Best booking software for UK Pilates studios

You don't need ten apps. A small Pilates studio needs three jobs done: run the timetable, do the books, and answer new clients. Pick one tool for each.

Booking and accounting software aren't things we sell, so nothing rides on those picks for me. Call answering is different, and that section says so. I also haven't run a live studio on any of these. These picks are my judgement from published prices and features. Prices were hard to pin down, because many suppliers won't publish them. That's a finding in itself.

What a Pilates studio needs that a salon doesn't

Don't buy on a general feature list. Check these on a live demo.

• Reformer and spot booking. Can a client pick reformer 3, and can you block a broken one?
• Waitlists that promote automatically and text the client.
• Class packs and credits with clear expiry, including extensions.
• Late-cancel rules that treat group and private bookings differently.
• Secure health forms before a first class.
• Failed payment handling on memberships.
• Pausing a membership.
• Reminders by text, and who pays for those texts.
• Membership cancellation in a few taps. From 1 January 2027, new rules are due to expect a simple exit, and reminders that aren't only push notifications. Ask each supplier what they've built. Read more on those rules.
• Getting your data out. Ask for an export of clients, credits and membership status before you sign.

Booking software compared

Prices were read in November 2026 and may exclude VAT. I've kept the currency each supplier showed, because several don't publish sterling prices.

Bookwhen says it doesn't take a cut of your payments, though your payment gateway charges a fee. Its page showed US dollars when I read it, so ask how you'd be billed.

I couldn't confirm UK prices for WellnessLiving, Punchpass or Gymcatch, so I've left them out of the table. Book That In's comparison says Gymcatch uses a monthly subscription, and that's all I could find.

How I'd choose

• Under about 50 bookings a month: try Bookwhen's free plan.
• One room with a mat timetable: don't pay for a branded app. Your clients won't miss it.
• A reformer room: pay for spot selection and a good waitlist. Those two features earn their keep, in my view, because they protect your most limited stock.
• Over 100 active clients: compare what you'd pay on an active-client model such as TeamUp's, because a quiet month costs you less.
• Buying the Mindbody marketplace: remember that Mindbody and ClassPass share a parent. Read booking apps or direct bookings.

Get the real price

Headline prices can be a long way from the bill. Ask each supplier for one figure for your studio, including:

• Monthly fee, per location.
• Card processing rate, and any platform fee on top. Some charge a percentage on the no-monthly option.
• Text message costs.
• Branded app.
• Set-up and data migration.
• Contract length and notice.
• VAT.

Mindbody's own blog estimates that a set of separate tools often costs $565 to $1,080 a month, and that most businesses recoup its cost within 3 to 6 months. That's a vendor's own estimate in US dollars, so don't lean on it.

Accounting apps

If you're a sole trader or landlord above the thresholds, Making Tax Digital needs compatible software. That's £50,000 now, £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028, on qualifying income. A studio is likely to hit this quite quickly. HMRC doesn't recommend any product, and I didn't re-check current accounting prices for this guide, so compare FreeAgent, Xero and QuickBooks on their sites and ask your accountant.

What I'd look for in a studio is whether your booking software feeds card takings across cleanly. A month of pack sales, refunds and processor fees is a messy thing to reconcile by hand. Prepaid packs are also money you haven't yet earned, so ask your accountant how to treat unused credits.

Tools that answer the phone

Booking software starts working once a client is on the page. Few help when someone rings while you're teaching.

There's more on this in is an AI receptionist worth it?.

Where we fit

We aren't booking software. We don't run timetables, credits or memberships, so keep your booking system.

We work before the booking: getting found, answering every call and message, following up trial clients and asking for reviews. If your problem is what happens once a client is booked in, buy one of the apps above. If it's getting and keeping clients, that's what we do.

Don't forget the free ones. A Google Business Profile and the WhatsApp Business app cost nothing, though you should keep health details out of WhatsApp.

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.