If you’re a personal trainer on the go, having a scheduling app you can trust saves you a lot of headaches and a lot of time.

On top of your packed weeks of classes and appointments, you also have to deal with marketing, client payments and bills, and keeping products stocked. So there’s no doubt it takes a ton of organization and planning to be a great fitness instructor. That’s where an easy-to-use scheduling app can be a lifesaver!

Of course, not all apps are created equal, so it’s important to do your research before jumping in.

To help you choose the app that’s right for you, we put together a list of the best apps for fitness instructors — looking at the features you need and the cost — so you can make the right decision for you and your business.

The 5 Best Scheduling Apps for Fitness Instructors

If you haven’t made the move to an online scheduling app just yet, this list will give you the info on the best apps out there for personal trainers or group fitness instructors. 

Schedulicity

We know what you’re thinking: “Oh, of course, Schedulicity is on the list!” But we’re suggesting our app because we believe we are one of the best apps out there. With a robust class calendar, payment processing, and email marketing all under one roof, we know we have the tools you need to help your business grow!

Best for:

Solo personal trainers or group fitness instructors, including yoga studios. 

Pros:

  • All the tools for your business in just one place, so you can not only manage your calendar and clients but your marketing and payment processing as well
  • Industry low rate for payment processing: 2.5% + 15¢ for every transaction
  • Award-winning customer support via phone, email, or chat with our Schedulicity Rockstars

Features:

  • Scheduling: appointment for one-on-ones and class scheduling, workshops, customizable schedule and time off, ability to manage multiple instructor’s schedules
  • Marketing: Instagram Book button integrations, automated email marketing (like birthday discounts), access to our Marketplace where local customers can discover you, our special Deal Manager feature and other customizable incentive and discount programs to hook clients
  • Payments: Built-in payment processing, one industry-low rate for every transaction (2.5% + 15¢), built-in reporting, integration with Stripe for Canadian businesses  
  • Automation: Automated marketing emails, client text reminders, provider booking notifications, online waivers, package management
  • Apps: iOS and Android apps for both you and your clients

Don’t miss our full Features page to learn everything Schedulicity has to offer!

Cost:

Free (up to 10 bookings per month). We then offer an Unlimited model, so you can access all of our advanced features starting at $34.99 per month. 

Mindbody

Best for:

Large-scale Fitness studios and wellness businesses, particularly businesses that use ClassPass and are looking for a scheduling app to integrate. 

Pros:

  • Mindbody is beautiful and has just about all the bells and whistles you need to run your business
  • For folks who care a lot about branding, an aesthetically-pleasing app for both you and your clients
  • Partnership with ClassPass, so if you’re a fan of ClassPass, you can integrate your account with them

Cons:

  • Mindbody is built more for class and workshop-based business, instead of more one-on-one appointments
  • Pricier than most scheduling apps out there, so their price point may not fit your budget if you’re just getting your business off the ground. (Also, they don’t have a free trial or a free version for folks to try.)

Features:

View all of Mindbody’s features for more info.

Cost:

$129–$349 per month

Acuity

Best for:

Established service-based businesses looking for more advanced and customizable features, including integrations with external marketing and payment tools.

Pros:

  • Acuity is owned by Squarespace, which launched an Acuity scheduling integration
  • More integrations than any other scheduling app (think PayPal, Mailchimp, Quickbooks)

Cons:

  • No phone support to chat with someone about questions you have or help you need with your account
  • Most of the advanced/customizable features require a pretty pricey upgrade

Features:

  • Ability to manage multiple calendars and locations
  • Ability to customize your scheduler with your logo and company colors
  • PayPal, Square, and Stripe integrations for payment processing

View all of Acuity’s features for more info.

Cost:

Seven days free, then anywhere from $14 – $45 per month

Vagaro

Best for:

Larger businesses, particularly those that depend on Yelp for a lot of their business and businesses with multiple employees.

Pros:

  • With Vagaro, you can think big. This scheduling app can handle a large number of staff members and multiple locations
  • Great if you need a clock-in/clock-out feature for your instructors/providers

Cons:

  • If you’re a new business looking to grow, Vagaro may offer too much (more tools, more complicated)

Features:

  • Customer support via phone, email, chat
  • Ability to build your website using their templates
  • Yelp, Instagram, and Facebook integrations

View all of Vagaro’s features for more info.

Cost:

Anywhere from $25/month for one person to $85/month for teams of 7 or more 

Square Appointments

Best for:

Businesses who already use Square for payment processing or companies who prefer to keep things simple

Pros:

  • If you’re already using Square, you’ll love that payment processing is already built right in
  • Robust POS system for invoices, product sales
  • Free “get started” option for growing businesses, though the payment processing fees do add up long-term (see below)

Cons:

  • You’re stuck with Square’s pricing for payment processing, which is currently 2.6% + 10¢ for individuals on the free plan and 2.5% + $.10 for teams of 2-10. Plus, manually keyed in charges or cards on file are 3.5% + 15¢ per transaction.

Features:

  • Allows for multiple employees and calendars
  • Built-in payment processing (with Square card reader and POS)
  • Automated email and text notifications
  • Google and Instagram integrations

View all of the Square Appointments features for more info.

Cost:

30-day free trial, then $50 – $90 per month for two or more employees