Two class-based studio platforms with consumer marketplaces and bundled payment processing — different scale, different acquisition trajectories. Plus Junocal as the independent third option without either tax.
* Mindbody Starter is about £89/month per location (official UK), or roughly $99-$159 per location from secondary sources. Momence acquisition by Clubessential Holdings confirmed January 2025; Clubessential and Xplor announced a merger September 2025. Verified June 2026.
Mindbody is the right tool for mid-market and franchise-tier operations where the consumer marketplace and depth justify the contract. Momence was the boutique-class-first lighter alternative — under Clubessential, the trajectory matters as much as the current feature comparison. If you want neither marketplace commission nor the PE-portfolio context, Junocal is the independent third option — flat pricing, no commission, your own Stripe direct.
| Momence | Mindbody | Junocal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (USD/mo) | $0 Basic / $60 Pro / $199 Custom | £89 / ~$99-$159 per location* | $15 flat |
| Ownership | Clubessential (Jan 2025) | Vista Equity (2019) | Independent |
| Marketplace commission | None published | 20% capped at $30/txn on app-attributed | None |
| Per-booking platform fee | 5% / 2.5% / 0% by tier | None | None |
| Payment processor | Stripe at 3.9% + $0.30 online | Mindbody-branded | Your own Stripe Connect direct |
| Annual contract | Optional | 12-month standard | No, month-to-month |
| Pick-a-spot | Higher tiers | Accelerate and above ($259+) | Every plan |
| Term-based courses | Built by hand | Built by hand | Built in |
| Free trial | 14 days | Demo only | 14 days, no card |
pick Mindbody if
Marketplace discovery genuinely drives 15%+ of new clients in your market, or you run 3+ locations with franchise reporting needs. Mindbody's depth and ecosystem justify the cost at this scale.
pick Momence if
On-demand video and hybrid digital programming are a meaningful share of revenue, and you're comfortable with the Clubessential ownership context. Existing happy Momence customers often have less reason to switch than new evaluators.
pick Junocal if
Boutique class-based, single-location through 10 locations, and you want flat published pricing, no marketplace commission, no payment markup, no annual contract, independent ownership. Term-based courses built in, not stitched together by hand.
Mindbody is the category giant (since 2001) — strongest consumer marketplace, deepest franchise architecture, owned by Vista Equity since 2019. Momence was the boutique-class-first alternative — smaller, sharper feature set, acquired by Clubessential Holdings in January 2025 (Clubessential and Xplor announced a merger in September 2025). The choice is increasingly about scale (mid-market+ vs. boutique) and the acquisition trajectory (Vista vs. Clubessential playbook).
Momence starts at $0/month (Basic, with a 5% operator + 4% client per-booking fee), then Pro at $60/month (2.5% operator platform fee) and Custom at $199/month (0% platform fee). Mindbody Starter runs about £89/month per location (roughly $99-$159 from secondary sources), with most studios on Accelerate at $259+ for Client Pick-a-Spot. Total cost depends heavily on marketplace commission — Mindbody charges 20% capped at $30 per transaction on app-attributed bookings — plus standard processing on both.
For boutique class-based studios that want neither marketplace commission nor the Vista/Clubessential portfolio context, Junocal is the third option — flat per-plan pricing ($15 / $29 / $69 published), no marketplace, no commission, Stripe Connect Standard direct (no processing markup), month-to-month, independent ownership. For mid-market multi-location operations, both Momence and Mindbody offer depth Junocal doesn't.
Each platform has dedicated pages with the full 14-row comparison, pricing breakdown, migration playbook and reviews.