Free studio booking software
Free studio booking software: what "free" actually means
Almost every studio platform advertises a free trial. Genuinely free tiers - the kind you can run a real studio on without a credit card or a countdown clock - are rare. Here's what "free" actually gets you across the market.
How StudioDeck's free tier works
If you're opening soon, StudioDeck runs free until you take your first paid booking - full platform, no card required, no countdown. Once real money starts moving through the system, you pick a plan. It's not a 14-day trial with a clock on it; it's free for as long as it takes you to get your first paying member.
What "free" gets you, platform by platform
| Platform | Offer | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| StudioDeck | Free until first paid booking | Full platform, no card required. Converts to a paid plan only once you take a real booking - not a trial with an expiry date. |
| Momence | Basic tier, $0 subscription | A 5% Momence platform fee applies to every transaction, plus another 4% passed to the client - the software is free, the fees aren't. |
| Gymdesk | Free tier, capped at 15 active members | Only kicks in automatically if you don't choose a paid plan after the 30-day trial - not available from day one. |
| Mindbody, Mariana Tek, ABC Glofox, Pike13, Zen Planner, Vagaro, WellnessLiving, TeamUp, Virtuagym | Free trial only (7-30 days) | No ongoing free tier - full price applies the moment the trial ends, whether or not you've taken a booking yet. |
FAQ
Is StudioDeck's free tier really free, or is it a trial?
It's free until your first paid booking - there's no expiry date on it. If you're still pre-launch in three months, it's still free in three months.
What happens after my first booking?
You pick one of the three published plans ($49-149/mo) based on your active member count. No surprise - the prices are on the pricing page today.
Is any competitor's free tier actually free?
Momence's Basic tier has no subscription cost, but a 5% platform fee (plus 4% passed to the client) applies to every transaction - so it's free software with a real cost attached to every sale.
Do I need a credit card to start on StudioDeck?
No - the pre-launch free tier doesn't require one.