MatPilot vs Mindbody
Mindbody is the largest wellness platform there is, with a consumer marketplace no one else has. For a martial arts academy the questions are the term you sign, what the marketplace takes, and whether the belt is a first-class fact. Both columns are the vendors' own words, as of 14 September 2026.
Mindbody is a good product used by a lot of good gyms. This page is for you if you are choosing between the two, and it says where Mindbody is the better fit for you.
Left: Mindbody Business, staff schedule, from its App Store listing. Right: MatPilot, classes.
Price, terms and what each knows about martial arts.
| As of 14 September 2026 | MatPilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | €79 a month on Pro, flat, unlimited members. Free plan at €0. | Starter from €99 a month per location; Accelerate and Ultimate are quoted by sales. |
| What sets the price | Nothing. The same price at 40 members and at 400. | The plan and the number of locations. Higher plans add marketing, resource management, AI concierge and lead management. |
| Contract | Monthly. Cancel in Settings and it ends at the end of the billing month. | Fixed terms of 12, 24 or 36 months are offered depending on plan and billing; a fixed term cannot be cancelled before it ends. |
| Notice to cancel | None. | At least 30 days before the end of the term; outside a fixed term, 30 days before the next billing date after a 90-day minimum, per their published guidance. |
| Setup or exit fee | None. No exit fee either; your data exports from the app. | None: "There's no setup fee on any Mindbody plan." Onboarding is included. |
| Fee on payments | 0.49% of each payment on Pro, on top of Stripe's own; 2% on the Free plan. | The Mindbody app marketplace takes 20% (capped at $30 or €30) of a new client's first purchase made through the app. Mindbody Payments' rate depends on the plan. |
| Card processing | Stripe's own rate, paid to Stripe, into your own Stripe account. Card, SEPA direct debit, Bacs or ACH depending on your currency. | Mindbody Payments, rate by plan; an external processor is allowed. |
| Free plan or trial | A Free plan with no time limit, no card. Pro is a switch you flip later. | No free plan or trial stated. |
| Belt and rank tracking | Nineteen arts, each with its own ladder or none: the IBJJF adult and kids ladders, nine karate styles, WT and ITF taekwondo, judo kyu and dan, armbands for Muay Thai. A rank per art on every profile, every promotion dated. | Progress tracking and visit-based promotions, not a belt ladder per art. |
| Family billing | One parent pays once for every child on one subscription split per plan; a guardian signs a minor's waiver from their own phone. | Yes: multiple family members under one account. |
| Kiosk check-in | Self check-in from the app or a front-desk kiosk, a coach's roster, a TV mode with the round timer and the live roster. | Not stated on their martial arts page. |
| Waivers | Signed before the first class, from the join link, the kiosk or the app; a minor's by a guardian. | Through an integrated partner (WaiverKing). |
| Accounting | Xero on Pro: each payment becomes an invoice and a payment against a clearing account, VAT per plan mapped to your tax rates. | Reports; accounting integrations through partners. |
| Where the data lives | AWS in the EU (Stockholm); export and erasure from the app. | Not stated on the pricing page. |
Mindbody's column is read from their pricing page and their martial arts page on 14 September 2026, quoted where it matters; "not stated" means we looked and did not find it. Prices and terms change: check theirs before you decide, and tell us if a cell is out of date. Mindbody's logo belongs to Mindbody and is shown to identify them.
Where each one fits better.
Mindbody may fit better if you want
- A studio that wants to be found by the three million people browsing the Mindbody app, and will pay the commission on a first visit for it.
- A multi-location wellness business that needs rooms, resources and retail under one roof.
- A team that values one-on-one onboarding and a large partner ecosystem.
MatPilot may fit better if you want
- Belts, stripes and kids ladders as the federations write them, a rank per art, and a professor who still decides.
- No fixed term, no notice period, no per-location price: one flat fee and 0.49% on payments.
- Xero on Pro, with VAT per plan.
- Family billing built in: one payment for every child, a guardian's signature on a minor's waiver.
Six things you will not find in the usual gym software.
Seminars and courses, waiver firstOne link for a visiting black belt's seminar: register, sign the waiver, then pay, at the member price if you are one. A free seminar needs no Stripe account at all.Read how it works → 
A poster studioTwenty-four designs per size, filled from the seminar's own title, date, price and QR code. Drag, retype, swap the photo, export for Instagram, a story or A4.Read how it works → 
A co-pilot that actsAsk it to announce a closure, cancel a class, add a schedule or chase failed payments. It shows the action, you confirm, it runs.Read how it works → 
3,700 techniques in a libraryNineteen arts, every move named and linked to its neighbours. Your syllabus points at them, and each student's record fills in as classes are taught.Read how it works → 
An injury log with follow-upsTap the body map, say how bad. A serious injury schedules staff check-ins at one, three, seven and fourteen days, and billing can pause while they recover.Read how it works → 
Curriculum coverageWhat the syllabus says, what was actually taught, class by class and belt by belt, so a gap shows before a grading does.Read how it works →
Checked against Mindbody's website and app listings on 14 September 2026. If they have one of these and we missed it, tell us and this page changes.
What the left column looks like.
Export your clients from Mindbody to a spreadsheet and import them. Cards stored with Mindbody Payments cannot move; members re-enter one card through your join link, signing the waiver in the same flow. Check your term's end date first: a fixed term runs to its end.
Nobody trains before the waiver is signed, whichever way they arrive.
Questions you might have about the two
Does MatPilot have a marketplace like Mindbody's?
No. MatPilot brings you no consumers; it runs the academy you have and the website and join link you send people to. If discovery through a consumer app is why you would choose Mindbody, that is a real difference and the marketplace commission is the price of it.
What is the minimum term on MatPilot?
One month. Cancel in Settings and the plan ends at the end of the billing month. Mindbody offers 12, 24 and 36 month terms depending on plan and billing.
Can a family pay once?
Yes. One parent, one subscription, one line per child at that child's plan. Mindbody links family members under one account too; the billing model is the part to compare.
See it with your own roster.
No card required. Import your members from a spreadsheet in an afternoon.