11 Best Gym Software with Challenges in 2024
Compare the best gym software with challenges from Exercise.com, Mindbody, Zen Planner, and more.
The best gym challenge software makes it easy to learn how to run a fitness challenge in your gym, in-person or online. The best fitness challenge software for gyms can transform your gym member engagement levels and turn into real revenue opportunities.
Use our big list of fitness challenge ideas and virtual fitness challenge ideas, and then put them into action. See why Exercise.com is the best gym management software with fitness challenge capabilities for your gym or fitness business.
Choosing the Best Gym Software with Challenges: A Comprehensive Guide
In the competitive landscape of fitness and gym management, the best gym software with challenges can give your business a significant edge. Fitness challenges are a fun, engaging way to motivate members, build community, and drive client retention. When gym software includes this feature, it offers an enhanced, interactive experience that can set your fitness business apart.
| Software | Challenge Functionality | Gym Management | Workout Software | Custom-Branded Apps | Member Management | Billing & Invoicing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise.com | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mindbody | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zen Planner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Glofox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ClubReady | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pike13 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PushPress | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Strava | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Stridekick | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Challenge Hound | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Motivade | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
This table provides a quick look at the gym software that offers challenges and other key features. It is important to note that while some software like Strava, Stridekick, Challenge Hound, and Motivade offer the challenges feature, they do not provide a comprehensive suite of gym management tools like Exercise.com and others do.
Exercise.com is one such platform that stands out for its robust challenge feature, alongside a suite of other powerful tools for gym management. In this article, we’ll compare Exercise.com with other top gym software providers, delve into specific use cases, and answer frequently asked questions on this topic.
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#1 Exercise.com Fitness Challenge Software
Exercise.com isn’t just a gym management software; it’s an all-in-one fitness business software that offers a robust, customizable platform. Its challenge feature enables gym owners to create and manage engaging fitness challenges that motivate members and foster a sense of community.
Key Advantages:
- Full-suite gym management software
- Customizable platform
- Comprehensive challenges feature
- Advanced workout creation and delivery
Here’s just some of what you can do with the Exercise.com platform:
Manage fitness challenges (Read More: 100+ Fitness Challenge Ideas and How to Run a Fitness Challenge Online)
Offer on-demand fitness content.
Create classes and fitness groups.
Conduct gym livestreaming easily.
Engage with members via automations.
Manage leads with a gym CRM.
Create and send fitness assessments with ease.
Use fitness habit tracking to inspire and motivate gym members and clients.
Use fitness progress photos to engage with members.
Use fitness leaderboards to track event performance and inspire healthy competition.
Create exercise supersets in a snap.
Program exercise rep max progressions with ease.
Use the exercise demonstration video library or create your own custom exercise demonstration videos.
Create workout plans for parents and dependents, teams and more.
Cast gym TV workouts to in-gym TV screens quickly and efficiently.
Manage multiple gym locations with ease.
Manage gym members with ease.
Book appointments for parents and dependents with ease. (Read More: Best Gym Booking Software)
Gym check-in software that makes your life easy. (Read More: Best Gym Check-In Software)
Process payments for open gym, classes, and personal training.
Communicate with gym members, athletes, team members, personal training clients, class members, parents, and dependents via SMS, email, and in-app push notification.
View performance over time, track personal records, and other fitness stats with performance reporting dashboards.
And of course, view all of your gym business reports easily too.
All from your custom-branded fitness apps (Read More: Best Gym Mobile Fitness Apps Software)
Want to learn how your gym can take it to the next level? Get a demo now!
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#2 Mindbody Fitness Challenge Software
Mindbody is a comprehensive fitness business software known for its robust features. However, it does not have a built-in feature for creating and managing fitness challenges.
Key Advantages:
- Comprehensive gym management features
- User-friendly interface
- Lacks a built-in challenges feature
Read More:
#3 Zen Planner Fitness Challenge Software
Zen Planner is another well-known software in the fitness industry, offering a range of management tools. While it provides many useful features, it doesn’t offer a built-in challenges feature.
Key Advantages:
- Full-suite gym management software
- Member self-service capabilities
- Lacks a built-in challenges feature
Read More:
#4 ClubReady Fitness Challenge Software
ClubReady is a complete fitness club management software. While it offers a range of useful tools for managing your fitness business, it does not provide a challenges feature.
Key Advantages:
- Comprehensive gym management tools
- Member portal for self-service
- Lacks a built-in challenges feature
Read More: Best ClubReady Alternative
#5 PushPress Fitness Challenge Software
PushPress is a modern gym management software that helps streamline gym operations. Despite its advanced features, it does not have a built-in feature for creating and managing fitness challenges.
Key Advantages:
- User-friendly gym management software
- Advanced automation capabilities
- Lacks a built-in challenges feature
Read More:
#6 Glofox Fitness Challenge Software
Glofox is a powerful gym management software that offers an intuitive interface and a range of features. However, it does not have a built-in feature for creating and managing fitness challenges.
Key Advantages:
- Comprehensive gym management software
- Member portal and app
- Lacks a built-in challenges feature
Read More: Best Glofox Alternative
#7 Pike13 Fitness Challenge Software
Pike13 provides a range of tools to manage fitness businesses effectively. While it offers several useful features, it does not have a built-in feature for creating and managing fitness challenges.
Key Advantages:
- User-friendly gym management software
- Client management and scheduling tools
- Lacks a built-in challenges feature
Read More: Best Pike13 Alternative
#8 Strava Fitness Challenge Software
Strava is a popular social fitness network mainly used for tracking running and cycling exercises. It offers a challenge feature, but it’s not specifically designed for gym or fitness business management.
Key Advantages:
- Popular among athletes and fitness enthusiasts
- Challenge feature available
- Lacks comprehensive gym management tools
#9 Stridekick Fitness Challenge Software
Stridekick is a fitness platform focused on step challenges, making it suitable for businesses looking to engage members in step or walking challenges. However, it lacks the full-suite gym management tools found in other software.
Key Advantages:
- Specializes in step challenges
- User-friendly interface
- Does not offer a comprehensive suite of gym management tools
#10 Challenge Hound Fitness Challenge Software
Challenge Hound is a platform that allows individuals and organizations to create and manage fitness challenges. While it offers a robust challenge feature, it does not provide comprehensive gym management tools.
Key Advantages:
- Robust challenges feature
- Suitable for a variety of activities
- Lacks comprehensive gym management tools
#11 Motivade Fitness Challenge Software
Motivade is a fitness platform that allows fitness professionals to manage their clients and offers a challenges feature. However, it is not a full-suite gym management software.
Key Advantages:
- Challenges feature available
- Client management tools
- Lacks comprehensive gym management tools
Leveraging Fitness Challenges for Gym Member Engagement and Retention
Gym software with challenges offers a unique opportunity to gym owners and fitness professionals to boost member engagement, retention, and overall satisfaction. Here are some specific examples of how this functionality can be put to use:
Case Study 1: Group Challenges for Member Engagement
Take the case of a mid-sized gym in New York City that was struggling with member engagement. They decided to implement Exercise.com’s Challenges feature to create a month-long weight loss challenge. With real-time leaderboards, members were encouraged to keep up with their workouts and diet plans, effectively increasing overall member activity and engagement.
Read More: Best Gym Software with Group Fitness Management
Case Study 2: Boosting Retention with Individual Challenges
A personal trainer in Los Angeles used Exercise.com to create individual challenges for each of her clients, customizing them based on their specific fitness goals. This personalized approach not only helped her clients stay motivated but also increased their loyalty to her services, thereby boosting her client retention rate.
Case Study 3: Encouraging New Memberships with Public Challenges
A local gym in Boston used Strava’s challenge functionality to organize a city-wide running challenge, open to both members and non-members. The publicity and community spirit generated by this challenge attracted new members to the gym, enhancing their client base.
Case Study 4: Building a Community with Challenges
A small gym in Austin used Stridekick to create step challenges that could be joined by any member. By fostering a sense of community and friendly competition, the gym was able to increase member satisfaction and retention.
Case Study 5: Promoting Healthy Habits with Challenges
Motivade’s challenge feature was used by a health club in Miami to encourage their members to adopt healthier habits. They created a “30-day Healthy Habit” challenge where members earned points for drinking enough water, getting 8 hours of sleep, and other healthy behaviors. This not only helped their members lead healthier lives but also increased their interaction with the club’s services.
Read More: Best Gym Habit Tracking Software
What are the best fitness challenge apps for gyms?
The best fitness challenge apps for gyms are those that offer engaging, user-friendly interfaces and customizable challenge options to cater to various fitness levels and interests. Apps like Myzone, Strava, and Exercise.com stand out in this category. Exercise.com, in particular, excels by providing a comprehensive platform that allows gyms to create personalized fitness challenges that can be integrated directly with their existing gym management software. This seamless integration makes it easier for gyms to engage members, track progress, and foster a competitive yet supportive community atmosphere.
How can a gym challenge app motivate my gym members and help my gym?
A gym challenge app can significantly motivate gym members by fostering a sense of community, competition, and achievement. By setting up challenges that are accessible and rewarding, members are more likely to participate consistently, which can improve retention rates. Exercise.com’s gym challenge app functionality, for instance, enables gyms to customize challenges to their members’ needs, track progress in real-time, and celebrate achievements, creating a more engaging and motivating gym experience. This not only helps members stay committed to their fitness goals but also enhances the overall value of your gym, contributing to member satisfaction and loyalty.
How can I make an app for group fitness challenges in my gym?
Creating an app for group fitness challenges in your gym involves either developing a custom app, which can be costly and time-consuming, or utilizing a platform like Exercise.com that offers customizable app solutions. With Exercise.com, gyms can leverage the platform’s existing infrastructure to create tailored fitness challenges that align with their brand and member interests. This approach not only saves time and resources but also ensures you have a reliable, professional-grade app that integrates seamlessly with your gym’s other management tools, enhancing the overall member experience.
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What are the benefits of a fitness challenge platform for increasing gym member engagement?
A fitness challenge platform can significantly boost gym member engagement by introducing gamification elements into the fitness routine, making workouts more fun and competitive. Benefits include increased motivation through leaderboard rankings, social sharing capabilities that foster a sense of community, and personalized challenge options that cater to various fitness levels and interests. Exercise.com’s platform, for example, offers these features, allowing gyms to create and manage challenges that not only engage members but also track their progress and celebrate their successes, thereby enhancing member retention and satisfaction.
Can I customize challenges based on individual member goals?
Absolutely. Many gym software solutions, including Exercise.com, allow fitness professionals to customize challenges based on the specific goals of individual members. This personalized approach can greatly enhance member satisfaction and retention.
What types of fitness challenges can I create with gym software?
The types of challenges you can create largely depend on the software you choose. However, most software allows you to create challenges based on various metrics such as steps taken, distance covered, weight lost, hours of sleep, hydration, and more.
How can I monitor the progress of a challenge?
Most gym software provides real-time leaderboards and detailed analytics for challenges. These tools allow you to monitor the progress of a challenge and keep your members updated on their standings, thereby fostering motivation and engagement.
Can I use gym challenges to attract new members?
Yes, gym challenges can be a great marketing tool for attracting new gym members. You can create public challenges that are open to non-members and use them to generate publicity for your gym. The sense of community and competition created by these challenges can attract new members to your gym. Running challenges coupled with gym events are a great way to attract new members.
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How can challenges promote healthy habits among members?
Challenges can be designed to promote healthy habits among members. For instance, you could create a “30-day Healthy Habit” challenge that rewards members for drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, eating healthy, etc. This not only helps your members lead healthier lives but also increases their interaction with your services.
Read More: Best Gym Habit Tracking Software
Can gym software with challenges help with gym member retention?
Definitely. Gym software with challenges can greatly help with gym member retention by fostering a sense of community and engagement among members. The friendly competition created by challenges encourages members to stay active and interact with the gym’s services on a regular basis. This increased interaction can significantly improve member retention.
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Take Your Gym to the Next Level with the Best Gym Software with Challenges
Harnessing the power of the best gym software with challenges can revolutionize your gym or fitness center. Whether it’s Exercise.com’s holistic approach to fitness management or the specialized focus of apps like Strava, Stridekick, Challenge Hound, or Motivade, incorporating challenges into your fitness programming can provide a significant boost to member engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
Selecting the right software is crucial. Look for a solution that provides a robust set of features, including customizable challenges, comprehensive reporting, integration capabilities, and strong customer support.
Book a demo with Exercise.com today and experience firsthand how our customizable software can create engaging, motivating challenges that will not only meet your gym’s needs but also help your members meet their fitness goals. Transform your fitness center from just another gym into a vibrant, engaged fitness community. The future of fitness is here – are you ready to be a part of it?
