Compare · vs Mindbody
The Mindbody alternative where the software is on us
Mindbody charges a software subscription and earns on the processing on top. Merch FinTech includes booking, memberships and marketing for studios, spas and salons, with Basic credited back while we run your payments, and a zero-cost program that can take card fees to zero.
Basic $99/mo, credited back with processingYour clients stay yoursZero-cost program
SoftwareMindbody: Starter under $80/mo per location, higher tiers by sales · Ours: Basic $99/mo, credited back while you process; Pro $299/moCard feesMindbody: rate not published, plus a fixed fee · Ours: interchange plus one disclosed margin, or a compliant dual-pricing programMarketplaceMindbody: app with a first-purchase fee · Ours: your booking page, your listMerchant accountMindbody Payments or a third-party processor · Ours: your own, in your nameYour numbersSend a statement; we show the math
Mindbody pricing from mindbodyonline.com/pricing as of October 2026; verify current terms. Dual-pricing programs are subject to card-brand rules and state law.
Fair is fair
Where Mindbody is a fine choice
The marketplace sends you clientsIf a meaningful share of new clients find you in the Mindbody app, that lead source is worth something a private booking page cannot copy. Count them before you decide.
A large multi-site fitness brandFranchise reporting, class-pack rules across dozens of studios and a long list of fitness-specific integrations. At that scale, depth in one vertical matters.
You want to keep your processorMindbody lets you use a third-party processor. If you already have a good rate elsewhere, that flexibility is fair to credit.
Where we win
Paying twice to be someone else's lead source
A subscription, a processing markup on top, and a marketplace that can show your clients the studio down the street. We charge once, and only when you process.
The software is on usBasic is $99 a month, credited back on your processing statement while you process with Merch FinTech: online booking, class and staff calendars, CRM, invoicing, two-way texting, forms, a website and a client portal. Pro, at $299, adds memberships, packages, courses, marketing and the AI receptionist, and is credited back at higher processing volumes; talk to us.
A zero-cost program a markup model can't matchCompliant dual pricing posts a cash price and a card price, within the card-brand and state caps, so the card covers its own cost. Or take interchange-plus and save on card fees versus flat-rate pricing; send a statement and we show the math. A provider that earns on processing cannot offer either without cutting its own revenue.
Your clients stay yoursYour booking page, your brand, your list. No marketplace surfaces competing studios to your members, and no fee is taken on a new client's first purchase.
AI that rebooks and recoversThe AI receptionist answers texts and calls, books into open slots, chases failed membership payments with smart retries, asks for reviews and texts clients who have not visited in 45 days.
Your own merchant account, one disclosed marginInterchange plus one small, disclosed margin, and we show you the math on your statement. No PCI program fee, no statement fee, no annual fee. Your merchant account is in your own name with our processing partner, and your stored cards and client records move with you as tokens and exports if you ever leave.
One bill for the whole studioBooking, memberships, marketing, texting, website and payments on one login and one statement. Med spas, salons and barbershops get their own editions on the same platform.
Head to head
Merch FinTech vs Mindbody, row by row
| Row | Merch FinTech | Mindbody |
|---|---|---|
| Software fee (public) | Basic $99/mo, credited back while you process with us; Pro $299/mo; Enterprise on the pricing page | Starter under $80/mo per location; Accelerate and Ultimate quoted by sales |
| Processing (public) | Interchange plus one small, disclosed margin, or a compliant zero-cost program | Per-transaction rate (not published) plus a fixed fee of $0.10–$0.30; third-party processors allowed |
| Zero-cost program | Built in, compliant, on screen | Not a published program |
| Booking, memberships, packages | Booking in Basic; memberships, packages and courses in Pro | Core product, by tier |
| Marketing and AI | Email, SMS, reviews, funnels and AI receptionist in Pro | Higher tiers and add-ons |
| Marketplace | None; your booking page and list are yours | Mindbody app; 20% fee, capped at $30, on a new client's first app purchase |
| Industries | Beauty, wellness, med spas and the rest of 150 ready-made editions | Fitness, wellness and beauty |
| Merchant account | Your own, in your name | Mindbody Payments or your own third-party processor |
Mindbody pricing from mindbodyonline.com/pricing as of October 2026; verify current terms. Mindbody is a trademark of its owner; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Switching
What moving from Mindbody involves
- Free migration. Clients, memberships, packages, class schedules and staff calendars export from Mindbody and load into the platform with our team.
- Parallel run. Both systems stay live across one billing cycle. Memberships renew on the new platform only after the old ones have closed out.
- Cards on file. Where the current processor allows a token export, stored cards and autopay memberships move with the client. Where it does not, we run a short re-enrollment campaign through the client portal.
- Your booking page. A branded page and client portal go live before the switch, so clients book the same way the next morning.
- Honest math. We count the clients the marketplace actually sends you. If it is paying for itself, we say so.
FAQ
Merch FinTech vs Mindbody questions
Does Merch FinTech have booking and memberships like Mindbody?
Yes. Online booking, class and staff calendars, client histories and two-way texting are in Basic. Memberships, packages, courses, automated rebooking, email and SMS marketing and the AI receptionist are in Pro. Gift cards are provided through our partner bank, subject to approval.
Will my clients have to learn a new booking flow?
The client side is a branded booking page and a client portal. Most clients notice the new look and nothing else. We migrate your client list, memberships, packages and schedules before the switch.
How is Merch FinTech cheaper if Pro costs $299 a month?
Two ways. Basic is $99 a month, credited back on your processing statement while you process with Merch FinTech, and many single-location studios start there. And a compliant dual-pricing program can move the card cost to the card-paying client where the law allows, which a provider earning a markup on processing cannot offer. Pro is credited back at higher processing volumes; talk to us.
What about the Mindbody marketplace?
If new clients find you through the Mindbody app, that is real value and a fair reason to stay. Note that Mindbody charges a 20% fee, capped at $30, on a new client's first purchase through the app, as of October 2026. With us, your booking page is yours and no marketplace shows your clients other studios.
Zero-cost programs are subject to card-brand rules and state law and are not available everywhere. Surcharging is not permitted in CT, MA, ME and PR; cash-discount programs are. Debit cards cannot be surcharged.
See your numbers side by side
Send a recent Mindbody statement and we'll show you a line-by-line comparison within one business day. Free, no obligation.
305-954-7362 · hello@merchfintech.com