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← Pay The Gym

// Competitor Comparison

Pay The Gym vs.
MyStudio

MyStudio is a polished, well regarded platform built for martial arts and enrichment studios, with AI lead conversion, attendance tracking, and rank management baked in. It's a strong product, but it carries feature bloat most independent gyms will never use, and you pay for all of it.

// At a Glance

Side by side.

Factor
Pay The Gym
MyStudio
Built For
Independent gyms that want memberships and billing, nothing else.
Martial arts and enrichment studios that want lead conversion, ranks, attendance, and communication in one place.
Pricing
Simple, transparent. You pay for it to do a few things well.
Scales with members and add ons. AI tools, white glove onboarding, and program features all factor into the cost.
AI Lead Conversion
None. Use a dedicated system, or just talk to people.
Built in AI that answers inquiries and books trials 24/7. Powerful, but it's a feature you pay for whether you use it or not.
Attendance & Ranks
None. If you need them, use a tool built for it.
Belt and rank tracking, attendance, trial to member conversion, all built in.
Focus
Memberships and billing, done well.
A full studio operating system, built by owners who scaled to $1M+.

// Where MyStudio Shines

The Pros

  • +Purpose built for martial arts and enrichment studios, not adapted from generic gym software
  • +Genuinely useful AI lead conversion that responds and books trials around the clock
  • +Strong attendance, rank, and belt tracking out of the box
  • +White glove onboarding with a dedicated account manager

// Where MyStudio Falls Short

The Cons

  • You're paying for lead conversion, ranks, and attendance even if you only need billing
  • More complexity and setup than most independent gyms actually want
  • Built around the martial arts and enrichment model, a poor fit for a general independent gym
  • All in one pricing means you subsidize features you'll never turn on

// Why Pay The Gym

The better fit for
simple gym software.

01No AI features you pay for and never use

MyStudio's Amplify AI answers leads and books trials automatically. That's a real tool, for studios that live and die by trial conversion. Most independent gyms don't run trials that way, and they shouldn't pay for the machinery. Pay The Gym skips it. You handle your members your way, and you don't subsidize a chatbot you'll never switch on.

02No rank tracking or attendance bloat

Belt systems, rank progression, and attendance tracking are essential in a martial arts school. They're dead weight in a standard independent gym. MyStudio bundles them in. We leave them out, so your billing software isn't cluttered with menus and settings for programs you don't run.

03Built for gyms, not enrichment programs

MyStudio is excellent for martial arts schools, coding camps, and STEAM programs. That focus is also its limitation. An independent gym isn't running belt tests or kids' enrichment classes. Pay The Gym is built around memberships and billing for a normal gym, not retrofitted from an enrichment studio model.

04Skip the white glove onboarding

MyStudio walks you through setup with a dedicated account manager and migrates your data. That's a service, and you pay for it. Pay The Gym is simple enough that onboarding is minutes, not a project. If you want memberships managed and bills collected, you don't need a managed rollout to get there.

// Questions

FAQ

MyStudio is purpose built for martial arts and enrichment studios. If you run a jiu jitsu school or a kids' coding camp, it's a strong fit. If you run a standard independent gym, you're buying software shaped around belt tests and trial conversion, not around your actual workflow. Pay The Gym is shaped around memberships and billing, full stop.

It's a genuine product. If trial conversion is the bottleneck in your business, it can pay for itself. Most independent gyms grow through referrals, walk ins, and a simple web presence, not 24/7 AI trial booking. You shouldn't pay for that machinery if it's not how you acquire members.

Only if you use the parts. MyStudio bundles lead conversion, attendance, ranks, events, retail, and communication into one price. If you use all of it, the bundle wins. If you use two of it, you're subsidizing the rest. Pay The Gym charges you for the two things you actually need, and lets you pick best in class tools for everything else.

For an independent gym that only needs memberships and billing, yes. You're not paying for AI tools, rank tracking, attendance, or a managed onboarding. You pay for exactly what runs your gym, memberships managed and bills collected.

Add a dedicated tool when you actually need it. Standalone attendance and scheduling systems are inexpensive and often better than the built in version. Bundling it into your billing software sounds convenient until you're paying for it every month whether you check people in or not.

Members. Billing. Done.

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