Mindbody vs ClassPass: Which Platform Should You Choose in 2026?

When you are running a growing fitness and wellness business, you need software that can keep up with your operations. You need tools to build classes, track attendees, offer memberships or packages, and handle client payments. It’s a lot for small fitness studio owners.

Naturally, the best class registration software should help you do all of that with a few clicks. And two of the biggest names in the business are Mindbody and ClassPass. But here's what many studio owners don't realize at first. These aren’t two competing options. They’re two different tools owned by the same parent company!

Mindbody is business management software that you pay to use. ClassPass is a consumer marketplace that pays you to fill empty spots. They position themselves as "complementary," but many find that the relationship comes with serious costs. You will find enterprise pricing connected to discount marketplace dependency – a combination that often undermines rather than supports sustainable growth.

Let’s take a closer look at both, how they work, and how to find the best class registration and booking software option for your studio.

Tired of paying a ton for enterprise complexity while simultaneously filling spots through discount platforms? Pembee delivers comprehensive group activity management at $45/month. Fill classes through your own booking system, at your own prices, without surrendering control. Try Pembee free for 30 days!

Mindbody vs ClassPass: At A Glance

When you compare them, you’ll find that Mindbody provides enterprise-level management at enterprise prices, while ClassPass fills spots by conditioning customers to expect 50-70% discounts. Neither tool is made specifically for group fitness class providers in the wellness industry. These providers need smart booking tools without complex enterprise features or marketplace compromises.

What’s the Connection Between Mindbody & ClassPass?

Mindbody acquired ClassPass in 2021. Both now operate under the parent company "Playlist" but serve different purposes with shared infrastructure: Mindbody manages operations, and ClassPass brings discounted customers.

The official positioning sounds logical: users will get all the business tools they need to operate through Mindbody, and ClassPass fills inventory you wouldn't sell otherwise. The integration between the two prevents double-booking, and you theoretically get "the best of both worlds."

But do they work together as intended, and at a price that fits your studio? Let’s look at both options in depth:

What Is Mindbody?

Originally founded in 2001, Mindbody provides the management tools that studios, wellness centers, health clubs and other wellness organizations need for booking classes: scheduling, payments, client management, staff coordination, marketing, and reporting.

In short, Mindbody offers comprehensive studio management software with everything needed to run operations at scale.

What are the Key Features of Mindbody?

As you’d expect, a comprehensive platform like Mindbody has many of the features needed to run larger-scale classes and collect payments:

• Class scheduling and online booking: highly customizable but complex; although it struggles with multi-week courses and flexible recurring patterns
• Payment processing
• Membership billing and membership management
• Marketing Suite (email campaigns, SMS, automations)
• Staff management and payroll
• Reporting and analytics
• 90+ integrations, including ClassPass connection

Where Does Mindbody Shine?

Mindbody’s enterprise infrastructure has been around for a long time. For multi-location operations with dedicated IT staff and premium budgets, it works well. The infrastructure is there as companies grow, and the large marketplace offers plenty of integrations. The marketplace provides real client acquisition opportunities in competitive urban markets. The extensive integration ecosystem means specialized business needs can usually be accommodated.

Where Does Mindbody Fall Short?

• Cost barriers: The $129/month Starter plan lacks essential features that you’d expect from basic systems. Most businesses need the Ultimate plan at $469/month for full functionality. Add processing fees and marketplace fees, and the total monthly investment can grow quickly.
• Group activity limitations: This is critical for class-based businesses. Creating an 8-week yoga series means manually entering each unique session, which can quickly add up to 30+ minutes of repetitive data entry.
• Lack of automation: Waitlist management is passive, requiring manual notification when spots open. Course payment tracking feels disconnected from registration, forcing the use of external tracking systems.

What Is ClassPass?

ClassPass was founded in 2013 and was acquired by Mindbody in 2021. As a marketplace discovery platform for wellness experiences and fitness businesses, ClassPass connects millions of subscribers with 40,000+ studios globally and offers credit-based bookings at heavily discounted rates.

Where Does ClassPass Shine?

There are two different use cases for ClassPass:

• For Consumers: Consumers pay $19-249/month and receive 8-100 credits. They can use those credits to book classes (typically 2-15+ credits each) and try different studios without multiple memberships or full drop-in rates.
• For Studios: There’s zero upfront cost for studios to list on ClassPass. One of the best features for studios is ClassPass's "SmartTools" algorithm, which automatically manages inventory and pricing. Studios receive payment per booking at a large discount, typically $3-10 compared to $10-27 drop-in rates.

ClassPass isn't universally wrong for studios. In fact, new studios building awareness can use it for customer acquisition, and studios that have consistent off-peak excess capacity can use ClassPass for merchandizing excess inventory, and make something instead of nothing.

Where Does ClassPass Fall Short?

• Economics that might not work long-term: Part of the issue with ClassPass is the mathematics. When four of your ten yoga students came through ClassPass at $5 each while you pay your instructor $50 per class, you've made $20 from those four spots instead of $80-100 at drop-in rates.
• Membership cannibalization: What happens when your loyal member, who’s paying $150/month unlimited, learns they can book the same classes through ClassPass for much less? They’ll likely cancel, and you've converted high-value recurring revenue ($150) into multiple low-value bookings ($5 each).
• Loss of control: ClassPass's algorithm determines everything for studios. It controls the editing of requirements, your payout rates, which spots get listed, and when pricing changes. Most studios need a system that is built for greater control and customization.

Does the Mindbod & ClassPass "Complementary" Strategy Work?

When you consider both tools, you’ll see where they connect logically.

Use Mindbody ($469-699/month) for operations, add ClassPass to fill empty spots, and attract new customers. You get operational control plus marketplace reach, the best of both worlds, right?

Well, let’s look at the actual math:

• Mindbody Ultimate: $469/month
• Mindbody Processing fees (on $20K monthly revenue) = $650/month
• Total Mindbody investment: $1,119/month
• ClassPass bookings (20-30 monthly at $5-7 average): $100-250/month

The net reality? ClassPass revenue doesn't come close to offsetting Mindbody costs.

Many studios eventually stop using one or both tools. They realize the "complementary" approach hurts sustainability and costs more than tools made for a specific purpose.

Opposite Extremes That Both Miss the Mark

Mindbody and ClassPass sit at opposite ends of the class booking spectrum, and that means both might miss what activity-based businesses actually need:

Mindbody – Too Much Complexity at Too High a Cost?

Enterprise complexity ($469-699/month) is designed for 50-location franchises with IT departments.

Trying to force this system onto boutique studios that just need straightforward class and course management can lead to overwhelming feature bloat – and potentially, paying a lot for tools you’ll never use.

ClassPass – Limited Revenue and Negative Member Conditioning?

ClassPass generates revenue through systematic discounting ($3-10 per booking), which can potentially undermine long-term sustainability. Conditioning customers to expect 50-70% off can erode the premium positioning you've worked years to build.

What Features Do Group Activity Providers Need?

The reality is that neither was built ideally for group activity providers. Studios that teach yoga series or dance academies running seasonal programs need tools they’ll use at a price they can sustain.

Those features include:

• Intelligent booking for courses and series: Multi-week programs that are simple to create, and recurring patterns that accommodate real-world offering variations.
• Automated waitlists that maximize revenue: When spots open, automatically notify the next person with time-limited claiming windows – at full price, not through discount platforms.
• Payment flexibility you can control: You should be able to offer discounts for ongoing classes, session passes across activity types, sibling discounts, early-bird pricing, etc.
• Marketing tools that build direct relationships: If you want to reach and keep your members, you need tools such as cart recovery, automated reminders, and customer analytics to improve user experience and enhance consumer engagement.
• Fair pricing that scales appropriately: Many activity organizations can’t afford $469-699/month for massive franchise features. Nor can they afford to surrender 50-70% of pricing to fill spots. They need simple, predictable costs that support sustainable business models.

Pembee Was Built for Activity Providers

Mindbody forces you into enterprise-level complexity at $469-699/month, and ClassPass forces you into discount dependence at $3-10 per booking. So what’s the alternative for organizations that want the best of both worlds at a scale they can handle? Pembee delivers where other group booking software falls short.

Pembee was designed for group activity management. Features and tools are purpose-built for studios, academies, and activity centers. Plus, Pembee helps you fill classes at full price through intelligent automation, not through discount marketplaces.

Automated Waitlist Management

When spots open, Pembee automatically notifies the next person with time-limited claiming windows. Those classes are set at your full price, not ClassPass's discounted rates. Customers and admins can see live availability information.

Plus, there’s no manual tracking, no missed opportunities, and no discount marketplace dependency. Pembee helps you build your own community of full-price customers invested in your studio.

Keep More of Your Revenue

Pembee’s flat $45/month subscription for up to 5 admins and unlimited locations. That’s a fraction of Mindbody's $469-699/month.

With Pembee, you can process payments through integrated Stripe with a transparent 0.59% application fee. You can offer options your members want, such as subscriptions, session passes, sibling discounts, and early-bird pricing.

Purpose-Built Course and Class Tools

Pembee is built for varied classes and courses. You can create multi-week courses in minutes, and clone activities instantly with all details – pricing, schedule, booking window, capacity, descriptions – populated automatically.

Multiple ticket types (single sessions, course tickets, trial passes, monthly plans) give families options without confusion. Automated rosters and real-time attendance tracking eliminate spreadsheets and manual record-keeping.

Marketing Tools and Responsive Support

Pembee’s marketing tools are built to help offer clear, simple class booking capabilities, while helping organizations grow and scale as they need:

• Pembee gives you automated cart recovery emails to recapture abandoned registrations at full price. That’s revenue you keep entirely, not share with marketplaces.
• Real-time analytics show which channels drive bookings and which activities generate revenue.
• Customizable booking forms, branded emails, and detailed reports – all included, no premium tier upgrades required.
• Support is included – when you need help, real people who understand activity businesses respond quickly, not 3-5 day waits or outsourced centers prioritizing premium subscribers

Looking For A Real Alternative? Try Pembee for Free Today!

Neither platform was built for group activity providers who simply need intelligent booking tools at fair prices that don't systematically compromise their business model.

With Pembee's 30-day free trial, you can build the sustainable business model you deserve:

• Fill classes at full price with automated waitlist management that actively maximizes revenue instead of passively waiting for manual intervention or discount marketplace dependency
• Process payments and manage bookings without enterprise complexity, mandatory annual contracts, or discount marketplace partnerships that devalue your brand
• Control your own pricing, customer relationships, and revenue completely
• Get personal onboarding support from people who understand activity businesses and actually want you to succeed, not outsourced centers reading scripts

Want to see Pembee at work for yourself? Start your free trial today! There’s no credit card required, no revenue sharing, no discount marketplace dependencies, and no contracts.

Build the sustainable, full-price business you deserve with software that respects your pricing and your customers.

Try Pembee Now for FREE