We make Gymciety. It appears in this guide, and we say so wherever it does. Every other product is described from its own website, checked on the date above, with what it does well stated first. If we have something wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
In one paragraph
Zen Planner has served martial arts schools and boutique studios since 2006 and now sits inside Daxko alongside exercise.com. Its honest pricing quirk: you pay per active member, never for prospects or staff. Studio starts at USD 99 a month and scales with headcount; marketing automation, the website and even the branded app are priced as add-ons. Gymciety answers with one flat price that already includes the member app, nutrition and Gulf-ready billing.
Side by side
| Gymciety | Zen Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | AED 699/mo (Core, 150 members), AED 1,099 (Growth, 400) or AED 1,599 (Pro, 1,000); about 17% less on yearly billing. Free migration, setup and 30-day implementation included; multi-location gyms save 20–35% on the total. | Studio from USD 99/mo, Essentials from 198, Ultimate from 348 — scaling with active members. Website USD 99/mo, Engage marketing USD 249/mo, branded app USD 39/mo, card readers USD 39/mo. |
| Free trial | Demo and self-serve subscription; no free trial on gym plans. | Not stated; plans start with a demo. |
| Built for | Staffed gyms and studios whose coaches train members. | Martial arts schools, boutique studios and community gyms — 5,000+ businesses. |
| Coaching tools | Included: program builder with 377 animated exercises, check-ins, chat, retention flags. | Belt and skill tracking plus staff payroll; workout tracking via a SugarWOD integration. |
| Nutrition | Included: macro targets, meal suggestions, AI meal logging. | Not described on the pricing page. |
| Payments and billing | Stripe billing in AED; memberships, freezes, day passes, PT packages. | Zen Planner Payments (in-house Daxko rails) with EMV readers. |
| Door access | QR check-in at the desk and QR join. No biometric or turnstile hardware. | Not described on the pricing page. |
| Member / client app | Member app on iOS and Android with your logo and colours; web dashboard. | Member and staff apps included; a custom-branded listing is USD 39/mo. |
| UAE presence | Built in the UAE (Ras Al Khaimah). Support in English and Arabic. | US-headquartered (Daxko, Alabama); says it serves globally but no UAE-specific billing or VAT tooling is advertised. |
| Self-serve sign-up | Yes: prices on the page, sign up online. | Demo-led; get-started forms exist but pricing is member-count based. |
| Free website | Included with every gym plan: designed and hosted by Gymciety. | Available at USD 99/mo, bundled in the Essentials tier. |
Zen Planner facts are as published on zenplanner.com on 9 September 2026. Gymciety facts are current as of the same date.
Choose Zen Planner if
- You run a martial arts school and want belt tracking built in.
- Paying only for active members fits your seasonal dips.
- You want SugarWOD workout tracking integrated with billing.
Choose Gymciety if
- You want the branded app, nutrition and check-ins inside the base price.
- Your gym is in the Gulf and needs VAT invoices, AED plans and Arabic support.
- You would rather pay one flat subscription than a per-member bill that grows with you.
Try it rather than read about it. Book a 30-minute demo on a live gym account, or see gymciety for gyms.
Questions
How does Zen Planner pricing work?
You pay per active member only — prospects and staff are free. Studio starts at USD 99/mo and scales; websites, marketing automation and branded apps are add-ons.
Is Zen Planner good for gyms in the UAE?
It serves globally, but pricing is USD, billing is US-payment-rail oriented and there is no UAE VAT tooling advertised. Gymciety is built for the Gulf.
Does Zen Planner include a member app?
A member app is included; your own App Store branding is a USD 39/mo add-on. Gymciety's member app is included on every plan.
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Work at Zen Planner and see something out of date? Email hello@gymciety.net with the page that shows the current facts and we will correct it. Canonical URL: https://gymciety.net/compare/gymciety-vs-zenplanner.