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About Zen Planner

Yoga studio software with mobile apps, retail, gift cards, scheduling, Integrated Websites, automations, reporting & more!

Learn more about Zen Planner

Pros:

It was a very cheap cost to have the application run so for that it was very good since the cost of the gym was so high.

Cons:

Grading (movement between programs and belt levels) is difficult.

Zen Planner ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.1
Customer Service
4.5
Features
4.1
Value for Money
4.3

Likelihood to recommend

7.8/10

Zen Planner has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 255 user reviews on Capterra.

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Filter reviews (255)

Jody
Jody
Head Teaching Professional in Canada
Verified LinkedIn User
Sports, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Very Helpful Customer Service!!!

5.0 6 years ago

Comments: Zen Planner software has enabled our company to introduce a program to our customers in a seamless fashion. Their customer service was vital in helping us with this process.

Pros:

The software is very slick and versatile!

Cons:

There was a lot to learn that I wasn't familiar with.

Daxko Response

6 years ago

Happy to hear it - thanks Jody!

Itzak
CEO/Owner in US
Sports, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Perfect for managing a martial arts studio

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: I was really impressed on how well they understand how martial art schools work. The software takes into account everything you need to keep your school running - from scheduling out classes students reserve for, to taking payments and setting up merchant accounts, to desk check-in software, to students having their own portal to track their membership and status. Customer support was very helpful during the onboarding.

Pros:

You can tell this software was designed for martial artists. One of my favorite things you can do is designate belt rankings to students, and design your system in a way that when a student is ready to test for the next belt, whether its the amount of time they've been training with the studio, to achieving certain skills required, Zen Planner notifies you and helps you plan belt testing. I loved that they recognize how important it is for martial art schools to know where students rank. I was able to plan out all my belts, what skills are required and minimum of time with the school they need to have to test. Most gym software don't recognize all the small nuances that martial art schools need to track where their students stand.

Cons:

The apps for desk login can be a little buggie sometimes and require an update or reset the iPad to get the software to work.

Daxko Response

3 years ago

Thank you so much for your review. We are proud to empower and serve martial arts communities around the globe.

Savannah
Program Administrator in US
Sports, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Good program

5.0 2 months ago New

Comments: pretty good app. Gets the job done. Would recommend

Pros:

Easy process to enter members. Gets the job done. Check in process is very easy

Cons:

trouble shooting. When there are bugs in the system and merging

Madison
Madison
Owner in Australia
Verified LinkedIn User
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source
Source: GetApp

Terrible Customer Service / Worst Features and Updates

1.0 2 months ago New

Comments: Awful experience, please save your business and stay away from Zen Planner.

Pros:

Nothing, they caused us incredible stress whilst using this platform.

Cons:

Terrible customer service, no loyalty, charged after cancelling subscription, deceitful about updates, not functional.

Damien
Owner in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

A must for managing martial arts studios

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: 10/10 would recommend. We have had a great experience and enjoy using the software.

Pros:

We have been supported the entire way with their superior customer service. Everything from set up to troubleshooting tech issues, the staff at Zen Planner have been there to support and guide us in our day to day operations.

Cons:

We had an issue with a tablet that wasn't able to be resolved. However we found a work around and now have no problems whatsoever!

Jen
Event Coordinator in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Customer support is outstanding

4.0 5 years ago

Comments: I'd give it a B- on a grading scale. The customer support is outstanding but any time you want to go beyond just keeping track of how many students you have, things become way too complicated.

Pros:

Customer support really is top notch. The on boarding team is fantastic and truly went out of their way to ensure we had every available resource for success. Any little quirky issue or question we have is answered quickly and professionally by the customer support team. They are fantastic.

Cons:

The basics are great but it seems to go from "ok to use" to "I have absolutely no idea what to do here" the minute any complication arises. There does not need to be a "staff user" and a "kiosk mode" on the Ipads, it confuses everyone and wastes a lot of time. Converting reports to pdf feature should be a breeze, but doesn't convert the entire report and is useless. It should have a much easier pos system as well. No real way for instructors to leave notes for students, why not? Never use the mass email or text because its just too complicated-these things can be fixed if they gave it some attention.

Daxko Response

5 years ago

Thanks, Jen, we'll pass your good words on to our customer support team!

Maribel
Co-Owner in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Keeps me organized

4.0 5 years ago

Comments: I'm not the most organized person and doing all admin, billing as well a coaching my clients, Zen Planner helps to keep the back end of my business organized and running smoothly. The automations are great if they're set up correctly. Their customer support is amazing!! Not much waiting time and my issues are always resolved. When I started, they're pricing was pretty competitive. Although, they've gotten much pricier over the past year.

Pros:

Having automated billing, emails and scheduling. Being able to pull billing reports at a moment's notice to see where my finances are is a plus.

Cons:

Having so many options for reports and automations. It can be very confusing at times and sometimes having two steps to accomplish a task isn't clear.

Daxko Response

4 years ago

Thank you, Maribel!

Shelly
owner in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

martial arts use

4.0 6 years ago

Comments: The customer service has been great in helping us resolve issues and work around systems that aren't quite what we need.

Pros:

We like that we can track student count/growth, attendance, belt ranking, finances, and appointments all in one place.

Cons:

The calendar is not easy to use and often leads to errors if you don't follow certain steps.

Daxko Response

6 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to review Zen Planner, Shelly!

Antwan
Manager in US
Sports, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Fluidity and Success

5.0 2 months ago

Comments: From start to finish my days are so easy and organized.

Pros:

I love the fluidity of the system in general. Its so easy to lean and use. Thank you guys.

Cons:

Although I love they system I tend to get pretty upset when the system crashes.

Renee
HR Associate in US
Computer & Network Security, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Great app and easy to use

5.0 2 months ago

Comments: Overall it's been one of the best scheduling apps I've used. Easy to use, and I would definitely recommend it

Pros:

Zen planner is easy to use, and has an intuitive interface

Cons:

The design of Zen Planner is pretty straightforward, I can't think of any cons

Beth
Director in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Good Overall Studio Management Software

4.0 5 years ago

Comments: The migration process was rocky. About 30% of the database has inaccuracies. They need to improve and automate this process. Tech support is excellent. Customer support was slow to resolve a billing issue I had. They refused to speak to me on the phone and did not return emails. But everything finally got straightened out with persistence on my part, and an effort to make up for the issue on their part. Overall, customer support is generally very good. The software works well, is not buggy. Overall, I really like the software except for the way purchasing works.

Pros:

Reporting is excellent, the best I've seen. I like the fact you can create your own reports. After learning how to use the system we have been able to create any reports we need. That is definitely not the case for Mindbody or Wellness Living. The Kiosk application is nice to have and our clients like it, but needs some improvement. The Front Desk and Kiosk Applications are easy to learn which is helpful as we have 10 teachers at the center.

Cons:

The POS system does not work like all other online systems (choose what you want, put in user info, payment info then press complete or check out and credit card is charged), and works differently in their different interfaces. The Front Desk software does not allow for discounts (that is being addresses in a future release). The Dashboard processes the sale, then you have to process the payment separately in a different step. In the beginning we lost sales because our staff was confused. Many of my teachers are still unsure whether a sale goes through or not. When the Front Desk application can accept accept discounts and credit card swipes it will greatly improve the POS process. The client kiosk does not include a form for entering info for new clients and signing a waiver. For some strange reason that is on the staff side of the application. We keep it on the staff application but it means after a client signs the waiver they could get to a screen that offers a free class, which we do not actually offer. I have a hard time understanding why that is baked into their software, it is not considered a best practice. We have found work arounds for these issues but would like to see an updated and more robust kiosk application. The automated emails are very good and it integrates with Mail Chimp. You can also implement a retention process with tasks assigned to different people.

Daxko Response

5 years ago

Thanks for the feedback, Beth!

Rodrigo
Owner in Canada
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Very disappointing

1.0 7 years ago

Pros:

Have been with Zen Planner since 2015, it is very user friendly. Costumer service was not bad up until something started to go wrong.

Cons:

Unfortunately they have some flaws that for some reason sometimes they multiple charge my students or don't charge at all. It will happen once in a while and when that happen, their customer service become very slow and dismissive, they will send you to the processor and the processor will send you back to them. For instance, now, I have been asking to talk to a supervisor for days and they simply don't call and when I call to reach someone no one is ever available. It is very unfortunate because as I said the system is very user friendly, but they are not trust worth. Following up: Zen Planner gave me notice of cancellation after I refused to remove this review. Based on the problems I have had with them, I already had in mind and was searching for a more reliable system. Unfortunately I was forced to do it rushed, I have been trusting all my billing transactions and contacts to Zen Planner, and this transfer process does take a long time. one of the supervisors dealt with this situation very unprofessionally, focusing on make me remove my review rather then fix the real issue, treatned a few times and finally just gave me notice. I have never seen this before... I can't stress enough that you can't trust such important information for your business in such hands.

Daniel
CEO in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Bad service

3.0 3 years ago

Comments: After using their product for a couple of years and when covid forced our company to shutdown, they kept charging our business our monthly rate. After calling them to see if they would be kind enough to refund our payments they wouldn’t oblige nor would they freeze our account so I had to cancel our membership which was a big headache. I had to write a cancellation notice as well as call the different financial companies that had led our credit card transactions, etc. It’s u fortunate that after being a loyal client as well as referring a few of my colleagues to their business they would be compassionate enough to help our their clients with a small gesture.

Pros:

Data entry, membership retention, payment plan

Cons:

Couldn’t refund client right away after credit card payment mistake. Had to call a different company that dealt with the credit card transaction.

Jill
Exec Director in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Not quite live - but almost!

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: Your onboarding process has been very good. [SENSITIVE CONTENT] is AMAZING!!!! I just can't say enough good things about her. The cost of credit cards and fees keeps me up at night. We are a non-profit center and the fees are high. I would love for everyone to just use cash or check - but that's impossible.

Pros:

Reporting. It's easy. The front page overview of each member. I can quickly see the data I need. Love the alerts, notes and tasks. Very useful. Love the ability to email a template to a set of members with a click of the button. The configuration of the software is good. The help files are pretty good. I have found a few broken links - and some explanations seem to be a bit outdated. Love the dashboard. Love the ability to click in and get the relevant supporting data.

Cons:

I wish "students" was changed to "members". It confused the hec out of our staff (who are 98% volunteers). I would like to see the support tickets be answered with the original support request data. There is no place for me to see what ticket number was written for - so if the email thread contained the original text - it would be easier. The new "Z" in the bottom right hand corner is always in my way. I have to make an effort to not touch it. When you have a LOT of members (>350) it's a pain to always click people or students - and do show all. I'm panicked about using keytags for this many members- but we need to track all usage of our fitness center and classes.

Mary Ellen
Director of Communications in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Solid Product for Crossfit Gyms

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: I do not use it for my business, but have used it as an avid fitness enthusiast for over 2 years. It is nice when gyms all over the country use this software. I can have multiple gym memberships under 1 zenplanner account and switch between them.

Pros:

I have used this program at 3 crossfit facilities and have enjoyed it for viewing WODs, signing up for classes, and storing workout information and PRs. I enjoy the leaderboard feature and the support you can give your gym mates.

Cons:

I wish you could add features like workout videos for various exercises that are scheduled. I find some gyms do not utilize all of the features correctly, and that can make the app rather pointless. If you are not using this app to sign up for classes, log workouts, not using the leader board feature, you really aren't getting your money's worth.

Daxko Response

5 years ago

Thanks for the review, Mary Ellen! We've recently integrated our software with SugarWOD to improve our WOD experience even more!

jenny
CEO in US
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

It's significantly lacking in options for subscription membership software.

1.0 7 years ago

Pros:

I went through their entire onboarding process and with each session discovered more and more things that did not work. At best they have nice color schemes to pick from... No one's selecting their software for the color schemes, so that is essentially the biggest pro there is to Zenplanner.

Cons:

Extremely limited in use. You can't have more than one 'drop-in' on an account, you can't take a deposit for an appointment without becoming a member, you can't attach a waiver to an appointment despite the variety of appointments that may exist from a gym to a yoga studio to all the other 'fitness' businesses they boast being able to manage. You can't have a group membership, therefore every single person--children included have to go through a ridiculous process of that is in no way streamlined. It can't differentiate in membership options. The list goes on and on. Basically, they hired a good marketing company and told their sales team to 'make the sale' no matter what... The needs we stated for our business was simple and we were assured that Zenplanner could perform them. Going through the onboarding process was like repeatedly being told "no it can't do that" and "oh sorry, no it can't do that either". We ended up canceling before we even started and then they refused to refund the inital payment AND to the real treat: CHARGED ME FOR AN ADDITIONAL MONTH despite the fact that I had clearly been unhappy with the product. The point being they could care less about your satisfaction and so once you sign up--they've got you...

Daxko Response

7 years ago

Hi Jenny, I¿m sorry you had a negative experience with our software. We understand that Zen Planner was not a good fit for your business and we typically try to catch this early on in the sales process. Unfortunately, this did not happen in your situation but we will take this feedback and use it in future trainings. As for the charge for the additional month, the terms you signed requires a 30 day notice before cancellation, no matter the circumstance. Thanks again and best of luck!

Colin
Owner in Canada
Verified LinkedIn User
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Solid software, great support.

5.0 6 years ago

Comments: Zen Planner takes care of our membership tracking, payments, scheduling. It can be a powerful tool if you know how to use it.

Pros:

We've used Zen Planner in our gym for six years, and it's been pretty uneventful overall - which is what you want with such software. It does its job with a minimum of drama. Any issues we've had have been dealt with in a timely fashion. We do not use the workout programming feature (we went with SugarWOD for that), so I can't comment on that particular feature.

Cons:

Zen Planner is good about making constant improvements, but there have been some things over the years that are a bit clunky and not necessarily intuitive to use. It's likely a function of building incremental improvements into existing software rather than starting with a clean slate.

Daxko Response

6 years ago

Thanks for the feedback, Colin!

Dennis
Owner/Master Instructor in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The best customer service crew on the planet!

5.0 6 years ago

Comments: Every (and I mean EVERY) time I contact customer support, I am astounded at not only the response speed, but in the quality and thoroughness of the help I get. Their support techs are incredibly helpful and friendly. I am always blown away at the level of service and support I get from them.

Pros:

I like that it is very easy to set up and use. From the daily dashboard to the automated messages and prospect funnel, the system is set up to save time (and $$). The website integration is also very easy and I have yet to discover the limits of their robust reporting system.

Cons:

That there is so much available that I probably only use a small percentage of its functionality.

Daxko Response

6 years ago

Thank you Dennis! We're happy to hear you're loving our customer advocate team. We think they're pretty great, too :)

Reenie
CEO in Canada
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Outstanding customer service as always.

5.0 7 years ago

Comments: It helps me automate and streamline my systems and processes. I only wish it had the capacity for me to plop in all my expenses. Then, It would be golden! I would be able to replace my accounting software and have everything all in one place.

Pros:

It's ease of use. It is laid out in a simplistic format that is easy to navigate. The customer service team is outstanding. They always go above and beyond to ensure my satisfaction with the platform.

Cons:

The lack of text feature but that has now been rectified for Cdn customers. The only other less than desirable thing about the platform is the tiered billing. Personally, I truly don't see a need to have different billing if I have 50 students or 75. It should be one flat rate straight across.

Keesey
Member Manager in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Great Experience!

4.0 5 years ago

Comments: I absolutely love Zen Planner Help Desk. They are the most patient and helpful people EVER. Never have I called and hung up without a solution to my issue. I wish I could have them for my daily life!

Pros:

It's simplicity. It's not overly complicated and buttons are easy to find.

Cons:

Reports and the filters within it can be confusing; sometimes I'm not sure what terminology or keyword I need to use to produce a report I need - or if I'm supposed to use a whole number in a text box or spell it out...

Daxko Response

5 years ago

Thank you for the kind words, Keesey! I'll pass along your review to our support team!

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Software, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Zen planner is an excellent tool for planning and management of menbres

3.0 2 years ago

Comments: I had a great experience with zen planner

Pros:

The software is easy to use and features important tools that simplify the operations of a company, such as integrated payment processing

Cons:

Difficult to access the software on a mobile

Andrew
Owner in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Way less complaints than other owners

4.0 6 years ago

Comments: It’s been positive. It’s better than previous software, I’d like more, but from other conversations I’ve had and things I hear about other apps I am not sure that there is much better.

Pros:

It’s makes a lot of sense to use. Some things aren’t obvious necessarily at first, but once you get there it all makes sense.

Cons:

It feels pretty limited in reporting. Not because it actually is, but more because the options for them are too specific. Workout tracking is kind of a joke. It hasn’t been updated since it premiered and it’s not “fun” for members to use at all. We’ve since switched workout tracking to sugar WoD.

taylor
Owner/ Instructor in US
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Incredible!

5.0 7 years ago

Pros:

Best Support Team!!! they seriously rock and has helped me trouble shoot all issues I've had over the phone or over quick emails. Anything i didn't know how to do they were super helpful and worked so hard to help me implement their software and making things very easy. Allows me to filter my classes, students and programs very easily. Beautiful Website integration (similar to mindbody but easier to use for customer) Keeps track of how much a client owes me and allows me to create a parole for my employees. I own a Holistic wellness center that does everything from Yoga and martial arts to acupuncture and energy work and zen planner allows us to manage everything smoothly while keeping track of all of our clients with ease. If your looking for a scheduling software i highly recommend this software. Has really taken a weight off my shoulders as a business owner and let me focus on more important thing.

Cons:

The initial set up of the program is a little difficult, it was hard to navigate through at first but again, awesome support team that explained it very well. Only other con is that the website integration is a little difficult and not as pretty on mobile.

Harley
Nutrition Coach in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

It has it's ups and downs.

4.0 4 years ago

Comments: Overall it is a great program, but is does have some room for improvement.

Pros:

Zen Planner has a lot of good features. Billing, client tracking, scheduling, and integration into our website are all pretty smooth.

Cons:

As a gym, we cannot select which members see what programming. Example, if we have 2 different programs available, all members can see both programmed workouts. We have had some inconsistency in emails being sent out. Sometimes emails to our members don't send in a timely manner through their system.

Elizabeth
Veterinarian in US
Medical Practice, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Library and a Benchmark

4.0 5 years ago

Comments: Our gym uses this App to track our work outs. A friend and I were using the custom result fields to track our daily 1 minute Bike Sprint. We found, though, that when we went to the library we couldn't track our results. I contacted Zen Planner and was helped quickly; initially, it appeared to be a simple issue but turned out that there were some "corrupted" files. After getting our gym owner involved, ZenPlanner was able to resolve the issue.

Pros:

Ease of use; simple to find information

Cons:

I wish the same type of exercises would always come up together in the library. Occasionally when I go to the library to look up a specific exercise multiple of the same come up and I have to click in and out of them to see the results.

Daxko Response

4 years ago

Thank You Elizabeth!