Gymdesk Is Rated Best Ease of Use in Gym Management
Capterra has recognized Gymdesk with a Best Ease of Use award in their 2026 gym management software rankings, based on verified user reviews.
Gymdesk vs PushPress
Looking for PushPress Alternatives?
If you're comparing gym management software, you deserve an honest look at what each one does well—and where each falls short. Here's how Gymdesk and PushPress actually compare on features, pricing, and day-to-day use.
VS
GYMDESK
PushPress
Gymdesk vs PushPress at a Glance
Both Gymdesk and PushPress have their strengths. In the table below, we outline the most important factors when choosing your gym management software so you can decide which is right for your gym.
Gymdesk
PushPress
Built For
Martial arts schools from day one—founded by a BJJ black belt.
CrossFit affiliates. Martial arts features added starting in 2025.
Starting Price
$75/month. All features included at every tier.
Free plan with limited features and 4.19% processing. Paid plans start at $159/month, but matching Gymdesk's feature set costs at least $488/month.
Membership Management
Five processors—Stripe, Square, Authorize.net, GoCardless, and Gymdesk Payments. You own your account.
Recurring, non-recurring, and punch-card memberships with a plan builder.
Payment Processing
Five processors—Stripe, Square, Authorize.net, GoCardless, and Gymdesk Payments. You own your account.
Stripe only.
Marketing Tools
Email marketing, automations, lead tracking, and referral management included in every account.
Requires PushPress Grow. Good features—but the add-on alone costs more than your entire Gymdesk subscription.
Check-in
QR code, kiosk, app, and batch check-in. Staff get notified when overdue members check in.
Name-tap check-in and kiosk mode (paid plans only). No staff alerts for overdue members.
Facility Access
Kisi integration for 24/7 door access based on membership status.
Kisi and HybridAF integration for 24/7 door access.
Progress Tracking
Built by a BJJ black belt and refined over years. Attendance-based progression, technique library, bulk promotions, and student-visible progress.
Launched April 2025 and still maturing—attendance carryover and display issues reported by early adopters. Not on the Free plan.
Why Choose Gymdesk Over PushPress?
Both have strengths. Here's where the day-to-day experience actually differs—and why it matters for your gym.
One price, every feature
PushPress looks affordable at first—but matching what Gymdesk includes at every tier means combining multiple products at $488/month or more. Gymdesk starts at $75/month and scales with your member count. Every feature is included from day one, and your price only changes when your gym grows.
If you're considering PushPress Free, run the numbers—at 4.19% + $0.30 per transaction, processing $10,000/month costs $419 in fees alone.
Reliable, automated billing
PushPress's own changelog documents recurring billing bugs every month—paused memberships not resuming, invoices showing wrong amounts, payments not processing at all. One gym owner reported $10,000 missing from their account.
Gymdesk billing runs automatically. Failed payments get retried, overdue accounts get followed up, and late fees get applied without you lifting a finger. Less time chasing payments, more time on the mats.
Rank tracking built over years, not months
PushPress launched rank tracking in April 2025 and it's still maturing. With Gymdesk, you're not beta testing someone else's roadmap. You're getting a full curriculum and promotion system built by a BJJ black belt—and your students can see their own progress toward their next belt, which means fewer "when do I get promoted?" conversations and more motivation to keep training.
Gymdesk vs PushPress: What the Users Have to Say
We could talk for hours about the difference between Gymdesk and PushPress, but we’d rather let the users speak for themselves.
GYMDESK
Overall
Highest rated
4.8 (148)
Ease of Use
4.7
Customer Service
4.9
Features
4.6
Value for Money
4.8
PushPress
Overall
4.7
Ease of Use
4.6
Customer Service
4.8
Features
4.5
Value for Money
4.8
GYMDESK
"What I like best is that you can access all different areas from one page and it is convenient to use. The Dashboard is also great as it tells you what is going on with the member's payment, birthdays and who has been absent from class lately."
Kam L.
PushPress
"The reporting is terrible. Hard to run a business using the built-in reports. They are seldom correct or useful."
Jason A.
GYMDESK
"The support is really, really responsive. I am impressed with that. Almost always within an hour or two, or quickly next day. The best. "
Becky P.
PushPress
“The customer service response was poor. We have had repeated issues with payments not being taken and embarrassment with prospective members being unable to pay. I could go, on, but simply put the system has been unreliable and cost us money and time to date on bookings and payments."
Jon K.
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.
PushPress
"Initially, we were sold on the ease of use. However, after using the software day to day (for over a year) and having issues, we quickly realized this was not the standard. Integrations are clumsy to utilize, member communication is limited and only works for short messages, and customer support is lagging. Billing is also erratic and unpredictable with members being re-charged for past purchases without explanation."
Colby B.
Summary: When to Choose PushPress vs Gymdesk
Here’s our summary of when to choose Gymdesk vs PushPress gym management software:
When to Choose Gymdesk
You want all your tools—billing, marketing, scheduling, rank tracking—included at one price
You run a martial arts school and need mature belt tracking, skills management, and family accounts
You want to choose your own payment processor instead of being locked into Stripe
Billing reliability is a top priority—you don't want to chase down payment errors
When to Choose PushPress
You need a full CRM with phone porting, caller ID masking, and WhatsApp messaging
You're a CrossFit affiliate and want software with CrossFit's official endorsement
You're a non-profit and can take advantage of their 75% discount ($35/month)
The member-facing app experience (social feed, community features) matters more to you than back-office tools
Why Gym Owners Are Switching to Gymdesk
Every Feature From Day One
No gated tiers, no surprise costs as you grow. You get everything at every price point—billing, marketing, scheduling, rank tracking—and your price only changes when your member count does.
Simple Enough to Use Between Classes
A clean interface you can learn in a day, built to fit any gym—BJJ, yoga, CrossFit, gymnastics. You don't need a training manual or an IT person. It just works.
Support From People Who Get It
Same-day responses from a team that understands how gyms actually run. Reach them by email, chat, or video—no hold music.
You Can Ask Us Anything, Really!
We're martial artists, fitness junkies, and software developers—and we built this because you're exactly the person we had in mind. Your success is our success.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you track ranks, levels and promotion requirements?
Yes—it's one of our strongest features. For each program you run (BJJ, Taekwondo, kids' classes, etc.), you set up promotion criteria using sessions attended, days at current rank, training hours, minimum age, or skill requirements. Your students can see their own progress toward their next belt in the member portal, and you'll get notified when someone's ready to test.
You can promote students individually or in bulk with scheduled dates, evaluation forms, and promotion fees.
Is PushPress a better fit for some gyms?
It can be. If having a full CRM with phone porting and WhatsApp messaging is your top priority, PushPress Grow offers that—at $329/month on top of your base plan. They also offer a 75% discount for non-profits. For most gym owners, though, the tools included in every Gymdesk plan cover what you actually use day to day—without the added cost.
Does PushPress's free plan actually cost less than Gymdesk?
It depends on your volume. PushPress Free charges 4.19% + $0.30 per credit card transaction, compared to standard Stripe rates of 2.90% + $0.30 with Gymdesk. If you're processing $10,000/month in member payments, PushPress Free costs roughly $419 in processing fees alone. Gymdesk at $75–$150/month plus standard processing comes out similar or less—and you get every feature included. Rank tracking, integrations, and kiosk mode are all excluded from PushPress Free.
Use our cost calculator to see the comparison for your specific gym.
How easy is it to switch from PushPress to Gymdesk?
Export your member data from PushPress and import it into Gymdesk with our migration tool. You can also bring over payment data, leads, products, and attendance records.
One thing to know: if PushPress built your website through Grow, you'll need a new website—PushPress-hosted sites aren't portable. If you have your own Stripe account, card migration is straightforward. If PushPress owns the Stripe account, card migration may require contacting Stripe directly.
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.
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.
Start Your 30-day Free Trial
No sales call or credit-card required. Try our software for free 30 days!
Why Choose Gymdesk for Your Gym
- Easy member sign-up and onboarding
- Automated billing keeps your payments running
- Track attendance and skill progression
- Provide a professional experience for your members
- Pricing starts at $75/month, with no contracts or long-term commitments