RecDesk Comparison (Pricing, Features, & Benefits)

Manage and Grow Your Fitness Business Better with Exercise.com. Learn more below.

Choose Exercise.com’s All-In-One Fitness Business Management Software. Review our head-to-head RecDesk software comparison and see for yourself. Get a custom web and smartphone app designed for your brand with additional customization available throughout your custom-built software. Grow your business, turn leads into clients, and increase revenue.

Choosing software to run your business is a big decision that can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be, and by the end of this review we hope that the best choice stands out.

Exercise.com’s all-in-one fitness business management software is the gold-standard in the industry; from full app customization to workout creation, delivery, and management, e-commerce capabilities, performance health assessments, endless integrations, client engagement, and automation, we’ve made sure to cover all of our bases.

But, that’s not enough.

We can’t claim to be the best without pitting our features up against one of our competitors, RecDesk. We want to provide you with our honest opinion on why our software is the ultimate choice (over other fitness business management software options) for your company’s needs.

In this review, we will compare the Exercise.com app features to RecDesk’s features so that you will have all of the information needed to choose Exercise.com for your business management software needs.

In an industry that is constantly growing, if a business cannot adapt to stay relevant, or at least change its practices to be more industry-ready and user-friendly, that business will not be around for an extended period of time. That’s why you should choose Exercise.com. We are building a software that adapts for every custom client because it’s customized to their brand, so it sets up their business for future success no matter how the fitness industry shifts.

Click here to request more information about our all-in-one Exercise.com business management software!

Fitness Pros Who Trust Exercise.com

RecDesk Software Review

RecDesk promotes itself as, “a cloud-based recreation software that radically simplifies the way recreation organizations work with and manage the information that is important to them.” The RecDesk software management system is focused on parks and recreation facilities, community recreation centers, churches, schools, or other activity-based community organizations.

RecDesk vs Exercise.com

RecDesk has a variety of features that a community recreation center or parks/recreation facility would find useful, like payment processing, class/facility scheduling, online registration, membership management, member check-ins, online forms and registration, point-of-sale, website, email marketing, and reporting.

Here’s where Exercise.com has you covered because we offer the scheduling, payment processing, websites, facility management, and reporting that RecDesk offers, plus many others to help fitness businesses manage their day-to-day operations.

The benefits of Exercise.com are numerous; here’s what Exercise.com users can expect with our software:

• Schedule appointments and classes
• Process payments securely and easily
• Online booking
• Staff roles and permissions
• Automated email and text reminders
• Endless integrations for your business
• Easy to use workout plan creator
• Deliver workouts for any scenario
• Client and trainer workout logging via the app
• Smart performance analysis made easy
• Enhance client retention
• Automated workout engagement
• Sell plans anywhere in the world
• Run workout challenges
• Put recurring workouts on autopilot
• Offer individual and custom workout programs
• Capture smart performance data
• Create custom client assessments

Unless otherwise stated, all images and reviews below are of/about Exercise.com’s All-In-One Fitness Business Management software platform.

Fitness Business Management Software

An all-in-one Fitness Business Management (FBM) software should have key features that provide all the features you need to successfully run and manage a business from your fingertips 24/7. Important FBM features include scheduling features, payment processing features, reporting, and alternate revenue streams.

RecDesk has scheduling options for classes and facilities, as well as online registration and payment processing. Facility management and reporting are two other solid functions that RecDesk offers to users. RecDesk also allows some automated features, like automatic payment processing and automatic email reminders for payments.

RecDesk does not offer dedicated Zapier support or a dedicated account manager like Exercise.com offers. With Exercise.com, you will find an all-in-one software option that can be used by managers, staff, employees, clients, and members. The features are endless to grow and manage your fitness business in a way that makes managing or running a successful business possible for anyone.

Client/Class Scheduling

RecDesk has features for scheduling classes, scheduling facilities, and a master calendar to view all daily, weekly, or monthly activities. Online registration allows members to schedule classes and facilities for convenience.

Exercise.com has features for class scheduling and calendars that would be useful for any fitness business. These features allow fitness professionals and personal trainers to set up availability on calendars and schedules so that clients and members can book and manage appointments, sessions, or classes from the mobile app or online dashboard. Clients can also get reminders and notifications for upcoming classes or appointments. Clients can sort calendars by trainer or location, as well as pay for classes or appointments directly from the mobile app or dashboard.

Gym/Facility Management

RecDesk has features that are focused on community recreation, like facility management, program management, financial management, and league management. There are a number of reports and online forms that can be generated based on those areas. RecDesk also has options for league management for sports teams and sports leagues.

Exercise.com provides options for generating reports on a variety of features, including revenue, classes, trainers, or other administrative reports. It’s also easy to set staff roles and permissions so each employee and staff member has access to the features they need.

Client Automation

RecDesk offers automatic payment reminders for members and automatic reservation confirmation emails when a member reserves a class, program, or facility. There are also options to set up automated membership renewal, automated target email marketing, and automated payment processing.

Exercise.com includes email, text, and mobile app reminders, but also includes options to automate workout and assessment information. For example, Exercise.com allows trainers and fitness professionals to:

• Automate Workout Delivery
• Automate Resource Delivery
• Automate Assessment Delivery

Dedicated Zapier Support

Exercise.com’s partnership with Zapier adds an exciting variety of extra options at your fingertips. Exercise.com gives clients a plethora of integrations – but, sometimes, you want a bit of a boost. Our partnership with Zapier allows you to, in Zapier’s words, “Integrate (link your web apps with a few clicks, so they can share data), Automate (pass info between your apps with workflows called Zaps), and Innovate (build processes faster and get more done – no code required).”

Part of this partnership includes dedicated Zapier support to help you through every step of the process. With over 2,000 apps to choose from, you can rest assured that your company’s website is as efficient and user-friendly as possible. Exercise.com maximizes this partnership with Zapier to give you all the integrations you need to successfully run and manage your fitness business.

Dedicated Account Manager

Another feature that sets Exercise.com apart from many other fitness business management software companies is our dedication to customer service and support. This is why we provide our clients with a dedicated account manager to help them through every step of the process.

If you want to redesign your website, your account manager at Exercise.com will get it done. If you want to set up an e-commerce store, your account manager won’t blink twice. Whatever you need, our world-class dev team is there to help!

Customized Software

Your fitness business management software should be customized to your preferences to showcase your business. Your website and mobile apps may be the first look that a potential client or customer has of your business, so you want it to stand out. Customization allows consistency among your software online dashboard, mobile apps, website, social media, and any marketing efforts.

Custom-Branded

Your software should match your branding, logo, colors, and verbiage. This consistency is what customers will recognize and will enable you to build brand loyalty.

RecDesk offers minimal customization options with the website builder. You can use custom backgrounds, color, and images in the RecDesk Community Portal, which houses the organization’s website. RecDesk does not offer mobile apps.

Exercise.com takes it a step further and offers full customization of mobile apps and websites. You will find the security features and marketing integrations to be helpful customizations to help you grow and manage your fitness business with Exercise.com.

iOS & Android Apps

RecDesk does not offer mobile apps with its software. 

Here’s where Exercise.com has you covered because Exercise.com has mobile apps for iOS and Android devices that include all of Exercise.com’s fitness business management features. Exercise.com also allows full customization of your mobile apps. Your clients and members can search for your business name in the iOS or Google Play store, not the name of a third-party app.

Websites

RecDesk offers a website with unlimited pages, online documents and forms, photo albums, calendars and schedules, and online reservations on their RecDesk Community Portal. Exercise.com allows full customization of your website. The best features that are offered for websites include:

• Responsive
• SEO optimized
• Unlimited theme changes
• Built to convert visitors to leads
• Custom graphic work
• Google Certified Partner

Security Features

In the days where we hear about cases of compromised data almost daily, it’s important to make sure your facility’s data and your clients’ data is safe and secure from hackers or data breaches. RecDesk offers safety and security by using Authorize.net for payment processing. Access to the RecDesk Director application is done exclusively over a secure channel (SSL) and the software does not store credit card information or social security numbers of members.

Exercise.com ensures the safety of your data with these important features:

• SSL Secure
• Privacy Shield Framework
• Google Cloud

Marketing Integrations

Marketing is an important component of any successful business. Social media, email, text messages, and notifications are great ways to stay in touch with your members and clients.

RecDesk has options for target member campaigns that can be automated and integration with Mandrill for bulk email marketing. Information can be uploaded to ConstantContact or Mailchimp for marketing newsletters.

Exercise.com takes it further for fitness businesses and understands the important role of marketing and provides integrations that help amp up your marketing efforts. Some of our more popular integrations include:

• MailChimp
• ConstantContact
• ConvertKit
• Zapier
• Google Analytics
• Facebook Pixel

Workout Software

Every fitness business needs workout software that enables them to help clients meet their health and fitness goals, plus grow their business with additional revenue streams. This workout software should have all the options you need to create and share workouts, the ability to train any type of client, and extra options to make workouts fun and motivating.

RecDesk has no workout software features. Exercise.com is more appropriate for fitness businesses with its variety of workout software options for fitness professionals and personal trainers.

Workout Creator/Logger

Exercise.com has awesome workout creation and delivery features that any fitness professional will regularly use. Our workout creator/logger provides users with endless possibilities for delivering workouts, tips, and encouragement to clients in any scenario, including one-on-one training, group training, or online training.

1-1 Training

One-on-one personal training is still the foundation of many personal trainers’ business success. Exercise.com makes it easy to train with any type of client one-on-one. This setting allows trainers to create an effective workout plan and develop a positive environment that enables clients to reach their health and fitness goals.

Group Training

Personal trainers and fitness professionals might also find success with group training sessions. If group fitness training is your focus, you can use any mobile device to create or view workouts with Exercise.com.

Trainers or group exercise instructors can follow along to stay on track when they are leading the class. Exercisers can view the workout plan if there are groups divided into smaller groups or taking the lead for certain parts of the workout. If you also have access to a television, you can show the workout plan broadcasted there.

For example, if you are leading a core strengthening and stability workout, you could have the workout pulled up on a few mobile devices around the room for either you to view or for the clients to work out with a partner. You can also broadcast the workout plan for everyone to see on the bigger television monitors.

Online Training

Online training is a great way to grow your business for a number of reasons. For one, you can train your current face-to-face clients if they are out of town on business or traveling on a vacation. Second, you can add new clients to your client base no matter where they are located. Third, it gives you more flexibility for training clients in a hybrid format, partially online and partially face-to-face.

Exercise.com works with you to allow you to train clients one-on-one, in groups, online, or hybrid. All of these options give you a ton of flexibility to maximize your time and revenue.

Exercise Library

Exercise.com includes an exercise library, which is an important component of any workout software. An exercise library includes instructions, descriptions, videos, photos, or tips that help exercisers understand how to complete an exercise or movement with good form and technique. This full exercise library includes options to build various workouts with intervals, sets, pyramids, supersets, or other functions.

Personal trainers and fitness professionals can use exercise libraries to design workouts and help their clients fully understand how to do an exercise correctly, what muscles are being worked, and tips to make the most of the exercise or movement.

RecDesk does not have any features that allow users to create or access an exercise library.

Custom Exercises

Exercise.com allows you to add custom exercises so you have everything you need at your fingertips to design and deliver the most effective workouts for your clients to help them meet their health and fitness goals. Custom exercises can include common modifications that you use with clients or your favorite combination exercises, like a squat with a shoulder press. You can add your own videos or photos featuring your staff and trainers.

TV Workouts

Exercise.com provides clients with the ability to watch demos of the exercises within their workout plans on television screens; gyms can also use the exercise library to cast exercise demos onto gym television screens during group classes or one-on-one training sessions. You can also stream the workout plan on a screen for group training sessions.

E-Commerce Software

E-commerce features are a key component of any fitness business management software. The e-commerce features provided by RecDesk include safe and secure payment processing and the ability to offer point-of-sale options through the website.

Exercise.com provides fitness businesses with e-commerce options to enhance or add additional revenue streams. Our e-commerce software features safe and secure payment processing, the ability to sell your retail or other products, and options to sell memberships, packages, or sessions. You can also sell workout challenges, membership plans, or workouts online.

Payment Processing

Both RecDesk and Exercise.com offer safe and secure payment processing. RecDesk uses Authorize.net as a primary gateway for payment processing, with secondary options like PayPal Payment Pro available as well. RecDesk has automatic payment options as well as automatic emails to members when a payment is due.

Exercise.com offers similar payment processing options. Members and clients can pay via credit card through the mobile app or online dashboard. Payments can also be collected in-person to be entered into the software as well.

Sell Products

RecDesk and Exercise.com both allow you to sell products and track inventory. RecDesk includes a full-featured point-of-sale that allows for sales of miscellaneous items at concession stands/remote locations or in-house. You can create your own categories to organize saleable items (beverages, food, clothing, etc).

Exercise.com allows you to sell your own products online, like fitness apparel or other products. This is a great opportunity to generate extra revenue and build brand loyalty with apparel featuring your logo or fitness business branding.

Sell Workout Plans

Exercise.com allows you to design and customize workout plans that you can then sell via the mobile app or website. Let’s say you created a successful 10k training plan for beginners and want to share it with more clients than just locally. Exercise.com makes it easy for you to sell this customized plan and create an additional revenue stream for your business.

Offer Online Workout Memberships

Online workout memberships are a great way to grow your business. Exercise enthusiasts may have access to a gym in their home when they are self-quarantined or may travel for business with access to a hotel gym. You might have busy moms who have time for a quick workout from home but are unable to travel to a gym for a one-on-one workout session.

If you have a great reputation in the fitness industry, you may want to take that to the next level by marketing yourself, your skills, and your knowledge online outside of your local area. Exercise.com gives you the ability to grow your online clientele by giving you the option to offer online workout memberships. Any personal trainer can and should take advantage of this feature to try something new and build your business.

Sell Workout Challenges

Workout challenges are an excellent way to motivate members, enhance loyalty, and generate additional revenue for your business. Workout challenges among exercise enthusiasts create an environment of healthy competition and motivate exercisers to meet their individual fitness goals. Exercise.com provides the option of creating workout challenges for participants near and far.

Personal trainers and fitness professionals can create regular workout challenges that can occur monthly, a few times a year, or any time you desire. You can also determine the duration of the workout challenges to be four weeks, six weeks, or any length you choose.

Let’s say you have a good online following on Instagram and Twitter. You could create a workout challenge in the spring to get everyone ready for summertime. Or you could create a six-week competition at the beginning of the fall and have members set goals before the busy holiday season.

Performance Health Software

Performance health assessments are an important tool for personal trainers and fitness professionals. Who wants to use another software or conduct them with pen and paper? That’s the old-fashioned way.

There are online tools to help you with conducting and using assessments, but who has time to use different websites to keep track of all of that information for your clients? Exercise.com has robust performance health assessment features. Performance health assessment software should allow you to:

• Turn leads into clients
• Engage clients through assessments
• Gather baseline data about clients
• Plan effective fitness programs to help clients meet their health and fitness goals
• Track measurement data, injuries, etc.
• Optimize the delivery of personalized workouts and nutrition
• Use to compare to normative data of similar age and sex

RecDesk does not have any performance health assessment features. 

Assessments

Assessments can be used for a variety of reasons to help determine a baseline, to increase motivation, as a comparison to fitness norms, and to enhance loyalty. Assessments are used to test various fitness aspects, like cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, balance, stability, and body composition.

You can use the results of those assessments to get a baseline measurement of your client’s current level of fitness, which can be used to plan an appropriate exercise program that also uses progressive overload to see results from their hard work. The assessment results can be compared to normative values that represent different levels of fitness for a comparable age and sex.

Performance & Measurement Reports

Performance assessment reports are important to determine if there has been any progress over time toward goals. RecDesk does not have any reports available for performance and measurement reports. Exercise.com makes it easy for you to set up delivery of these reports to share information with your clients either manually or automatically.

Let’s say you conducted a push-up assessment with your client when they started their workout program with you and they were able to do 10 push-ups in one minute. After working out consistently for six months, you do the push-up assessment with them again. This time they are able to do 20 push-ups. With this assessment, you and your client can see the improvement in their muscular endurance within the six-month time frame.

You could look at similar improvements in aerobic fitness, body composition, muscular strength, balance, flexibility, stability, or other sport-specific fitness measurements.

Nutrition

Nutrition is a key component of any health and fitness program. If a client is working hard during their personal training sessions but does not have good eating habits, it will slow their progress. By using a diet tracker like MyFitnessPal, personal trainers using Exercise.com can view their clients’ nutrition and can make basic recommendations for them to improve their eating habits.

RecDesk Pricing

All features of RecDesk are included with all pricing structures. The pricing is based on the population size for parks and recreation facilities and on membership size for churches, community organizations, and nonprofits.

The prices are based on an annual subscription price but organizations are charged a monthly rate based on that annual rate. See the table below for pricing.

There are no startup or setup fees. These prices include the first $500,000 worth of revenue processed through the system.

RecDesk Software Competitors

Competitors of RecDesk include EZFacility, CommunityPass, CivicRec, SmartRec, Cogran, and Aspira.

The Bottom Line: Pros and Cons

RecDesk seems like a good software option for parks and recreation departments, community recreation centers, and other community-based activity organizations. It is missing the features that fitness-focused businesses, fitness professionals, and personal trainers would benefit from using in their daily activities. RecDesk has a specific niche for recreation facilities and similar organizations.

RecDesk Cons

One of the main cons of RecDesk is that it does not have mobile app capabilities. Members and clients will have to book classes, sessions, or facilities via the website. Having a mobile app at the touch of your fingers is much more convenient than pulling up a website or waiting until you are in front of a laptop.

The other cons of RecDesk are the missing features that would be useful to fitness businesses. There are no workout creation and delivery features or an exercise library for personal trainers to use to create workouts for their clients. Facilities can set up point-of-sale, but there are no options for online workout memberships or selling workout plans online.

RecDesk is also missing performance health assessment features, nutrition tracking, and some of the dedicated support features that Exercise.com offers.

Exercise.com Pros

Exercise.com truly is an all-in-one fitness business management software that will help you manage and grow every aspect of your business. Investing in a reputable and effective fitness business management software is an investment in your business.

You can build your client base locally, nationally, or even internationally with the e-commerce and workout creation/delivery features. You can enhance client loyalty with performance assessments, mobile apps, workout creation/delivery, and e-commerce features. Exercise.com makes your life and your clients’ lives happier and healthier.

This comparison has described the all-in-one software features of Exercise.com. Which features would be most helpful to you?

Ready to schedule a demo to get a visual picture of all the features of Exercise.com? Click here to get started.