Fees as low as …% *

* For qualified payments

You’ve probably seen this before when evaluating processing costs – a low processing fee with phrasing such as “As low as…” or “starting at …”, ending with an asterisk.

Different transactions are charged different rates by the credit-card companies, depending on the type of card used and the potential risk of the transaction.

Payment gateways then roll those rates on to you with their own pricing scheme, often separating payments into classes of "qualified", "mid-qualified" and "non-qualified" payments. Qualified payments are charged the advertised “starting at…” rates, while non-qualified payments are charged increasingly higher rates depending on different factors (also known as three-tier pricing).

Recurring payments that are charged using a card on file automatically are charged the highest fees. For a membership based business, that means most of the transactions will be considered non-qualified and be subject to much higher fees.

Other charges can include setup fees, monthly fees, charge-back fees and more.

At Gymdesk we partnered with payment processor who offer simplified rates with that are optimized to online and recurring billing, and no monthly fees. Let's see how it compares to Mindbody's fees:

	Qualified	Non-qualified	Direct Debit	Monthly	Failures
Mindbody	2.75 %	3.5 % + 15c	1 % + 50c + 6$ / refund	$10 ACH	$7 per decline + $15 Chargeback
Gymdesk (Stripe)	2.9% + 30c	2.9% + 30c	0.8% ($5 cap)	$0	$15 / $0 chargeback

To show how this adds up, we'll calculate it using a monthly payment volume of $12,000 in 100 transactions. We’ll assume 90 of these transactions are active members on recurring billing (i.e, offline transactions which are non-qualified), and 10 are new members which are swiped in where possible and, to keep it simple, don’t use rewards cards or other non-qualified cards.

We’ll also include 1 chargeback per month, which we defend successfully (Stripe will refund the chargeback fee if you defend it successfully).

	Qualified	Non-qualified	Failures	Total
Mindbody	10 x $120 x 2.75% = $33	90 x $120 x 3.5% + 15c x 90 = $391.5	10 declines x $7 + $15 chargeback = $85	$509.5
Gymdesk (Stripe)	10 x $120 x 2.9% + 30c x 10 = $37.8	90 x $120 x 2.9% + 30c x 90 = $340.2	No cost declines + $0 chargeback (defended)	$378

More than $100 monthly difference in cost due to higher rates on most payments and additional fees. This is one of the reasons we integrate with Stripe and Square, as they work well for online payments and membership based businesses, and provide a better experience overall.

Gymdesk Versus Jackrabbit

Looking for Jackrabbit Alternatives?

We will take a head-to-head look at Gymdesk vs Jackrabbit Class to show you where each gymnastics and dance management platform shines and where each falls short.

See why gyms, martial arts schools, yoga studios and gymnastics prefer Gymdesk to manage their business.

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GYMDESK

Dashboard screen of Jackrabbit Cheer for Denver Cheer Club showing key metrics like enrollments, enrollment percentage, and total drops in the last 15 days, and a to-do tasks section.

Gymdesk vs Jackrabbit

Locked features and hidden costs are recurring themes when you compare Jackrabbit to Gymdesk.

Gymdesk

Website

A fully customizable website that looks great on any device is included with every plan. You can also embed signup forms and your schedule on an external website.

No website included. The only integration available for an external website is an embeddable schedule.

Marketing

Every plan includes powerful marketing, automation, and CRM features.

No CRM or marketing features available.

Industry Focus

Works for any age: flexible enough to work both kids and adult classes for Martial Arts, Dance, Fitness, Pilates, Yoga, Gymnastics, and other gym types.

Focused on kids classes: can serve music schools, child care centers, and dance. Not built for adult classes.

Payment Processing

Choose from 5 options. Your payment processor is fully integrated and stays under your full control.

There is only one option: proprietary payment processing. You must connect with a Jackrabbit consultant for pricing.

Payment Processing Fees

Fixed rates that save you over 20% on membership payments.

Variable rates that trigger higher rates for membership payments (off session payments). Learn more here.

Easy of Use

Easy-to-use software with a modern look and feel. No training needed, but phone and email support is available to help when you need it.

Outdated user interface that resembles a spreadsheet makes it hard to find what you need.

Accessibility

Optimized for use on any device. Laptop, desktop, tablet, or smartphone, you choose.

Runs primarily on desktops while providing an inferior experience on mobile devices.

COSTUME MANAGEMENT

Keep track of your student's sizes, costumes, and more.

RECITAL MANAGEMENT

Tracking recitals is possible with the use of custom fields.

Built-in templates to keep track of songs, performers, roles, and programs.

Progress tracking

Automatically track students' skills, ranks, and programs with built-in templates

No way to automatically track students' progress. Instructors must manually track progress for each individual student.

Billing

Automatically follow up with parents about expired credit cards or past-due payments. Easily block delinquent members from booking classes.

No way to automatically remind parents about expired credit cards or past-due payments. Multiple steps are required to block delinquent members from booking classes.

Branded mobile app

Available for a monthly fee on all plans.

Extra monthly fee, only for certain plans.

Overall Rating

4.8

Overall Rating

4.5

Have a question? We’re here to help.

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30-DAY FREE TRIAL, NO CREDIT-CARD REQUIRED

What Makes Gymdesk Better than Jackrabbit

Gymdesk is a modern, user-friendly, and easy-to-use alternative to Jackrabbit that makes it easy to run and grow your gym.

Dashboard screen showing Denver Cheer Club's key metrics including enrollments, drops, active families, students, classes, staff, to-do tasks, and critical alerts.

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Gymdesk

Easy To Use Member Management

Spot issues quickly without being overwhelmed. Address expiring memberships, overdue payments, and missing waivers easily on your laptop or mobile device.

Create on-demand reports using a variety of built-in and custom filters and export them to CSV or PDF for offline use.

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Screenshot of a web interface for managing class sessions, showing navigation menu on the left and a form on the right to add session details like name, start/end dates, and registration status.

Gymdesk

Easy Member and Manager Attendance Tracking

Members can check in on any device via a numeric code, name search, bar code scanner, or QR code. No staff required.

Managers can backdate attendance quickly and efficiently with our mass check-in feature.

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Screen showing a software interface for managing income categories with a list of categories, options to hide categories from customers or users, and buttons to add or delete rows.

Gymdesk

Billing And Reporting

Understand your cash flow in real-time with visual charts and sophisticated filters. Access it from anywhere on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

Generate point-of-sale and membership payments, project revenue for the coming year, and review month-over-month member and revenue growth and churn in your gym.

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Gymdesk vs Jackrabbit: What the Users Have to Say

We could talk for hours about the difference between Gymdesk and Jackrabbit, but we'll let users speak for themselves.

GYMDESK

Overall

Highest rated

4.8 (104)

Ease of Use

4.7

Customer Service

4.9

Features

4.6

Value for Money

4.8

Overall

4.5

Ease of Use

4.2

Customer Service

4.7

Features

4.3

Value for Money

4.5

Features

Onboarding

Customer support

GYMDESK

Awesome software. Everyone finds it easy to use. No real complaints at all. Easy to use, logical UI, helpful staff. It's very enjoyable, and leagues ahead of the others I tried.

Matthew D.

"It is WAY TOO DIFFICULT to use. There are a couple dozen categories to fill out before I can get to what I need. I only need to look at my class roll, send out emails to my class and see who comes which days. So far I have not figured out who even comes which days because it's too complex."

Tammy S.

GYMDESK

“Amazing customer service. Great software for members and administration. Ease of use for myself and members. The trial was incredible. The setup was easy and fun. Great member feedback. Switched from Mindbody initially because of cost. Gymdesk was recommended.”

Andre G.

“I would not use Jackrabbit again as a business, and I don't refer my friends in the business to use it either. There are many other companies that do things much more simply, and have much better customer service when there are issues.”

Kelley S.

GYMDESK

“GymDesk saved my life…and business. Such a simple, clear user interface (staff AND students) with incredibly robust tools that are consistently updated and added upon. Every few weeks, they add on new features and make existing ones more streamlined. [Gymdesk is helping me] managing students, payments, recruiting, communication, planning and keeping me and my staff sane!”

Joe R.

“Jackrabbit doesn't integrate classes and events calendar. We have to constantly look at two different views to manage our workflow and employee schedules. We have to create a Google calendar to keep it all in one view, which no one should have to do when paying for a top tier booking service like this. It's a major flaw.”

Madelyn S.

Gymdesk is a Leader in Gym Management

GetApp has named Gymdesk a category leader in their 2025 gym software report.

The highly detailed ranking uses review benchmark data from gym management software users.

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Summary: When to Choose Jackrabbit vs Gymdesk

Here’s our summary of when to choose Gymdesk vs Jackrabbit for studio management software:

When to Choose Gymdesk

You want the ability to automatically bill your customers

You own a health or fitness business

You want to automatically track student progress and skils

When to Choose Jackrabbit

You want to manually track student progress and skills

You own a music school

You own a daycare business

Import All Your Stuff. Instantly.

Takes 60 Seconds

Dedicated migration support

Keep your members’ payment info

GET switched before tomorrow

See what you can do with migrations

Join hundreds of gyms using Gymdesk to manage and grow their business.

“Service has been remarkable from Gymdesk, inquires are responded to very quickly and they have implemented a few of my suggestions.”

Alan “Gumby” Marques

Founder, Heroes Martial Arts

Gymdesk is the fastest-growing Jackrabbit alternative!

Simplicity

Thanks to easy click-and-drag features, beautiful reporting, and a refined dashboard for easy access - you won’t ever want to switch management platforms again.

Flexibility

We’ve built Gymdesk to be adaptable for any growing fitness business. Fit your exact needs with customizable fields, form builders, saved templates, and your very own website.

Support to Grow Your Gym

Don’t sit on hold for hours ever again. Gymdesk has an experienced support team to help you with whatever you need. Email, chat, video support, and more.

Payment Processor Choice

With over 5 options to choose from, you can choose the payment processor that’s best for your business and own your payment data.

Everything In One Place

At Gymdesk, get all the features you need on Day 1 with a 30-day free trial to make sure it’s right for you (no credit card required).

You Can Ask Us Anything, Really!

As martial artists, fitness junkies and software developers - we built this product because you are our ideal customer. We will work with you to make sure our product fits your needs. Your success is our success.

ask us a question

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Frequently Asked Questions

How easy is it to switch from Jackrabbit to Gymdesk?

Switching from Jackrabbit to Gymdesk is very simple with our migration tool. Export your member data from Jackrabbit and import it into Gymdesk in a matter of minutes.

You can also migrate your payment data, leads/prospects lists, products, attendance, and more. If you need extra help, our support team is always available.

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Can I use Gymdesk's online functionality with my website?

All of our online features can work independently from the website we provide, and integrated on your existing website.

This includes the gym weekly schedule, lead capture forms, the member sign-up form and access to the member portal.

Do you track ranks, levels and promotion requirements?

You can track attendance using a tablet at the front desk, or manually in bulk at the back office.

For each program you run in your gym, you can set up promotion criteria for each rank / belt, and then generate reporting on members' progress towards their promotion criteria. The system also generates notifications when members are ready to be tested for promotion.

Can I charge members using direct bank debits?

We support direct bank debits for member payments, depending on your location and payment processor.

Stripe and Authorize.net provide ACH and eChecks respectively to US customers. Stripe also provides SEPA bank debits to EU customers, BECS direct debits in Australia, and Pre-Authorized Debits in Canada.

Are you available in my country?

Any gym around the world can use our software! Credit-card processing might be limited to the countries supported by our payment partners, but you can still run payments manually and use all of our features without limitation.

What are the payment processing fees?

All payment processing is run through our payments partners - Stripe, Square and Authorize.net, and each have their own set of fees depending on your location and payment types.

We do not charge anything extra beyond the fees charged by your selected payment processor.

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Why Choose Gymdesk for Your Gym

Seamless member sign-up and onboarding
Auto-play and rebilling boost your bottom line
Track attendance and skill progression
Provide a high end experience for your members
Pricing starts at $75/month, with no contracts or long term commitments