SportsEngine Review (2020)

Exercise.com vs SportsEngine Software Review

When Justin Kaufenberg and Carson Kipfer founded SportsEngine in 2008, the goal was to make life easier for parents and volunteers in youth sports. As former youth athletes, the roommates had been exposed to seeing the long hours that running a sports organization can require. In 2016, the company joined forces with NBCUniversal in an effort to expand its horizons.

Put simply, the goal for SportsEngine was and is to give coaches and volunteers a way to spend less time on administrative activities and more time with their youth athletes by providing users with SportsEngine admin features. While the company has accomplished this with several of its features, some customers are not happy with certain aspects.

“Currently the software lacks a good quality payment method for club members to make payments and allow the administrator to adjust payments on the fly. We currently have to use a different software for this purpose but I am hoping that someday the SportsEngine software will be improved so that I can use it instead.” (Capterra)

These two software companies do not share a target audience, however, one of the two can provide services to both markets whereas the other is suited only to its current niche.

SportsEngine is specifically, and only, designed for sports leagues. They allow for scheduling, creating teams, communication, and payment acceptance as part of their software, but these features would not be serviceable in the fitness industry, at least not to the extent gyms would need in one software.

Exercise.com, on the other hand, could be helpful in both markets. While the software is built for health and fitness, the features could be applied to youth sports leagues as well. The scheduling, communication, and payment acceptance portions of SportsEngine are also elements in the Exercise.com software. They would work equally well for sports management.

The inclusion of other features, such as the ability to upload workouts and videos. is the area where Exercise.com gains a leg up on its competition. Should sports coaches choose, they could post instructional videos on form or conditioning workouts that athletes can do between practices and games. Essentially, Exercise.com is able to do everything SportsEngine can but also has additional elements that coaches and volunteers would find helpful.

Additionally, SportsEngine is set up for organization management while Exercise.com is set up for growth as part of management. Whether you are running a business or a sports league, expansion is your goal and Exercise.com is the software company to help you get there.

Unless otherwise stated, all images and reviews below are of/about the Exercise.com All-In-One Fitness Business Management software platform.

Fitness Business Management Software

One awesome aspect of Exercise.com is that you can fully manage your business by using only our software. This is much more convenient than having to purchase another form of software, learn to use it, and then spend the extra time trying to integrate a system to make the two work together smoothly. As we saw in a previous quote, this is one of the current drawbacks of the SportsEngine software.

Everything about the Exercise.com software is simple to use for employees and members. This means that you don’t have to spend a great deal of time and money teaching your staff how to use it, and your members are more likely to use the software to its full capability because they understand it. Let’s take a closer look at some of the features.

Client/Class Scheduling

Exercise.com gives its users the ability to schedule clients and classes within the software which can then be seen by members or clients. Your members can even book classes and pay for them online, or view the schedules of your personal training staff to see when there are openings.

Our software also provides calendars for whatever service your facility might offer. You are able to create schedules for multiple studios, trainers, or sort by instructor names. Exercise.com gives you a way to see whatever information you need within our software.

Gym/Facility Management

There is a lot more that goes into management than simply opening the doors and seeing what happens. You want to grow and become as profitable as you can be and, in order to do this, you need to have information to point you in the right direction.

Report generation is an excellent feature within the Exercise.com software. You can see data about revenue, popular class times, facility usage, and any other information you think would be useful. This knowledge is important so you can find the most efficient way to run your business.

For example, your facility might offer a Step Aerobics class that was the highlight of the schedule for years. After running an attendance report, however, you notice that four other classes have steadily moved ahead of Step in total attendance. In the same report, you see that Step attendance has been decreasing consistently. With this knowledge, you can put out a schedule that is more in tune with what your members want.

Additionally, you can manage staff roles, availability, and schedules within our software.

Client Automation

You want to keep your members engaged with your organization and you want to do so in an efficient manner. Exercise.com offers a wide variety of different ways to stay in touch with people, engage with them in their workouts, and keep them bringing their business to you. Here are a few:

• Automatic Emails and Texts/Other Automatic Features
• Highlight Exercise.com
• Automate Workout Delivery
• Automate Resource Delivery
• Automate Assessment Delivery
• Automate Reminders/Alerts via app, text, and email

Dedicated Zapier Support

Exercise.com already provides its clients with a ton of different integrations. There are times, however, that there is a tool your business is currently using that has been successful and you want to keep it. Our partnership with Zapier allows you to:

• Link your web apps with a few clicks so they can share data
• Pass information between your apps
• Build processes faster to get more done

This partnership includes support from Zapier to help you through every step of the process. There are over 2,000 apps to choose from, so you can have confidence that your company will be both efficient and user-friendly.

Dedicated Account Manager

Customer service is very important to us, at Exercise.com, and that is why we provide you with a dedicated account manager. This individual is assigned to you and will be there to help you through every step of the process as long as you are one of our clients.

Your account manager can help you redesign your website, set up an e-commerce store, or absolutely anything else you might need for your business to be successful. No problem is too big or too small. Your manager is dedicated to both your account and your success.

Customized Software

Both SportsEngine and Exercise.com have customized software options, however, there are some major differences. For starters, the only customizable option for SportsEngine is the website. Even with this option, however, customers have to purchase one of the higher-priced packages.

Exercise.com, on the other hand, is fully customizable and includes everything at one low price.

Custom-Branded

SportsEngine does offer custom branding for websites and apps but, again, there is an increased price to even have access to these features and then another increase to make them customizable.

Rather than confuse you with multiple pricing structures, Exercise.com gives you all the custom branding you want and all for the same price. You want your brand to stand out right away on your app or website and we have all the options you could ever want in order to make that happen.

iOS & Android Apps

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, SportsEngine does offer iOS and Android apps, but the SportsEngine app is only available with one of the higher two pricing structures.

Exercise.com apps are included, and customizable, in the same price. There are no games and no different pricing structures. Give your apps the look you want without having to pay extra for it.

Websites

SportsEngine websites follow suit with the options of custom branding and iOS or Android apps. The base-level plan does not include a website, but the next two levels do.

At Exercise.com, we have a top-notch development team that will work tirelessly to create a website that is perfect for your business. Your brand will stand out, your site will be easy to navigate, and your members will easily be able to find all of the information they need. Some of the features that our custom websites include are:

• Responsive
• SEO optimized
• Unlimited theme changes
• Built to convert visitors to leads
• Custom graphic work
• Google Certified Partner

Security Features

The information available from SportsEngine does not make reference to security features within the software. For a business that deals extensively with youth, this seems to be a critical piece of the puzzle that is missing.

Exercise.com is committed to keeping its users, their information, and the information of their clients secure. Some of our features include:

• SSL Secure
• Privacy Shield Framework
• Google Cloud

Marketing Integrations

Exercise.com features a wide range of options to help put all your marketing tools in one place. This allows greater efficiency in your business as well as more opportunities for growth. Combine strategies for retention, client leads and follow-ups, marketing, advertising, and a variety of others.

Some of our more popular integrations include:

• MailChimp
• ConstantContact
• ConvertKit
• Zapier
• Google Analytics
• Facebook Pixel

Workout Software

Any trainer worth the price would tell a client that what he or she does outside of the session is as vital to their success as what they do in it. That is why it is important to help clients along the way by utilizing software that provides workout creation and delivery, tracking, progress checks, communication, and automated check-ins.

Here’s what the Exercise.com software can do for you:

Workout Creator/Logger

SportsEngine does not offer an option to create workouts, training programs, or progress trackers within its software. It is intended mainly for scheduling and league or team management. While athletes and parents would certainly benefit from knowing what should be done between games or practices, SportsEngine has chosen not to include this feature.

In contrast, Exercise.com realizes the importance of helping clients even when they are not face-to-face with a trainer. Our software gives you the opportunity to create any type of workout you choose and then set up a system for your clients to log their progress. This helps keep them motivated and returning to you for business.

Even though Exercise.com is designed more for fitness, it could certainly be useful for a sports team to develop the most well-trained athletes possible.

Our workout creator/logger provides users with endless possibilities for delivering workouts, tips, and encouragement to clients in any scenario, including:

1-1 Training

One-on-one personal training sessions are a standard in the fitness industry. Few fitness centers are successful without a personal training option. Trainers can add their own personal touch to a workout by utilizing the Exercise.com software.

Group Training

Group training has many benefits including motivation, finances, and efficiency. With Exercise.com software, trainers can create an environment in which people of like-minded goals can thrive. Whether the trainer is leading the group in-person or just delivering a workout for the team to perform on its own, our software helps set everyone up to be successful.

Online Training

Face-to-face workouts will never go out style, but the online world is quickly invading the fitness industry and online training is gaining steam. You can avoid falling too far behind the curve and instead use Exercise.com software to give your clients more options in their training.

You can send workouts to anyone from anywhere with our software. This can be very useful for clients who travel a lot and are unable to see you, in-person, as frequently as they want or need to. Hybrid training, a combination of in-person and online training, is becoming especially popular. This ensures that clients always have a personalized workout from their trainer, whether they have guidance during the session or are just following a plan.

You can implement online training in whatever way best fits your business, but it is an important option to have and one that Exercise.com is happy to provide.

Exercise Library

As stated throughout this article, because it is a youth sports management software platform, SportsEngine does not contain an exercise or workout library.

Many software companies provide a pre-built library of exercises for their customers. While this is convenient, there is less of a connection between the business and its customers because the videos feature people who are not a part of the company.

Exercise.com does offer a pre-built library for the convenience of our customers, but we take things a step further. Using our software, you can also customize your exercise library to include exercises you use frequently or most closely follow the mission of your business.

Custom Exercises

When you give your clients a video featuring an actual employee of your gym, you are providing an immediate way for your client to connect. They will see the video and think, “Hey! I took that guy’s class the other day.” Or, “My friend does training with her. She’s supposed to be awesome.”

Instead of feeling uncomfortable doing a workout full of new exercises featuring people they’ve never seen, your clients will appreciate the personal touch you add with custom videos. This will be more motivating to them, help them see progress, and keep them coming back for more.

TV Workouts

Beyond giving clients the freedom to watch demo videos of exercises you’ve sent them within their workout plans, you can utilize the exercise library for one-on-one and group training. Streaming videos on to a TV can help show clients proper technique and add a personal touch to a workout.

This is also a great option if a trainer is sick or has an emergency that does not allow him or her to come in to train in person. They can create a workout and the videos within that plan can be streamed on to a TV so that clients still feel a connection with their own trainer while they work out.

E-Commerce Software

SportsEngine software does permit payment collection for league fees, uniform fees, and other money that might be associated with the league. They also support an online apparel store for fundraising purposes.

At Exercise.com, we don’t feel like you should have to settle for only part of what you want when it comes to e-commerce. That is why you can use our software to accept payments, send invoices, collect monthly member payments, or sell products in person and online. We want your business to be set up for full success and that’s why our e-commerce software platform is unmatched in quality and customizable to what your business needs.

Payment Processing

It is unclear what program is used in the SportsEngine software to collect payments. It is known, however, that for certain elements of the software, like registration and invoicing, there is a 3.5% fee plus two dollars per transaction.

Exercise.com provides users with several payment processing options and is able to accept payments for a variety of products or services in a safe and secure manner.

Using Stripe, our software is able to accept one-time payments, send membership invoices, send a bill for an accumulation of services, or combine all accounts payable into one monthly bill. You can customize our software to whatever method works best for your facility.

Sell Products

Both SportsEngine and Exercise.com are capable of accepting payments for products, however, only Exercise.com has more extensive capabilities in regard to items being sold. Some of these products, for Exercise.com, are workout plans.

Sell Workout Plans

Even though face-to-face personal training offers many benefits, it might not be for everyone. Some members have a quality understanding of form and are more than capable of motivating themselves to reach their goals. All they might be looking for is a new idea on how to proceed.

For people like this, having a selection of workout plans available for purchase is a smart business move. It costs relatively little time to create when thinking about the fact that they can be reused over and over again. You can sell lower body, upper body, core, cardio, or any other type of workout plan. Having these options available is a service to your members and a benefit to your business.

Offer Online Workout Memberships

Many people want a program that is delivered to them at regular intervals. For this group, your gym can offer membership into online workouts that are delivered at varying frequencies. Some plans could be daily, others weekly, and still others monthly. The great thing about running this type of membership is that your business is certain of the consistent income and your clients know they are getting consistent, quality workouts.

Sell Workout Challenges

Few things bring people together like overcoming a challenge. You can capitalize on this, as a fitness business owner, by offering workout challenges to your members. From a weekly step challenge to a monthly running goal, you can use Exercise.com software to facilitate a challenge that people will pay to join.

Your members will come together, as a community, as they interact with each other about their progress in the goal. This community is good for your business because, as members feel a sense of belonging to your gym, they will tell their friends who are not yet members. This is built-in marketing for you and can lead to growth for your business.

Assessment Software

Put simply, your fitness business will succeed if your members succeed. The way to measure success, in fitness, is to compare one’s current fitness level against a baseline measurement from the beginning. In addition, you want a place in which to be able to record these baseline measurements. This is where Exercise.com assessment software comes into play.

This software should be able to help you turn leads into clients, engage clients through assessments, track measurement data, and optimize the delivery of personal workouts and nutrition.

Exercise.com performance health software is fully-customizable in every aspect, meaning that you can personalize your business to your clientele. By assessing your clients in a way that is applicable to their individual goals, you have the greatest ability to set them up to succeed. Here are a few ways our software can work for you.

Assessments

Looking purely from a business perspective, assessments are a service for which you can charge. However, this is an invaluable service for your clients as well because it provides them with the baseline data they need to make a decision on how to proceed with their fitness goals.

You can fine-tune the assessment to be personalized to the goals of any individual who walks in your doors. This means an athlete can be assessed on athletic performance, a weightlifter can be assessed on strength, and a runner can be assessed on endurance.

Providing your members with a customized assessment adds value for you both.

Performance & Measurement Reports

Once you have a client committed to training with your facility, you want to do everything you can to keep them. One way to do this is by continually showing them the progress they have made since training with you.

Exercise.com performance health software allows for progress photos, workout tracking, and measurements so that your clients can see where they are now as opposed to where they started. Once they see the progress they have made, they are going to want to stay with you for the long run.

Nutrition

Exercise.com software is built for fitness, but we realize the pivotal role that nutrition plays in any fitness goal. Within our software, we provide the ability for clients to track their nutrition. Trainers are then able to review the logs and, within their scope of practice, make recommendations on nutritional changes that would help the client reach his or her goals.

SportsEngine Software Pricing

How much does SportsEngine cost? The SportsEngine software is attractive at its lowest tier but, as with most things, you get what you pay for. The base-level package does not include a lot of extras. The mid-level and top-level options are where the customizable aspects become available.

With SportsEngine, there is a free demo clients can use prior to committing to a SportsEngine registration.

SportsEngine Software Competitors

The table below lists four of SportsEngine’s top competitors. The prices listed are accurate based on the information available at the time of writing.

The Bottom Line: Pros and Cons

You have a tough choice to make when it comes to deciding which software you think will provide the greatest benefit to your business. We’ve given a review of the overall function and features of Exercise.com and SportsEngine.

We hope to have shown that, even though Exercise.com is built with fitness in mind, it can also go above and beyond to provide unmatched efficiency for your sports organization. Still, the choice is yours so let’s do one final review.

SportsEngine Cons

SportsEngine is built for the management and organization of youth sports leagues. While there are aspects in which this software performs well, it is lacking some basic functionality and features.

Some customers have to utilize a second software in order to make payment processing work for their organization or to avoid paying the fees associated with SportsEngine’s payment processing. The company is also relatively unclear about the security measures it takes to keep members’ information safe. This is especially important for youth sports.

Let’s also not forget that, to get many of the features that would be most useful to an organization, customers have to move up the pricing structure. This forces leagues to choose between going without some useful tools or increasing prices to pay for more tools you need but also ones you don’t.

Overall, SportsEngine can be used for the basic needs of sports organizations but is missing elements that would make the software more beneficial.

Exercise.com Pros

In this comparison, Exercise.com has a distinct advantage because of its ability to adapt to the sports world. Even though the software is built for exercise, elements such as scheduling, booking, workout creators, tracking, and assessments could all be extremely useful tools in the management of a sports league.

Best of all, because Exercise.com is completely customizable, it won’t look like exercise software posing as sports software. You can design the look and function to fit your organization and you don’t have to do it on your own.

Our support staff is unmatched and your dedicated account manager will be with you through every step of the process to ensure the best possible outcome to make you, your league, and your athletes successful.

We hope that we’ve shown you how Exercise.com can work for you, whether you are a fitness business or a sports organization. Our software is built to help you succeed both now and in the future.

What are the most important elements of the successful management of your organization?

If you’re ready to manage your organization with software that is built especially for you, request a demo today.