WellnessLiving pitches itself as a Mindbody alternative, but how does it actually compare to Mako? This head-to-head breaks down pricing, features, support, and financial intelligence to show you exactly where each platform wins and which one fits your studio's specific needs.
When you're searching for the right business management software for your wellness, fitness, or service-based business, you've likely encountered two strong contenders: Mako and WellnessLiving. Both position themselves as alternatives to industry giants like Mindbody, but they take distinctly different approaches to solving business management challenges.
Mako (makocrm.so) casts a wider net, serving 49 different business types with an all-in-one platform that combines client relationship management, advanced financial intelligence, and AI-powered communication tools. Built with the philosophy of "businesses the big software forgot," Mako emphasizes financial control and operational visibility.
WellnessLiving, headquartered in Toronto, has carved out a specialized niche serving fitness studios, yoga centers, martial arts academies, and dance studios. It doubles down on the features wellness businesses need most: marketing automation, loyalty programs, website building, and seamless client communication.
The choice between them isn't about which is "better"—it's about which aligns with your business model, growth stage, and operational priorities. This guide walks you through every meaningful difference so you can make an informed decision.
FeatureMakoWellnessLivingStarting PriceCustom pricing (no per-seat fees)$89/month (Basic)Best ForMulti-vertical services, advanced financial trackingFitness/wellness studios, community-focused businessesSchedulingEstimate→Booking→Invoice workflowReserve with Google integrationWebsite BuilderBooking page integrationPresence (full website builder with SEO)Financial ToolsAdvanced (job profitability, unit economics, forecasting)Standard reportingMarketing SuiteAI Receptionist (calls/SMS)Automated marketing + email campaignsLoyalty/RewardsSmart tags + churn detectionBuilt-in rewards programStaff ManagementTimesheets, commissions, payroll, pay rate historyStaff scheduling and communicationsPer-Seat PricingNoYes (typically)IntegrationsQuickBooks, Google CalendarGoogle integration, ZapierPermissions40+ granular permissionsStandard role-based access
Mako structures its booking system as part of a complete business flow: Estimate → Booking → Invoice. This approach is particularly powerful for service businesses where proposals and job scoping precede actual service delivery.
The platform allows you to create detailed estimates (including labor, materials, and time), convert them to bookings once approved, and automatically generate invoices upon completion. This workflow is built around transparency and professionalism—clients see exactly what they're paying for before committing.
Mako integrates with Google Calendar, so team members can see their schedules in familiar places. The kiosk mode is an interesting feature for walk-in businesses or studios where clients check in on-site.
WellnessLiving takes a consumer-first approach to scheduling through its Reserve with Google integration. Clients can search for your studio on Google, view availability, and book directly within Google's ecosystem—no need to leave Google to complete the transaction.
This is a major competitive advantage for fitness studios because it meets clients where they already are. WellnessLiving's scheduling interface is intuitive and mobile-optimized, with color-coded class calendars, real-time availability, and automatic confirmations.
Winner for scheduling depends on your model: - Mako wins if you need estimate management, project-based services, or custom workflows - WellnessLiving wins if you prioritize frictionless online discovery and booking (especially for classes/recurring sessions)
Mako's biggest pricing differentiator is its elimination of per-seat fees. Rather than paying per user, Mako charges based on your business needs (custom pricing). This is a huge advantage for growing teams—you can add staff without watching your monthly bill multiply.
For businesses managing multiple revenue streams, job types, or team members, this model becomes increasingly cost-effective at scale.
WellnessLiving's pricing is straightforward and transparent: - Basic: ~$89/month — Core features for small studios - Professional: ~$149/month — Additional staff and advanced reporting - Enterprise: ~$349/month — Full feature suite
The per-seat pricing model (though not explicitly detailed in most marketing) means that adding staff or trainers will increase costs. However, the entry price is low, making WellnessLiving accessible for solo practitioners and bootstrapped studios.
Value Analysis: - If you're a solo operator or 2-3 person team, WellnessLiving's $89/month starting price is hard to beat - If you're managing 10+ staff members, Mako's no-per-seat model likely costs less at scale - Mako requires custom pricing inquiry (no public rates), which can be a friction point in evaluation
This is where Mako and WellnessLiving diverge most significantly.
Mako is built for business owners who want deep financial visibility. The platform provides:
This financial engine transforms business management from reactive (what did I make last month?) to proactive (what should I charge, who should I focus on, how do I improve margins?).
WellnessLiving provides essential financial reporting: revenue by class, instructor earnings, attendance trends, and member lifetime value. It's solid for operational decisions but doesn't offer the advanced scenario modeling or unit economics analysis that Mako provides.
For a yoga studio owner, WellnessLiving's reporting is usually sufficient. For a multi-location fitness franchise or service business with complex margin dynamics, Mako's financial tools are transformative.
Winner: Mako — if financial intelligence is a priority for your business strategy
Mako organizes clients through smart tags that go beyond simple categorization. You can tag clients by service type, frequency, engagement level, or custom criteria, then segment your communications and offers accordingly.
The churn detection feature is particularly valuable—Mako flags clients showing decreased engagement before they disappear, giving you time to reach out with a win-back offer or check-in.
Mako's Customer Portal (with custom domain white-label options) allows clients to view their history, track invoices, and manage payments from a branded experience.
WellnessLiving's built-in rewards and loyalty program is purpose-built for fitness businesses. Clients earn points for classes, referrals, or purchases, creating stickiness and encouraging repeat visits. This gamification aspect works particularly well for group fitness environments.
The review management system helps you collect and display client testimonials, which is crucial for local SEO and social proof in the competitive wellness space.
Comparison: - Mako excels at retention analytics and proactive churn prevention - WellnessLiving excels at creating engagement mechanics that drive repeat attendance
Mako's AI Receptionist handles incoming calls and SMS, qualifying leads and booking appointments without human intervention. Features include: - Automatic call answering and lead qualification - SMS conversations with prospects - Integration with your booking system - Availability and service details handled automatically
This is valuable for service businesses that receive consistent inquiry volume but want to reduce front-desk overhead.
WellnessLiving bundles marketing features that fitness studios need: - Automated email campaigns (promotions, class reminders, abandonments) - SMS marketing (similar to Mako's AI approach, but more promotional) - Social media posting (schedule posts to multiple platforms) - Review request automation (ask satisfied clients for testimonials) - Member app (push notifications for class updates)
Key difference: WellnessLiving's marketing suite assumes you want to engage existing members with promotions and updates. Mako's AI Receptionist assumes you want to handle the first conversation with new prospects automatically.
Winner depends on your focus: - Mako if you're generating many cold leads and need hands-off qualification - WellnessLiving if you have a solid client base and want to maximize lifetime value through email/SMS campaigns
Mako provides: - Timesheets with clock-in/clock-out and verification - Payroll integration for automatic payment processing - Commission tracking for performance-based compensation - Pay rate history to track salary changes and compliance - 40+ granular permissions (highly customizable access control)
This depth is valuable if you're managing part-time teams, contractors, or performance-based compensation structures.
WellnessLiving offers: - Staff scheduling (shift planning and shift swaps) - Client-facing staff app (access client details, class info, tips) - Role-based permissions (instructor, manager, admin)
WellnessLiving assumes fitness studio operations (classes with assigned instructors) rather than custom business models.
Winner: Mako — for complex compensation structures; WellnessLiving — for straightforward fitness scheduling
Mako embeds a customizable booking page into your existing website, showcasing services, availability, and pricing. It's clean and focused on driving bookings, but it doesn't build your entire website.
WellnessLiving includes Presence, a full website builder with: - Built-in SEO optimization (schema markup, mobile responsiveness, fast loading) - Customizable templates designed for fitness studios - Integrated booking (Reserve with Google, class calendar) - Mobile app links (drive downloads of your client app)
For a new studio without an existing website, Presence is a major advantage—you get a professional, SEO-friendly site without hiring a designer.
Winner: WellnessLiving — if you need a complete website solution; Mako — if you already have a website and just need booking integration
Choose Mako if you: - Manage multiple service types or business models on one platform - Want advanced financial insights (profitability, unit economics, forecasting) - Have a growing team and want to avoid per-seat pricing - Need custom workflows (estimates, approvals, invoicing) - Require granular permission control for security/compliance - Value AI-powered lead handling (calls/SMS automation) - Want a digital wallet for client payments - Operate outside the fitness/wellness niche (cleaning, repair, consulting, home services, etc.)
Choose WellnessLiving if you: - Run a fitness studio, yoga center, martial arts academy, or dance studio - Want an all-in-one solution with website builder included - Prioritize ease of use and quick implementation (lower learning curve) - Need a built-in loyalty/rewards program to drive retention - Want Reserve with Google integration for client discovery - Have 1-10 staff members (where per-seat pricing is manageable) - Need automated marketing (email, SMS) to your existing clients - Are just starting out and want affordable entry ($89/month)
Yes, Mako can absolutely handle fitness studios—its 49 business types include fitness operations. However, Mako is built as a generalist platform, so it doesn't include wellness-specific features like Presence website builder or integrated loyalty programs. If you're a yoga studio, Mako gives you powerful financial management but you'd need to integrate with separate tools for website building and marketing.
WellnessLiving provides standard business reporting (revenue by class, instructor earnings, attendance metrics) but not the advanced unit economics, job profitability tracking, or cash flow forecasting that Mako specializes in. WellnessLiving is designed for operational visibility; Mako is designed for strategic financial planning.
Both platforms offer data export and API access, but migration isn't automatic. You'd need to map your client records, class schedules, and financial data into Mako's structure. However, the real question is: will you outgrow WellnessLiving? If your gym stays focused on fitness classes and member management, WellnessLiving scales fine. You'd migrate if you diversify into services with different economics (personal training packages, nutrition coaching, etc.) where Mako's unit economics matter.
WellnessLiving has a reputation for responsive support but occasional inconsistency (based on customer reviews). Mako, as a newer platform, has built support into its model but has fewer public reviews. For enterprise customers, Mako likely offers dedicated support; WellnessLiving offers ticketing and community forums. Contact both directly to assess support responsiveness for your situation.
Mako and WellnessLiving are not competitors in the traditional sense—they're optimized for different business realities.
If you're running a fitness studio, yoga center, or dance studio and want a beautifully integrated platform with marketing, loyalty, and a website builder at a low price point, WellnessLiving is the obvious choice. Its $89/month entry price, Presence website builder, and Reserve with Google integration make it purpose-built for wellness businesses.
If you're running a service business that spans multiple categories, need deep financial intelligence to optimize profitability, or are managing a growing team where per-seat fees would become prohibitive, Mako's generalist platform and advanced financial tools become increasingly valuable.
The best decision ultimately depends on three factors: 1. Your business model — pure fitness/wellness, or diversified services? 2. Your stage — bootstrapped startup ($89/month) vs. scaling operation (custom/enterprise pricing)? 3. Your priorities — member engagement and ease of use, or financial control and strategic insights?
Take advantage of free trials (both platforms offer them), test the actual workflows that matter to your business, and ask the right questions about pricing and scalability. The software that fits your business today might not be the software that fits your business in two years—but either platform gives you a strong foundation to grow.
Ready to make the move? Start with a trial of whichever platform aligns with your immediate needs, and use this comparison as a reference when evaluating features and pricing. Your business deserves software built for how you actually operate, not software that forces you into someone else's workflow.
Mako's positioning as software "built for the businesses big software forgot" reflects a specific design philosophy. Rather than forcing your business into predefined workflows, Mako lets you define how your business works. This matters for service businesses where no two companies operate identically.
A cleaning service, a consulting firm, a home repair business, and a fitness trainer all have different operational needs—different proposal types, different team compensation models, different reporting priorities. Mako's architecture accommodates these variations through its modular approach and customizable fields.
The lack of per-seat pricing also reflects understanding that growing companies shouldn't face pricing penalties when adding team members. This model aligns Mako's success with yours—as you grow and hire more staff, your software investment scales proportionally without artificial per-user fees multiplying your costs.
WellnessLiving takes the opposite approach: deep specialization for a narrowly defined market. Rather than trying to serve all service businesses, WellnessLiving optimizes completely for wellness businesses.
This specialization shows in every feature. The website builder (Presence) has templates specifically designed for fitness studios. The marketing automation assumes you're running classes with membership models. The loyalty program is built around fitness industry dynamics—points for class attendance, referrals, and merchandise purchases.
Specialization also means lower complexity for the end user. You're not choosing between 49 business types and customizing your workflow—you're getting a system built for exactly what you do. For a yoga studio owner or fitness coach, this can be dramatically faster to implement and easier to use.
This deserves additional attention because it fundamentally changes business decision-making.
With Mako's job profitability tracking, a service business can answer critical questions: - Which client types generate the highest margins? - Which team members deliver the best unit economics? - Which service lines should we be expanding? - Which projects are barely profitable (and should be repriced or discontinued)?
With WellnessLiving's standard reporting, you can answer: - How much revenue did each class generate? - Which instructors' classes have the highest attendance? - What's our member retention rate? - How much did we earn this month?
These are different questions for different business models. A fitness studio primarily needs the second set of answers. A growing service business with variable margins absolutely needs the first set.
Mako integrates with: - QuickBooks — Full accounting sync for complete financial visibility - Google Calendar — Team scheduling without context switching - Payment processors — Built-in payment handling with digital wallet - Custom webhooks — API-first architecture for custom integrations
The QuickBooks integration is particularly valuable for service businesses that use QuickBooks for accounting. Your booking becomes your invoice becomes your accounting entry—eliminating data re-entry and keeping financial records synchronized.
WellnessLiving integrates with: - Google (Maps, Calendar, Search for discovery) - Zapier (IFTTT automation with 5,000+ apps) - Email service providers (Mailchimp, Klaviyo) - Payment processors (Stripe, Square)
The Zapier integration is powerful—it means WellnessLiving connects to thousands of tools through automation. If you use a specific CRM, email platform, or analytics tool, Zapier can bridge the gap.
However, Zapier integrations are typically one-way or require manual setup, whereas Mako's QuickBooks integration is bi-directional and automatic.
As a more customizable platform, Mako has a steeper implementation curve. You're not just configuring settings—you're designing your workflow. This includes: - Mapping your business processes - Setting up custom fields and tags - Configuring permissions and team roles - Testing estimate-to-invoice workflows
For a business with 5+ team members or complex operations, this investment pays off. For a solo yoga instructor, it might feel like unnecessary overhead.
WellnessLiving's implementation is faster because the workflow is predefined. You're not designing your business process—you're configuring WellnessLiving's proven process for fitness studios.
This means: - Faster time-to-value (typically days vs. weeks) - Less decision-making about how to structure your business - More guided setup (templates, wizards, best-practice flows) - Lower technical barrier to entry
For a small studio or solo practitioner, this matters. You can be up and running, taking online bookings, and sending marketing emails in a week.
Mako scales well across three dimensions: 1. Vertical scaling — Adding more features and complexity (multi-location management, advanced reporting, custom automation) 2. Horizontal scaling — Adding team members without cost penalties 3. Diversification scaling — Managing multiple service lines or business types on a single platform
A landscaping company using Mako could expand into snow removal, irrigation design, and maintenance contracts—all on the same platform, with the same client and financial data.
WellnessLiving scales within the fitness studio dimension: 1. Adding locations — Multi-location support with centralized management 2. Adding staff — More instructors, managers, and team members 3. Adding services — Personal training, nutrition coaching, retail products
However, if you decide to expand beyond fitness (perhaps into wellness coaching, corporate wellness programs, or non-fitness services), you'd likely need additional tools.
Best choice: WellnessLiving
Why? You need: - Quick implementation (you don't have time to configure complex systems) - Affordable entry ($89/month is crucial) - Marketing features to grow your membership base - A website with online booking
Mako's power and customization are wasted on your simple, single-service operation. WellnessLiving is built for exactly this scenario.
Best choice: Mako
Why? You need: - Job profitability tracking (different technicians, different service types, different margins) - Per-technician performance visibility (are your best people actually profitable?) - Custom workflows (estimates, approval, dispatch, invoicing) - No per-seat pricing (hiring 10 more employees shouldn't multiply your software costs by 5x)
WellnessLiving's fitness-specific features are irrelevant, and its per-seat model becomes expensive. Mako's financial intelligence transforms your business decision-making.
This could go either way:
Switching platforms isn't free. You'll invest time in: - Data migration (exporting from one system, importing to another) - Re-training your team on new workflows - Potentially losing some custom configurations from your original platform - Downtime during transition
Choose your platform assuming you'll use it for at least 2-3 years. That's the real evaluation horizon.
If you're not technical and prefer community-driven learning, WellnessLiving's larger user base is an advantage.
When evaluating: 1. Set up a mock client and booking to test the user experience 2. Try the reporting features with real data patterns (not demo data) 3. Test integrations that matter to you 4. Talk to current customers (not just references) 5. Clarify pricing for your team size (especially for WellnessLiving's per-seat model)
Your wellness business is a business. Not a hobby, not a side project, not a calendar with a cash register. It deserves software that treats it accordingly.
If your CRM can't tell you whether your business is financially healthy, it's not doing its job. And in 2026, you have better options.
Mako is built for independent studio and service-business owners who'd rather spend their time on clients than on demo calls. Open the live demo, poke around, and see exactly how scheduling, billing, and financial intelligence come together in one place.
Try the demo: https://app.makocrm.so/demo
Self-serve. Instant access. No forms, no calendars, no "talk to sales."
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