Is free gym management software enough to start with, or should I go straight to a paid one?

The single most important technical feature to look for in a free tool is database export capability. If the software won't let you export member history and remaining session credits to CSV with one click, you'll be stuck manually re-entering 50 member profiles one by one when you eventually switch to a paid platform.

We opened a similar studio in Bologna. We used a free scheduling tool for the first four months, which saved us around 400 EUR in software costs. Once our member count hit 75, we got tired of manually texting reminders and switched to an 85 EUR/month system; the whole migration only took two days.

Don't waste money on turnstiles or keycard systems right now. With 10-person boutique classes, the trainer already knows everyone by face anyway. Put your money into better equipment instead of front-door hardware expenses.

The three biggest limitations you will encounter with free software are: 1) no automated SMS reminders for members, 2) no automated expiration alerts for medical certificates, and 3) no native receipt generation compliant with the Italian tax system.

Free platforms are often abandoned side-projects with zero developer support. If a software glitch causes double-bookings or wipes your member list, the damage to your reputation will cost far more than a 60-70 EUR monthly license fee.

we got by just fine with a basic cloud spreadsheet for the first 6 months with zero issues but managing 50 people really isn't that deep, don't throw money away on day one imo.

Congrats on the new studio! Honestly your main worry during the first few months should be filling the room, not software bells and whistles. Start with a free tool; once the business scales and you start running out of time, a paid platform will easily pay for itself.

Don't miss this: Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.

Just leaving this note, it might be useful.

I'm curious too.

Following.

There's one point I'm curious about. Payment schedules should be tied to project phases, not calendar dates.

The harder it is to reverse a decision, the slower you should make it. If I were you, I'd go this route.

Quick summary for newcomers: If it's your first time start small; scaling comes later.

correct.

The cheap-looking path usually ends up costing more later. Processes without records never improve, because you don't know what to fix.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

I didn't know that.

let me summarize the topic, since several different answers were given then the biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say.

if code ownership isn't in the contract, you have no bargaining power when leavinng then anyway if you post the result here it will help others too.

You're right I've been down that road too. Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth.

Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

The opposite happened to me, that's why I'm writing. Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval.

The biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say. This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.