Honest comparison

ManageYourGym vs GymMaster

If you run a 24/7 gym where members let themselves in, GymMaster is the right answer and we are not even a candidate — door access is their centre of gravity and we do not do it at all. For a staffed gym, we are cheaper at most member counts, include the branded app they charge $150 a month for, and go considerably deeper on personal training.

Last checked 31 August 2026 against GymMaster’s published pricing and feature pages.

The problem you are actually trying to solve

Both products charge by how many members you have, which sounds simple until you notice the bands do not line up. You end up one member over a threshold and paying a tier more, and the vendor comparison pages all quote the band that flatters them.

And underneath that sits a bigger question you cannot fudge: whether the door needs to open on its own at five in the morning.

Feature by feature

Their column comes from GymMaster’s own public pages. Where they say nothing about a capability we mark it Not listed rather than claiming they lack it.

Access and hardware

CapabilityManageYourGymGymMaster
24/7 unstaffed door accessMembers letting themselves in when nobody is on the deskNoNot offered. We do not integrate door hardware of any kind.YesTheir standout feature, sold as a plan tier with access control included
Door hardware ecosystemReaders, gatekeepers, turnstiles, fobsNoNot offeredYesDoor readers at $300, gatekeeper $550, tailgating $400 plus $40/mo, RFID fobs from $1.30
Check-in without buying hardwareYesQR check-in on a tablet you already own — nothing on the wallPartialCheck-in works, but the fobs and readers are a separate purchase

Personal training

CapabilityManageYourGymGymMaster
PT packages and session trackingYesPackages, one-off and recurring sessions, categories, and a session ledger the balance draws fromPartialAppointment and trainer booking
Trainer compensationYesFixed salary, per-session or per-class rates, or revenue share on package sales, with per-trainer payoutsNot listedNot mentioned in their public material — we could not verify either way.
Dedicated trainer appYesA native app — day sheet, roster, one-tap session close-out, payslipsNot listedNot mentioned in their public material — we could not verify either way.

The gym floor

CapabilityManageYourGymGymMaster
Live occupancyYesReal-time headcount, owner-side and in the member appNot listedNot mentioned in their public material — we could not verify either way.
Class booking with capacity and waitlistsYesCapacity limits, booking holds and automatic waitlistsYesClass and session booking
Multiple sitesYesUp to 3 branches on Professional, with per-branch reportingYesSupported — but every plan is priced per site

Apps, reach and money

CapabilityManageYourGymGymMaster
Member appYesiOS and Android — check-in, dues, plans, classes, PT sessionsYesMember app included
Branded app under your own nameYesInstallable branded app, no extra charge and no setup feePartialBranded member app at $150/mo plus a $450 setup fee
WhatsApp remindersThe channel that works in India and the GulfYesWhatsApp, SMS and email, plus multi-step sequencesPartialSMS and email messaging
Payments settle into your own accountYesYour own Razorpay or Stripe account — we take no cutNot listedNot mentioned in their public material — we could not verify either way.
Local tax handlingGST for India, VAT for the GulfYesGST invoices and numbering; INR, USD or your own currencyNot listedNot mentioned in their public material — we could not verify either way.

What each one costs

TierGymMasterManageYourGym
Around 100 members$89 / moFoundation — up to 100 current members, per site$79 / moStarter — 150 members, 1 branch, 10 trainers
Around 150 members$129 / moAdvanced — Foundation stops at 100, so 150 members means the next tier$79 / moStill Starter — 150 members are included
Around 400 members$129 / moAdvanced — up to 400 current members$169 / moProfessional — Starter stops at 150, so this is the next tier up
Around 500 members$209 / moProfessional — Advanced stops at 400$169 / moProfessional — 500 members included
Around 1,300 members$209 / moProfessional — up to 1,300 current members$349 / moEnterprise — for chains and larger sites
24/7 door access+$40 / moAccess-control plan tiers, plus hardware bought outrightNot offeredWe do not integrate door hardware at any price
Branded app$150 / mo + $450Monthly fee plus a one-off setup chargeIncludedNo extra charge, no setup fee, no tier upgrade

Both products meter current members, so the comparison comes down to where the bands fall — and they fall awkwardly. We are cheaper at about 100 members ($79 against $89), and much cheaper at 150, where their Foundation tier has run out and ours has not: $79 against $129. Then it inverts. At 400 members their Advanced tier still costs $129 while our Starter has run out, putting us on Professional at $169 — they win that band clearly. At 500 we are back ahead, $169 against $209. At around 1,300 members they win again and by a wide margin, $209 against our $349. So the honest summary is that we are cheaper at most member counts but there are two real bands where GymMaster is not, and if your gym sits in one of them you should buy theirs. Two things sit outside the bands. Their branded member app is $150 a month plus $450 to set up, where ours is included — that single line is larger than most of the tier differences above. And 24/7 door access adds about $40 a month on top of the plan before you have bought a single reader at $300. Their 60-day money-back window is also considerably longer than our 14-day trial.

How the floor runs without door hardware

  1. 01

    A tablet at the desk

    Members scan a QR from their own phone to check in and out. No fobs to issue, no readers to mount, nothing to replace when someone loses a card.

  2. 02

    The floor count is live

    Occupancy updates as people check in, visible to you and to members deciding whether to come now or at eight. It is the answer to the peak-hour question without a turnstile.

  3. 03

    Trainers work from their own app

    Sessions are closed out on the floor, packages draw down as they go, and payouts follow whichever compensation model the trainer is on.

  4. 04

    The branded app is already yours

    Your gym’s name and colours on an installable app, at no extra monthly charge and no setup fee — where the same thing is $150 a month plus $450 elsewhere in this comparison.

When GymMaster is the better choice

Every comparison page ever written says the author wins. Here is where we honestly do not.

You run a 24/7 gym with unstaffed hours

This is the clearest case in any comparison we have written. GymMaster opens the door, tracks who came in and handles tailgating. We do not integrate door hardware at all and have no plan to. If your business model is unstaffed access, buy GymMaster.

You sit between about 150 and 400 members

Their Advanced tier covers up to 400 members for $129 while our Starter stops at 150, which puts you on Professional at $169. Across that whole band they are cheaper than us and there is no way to dress it up.

You are a large single site

At around 1,300 members they are $209 and we are $349 on Enterprise. Past roughly a thousand members on one site, their pricing is simply better than ours.

You want longer than two weeks to decide

They offer a 60-day money-back guarantee. Our trial is 14 days. If you want a full season to judge a system properly, theirs is the more generous window.

Questions people ask

Does ManageYourGym do 24/7 door access?

No, and not at any price. We do not integrate door readers, turnstiles or gatekeepers. GymMaster does and it is the thing they are best known for. If members need to let themselves in when nobody is on the desk, they are the right choice and we are not in the running.

Which one is cheaper?

Depends on your member count, because both charge by it. At 100 members we are $79 against $89; at 150 we are $79 against $129. But at 400 members they are $129 and we are $169, and at 1,300 they are $209 against our $349. We are cheaper at most counts, and there are two bands where we honestly are not.

What about the branded app?

GymMaster charges $150 a month plus a $450 setup fee for a branded member app. Ours is included in every plan with no setup fee. For most gyms that one line is worth more than the difference between the subscription tiers.

What does ManageYourGym do better?

Personal training, mainly — three trainer compensation models, a session ledger, a native trainer app and per-trainer payout reporting, where their public material describes appointment booking. Also live occupancy, WhatsApp reminders, and GST-compliant billing for Indian gyms.

Do I need to buy hardware to use ManageYourGym?

No. QR check-in runs on any tablet or phone you already own. That is a genuine saving against a fob-and-reader setup, but it is also the reason we cannot open a door for you.

How long do I get to try it?

Fourteen days with everything unlocked and no card. GymMaster offers a 60-day money-back guarantee instead, which is a longer window to make up your mind — worth knowing if you want to test a system across a full billing cycle.

See it with your own numbers

Fourteen days, everything unlocked, no card. If it turns out GymMaster suits you better, that is a fine outcome.

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