Not So Glad w/ Gladstone? The Best Gladstone Alternative is Exercise.com.

Looking for the best Gladstone alternative? Compare Gladstone vs Exercise.com to find the most complete gym and fitness business management platform—from branded apps and workout delivery to CRM, automation, ecommerce, and performance analytics. Discover why modern gym owners prefer Exercise.com over Gladstone Go, Gladstone 360, and the suite of Gladstone gym software products.

Gladstone is a long-standing leisure management software provider in the UK, primarily serving large facilities, local councils, and health clubs. While it offers scheduling and access control, it lacks the flexibility, branding, and client-focused tools needed by fast-moving fitness businesses and gyms. If you’re running a hybrid or modern fitness operation, Exercise.com is the best Gladstone alternative for complete gym management, member engagement, and revenue generation.

Let’s dive into why Exercise.com is a better fit for growth-focused fitness businesses.

Many Gladstone users find the system clunky and outdated—designed for municipal rec centers rather than dynamic fitness operations. There’s limited support for branded mobile apps, no integrated workout delivery, and very little marketing automation. You’ll still need other tools for ecommerce, assessments, personal training delivery, or KPI reporting.

Exercise.com replaces all those extra systems with one powerful platform. From training programs and billing to CRM and branded mobile apps—Exercise.com gives fitness professionals the modern tools they need to streamline operations, increase engagement, and scale revenue.

Exercise.com is simply the best. We were using three or four different apps or softwares to do what we can now do all in one with the Exercise.com platform.

Brandon Stroupe

Founder and President, APEC Sports Performance

Get a demo now!

Why Exercise.com Outperforms Gladstone

Gladstone’s software works for large public facilities and leisure centers—but gym owners and fitness professionals often need something more agile and modern. Exercise.com was built specifically for fitness businesses—with full support for digital training, member journeys, and branded apps that turn clients into superfans.

Gladstone Features

• Membership Access Control: Turnstile and check-in tracking
• Class Scheduling: Book classes and facility slots
• POS: Sell memberships and in-club items
• Member Portal: Basic login area for bookings and payments
• Integration Add-Ons: Connect third-party tools for limited functionality

Exercise.com Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fully Branded Apps: Keep your brand front and center with iOS and Android apps
• Workout Delivery: Automate and deliver custom and templated plans, assessments, and progress tracking
• Complete CRM + Automations: Send onboarding sequences, upsell funnels, and more
• Ecommerce & Booking: Sell in-person and online services in one place
• Integrated Reporting: View retention, revenue, and trainer performance in a single dashboard

Cons

• More Robust Features: Fitness-specific features may require onboarding help (included)

Gladstone Pros & Cons

Pros

• Access Control: Strong facility access integrations for leisure centers
• Local Council Support: Built with compliance and large organizations in mind

Cons

• No Workout Tools: No way to build or deliver custom training plans
• No Branded Apps: Lacks dedicated mobile apps for your business
• No CRM Automations: No drip campaigns or automated client engagement
• Clunky UX: Older interface, not optimized for mobile-first workflows

Top Gladstone Alternatives

• Exercise.com – Best all-in-one solution for fitness business growth, automation, and training delivery
• TeamUp – Class-focused software with good scheduling but lacks full CRM and branding
• Mindbody – Popular for studios, but expensive and limited in performance metrics
• Glofox – Decent mobile app experience, but lacks deep training and reporting tools
• GymMaster – Offers access control and booking, less strong on coaching features

Big List of Gladstone Competitors

Gladstone Reviews (Common Themes)

Gladstone users often describe the system as “stable but outdated” and “built for public leisure centers rather than gyms.” Reviews frequently cite slow innovation, limited mobile tools, and a lack of modern training or automation features. Fitness business owners looking for scalable digital coaching and CRM typically turn to Exercise.com instead.

Gladstone Pricing

Gladstone does not publicly list pricing and typically operates on a custom quote model for large institutions. Exercise.com offers transparent pricing for fitness professionals, with all features—apps, training delivery, CRM, ecommerce, and support—included.

Exercise.com is simply the best. We were using three or four different apps or softwares to do what we can now do all in one with the Exercise.com platform.

Brandon Stroupe

Founder and President, APEC Sports Performance

Get a demo now!

What is Gladstone?

Gladstone is a leisure management software suite for large facilities, local councils, and recreation centers—focused on bookings, payments, and access control.

What does Gladstone do?

Gladstone handles access control, bookings, and POS for large public leisure facilities. It lacks mobile branding, workout tools, or CRM automations.

Who uses Gladstone?

Public rec centers, universities, and council-run leisure complexes in the UK are Gladstone’s primary customers. It’s rarely used by boutique gyms or personal trainers.

How much is Gladstone?

Pricing is custom and generally targeted at large enterprise clients. No transparent plans are listed online.

Is Gladstone worth it?

Gladstone may be useful for municipal facilities, but most modern fitness businesses need more flexibility and fitness-specific tools. Exercise.com is a better choice for growing fitness brands.

How do I compare Gladstone vs Exercise.com?

Gladstone is built for large institutions; Exercise.com is built for gyms. Compare CRM, branded apps, training tools, and reporting—and Exercise.com wins across the board.

Can Gladstone deliver training programs?

No—Gladstone doesn’t include workout builders, coaching, or assessments. Exercise.com delivers everything in one place.

Can Gladstone manage hybrid fitness businesses?

Not effectively. There’s no support for on-demand content, virtual training, or digital fitness funnels. Exercise.com supports hybrid coaching natively.

If you want to offer an elite service for the end user you need to get with the times and use elite level software that is intuitive, visually appealing, and effective. That is exactly what Exercise.com delivers to its clients.

Jimmy Myers

Owner/Trainer, Relentless Sports Performance

Get a demo now!