Mindbody Fees: How Mindbody Affects Your Gym’s Cash Flow

How does Mindbody affect your cash flow? 

This is an important question because it could be the difference between running a profitable gym (or not). If you’re considering Mindbody as an option for your business, you’ll want to make sure that you crunch the numbers. 

You’ve got to verify that you can make the fees work. 

What Mindbody Charges Gym Owners

Mindbody pricing fluctuates from time to time, but they offer four subscription plans. These plans are: 

1. Starter: This plan offers the basics: scheduling, point-of-sale, and limited reporting. According to customers, pricing for this plan ranges from $99 to $159 per mo./location.
2. Accelerate: Everything in starter plus marketing automation, email templates, and lead generation tools. Customers state their pricing ranges from $259 – $279 per mo./location. 
3. Ultimate: Everything above plus SMS campaigns, custom workflows, and referrals. Customers report pricing for this plan is $499+/location.  
4. Ultimate Plus: Everything above plus a branded mobile app for your gym, and real-time analytics dashboards. Customers report pricing starts at $699 per mo./location.

They mention that their plans start at $99 per mo., per location, but they don’t offer clear pricing. If you want specific pricing for the plan you’re interested in, you’ll need to get in touch with them. 

This is great for them. 

It’s not great for you because they haven’t committed to a price. This means the price you’re quoted today may not be the price you receive tomorrow.

How this hurts gym owners

The price is an obvious concern. If you’ve just opened a new gym and the pricing is high, that’s going to make it harder for you to turn a profit. 

This isn’t the biggest problem. 

It’s the fact that you don’t have access to the tools you need to run your business. Remember, their starter plan only comes with scheduling, point-of-sale, and limited reporting features.

You’re spending $99 – $159 per mo., but you don’t have the marketing, booking, membership, reporting, and integration tools you need to run your business. 

This is unacceptable. 

If you’re using a platform like Gymdesk, for example, all features are included. 

© 2025 Gymdesk

This means that, from day one, all Gymdesk plans include:

• Attendance tracking 
• Billing
• Booking 
• Marketing automation
• Membership management
• Custom mobile apps, and 
• A website builder
• Point-of-Sale management
• Facility access
• Integrations  
• Advanced reporting 

This means you have all the necessary tools to run your gym right away. No extra fees, hidden costs, or contracts required. 

What Does Mindbody Charge for Credit Card Processing?

It all depends. 

What do you mean by “it depends?” The fee is the fee, isn’t it? 

Nope. 

Here’s a table showing their fees. 

Region	Card not present (per transaction)	Card present (per transaction.)	Bank payments (per transaction)
US	Email us at [email protected] to learn more about our rates in the U.S.
Australia	1.99% + .55 AUDorKlarna FAQ	1.75% Tap to pay: CP rate + .25 AUD	BECS$0.88 per AUD
Bulgaria	2.4% + .50 BGN	N/A	N/A
Canada	2.89% + .25 CADorKlarna FAQ	2.39% + .10 CADInterac: .15 CAD	PADs1% + $0.40 CAD
Czech Republic	1.99% + 6.50 CZKorKlarna FAQ	1.75%	N/A
Denmark	2.4% + 2.00 DKKorKlarna FAQ	1.75%	N/A
France and Luxembourg	1.99% + .25 EURorKlarna FAQ for France	France: 1.75%Luxembourg: N/A	SEPA€0.35 per
Hong Kong	3.5% + 2.15 HKD	N/A	N/A
Hungary	2.4% + 90 HUF	N/A	N/A
Malaysia	3.4% + 1.00 RM FPX2.2% + 0.50 RM	3.4% + 1.00 RM	N/A
Mexico	3.6% + 3.00 MXN	N/A	N/A
New Zealand	2.5% + $0.55 NZD	2.25%	N/A
Norway	2.4% + 2.00 NOKorKlarna FAQ	1.75%	N/A
Poland	1.99% + 1.00 PLNorKlarna FAQ	N/A	N/A
Romania	2.4% + 1.00 RON	N/A	N/A
Singapore	3.3% + .30 SGD	2.79% + .20 SGD	N/A
Sweden	2.4% + 2.00 SEKorKlarna FAQ	1.75%	N/A
Switzerland	1.99% + .25 CHF TWINT1.90% + .30 CHForKlarna FAQ	1.75%	N/A
United Arab Emirates	3% + 1.00 AED	N/A	N/A
United Kingdom	2.19% + .20p GBPorKlarna FAQ	1.99% + .10p GBP	Bacs DD1.49% + .20p per
EU (excludes above)	2.4% + .25 EUR Bancontact (Belgium)1.4% + .30 EURorKlarna FAQ	If applicable, 1.75% See if a card reader is available in your region.	SEPA€0.35 per iDEAL€0.29 per

So apparently, there’s a whole other table of processing fees. 

But you can’t have it. 

The only way you can get it from Mindbody is by sending them an email and asking for yet another breakdown of their credit card processing in the US. 

How do you plan for that? 

But wait, there’s more. Mindbody has other fees you’ll need to watch out for. According to their knowledge base.

“Your processing rates can vary depending on business credit and other factors. Automatic charges — like recurring Membership fees — are charged as card-not-present fees since it is a stored card.”

Alrighty then. 

So to summarize, your credit card processing rates can depend on:

1. A hidden pricing table that you have to opt in to get
2. Your business credit
3. Automated charges vs one-time charges
4. Other factors

Doesn’t this make financial projections and cash flow management harder?

Yes. Yes, it does. 

How this hurts gym owners

Your cash flow will change depending on a variety of “factors.” Some of these factors (i.e., automated payments) punish you with higher fees for increasing your CLTV. 

That’s not fair. 

This is unpredictable, and it adds up over time, creating more lost revenue. It seems to me that this is the direct opposite of what you’re trying to do. 

What about booking?

What does Mindbody Charge for a Booking?

According to their support docs, Mindbody charges businesses an additional fee for bookings.

Charged to business:

• Bookings: No charge to the business for reservations using already-purchased memberships or class packages.
• Purchases from new clients who discovered your studio via Mindbody (new client commission): 20% of the total purchase price with a $30 cap, charged to the business. No additional fees for existing clients or new clients that you acquired.
• Promoted intro offers and dynamic pricing (opt-in): 20% of the total purchase price, charged to the business.
• Affiliate Network: 20% if booked through an affiliate.

So in addition to the unclear payment processing fees, Mindbody takes an additional 20% off the top if they send a referral through Mindbody, an intro offer, dynamic pricing, or via their affiliate network. 

How this hurts gym owners

In exchange for a referral, connection, or introduction, Mindbody takes 23% to 25% of your revenue. 

This may not be a bad thing if you’re consistently receiving quality customers who are willing and able to buy. However, it’s important that you run the numbers and verify that your profit margins can take that hit. If you’re profitable and you’re receiving high-quality leads, this could be worth it. 

Booking fees aren’t inherently evil. 

However, if you can’t afford to make Mindbody’s pricing scheme work, there’s no reason to accept it. 

Gymdesk is different. 

We offer simple pricing, with no hidden fees. Creating an account is completely free, with no contract or credit card required. Even better, you get 30 days to try out our service before choosing the plan that’s right for you. 

© 2025 Gymdesk

No push sales reps calling to hard sell you, no need to pay third-party experts, just so you can use the software. Get started in minutes.  

What does Mindbody Charge for Classes and Subscriptions?

It all depends on how members find your business. 

Whether you’re offering a class or a course, the key detail is how each customer finds you. If customers found you using any of Mindbody’s advertising programs, you’ll be charged a fee of 20%. 

Mindbody has a few advertising programs. 

• Promoted intro offers 
• Affiliate network
• Dynamic pricing
• New client commissions

Here’s how these programs are broken down (according to their website). 

For Promoted Intro Offers:

Price for Intro offer	Mindbody Fees
$14.00	$2.80
$65.00	$13.00
$99.00	$19.80
$320.00	$64.00
$1,800.00	$360.00

The fees are charged by quantity sold. Here’s an example of the fee of a promoted intro offer (sold at $65.00) each time it’s sold through the Mindbody app:

Price for Intro offer	Mindbody Fees
0	$0.00
1	$13.00
2	$26.00
3	$39.00
4	$52.00

Affiliate Network

“The fees for promoting your classes with our affiliates participating in the affiliate network are purchase-based, which means you are not charged if you do not sell. You only pay the 20% fee for all pricing options purchased directly through an affiliate. Learn more about the Affiliate Network.

Note: On subscription invoices, any fees associated with the Affiliate Network may be labeled as ‘MB Partner Network.’”

Dynamic pricing

You can fill unsold spots in classes with new clients by setting flexible pricing options that shift based on demand with dynamic pricing. You only pay fees for the flexible pricing options purchased. 

To use Dynamic Pricing, your business must meet the following criteria:

• Your business is located in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Australia.
• You’ve set up integrated credit card processing with Mindbody.

Note: Businesses in Australia need to process payments with Mindbody Payments to use Dynamic Pricing. For more information, refer to Mindbody Payments FAQ (All Regions).

• You have agreed to our most recent Terms of Service.
• Have the Online Store enabled on your Mindbody site.
• Offer classes at your business and have at least one scheduled class available for online booking.
• You have at least one pricing option other than Dynamic Pricing available for purchase.

New Client Commissions

When a new client discovers your studio through the Mindbody app and makes a purchase, there’s a 20% commission on the total purchase price, capped at $30. 

Does Mindbody Charge Any Other Fees? 

Unfortunately, there are lots of additional fees with their platform.  

Mindbody API Access

Site Access

Mindbody offers a free tier for developers with less than 5,000 API calls per billing cycle. For developers who go beyond that, their pricing is $.002 per call for site access. 

Consumer Bookings

$15.00 per location, per integration

$1.30 per class booking

$2.50 per appointment booking

Free virtual booking

Mindbody doesn’t offer scaled or bulk API pricing. 

Well, I’m not a developer, so I don’t need API access, right? 

What is API access, and is it required for booking online?

Booker’s Application Programming Interface (API) allows you and your web developer to design custom booking sites for your business. You are not required to use the Booker API to use Booker online booking. If you choose not to purchase API, you will not be able to build a custom online booking experience. Instead, you can simply add a “Book Now” button on your website and link it to your standard Booker online booking site, included with all Booker accounts.

So if you want customization, you’re going to need their API. 

This is all starting to add up, isn’t it? 

In addition, Mindbody charges for:

• Setup fees
• Premium add-ons (i.e., marketing tools)
• App customization
• Training 
• Additional support

If you’re going to work with Mindbody, expect to pay generously for the tools, help, and support you need. This is fine for large and established gyms, but it really doesn’t work for new, boutique, and specialty gyms.

Why Gyms Are Switching to Gymdesk

Mindbody is legacy software. 

In the early days, Mindbody was one of a few options available. 

Today, newer platforms like Gymdesk are growing and surpassing legacy brands like Mindbody for an obvious reason. Gym owners want a solution that’s affordable, simple, and easy to use. 

They want a platform that’s ready in minutes.

Here’s why Gymdesk is a better alternative 

1. Gymdesk is built for your gym: Mindbody was originally created for companies in the yoga and wellness industry (e.g., salons, spas, wellness studios). Gymdesk is purpose-built for fitness studios, health clubs, athletic trainers, martial arts studios, dance, Pilates, gymnastics, and yoga studios.
2. Our user interface is simple and easy to use: Gymdesk was intentionally designed to be simple, easy, and intuitive. Users can complete tasks in just a few clicks. Gym owners no longer need to juggle multiple apps to manage their day-to-day operations. The best part? Gymdesk integrates with hundreds of apps you’re already using! 
3. We offer affordable and transparent pricing: With Gymdesk, what you see is what you get. There are no long-term contracts, no hidden pricing, no training fees, and no payment processing fees outside of what you pay your provider. Plans start at $75 per mo., and our software scales up or down as needed, ensuring that we grow with your gym. 
4. All features are available in every plan: With Gymdesk, all of the features you need are immediately available regardless of the plan you choose. Our plans range from $75 to $200 per mo. We don’t nickel and dime you with “add-ons.” There are no contracts, hidden costs, or cancellation fees. The price we share is the price you pay. Even better, you have 30 days to try out our service before committing to a plan. 
5. Cancellation Gymdesk is fast and easy: We don’t hold your data hostage! We offer flat, upfront pricing for a specific number of active members (no hidden fees for staff). With Gymdesk, you can easily export your member data before or after canceling your subscription; all of your data is exported in CSV format. Your data is always yours and immediately accessible. 
6. Gymdesk is recognized for outstanding customer support: Gymdesk has a 4.8 out of 5-star rating on G2 and Capterra, compared to Mindbody’s 3.6 and 4-star rating.  Gymdesk reviews consistently mention their responsive, knowledgeable, and friendly support. Gym owners frequently mention our fast response times and helpful documentation.

Don’t take our word for it. 

Here’s what a few of our customers have to say about Gymdesk 

Meghan R.

“Simplified our lives SO much! “

Pros

We were looking for a software to manage our small personal training gym that supported the features we needed without the bloat of larger softwares. We also wanted to more easily see our sales, scheduled payments, missed payments, and attendance at a glance. We also LOVE being able to integrate emails and texts within Gymdesk, so all communication is visible to all staff. The tasks and automations are also crucial for helping us stay organized.

Cons

So far, nothing has been a dealbreaker at all! A few features we wish could be implemented (better recurring appointments, slightly more easy to view calendar, etc), but nothing that overshadows the simplicity and ease of use.

Alternatives considered

Zen Planner

Reason for choosing Gymdesk

We’d tried Zen Planner in the past, but it wasn’t for us.

Switched from

Mindbody

MINDBODY’s costs continued to rise with less and less customer support. The few features we needed were not user-friendly or easily implemented – the software was weighed down with things we never used.

—

Luke J.

Nothing but a positive experience with Martial Arts on Rails (Gymdesk), highly recommend it

Pros

There are so many great things about this software, the depth of features is fantastic and covers pretty much everything a martial arts school would need! The technical assistance is another massive plus point, you always get a prompt polite response to your queries and everything is resolved super quick. Another plus point of this software is that is is super easy to use and navigate through, a lot of thought has gone into the layout and ensuring the most important features are right there at your fingertips. Another positive about this software is the developers are always updating it with new features, which is fantasict, they really are determined to provide the best possible software out there. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this software to any other Martial Arts Clubs based on my experience using it!

Cons

One of the biggest cons with this software, if there are any, is the lack of an app. I feel this would be the icing on the cake.

Alternatives considered

NEST Student Management System

NEST Student Management System

Reason for choosing Gymdesk

I liked the look of it and it offered everything I was looking for, plus the addition of a free trial meant it was easy to try out the software in full before fully making the switch from paper admin.

—

Put Gymdesk to the Test

If you’re looking for a legacy platform with a large customer base, Mindbody may be a better fit for you. If you’re looking for a modern platform you can use to scale your gym and a company that’s eager to earn your business, Gymdesk is just what you’re looking for.

Put us to the test! Creating a Gymdesk account is completely free, with no contract or credit card required. Take our platform for a spin. Try it free for 30 days and see why so many Mindbody customers have switched to Gymdesk.

Start your Free Trial