Booking apps are useful for one thing: filling space you'd otherwise lose. They're a poor way to build a gym. If your 11:00 class has four empty spaces, some money beats none. If your 18:00 class is full of members, an app can only cost you.
Check who you're dealing with too. Athletech News reported in February 2026 that Playlist, the parent of ClassPass and Mindbody, had merged with EGYM. EGYM has also bought Hussle, according to SGI Europe. If both reports still hold, several of the names in this article, plus some of the software that runs bookings, sit in one group. That's worth knowing when you compare them.
We sell services that help you get your own members, so weigh my view with that in mind. I've tried to show where apps are the better choice.
The short version
- Use apps for off-peak spaces you can't fill, never for your peak classes.
- Ask for your rate in writing. I found no published rate for gyms on any of these platforms.
- ClassPass's help pages call it "NOT a lead generator", according to a competitor quoting them on 1 October 2026.
- Set limits on how many spaces go on the app, and watch for members who swap.
- Build your own list at the same time, because that's the part you keep.
How each one works
Here's the position as I could read it on 6 November 2026, with the gaps marked. Terms change, so get yours in writing.
| Platform | Who pays | What the gym gets | Published rate? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClassPass | Consumers, by subscription | A confidential rate floor, a percentage of your direct or drop-in price | None found |
| Hussle | Consumers buy passes. It also sells to employers. | Listing is free, according to Hussle. Payment not stated. | None found |
| EGYM Wellpass | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | None found |
| Wellhub | Not confirmed | Per check-in, according to Gymdesk | None found |
Read this before you sign
ClassPass
ClassPass's partner blog says you agree a confidential rate floor, set as a percentage of your direct or drop-in price, and it has a pricing tool called SmartRate. It matches your late-cancel window up to 12 hours. Payouts are monthly.
The claims go both ways, so here they are side by side.
ClassPass says it's generated $3.1 billion for partners and that 94% of users are new to the venues they visit. Mindbody offers a 90-day guarantee, terms apply. Those are its own self-reported figures, updated 6 March 2026, with no UK data.
Gymdesk, which sells rival software, quoted ClassPass's help pages on 1 October 2026 as saying it's "NOT a lead generator", that users are "unlikely to convert", and that 100 direct clients typically become about 102. It says ClassPass pays a lower rate per space, and that in 2024, 91% of US subscriber visits after three months went to studios they'd already visited. I read these through Gymdesk, not on the ClassPass pages, so check them yourself.
Some vendor blogs quote payout percentages too. I couldn't trace those to a real source, so I've left them out of my sums.
There's history here too. Trade press in 2016 covered a dispute between ClassPass and London studios including 1Rebel and Core Collective. It's ten years old, so I wouldn't read much into it, beyond keeping your own copy of any terms you agree.
Hussle
Hussle sells passes with no contract, including day passes and a Monthly+ option. It says you can list your club for free.
So a customer can get into your gym through someone else's app, with no contract with you. Good for quiet hours, perhaps. I couldn't confirm what Hussle pays gyms, so ask for it in writing, along with who sets the price.
Employer schemes
As I understand it, Wellpass and Wellhub sell mainly through employers, though I didn't confirm their terms. That could bring you people who'd never have searched for a gym, which is a real benefit if you're near big employers. SGI Europe's report on the Hussle deal mentions "over 1,500 gyms, pools and spas". I'd treat these schemes as a local outreach channel, and I'd read the contract for any caps on visits.
Mindbody's own app
If you're on Mindbody, ask what's listed by default and how to control it. Read our booking software guide.
Is a spare space worth filling?
The right question isn't what the app pays. It's what you'd have got anyway.
Worked example (made-up figures)
Tanners Yard Fitness runs a 12-space class at 11:00 on weekdays, with 9 spaces filled. It puts 3 spare spaces on an app, at a made-up payout of £8.
If all 3 sell, that's £24 a class, or 5 classes a week for 48 weeks: £5,760 a year. The coach is paid anyway, so most of that is extra money. For a space that was going empty, that's a fair deal.
Now the risk. One member paying £87 a month works out at about £72.50 before VAT. Say they come twice a week, leave, and move to the app. That's 8 or so visits a month, and £64 a month at £8 each, if they still come as often. The gym's lost £8.50 a month on that person, which doesn't sound like much.
The damage comes if they use 3 different gyms and yours gets 2 visits. That's £16 a month instead of £72.50, a loss of £56.50 a month. Four members doing that wipes out £226 a month, or £2,712 a year, close to half of what the app brought in.
I've run those sums, and the £8 payout is invented. Put your real rate in. And remember that an app customer pays nothing towards your rent if they stop coming. A member's Direct Debit does.
How to use an app without hurting your gym
- List only off-peak classes.
- Cap the spaces in each class.
- Keep your peak classes off the app completely.
- Don't list prices that undercut your own drop-in by much.
- Greet app visitors well, and offer a clear route to a trial or a membership. Don't push.
- Check every month: who moved from membership to app?
- Read the exit terms. What happens to your listing and reviews when you leave?
I couldn't confirm what happens to reviews when you leave any of these platforms, so ask.
What your own bookings look like
| Booking apps | Your own bookings | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fast, often days | Slow, often months |
| Money per visit | Lower, and set partly by the platform | Your price |
| Relationship | The app has their details | You have their details, with consent |
| Marketing to them | Limited | Allowed within the rules |
| If you stop | The visitors stop | Your list and reviews stay |
| Best for | Spare space and quiet hours | Long-term members |
That table is my judgement. I found no UK data behind it.
The bigger point is that data. When someone books directly, you can remind them, notice when they stop, and ask for a review. On an app, you may not know they've gone. Everything in why members no-show and cancel depends on knowing who your people are.
The mix I'd use
- Just opened, plenty of space: list off-peak on one app for three months, and aim to convert people to trials.
- Busy evenings, quiet days: use an app for the quiet hours only.
- Waiting list on peak classes: leave the apps and raise your prices.
- Near big employers: talk to the employer schemes, and to local HR teams directly.
Before you pay for anything, fix your reply speed. A slow reply to someone who's ready to book directly is the most expensive way to send them to an app.
Questions gym owners ask
Is ClassPass worth it for a small gym?
It can be, for spaces you'd otherwise lose. Ask for your rate in writing, cap the spaces and keep peak classes off it. Don't expect it to bring in many members, since its own help pages reportedly say not to.
How much does ClassPass pay gyms?
It doesn't publish rates. It says your floor is typically a percentage of your direct or drop-in price, agreed privately. Anything you read online is unverified.
Can I use Hussle alongside my own memberships?
Yes, it says listing is free. Check who sets the price of a pass, what you're paid, and whether your members could pay less through it.
Who owns ClassPass, Mindbody and Hussle?
Athletech News reported that Playlist, parent of ClassPass and Mindbody, merged with EGYM in a $7.5 billion deal, and SGI Europe reports EGYM bought Hussle. I'd check the current position before you sign.
Do the subscription rules affect booking apps?
On my reading, they apply to the business that sells the consumer a subscription. So your own memberships are your job. Ask each platform how it handles its side, and take advice if you're unsure.
David Bell, founder of Real Business Systems
David helps small UK businesses get found, answer every enquiry and keep customers coming back. We sell some of the services mentioned here, and we say so where they come up.
Sources
- Athletech News, ClassPass tops $3 billion (26 February 2026)
- SGI Europe, EGYM acquires Hussle (date not shown)
- ClassPass, payouts and policies (vendor)
- ClassPass, incremental revenue (6 March 2026, vendor)
- Gymdesk, ClassPass for business (1 October 2026, rival vendor)
- Hussle and Hussle for employers
- Health Club Management, 1Rebel and Core Collective (2016)
- Attractions Management, ClassPass London (2016)
Prices and rules change. Check the source before you rely on a figure. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.