365)
What they cost
| Exercise.com | Zen Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | $239 /mo | $99 /mo |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Number of plans | 1 | 4 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Zen Planner looks cheaper at $99/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 Zen Planner wins
- Member-count pricing with no feature gating: you get every feature at every price level, from $99/mo (0-50 members) up to $348/mo (251+ members)
- Belt and rank tracking built in for martial arts schools. Karate, BJJ, and taekwondo gyms can track student progression without a separate system
- All core features included at the base price. Scheduling, billing, attendance, and member management are never locked behind an upgrade
- Month-to-month contract. No annual commitment, cancel any time without penalty
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 Zen Planner falls short
- Add-ons inflate costs fast: website ($99/mo), marketing ($249/mo), and branded app ($39/mo) can push total spend over $500/mo
- Users report persistent bugs in scheduling and billing modules. Expect occasional glitches that require workarounds or support tickets
- Some gym owners report difficulty canceling their account or getting refunds for overbilled months
- Workout programming is basic compared to Exercise.com or Wodify. Strength and conditioning coaches will find it limiting
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.
Zen Planner
Target: 1-5 locations
Buy Zen Planner if you run a single-location martial arts school, CrossFit box, or yoga studio under 300 members and want simple, transparent pricing with all features included. Skip if you need marketing automation or a branded app without paying $250+/mo in add-ons, because the extras get expensive fast.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Exercise.com | Zen Planner |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Zen Planner's 7.2/10 in our ranking. Exercise.com is the better pick for 1-10 locations. Zen Planner is better if you need single-location martial arts schools, crossfit boxes, and yoga studios under 300 members who want transparent member-count pricing with no feature gating.
Exercise.com starts at $239/month. Zen Planner starts at $99/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. Zen Planner: No free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.
Exercise.com covers 18 of 18 features we track. Zen Planner covers 18 of 18. Both are tied on 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. Zen Planner 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 Zen Planner if...
Single-location martial arts schools, CrossFit boxes, and yoga studios under 300 members who want transparent member-count pricing with no feature gating