PushPress vs Zen Planner (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, PushPress grades higher than Zen Planner: 2.4 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
PushPress grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PushPress
Gym management for CrossFit, martial arts and training gyms
Zen Planner
Membership, scheduling and billing software for gyms and studios
Which one is for you
Pick PushPress if
- Fits if you run a CrossFit box or strength gym with daily classes and recurring memberships
- Works for martial arts academies that track belts and ranks alongside billing
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you stay on Free with lots of card payments, at 4.99% + 30¢ each against 2.89% + 30¢ on Pro
- Skip it if you want email, text and WhatsApp automations included: they're in Grow, at $329 a month
- Watch out: workout tracking (Train) is $79 a month for up to 20 clients, and a branded member app is $97 a month
- Not for you if your gym is outside the US, as prices are in US dollars and other gyms are asked to contact sales
- Tight if you need quick help on Free, where human support answers within 48 hours
Pick Zen Planner if
- Fits if you run a martial arts or fitness studio and bill members every month
- Works for a studio that can predict its active member count, as the price follows it
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you grow, as the bill rises with active members and the $99 figure is only a starting price
- Watch out: card readers cost $39 a month each and a branded mobile app is $39 a month
- Watch out: Engage starts at $249 a month and a stand-alone website at $99, both sold apart
- Skip it if you want a trial, as the pricing page mentions none
- Watch out: payment processing carries extra fees
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPushPressFair | 1.6GPAZen PlannerWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree has no monthly fee, but cards cost 4.99% + 30¢ against 2.89% + 30¢ on Pro, which is $159 a month and in this category's dearest tenth. Pro works out cheaper once a gym takes about $7,600 a month by card. | CFrom $99 a month, priced by active members, against a middle of $49.90 and a dearer quarter from $119. Plans run $99, $198 and $348, with readers and the app on top. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plan has scheduling, billing, waivers, check-ins and both apps with unlimited members, so a gym could run on it. The cost is in the fees, 4.99% + 30¢ a card payment, and human support answers within 48 hours. | FNo trial or free plan on the pricing page. Plans run month to month. |
| Features | CClass scheduling with waitlists, recurring billing, waivers, check-ins, events, personal training appointments, retail, rank tracking and an AI assistant. The gap: marketing is a separate product, Grow, and workout tracking is the Train add-on. | CMemberships, billing, scheduling, a member app, lead capture, marketing and reports. Marketing automation is a separate product, Engage, from $249 a month. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating for the business app is on record, since the App Store listing found is the client-facing app. You set up services, staff and payments before taking bookings. | CNo store rating on record. A studio builds its programs, memberships and billing first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, plus member and staff apps for iPhone and Android, with Stripe, Mailchimp, Zapier, Slack, Google Calendar, Google Analytics and Facebook Ads. No desktop app. | CWeb only on the listing, with one integration. A member app is sold as an add-on. |
| Best for | CrossFit boxes and martial arts gyms | membership billing for martial arts and fitness studios |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: PushPress and Zen Planner. How we grade
Price against what you get
PushPress starts at $159 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zen Planner starts at $99 a month and scores 2.0.
PushPress scores higher, and starts $60 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 12 score higher than PushPress for less, and 12 score higher than Zen Planner for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- PushPress also covers marketing automation, forms and appointment booking.
- Zen Planner also covers reports and sMS marketing.
At a glance
| PushPress | Zen Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $159 per month (Pro) | $99 per month and up, priced by active members |
| Free plan | Scheduling, billing, waivers, check-ins and member and staff apps with unlimited members and no monthly fee, but card payments cost 4.99% + 30¢. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | PushPress, Inc. | Zen Planner |
| Price read from | pushpress.com | zenplanner.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
PushPress
- The free plan has no monthly fee but charges 4.99% + 30¢ per card payment, against 2.89% + 30¢ on Pro.
- Marketing is a separate product: Grow, with email, text and WhatsApp automations and websites, costs $329 a month.
- Workout tracking (Train) is $79 a month for up to 20 clients, and a branded member app is a $97-a-month add-on.
- Prices are in US dollars; gyms outside the US are asked to contact sales for pricing.
Zen Planner
- Prices are 'starting at' figures: the bill follows the active member count, and multi-location pricing is quoted in a demo.
- Payment processing carries additional charges or fees; the card readers cost $39 per month each, and a branded mobile app is $39 per month.
- Zen Planner Engage is sold separately from $249 per month, and a stand-alone website from $99 per month.
- The pricing page mentions no free trial; plans run month to month, with an annual contract available on request.
Key features
PushPress
- Class scheduling and waitlists
- Recurring class templates, capacity limits and self-managing waitlists, coach substitutions, no-show and late-cancel rules, and priority booking for premium members.
- Billing and payments
- Recurring memberships, drop-ins, class packs and PT sessions by card or ACH, with pro-rated start dates, plan purchase limits and gym-set transaction fees.
- Member and staff apps
- Members book and buy in the app; staff check people in, see health notes, sell retail and message the team, and a kiosk mode handles self check-in.
- Waivers, events and appointments
- Digitally signed waivers and agreements, free or paid events with registration, invite-only events such as belt tests, and personal training appointments.
- Martial arts and workouts
- Rank tracking for belt promotions, and basic daily workout programming; score logging, benchmarks and PRs need the Train add-on.
- AI assistant
- Ask questions about members, attendance, leads, revenue and retention, and get Member Intel notes in the Staff App before each class.
Zen Planner
- Memberships and billing
- Membership management with automated billing and payment processing, plus attendance tracking and payroll management.
- Class scheduling and booking
- Online scheduling with member self-service, belt and skill tracking, and a staff mobile app.
- Member app
- A member mobile app comes with every package, and a custom-branded app is sold separately.
- Website and lead capture
- Essentials adds a custom website with SEO optimization and built-in lead capture and form integration.
- Marketing automation
- Ultimate, or the separate Engage product, adds automated email and text campaigns, AI-powered tools and lead follow-up workflows.
- Reporting and dashboards
- Reporting and dashboards in every package, with a SugarWOD integration for workout tracking.
Plans
PushPress
Free$0
Core gym tools with no monthly fee. Payments cost 4.99% + 30¢ by card and 2.89% + 30¢ by ACH; human support answers within 48 hours.
Pro$159
per month
Advanced reporting and automations, with card fees of 2.89% + 30¢ and ACH at 0.79% + 30¢, and live and video support.
Max$229
per month
For large and multi-location gyms, with card fees of 2.75% + 30¢ and ACH at 0.79% + 30¢.
Zen Planner
Zen Planner Studio$99
per month and up, by active members
Memberships, billing, class scheduling, attendance, payroll, reporting and staff and member apps. Price rises with active members.
Zen Planner Essentials$198
per month and up, by active members
Everything in Studio plus a branded, SEO-optimized website with lead capture.
Zen Planner Ultimate$348
per month and up, by active members
Everything in Essentials plus marketing automation, CRM, AI email and text campaigns and lead tools.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PushPress or Zen Planner?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Zen Planner is cheaper to start with: $99 a month, against $159 a month for PushPress. PushPress starts at $159 per month (Pro), and Zen Planner starts at $99 per month and up, priced by active members.
Which has a free plan, PushPress or Zen Planner?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only PushPress has a free plan. Zen Planner does not.
Which platforms do PushPress and Zen Planner run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only PushPress lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.