--- title: "Gymdesk Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Gymdesk the right Gym Management solution for you? Explore 148 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/148663/Martial-Arts-on-Rails/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Gymdesk 4.8 (148) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 26th, 2026 # Reviews of Gymdesk Ease of use 4.7 Customer Service 4.9 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews CP Cameron P Head Instructor - OwnerSports, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Gymdesk fits all of our business needs for tracking memberships, hosting a website and communicating with clients - it is extremely user friendly and customer service is on point!“ October 11, 2024 SM Sean M Owner, Head InstructorHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Our only issue with website builder is that it downgrades our quality of photos and images don’t fit properly and are not scale able to fit.“ September 11, 2024 LB Logan B COONon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “I evaluated many other vendors and GymDesk was one of the only ones that didn't lock me into a proprietary payment processor/hardware, didn't require implementation fees or contracts, and was very transparent and affordable with pricing.“ May 9, 2025 AB Avigayil B DirectorSports, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “For example, there is no option to bulk upgrade student belt rankings or even filter by age or unsigned documents.“ October 16, 2025 KS Kimberly S Operations DirectorRecreational Facilities and Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Managing our school calendar in the Gym Schedule section has worked well and integrated well into our external website.“ September 3, 2025 AR Alec R Owner, ManagerHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The Growth charts are a nice touch but the details are not adjustable and running custom reports is not really a function, despite being told you can filter lists...not enough.“ December 17, 2024 HL HANWEI L HEAD COACHHealth, Wellness and Fitness, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “They provide a pretty decent website along with the monthly subscription which is vital to small business owners like me as I didn't want to sink in website design and start up cost.“ July 12, 2024 AB Avigayil B DirectorSports, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “No staff app = no effective approach for tracking accurate attendance.“ October 16, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 148 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Alan M. Owner / Head Instructor Sports Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Why MaonRails is the best solution for a Martial Arts Studio" February 10, 2020 5.0 Excellent. As a martial arts studio owner you NEED a billing system, MAonRails is built specifically with martial arts studios in mind (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is my discipline) which is important. It allows me more control over my accounts then other solutions as well. Pros I have actually used a number of products and competitors in the past, and I feel the customer service is top notch, ease of use and the right features are in place. (this was clearly built by a martial artist for martial artists Cons I haven't used the offered website as I already had my own. MaonRails has definitely grown since I first started using them and I am eager to see what new and useful features they plan on integrating. Review Source JL Janelle L. General Manager Sports Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "May be the right software if you can afford it. " December 15, 2024 5.0 Pros Very simple to operate and easy to understand. Cons The pricing is a bit high for the Asian market. Alternatives considered [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk It fits our needs more since we have martial arts as well. Review Source RQ Ryan Q. owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Usable but I would recommend different gym software" April 29, 2023 2.0 Gymdesk runs and works in the many essential areas but there are many obvious flaws Pros Nice looking interface, easy to use dashboard. Very easy initial set up compared to a competitor service I was also using. Many things just work. Staff responds to problems quickly enough for what I imagine is a small company, but the company doesnt have the resources to continue development to deal with what I feel are obvious issues. Cons Very few customization options. No integrated parent/guardian option on sign up forms and waivers (has to be done custom), which for software catering to martial arts businesses is a little ridiculous. Cumbersome to set up document and membership options and difficult to individualize membership options outside of the template you've created (although you can discount or add signup fees, etc). Students uploading profile pictures from all webcams come out with wrong aspect ratio and make my business look unprofessional. Cannot disable capchas on signup forms (among other elements that cannot be customized). Essential membership documents are not required to be signed right away and add an extra step for staff that can easily be missed when I feel the software should be able to automate this task. Alternatives considered [WellnessLiving](https://www.capterra.com/p/145039/WellnessLiving/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk wellness living was difficult to get set up, particularly when it came to merchant processing Switched from [GymMaster](https://www.capterra.com/p/57469/GymMaster/)[Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/)[Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) wanted to try new gym software Review Source Response from Gymdesk June 29, 2023 Hi Ryan, Sorry to hear you did not have a good experience with our product! We wanted to follow up and see if we could address some of your concerns - \* We do have integrated parent / guardian options, both a signature requirements for waivers, and as contacts \* You can require membership documents to be signed during sign up (it's an optional setting) If you could let us know what is missing for you with regards to customizing your memberships and sign-up forms, we'd love to take a look. Also, we'd be happy to take a look at any uploaded member photos that did not look right, though we are limited in what what we can do with the assets members upload themselves. Please reach out to us at support@gymdesk.com and let's chat! CM Chris M. Instructor Sports Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Best software" December 11, 2024 5.0 Changing from glofox to gym desk was the best decision ever for my gym i would recommend gymdesk to anyone Pros The program is simple and easy work with. Cons There is no cons about this software its amazing. Switched from [ABC Glofox](https://www.capterra.com/p/136861/Glofox/) They were way to expensive, system always crashed. Wasnt gym or client friendly Review Source JL Jeff L. Owner and Operator Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Best Gym Owner App on the Market" November 11, 2024 5.0 It is an easy-to-use and modify application for any gym. Pros Gymdesk took me 2 days to fully set up for my new gym. As I grew and needed to change and adapt certain aspects, I could do it on the computer or from the app in a matter of minutes. When I had a question about merging clients, they were super responsive and gave easy instructions. Cons I like it all. I have not had any issues. Switched from [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Mindbody is not user friendly and is a bunch of patchwork that takes hours to change anything. Review Source AT Andrea T. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A Taylored Body" October 3, 2024 5.0 Pros User friendly and only what I need, nothing too complicated Cons Would be great to have a texting platform that can be used from a phone app on the business side. And a general business management app. Also- programming that you're able to write for each individual member rather than linking a program to a specific membership. Switched from [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Too expensive and complicated. They kept increasing the price every year because they added features i didn't need Review Source AH Alec H. Owner and head instructor Sports Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Fairly priced and full of features that we need" September 15, 2023 5.0 Very satisfied with the amount of features and customer support when I do run into issues Pros Managing capacities per class is crucial. I want to places can do auto billing but to be able to reserve the amount of spots per class and be able to see how many are taken incentivize users to book their class is ahead of time. One thing I would like to see them implement is allowing me too cut off the window. 15 minutes out. They allow intervals of hours or days, I would like to see them add minutes so that I can close the window. 15 minutes before class starts so that people can’t register or cancel in that timeframe. Cons Would like to be able to cancel sign in/cancellation 15 minutes out Reason for choosing Gymdesk Pricing and just had all the features that I was looking for Review Source JM Joey M. Coach Sports Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Gymdesk nailed it" February 8, 2024 5.0 Excellent. I would highly recommend any gym owner give gymdesk a shot. Even if it wasn't for you (and I'd be surprised if it wasn't), you lose nothing by trying. Pros Very easy to use Lots of built in features No upsell No sales team/sales pitches Excellent customer service. You email, they get back to you quickly. Simple as that. Tons of online content: youtube videos, articles, podcasts, etc. Cons It does not pair super well with Square. There are some limitations to how you can use the physical POS with it. I hear stripe is the better option in this case. Alternatives considered [Kicksite](https://www.capterra.com/p/131168/Kicksite/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk Excellent price Modern and easy to use Lots of features and extras with no upsell No awful sales team and sales pitches Switched from [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Mindbody was terrible and extremely expensive Zenplanner was OK but felt very dated and lacked modernity. Prices have gone up quite a bit too. Review Source PS Paul S. Owner & Instructor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Excellent! Highly Effective Gym Management Tool!!" July 21, 2023 5.0 Overall, I am VERY happy with the decision to begin using GymDesk for our membership management. It is easy for us and our members, the price is very reasonable, and the value is DEFINITELY there! Pros We struggled to find an effective tool for tracking our members, memberships, and leads within a single tool. The ability to input leads and walk through the onboarding process with them and follow them through to membership and renewals has been a game-changer for our administrative functions. Additionally, the ease with which we were able to integrate our existing payment processing systems has been nice (since we don't need to get multiple processors). The website templating is also a nice tool. We are not particularly skilled at making and managing websites, so having this template has been super nice. Well done! Cons There are only a couple of tools that don't have quite the robustness that I would like. Specifically, the skills tracking tool is a great idea, but I would like to be able to customize it a little bit more that I can now. Alternatives considered [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk The primary reason for trying Gymdesk first was the cost difference. We wanted to try the lower cost one first and reserve the option to upgrade if necessary. We have been pleasently surprised with our experience and have no intention of switching to another tool if we do not need do. Review Source KR Kyle R. Owner and Head Coach Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Gymdesk is my hero as a small business owner!" April 30, 2025 5.0 Can’t complain, highly recommend using the software for businesses Pros Attendance tracking and signing up new members at my bjj academy, all the students love using the app and checking in to class is seamless. Cons Need to be able to add videos to content just for members Review Source SC Stephen C. Martial Arts Instructor Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Nothing but amazing!" October 9, 2020 5.0 Pros The beautiful UI and overall feel of the software got us hooked! This software is on par if not better than most big named software out there that we have tried at a fraction of the price! Although there are a ton of amazing features, nothing comes close to how the customer service makes you feel when you join. Customer service is hands down the best thing about this software. If we have an issue they personally emails us back almost instantly to get it resolved! They are there anytime of day to assist and make sure the software is running at its full potential. The best of all is that they listens to feedback and actually implements them! WHAT? I've asked my recent software many times for what I thought were simple requests, and have always gotten a "we will see what we can do" response. The software is constantly being updated and cared for! Martial Arts on Rails has been one of the greatest decisions we have ever made for our school/business. Don't be like us and wait to get started. Sign-up now and see for yourself how amazing this software is! Cons There is nothing to dislike. If we have an issue the customer service finds a way to fix it. No matter what. Alternatives considered [RhinoFit](https://www.capterra.com/p/166393/RhinoFit/)[WellnessLiving](https://www.capterra.com/p/145039/WellnessLiving/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk Pricing. Integrations to our current billing system. Beautiful UI and customization. Switched from [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/) Kept feeling like the price was going up while more and more restrictions were being added. We would contact customer support just for them to transfer me to another person who would then transfer us to another person, that would make us wait for an email that never arrived. Also It felt/looked like their software was stuck in the early 2000. Complete opposite of Maonrails! Review Source AG Andre G. Owner Head Instructor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Very Happy" October 20, 2022 5.0 Amazing customer service. Great software for members and administration. Pros Ease of use for myself and members. Website development. Customer Service. Cons There are some filters I could use with Mindbody when running reports or creating back end changes which make things easier.However I have only thought this once or twice in my year of using their software and it does not impact my operations. Alternatives considered [Acuity Scheduling](https://www.capterra.com/p/191978/Acuity-Scheduling/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk The trial was incredible. The setup was easy and fun. Great member feedback. Switched from [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Initially cost. Gymdesk was recommended. Review Source MP Matthew P. Owner - Head Instructor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Triple Seven Jiu Jitsu - Ventura, Ca. " March 19, 2024 5.0 So far it has been Great! I would just like to be able to call and get a question answered. Pros I liked the Convenience and Price of Gymdesk. Cons Not being able to speak on the phone directly to customer service. Alternatives considered [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/)[Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk Quick and Easy - they also helped me set up! Price and Ease of Use . Review Source SC Sharla C. Operations manager Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Not bad for the price." October 1, 2022 3.0 It’s ok. Easy enough to use but I’m used to using Spark and I feel like some of the features are lacking. For the price, I’ll stick around for now. Pros Mostly easy to use once you figure it out. Cons 1) You can’t send out waivers to multiple people at once. Would be nice if you could have them fill out the waivers without having to individually assign them to each person. 2)Wish there was a more detailed way to sort through leads, students etc. for example using tags for things like events, or to separate different types of leads etc. We have only used this for a month and haven’t even quite started using the full functioning yet so there may be more later. Alternatives considered [Spark Membership](https://www.capterra.com/p/229881/Spark/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk I really wanted to use Spark Membership but chose not to based on their pricing. Review Source Response from Gymdesk October 11, 2022 Thanks for reviewing us Sharla! We're sorry to hear you did not have the best experience with our software. There is an option to assign documents to members in bulk, using our bulk member operations, and there's plenty of filters you can use for the leads, including custom fields you can add. We'd be happy to help you utilize the software to the fullest extent - please reach out to our support and we'd help you get set up! RL Reuven L. Owner Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "An up and coming top notch tool for martial arts schools" July 26, 2020 4.0 So far so great! Very few complaints/frustrations from members during transition as opposed to previous softwares used like zenplanner etc... where every step was met with crashing apps and the like. Here we have a program that works right in every smartphone/computer’s browser. Just log in and access everything, including remote training videos, which right now are crucial. Would love to see some more features surrounding support for remote training, but considering the relative “newness” of the product and how great everything else has been for myself and my students - a solid A-! Pros Easy setup (BIG) Automated Payment Processing Easy “on the fly” changes Beautiful schedule for website Booking and checkins Built in waivers/agreements/forms Developer is constantly listening to users and giving feedback as to why software functions the way it does or when features will be ready and DELIVERS Cons Lack of robust reporting Lack of configurable signup menu (users see a long list that you can’t organize by category, yet) A lot of functionality seems to leverage and almost depend on you using the built-in website builder, so if you have your own website, it might feel limiting Alternatives considered [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk Ease of use Switched from [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/) Too complex for my needs Constantly getting lost in menus Reporting numbers always wrong/different Payment processing felt like a prison sentence Ugly embedded scheduler Constant student complaints Review Source JL Janet L. Owner and Head Instructor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great product for my dojo" August 9, 2024 5.0 Very good product. Easy to use for members and staff. Pros Supports staff and clients well. Easy to set up. Cons Still having some trouble with tax reconciliation. Alternatives considered [ABC Glofox](https://www.capterra.com/p/136861/Glofox/)[Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/)[Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk Superior interface for martial arts, great pricing, great app for students Switched from [High Level Software](https://www.capterra.com/p/238251/High-Level-Software/) Too cumbersome and very difficult to use. Some data and contacts got lost. Review Source KK Konstantin K. Owner Sports Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Very good and convenient software for business management " August 7, 2024 5.0 We are totally satisfied and would recommend this business solution Pros User friendly and manageable, able to get comprehensive reports Cons Easy to understand and work with A lot of different options, including marketing Switched from [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/) The old one was less user friendly and understandable, more complicated Review Source CP Cameron P. Head Instructor - Owner Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Gymdesk is a must have for serious business owners!" October 11, 2024 5.0 Satisfying! The company has put a lot of effort into creating this and working with business owners. Pros Gymdesk fits all of our business needs for tracking memberships, hosting a website and communicating with clients - it is extremely user friendly and customer service is on point! Cons There are no significant cons. I understand it's a product that is undergoing constant adjustments in conjunction with user feedback. Review Source MB Matt B. Head Instructor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Gymdesk Software for BJJ Gyms" September 11, 2022 5.0 I really dont understand how I get so much spam (up to 20/day). If there could be a block to enable them not to resend emails. I would like it a whole lot more. Pros It like that it comes with its own webpage that can later be integrated with your own. It suits my gym perfectly accounting for all of my needs. I would recommend this for anyone setting up a BJJ Academy. It also has an easy to view, "how to" that helped me out. My emails initially to the Gymdesk Team, were answered quite quickly and after a while of using it, it became so much easier. Cons Being in Australia, it was annoying that only Square can be used for the POS. But Square isnt too bad with its low fees. Reason for choosing Gymdesk I liked the demo on Youtube and after viewing the others, I felt like this product was the one for me. I took about 5months to make my decision knowing how important it would be. I am glad I went with Gymdesk Review Source Response from Gymdesk September 19, 2022 Thanks for reviewing us, Matt! We're glad to hear you've enjoyed your experience overall. We thought you might like to know we also work with Stripe and GoCardless in Australia in case you're not happy with Square. If you'd like to know more, please reach out and we'll be happy to assist! TH Trish H. Head Coach Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Awesome and Easy to Use Software at a Solid Price Range" June 17, 2021 5.0 Very positive experience overall. Customer service is amazing and I have no plans on changing software. Pros I really enjoy how easy it is to set up memberships, schedules, personal training and other sales using Martial Arts on Rails. Loads of flexibility for payments and how you choose tot run your business. We're a small, not for profit boxing gym so flexibility was absolute key. Cons I would like if there were a way to track athletes progress more a long with coaching plans so I could keep everything in one place more efficiently. Also, I know its not in the cards and it's not a huge deal- but would be amazing if there were an app. Reason for choosing Gymdesk Ease of use and price point. Review Source MG Maurice G. Owner Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great martial arts management software" November 17, 2021 5.0 Pros Great membership management, auto billing which is important, attendance tracking, sales & marketing Are great. The only email and text function is a game changer too! You have to pay a little extra but it’s a huge life saver to send messages out quickly to all members or to certain members. Cons I’d like to see this software give the member the ability to track their progress according to the program, ranks and promotion requirements. For example, when I set certain skills for a particular rank, the student cannot see what those skills are on their one member portal. They can see what rank they are, but not the skills associated with the rank. Review Source Response from Gymdesk November 22, 2021 Hi Maurice, thanks for the positive review and continued support! We do have the option to show promotion criteria for the current to members, if you reach out we'd be happy to show you how to do that. MS Molly S. Owner Sports Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Makes My Life So Much Easier" January 30, 2020 5.0 Using Martial Arts on the Rails has made my life much easier. With the last management software I was using I had to spend hours on the phone and honestly just dreaded going in to the gym to work on the computer. I now have a lot more confidence in the way that I am managing the business, our programs and our memberships and I am more organized. Pros I have found that this software is easy to use. It is pretty intuitive as how to navigate through the system. It is easy to add, cancel and manage memberships. I like the simplicity of running attendance and financial reports. I have found the support to be great, I always get a quick response. I also like how it is easy for me as an owner to control what kind of access my other gym staff has access to. Cons The only one thing I have found that I have had trouble with is when I search for a member if they are frozen their name doesn't come up in the search. I have to go to the frozen tab to find them. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Generalist animator Animation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "GymPreview" September 19, 2022 5.0 A great app with all the right features, very helpful and easy to setup, customer service is top notch. Pros Has a appealing user interface,with many customizable options Cons Not many negatives I have towards this platform but wish it had an app in the playstore and the gym sheduling can be a little confusing. Review Source DN Douglas N. Instructor Professional Training & Coaching Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Instructor" October 11, 2021 5.0 Pros Having used a couple products prior, this one works best for our schools, because of the size, the affordability and features. We use to have to carry hard copies of paperwork/release now we can pull it at any location, even at tournaments sites if needed. Cons The inability to just read or replay to messages seems to be a bit problematic as I get email notifiations, but, if I don't read the email or on the message screen, those messages may go unanswered for some time. Review Source AC Angelo C. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Nice GOS. " August 19, 2024 4.0 Overall, we use it, it works well.We wish it would hook up to our website and to our scheduling system.A lot better. Pros It's fairly easy to use, and it has a lot of good information. Cons It does not interact very well with websites and facebook and instagram interlinking. Review Source ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.