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A custom platform for a gym chain is quoted case by case: allow around $24,700 to $29,100 (€22,000–€26,000)excl. VAT for a first scope with a member app, multi-club memberships, class booking, a coach area and reporting. It makes sense when the member experience becomes a lever for retention.
A gym chain often runs membership management software, a booking app, a POS for the shop, and spreadsheets to pull it all together. Members, meanwhile, juggle several apps that do not carry your brand. A custom platform brings the member experience and network reporting together. Here is what it includes, the obligations to build in, and what it costs.
What members expect from your app
The member app is where retention is won or lost. The features that matter:
- their membership: plan, payment schedule, invoices, add-ons, with the ability to manage them on their own;
- class booking at every club in the network, with a waiting list and reminders;
- their progress: sessions, results, programs suggested by coaches;
- engagement: challenges between members, rewards, club news;
- the shop: supplements, equipment, coaching sessions, bought from the phone.
The O’GYM project, currently in development, illustrates this type of platform: a complete web app for a sports club, with a member app, a shop, challenges and an in-app currency, coach and partner areas, and administration.
What the network needs
On the management side, the needs are those of any multi-site network, with a few specifics:
| Need | Platform feature | Users |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-club memberships | Plans, home club, network access, add-ons | Executives, front desk |
| Class schedule | Classes by club, coaches, capacity, waiting list | Club managers, coaches |
| Access control | Connection to existing hardware | Front desk |
| Coach area | Classes, clients, programs, availability | Employed or independent coaches |
| Partners | Offers and perks for members | Local partners |
| Reporting | Attendance, memberships, cancellations, sales by club | Executives, area managers |
Consolidated network reporting is covered more broadly in the management tool for franchise and multi-site networks.
Obligations to build in from the start
Online cancellation in France. Since the law of August 16, 2022 on emergency measures to protect purchasing power, a business that lets consumers sign up online must also let them cancel online. The French consumer protection authority (DGCCRF) sets out the requirements on its page Contract termination: what changes for businesses (in French, checked in October 2026): a free feature that is easy to access, direct and permanent, labeled with wording such as “cancel your contract”, a summary before notification, and confirmation on a durable medium stating the contract end date. The page mentions fines of up to €75,000 for a company. I include this flow in the member area from the first version; contractual terms (notice period, commitment) remain yours. Other countries have their own consumer rules.
Shop payments. In France, if you take payments from consumers through cash register software, the cash register certification rules apply, with exceptions listed on the same page. For the front desk, I recommend keeping a certified off-the-shelf POS and connecting it to the platform.
These points are confirmed with your legal counsel and accountant. This page is not a substitute for their advice.
The budget
A multi-area platform is quoted after scoping. For an order of magnitude, here is a calculation using the building blocks from my pricing, for a network with more than 50 users:
| Building block | Indicative price |
|---|---|
| Application base | $6,800 (€6,000)excl. VAT |
| Accounts and roles (member, coach, front desk, club, executive) | $1,700 (€1,500)excl. VAT |
| Network back office | $2,300 (€2,000)excl. VAT |
| Member area | $2,800 (€2,500)excl. VAT |
| Coach or partner area | $2,800 (€2,500)excl. VAT |
| Online payment (memberships, shop) | $1,700 (€1,500)excl. VAT |
| Consolidated dashboard | $1,700 (€1,500)excl. VAT |
| Notifications | $1,200 (€1,000)excl. VAT |
| Access control connection | $2,300 (€2,000)excl. VAT |
| Member data migration | $900 (€800)excl. VAT |
| Total with the over-50-users factor (×1.2) | about $28,600 (€25,500)excl. VAT |
Without the coach area in the first batch, the total is around $25,200 (€22,500)excl. VAT. A premium design, often wanted for a consumer-facing app under your brand, applies a ×1.15 factor. Payment provider fees, hosting and notification delivery are billed separately by the providers. For your setup, the estimator gives you a first range, and the comparison with your current software subscriptions follows the 3-year total cost method.
When this is not the right solution
Gym management software exists, with memberships, access control, booking and a white-label member app. For a network just getting started, with standard plans, it is faster to roll out and the risk is lower.
Custom software makes sense when the member experience becomes a differentiator (challenges, rewards, content, local partners), when your plans and network rules cannot be configured, when you want control over your member data, or when the total of software subscriptions weighs on every new club opening. An intermediate step is possible: keep the management software for memberships and access control, and build the member app connected to its data.
How the project works
- A free 30-minute discovery call: network, plans, current tools, ambitions for the app.
- Scoping (1 to 2 weeks): first-batch scope, access control and POS connections, fixed quote.
- Clickable mockups (1 to 3 weeks), tested by members, a coach and a club manager.
- Development in batches, with a pilot club.
- Rollout across the network, member data migration, staff training and 3 months of support included.
The dedicated offer is presented on the gym app page, and the case for an installable web app in PWA vs native app.
Frequently asked questions
Can we keep our access control system?
Yes, and it is recommended. Turnstiles, kiosks and badges stay in place; the platform connects to them if the manufacturer offers an API or an export. This is checked during scoping, before any commitment.
Is a web app enough for members?
In most cases, yes. A progressive web app (PWA) installs on the phone, sends notifications and updates without going through the app stores. Native mostly makes sense for specific hardware features.
How do memberships valid at every club work?
Each plan carries its own rules: home club, network-wide access, time slots, add-ons. The platform applies them to access control and class booking, and revenue is split according to your internal rules.
Can independent coaches use the platform?
Yes, with a coach area limited to their classes, clients and schedule. Billing rules between the club and the coaches are configured according to your contracts.
How long does it take to launch the platform?
A multi-area platform takes 3 to 6 months or more. I recommend starting with a pilot club, with the member app and class booking, before extending to the network.