Momence is cheap to start and expensive to scale, and most studios find that out on a statement.
The short answer
For most yoga, Pilates and boutique fitness studios, Recess is the strongest Momence alternative in 2026: it is free, with no tiers, and the branded app is included rather than sold separately. Momence itself is a capable platform and its free tier is genuinely usable, but its card rate of 3.9% plus 30 cents is the highest on this page, and a branded app costs $250 a month on top of the subscription. Vagaro is cheaper if you are one instructor with one calendar. Walla is the most polished if front-of-house matters more than price.
| Platform | Best for | Starting price | What a card sale costs | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recess | Studios that want everything without a monthly bill | Free, no tiers | About 5%, paid by the member at checkout | Fewer integrations, and no consumer marketplace |
| Momence | Studios happy to trade a high card rate for a low subscription | Free, then $60 and $199 | 3.9% plus 30c in the US | Branded app is $250/mo extra, on top of the plan |
| Vagaro | One instructor with one bookable calendar | $30/mo | Published card rates | Cost climbs per staff member and per location |
| Walla | Studios where the front desk experience matters most | $320/mo per location | Stripe processing on top | The highest published subscription here |
| Glofox | Studios inside the ABC Fitness ecosystem | Not published | Not published | No public pricing at all |
| Mariana Tek | Multi-site boutique chains | Not published | Not published | Publishes no prices anywhere |
How This List Was Built
Every price was read on the vendor's own pricing page on 8 September 2026. Where a company does not publish one, this article says so rather than repeating a figure from a review site.
Recess is our own product. We have tried to give every competitor a real reason to be chosen, and to name where each one beats us.
The Number That Actually Matters
A studio comparing software usually compares subscriptions. That is the smaller number.
Take a studio turning over $20,000 a month in class packs and memberships. On Momence's US rate of 3.9% plus 30 cents, the processing on that is roughly $780 a month before you have paid for the software. The $60 plan looks cheap next to a $320 competitor until you put the card rate beside it.
This is not a criticism unique to Momence. It is the question worth asking of everyone, including us: what does the whole bill look like at your actual monthly volume, not at zero.
Recess
Best for studios that want the whole toolkit without a monthly bill. Free, no tiers.
Class packs and memberships live on one roster, so the client on a ten-class pack and the client on unlimited monthly appear in the same schedule. Waitlists refill themselves when somebody drops out at 6am. Reformer and bike spots have a real seat map, so a client books spot 4 rather than "a spot". Workshops and teacher trainings are sold as their own thing. Retail at the front desk. Failed payments chased automatically. Per-class instructor pay, including the cover teacher. And a branded app under your studio's name in both app stores, included.
Where Recess loses. Fewer third-party integrations than the larger platforms, and no consumer marketplace. If new clients currently find you by browsing an app, we do not replace that.
Momence
Best for studios happy to trade a high card rate for a low subscription. Free, then $60 and $199.
Momence's free tier is genuinely usable rather than a demo, which is rare and worth saying. The paid tiers at $60 and $199 are among the cheapest subscriptions in the category, and the product is modern and well built.
Where Momence loses. The US card rate is 3.9% plus 30 cents, the highest published figure on this page, and it applies to every sale all year. A branded app is $250 a month, which is more than most of the subscriptions listed here. Add both and the cheapest-looking option is no longer the cheapest.
Vagaro
Best for a single instructor with one calendar. $30/mo.
The lowest published entry price here, with its own consumer marketplace attached, which is unusual at the price.
Where Vagaro loses. It is priced per bookable calendar, so each additional teacher and each additional location adds to the bill. It also came from the salon world and still reads that way in places.
Walla
Best for studios where front-of-house matters. $320/mo per location.
Walla was built for boutique fitness specifically, and it shows in the parts of the day an owner actually touches: check-in, the front desk, how a member experiences booking.
Where Walla loses. At $320 a month for Core and $599 for Pro, per location, with Stripe processing on top, it is the most expensive published option on this page.
Glofox and Mariana Tek
Neither publishes pricing, so neither can be compared honestly on cost without a sales call.
Glofox has a strong branded app and is part of ABC Fitness. Mariana Tek is built for chains with a head office rather than single sites. If you are one studio, the lack of a published price usually answers the question for you.
What to Check Before You Move
- The card rate, not the subscription. At $20,000 a month, one percentage point is $200.
- Whether a branded app is included or extra. The answers range from free to $250 a month.
- Whether the price is per location. A second studio can double a line you thought was fixed.
- What migrates and what gets retyped. Class history, memberships and unused packs are the ones that hurt.
- What leaving costs. Ask about notice and exit fees before you sign, not after.
Recess Fits Here
If Momence's card rate or its $250 app add-on is what brought you here, Recess is worth twenty minutes. It is free, there are no tiers, and the branded app is included.
If Momence is working and the processing cost does not bother you at your volume, stay. Switching software is a week you do not get back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Momence actually free?
Momence has a genuinely usable free tier, not a demo, with paid plans at $60 and $199. The cost that catches studios out is not the subscription: US card processing is 3.9% plus 30 cents on every sale, and a branded app is $250 a month on top.
What is the cheapest Momence alternative?
Recess is free with no tiers and no per-location fee, and includes a branded app. Among paid options, Vagaro is the lowest published subscription at $30 a month for a single bookable calendar.
Which Momence alternative includes a branded app?
Recess includes one in both app stores at no extra cost. Momence charges $250 a month for the equivalent. Glofox has a strong branded app but does not publish what it costs.
Does Momence charge per location?
Momence publishes plan prices rather than a per-location model, which compares well against platforms like Walla at $320 per location. Confirm your own situation directly, as multi-site arrangements are usually quoted.
How much does processing really cost a studio?
At $20,000 a month in sales, a 3.9% rate is roughly $780 a month before the subscription. That is why the card rate matters more than the plan price for any studio doing real volume, and why it is the first question to ask any vendor.
What should I ask before switching studio software?
Get four answers in writing: the card rate, whether a branded app is included, whether pricing is per location, and exactly what data migrates rather than being retyped. Those four decide the real cost far more than the advertised monthly price.
