Exercise.com: Your Chalkbucket Labs Alternative

Why Choose Exercise.com?

Here are five reasons why fitness professionals use Exercise.com vs. Chalkbucket Labs.

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If you’re ready to get started with an easy-to-navigate, all-in-one fitness software, designed to fuel your business, request a demo with Exercise.com today.

And, if you want to see how Chalkbucket Labs’s additional features stack up to Exercise.com software features, check out our in-depth guide below.

What is Chalkbucket Labs?

Established in 2013, Chalkbucket Labs is a software company designed to help gyms of all fitness levels achieve better customer service and experience. Chalkbucket Labs is for CrossFit, Gymnastics, Obstacle Training, Weightlifting, Benchmarks, and Customizable Workouts, and uses a wide range of tools such as automation, performance, and scheduling to manage clients and business.

Chalkbucket Labs has an impressive feature list that makes it competitive with many fitness software companies. However, Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t have all of the features of Exercise.com.

Additionally, as of the date of this writing, there are no reviews for Chalkbucket Labs on software review sites such as Capterra or GetApp. Chalkbucket Labs appears to not have updated its software or website since 2016. There are no new social media posts on Facebook or Twitter since June 2017. This lack of social media presence or customer engagement is puzzling, especially for a company that has been around for over seven years.

In general, Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t provide descriptions of their features; it merely states that it provides the listed features. Chalkbucket Labs relies heavily on potential customers scheduling a demo, and as a result, there isn’t much information available for an adequate comparison. Because there isn’t much information on Chalkbucket Labs, we will mainly focus on how Exercise.com is your all-in-one Gym Management Software.

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

Fitness Business Management Software

Fitness centers are a fast-paced environment. You need a reliable, portable, convenient business management software that does all the small tasks for you so that you can stay engaged with your staff and customers.

Chalkbucket Labs promises to meet these needs with automated services, scheduling, and renewals. But as you’ll see below, the Exercise.com business management software platform meets these needs in a more comprehensive way.

Client/Class Scheduling

Chalkbucket Labs advertises class scheduling and attendance tracking features but gives no descriptions of how these are accomplished or laid out.

Scheduling is a crucial aspect of your business! Not only does your staff use your scheduler frequently, but it’s also one of the functions your customers interact with the most. If your scheduler is not organized and understandable, your business will suffer.

With Exercise.com, you get a top-rated scheduler that is fully customizable to your needs and preferences, making our scheduler easy to use for both staff and customers. Customers can effortlessly view your schedule, book an appointment or class, and receive automatic reminders via text or email. Plus, our calendar syncs with Apple and Google calendars, and booking can take place on any device.

Gym/Facility Management

Chalkbucket Labs states they have management tools and reporting but no specific information could be found.

On the other hand, Exercise.com gives you every tool you need to effectively run your business. With our software, you can track expenses, communicate with clients, track members’ and staff data and stats, and more! Plus, you’re able to do it all from one designated dashboard that you can customize to your preferences.

Business Dashboard Reports

Chalkbucket Labs has three groups for dashboard reports: new membership leads, gym staff, and current members. This is where staff can keep up-to-date data on signed waivers. Additionally, there is a Financial Reporting and Analytics Dashboard and an Attendance Reports Dashboard.

With Exercise.com, you don’t have to switch between five dashboards to get a snapshot of your business. The Exercise.com software includes one fully customizable dashboard to display all your most frequented reports. We have dozens of reports for revenue, workouts, staff, e-commerce commissions, and client stats. Plus we offer customized reports so you can analyze your business from every angle.

Client Automation

The only automation features Chalkbucket Labs includes are automated email, SMS text messaging, and billing.

Exercise.com also does automated email, SMS text messaging, and billing, but we go beyond standard customer reminders and automate fitness-specific services that eat away at your productivity such as:

• Automatic emails for recurring appointments, classes, or customized messages
• Deliver workouts and resources automatically
• Customize and automate reminders, alerts, and notifications to be sent through your app, text, or email
• Automatically send nutrition plans and assessments

Dedicated Zapier Support

Exercise.com provides our clients with dozens of integrations, but sometimes you need an extra boost. Exercise.com partners with Zapier so your web apps can automatically share data for increased business efficiency. Zapier has over 2,000 apps to choose from so your business runs efficiently and delivers a positive, personalized customer experience every time. Best of all, Zapier guides you through every step of the process!

This beneficial feature is not included with Chalkbucket Labs and is only available with Exercise.com.

Dedicated Account Manager

Chalkbucket Labs offers standard customer support through email and phone. But Exercise.com takes customer service very seriously, so we give you a dedicated account manager. Your account manager guides you through the creation and set-up of your custom-branded app and website, plus is there to assist, alter, or troubleshoot anything with your account at any time in the future!

Your account manager can redesign your website to fit your changing needs, set up an ecommerce store, add other integrations, and so much more! From the mundane to the complex, we have you covered.

Customized Software

Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t have customized software, and there aren’t any features that can be custom-branded. Further, Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t offer a customer app, which is the primary way customers expect to engage with your brand. This detracts from your business, diminishes a personalized fitness experience, and can promote attrition.

On the other hand, Exercise.com software celebrates your brand by personalizing a custom website and app for your business. Your brand is front and center with personalized communication and ecommerce features so your customers are constantly engaged with your business!

Custom-Branded

As stated above, Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t have any custom branding options. This means your customers will be engaged with Chalkbucket Labs’ brand, not yours. This is a missed opportunity for your business!

At Exercise.com, we’re proud to support and celebrate your brand. We enable you to completely personalize your business platform. Your members download your gym’s app so they can have access to all of your resources, promotions, and policies. Your platform is designed for your business, so you decide what gets featured!

iOS & Android Apps

Chalkbucket Labs allows mobile access to its software by using a webpage but doesn’t have an iOS or Android app. While it’s good to have some mobile access to the software, it’s not ideal. Customers and trainers expect to have the features, convenience, and functionality of an app.

With Exercise.com, you receive a custom-branded app that can be easily searched and downloaded in any app store, which makes your business and brand accessible to everyone and increases customer engagement. Additionally, reminders, notifications, alerts, workouts, resources, assessments, and more can be delivered automatically through your app.

Websites

Chalkbucket Labs allows website integration but does not support custom website creation. This leaves you to create and maintain your own business website.

But with Exercise.com, we build a custom-branded website for you! Our secure, SEO-optimized website converts visitors to leads and keeps members engaged with your brand. Create and personalize your website with unlimited theme changes, custom graphic work, colors, features, custom dev, and more.

Security Features

Chalkbucket Labs states they take proper measures to secure customer data (but remain unspecific as to how) and uses Bluefin Payment Systems.

Exercise.com provides the highest standard of security for payment processing and storing clients’ health information. Our websites and apps are SSL Secure, client information is protected with the internationally-secure Privacy Shield Framework, and we utilize Google Cloud for storing and transferring data. Payments are made and processed through Stripe.

Marketing Integrations

Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t have any marketing integrations to promote your brand. This puts your business at a distinct disadvantage to your competitors.

Exercise.com knows the importance of marketing integrations, so our software integrates with an abundance of popular integrations such as:

• MailChimp
• ConstantContact
• ConvertKit
• Zapier
• Google Analytics
• Facebook Pixel
• And more!

We can integrate with just about every program, making Exercise.com one of the most versatile and valuable fitness management platforms around.

Workout Software

As a fitness center, you need more than business management software–you need business management software that makes workouts, assessments, nutrition, and other fitness-related tasks easy to assign and track.

Chalkbucket Labs has a workout builder, customizable leaderboard, workout logs, and a coaching board. However, Chalkbucket Labs gives no specifics about these features, and no information could be found on other review sites.

Since we know very little about Chalkbucket Labs’s workout software, let’s focus on how the workout software from Exercise.com has dozens of ways to keep your members motivated and coming back for more!

Workout Creator/Logger

Chalkbucket Labs states they have a workout creator and logger but there is no information about how this is accomplished. Further, Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t mention an exercise library, which indicates that workout creation could be cumbersome (trainers must find YouTube videos to match exercises) or one-dimensional (limited to photos or descriptions instead of videos).

With Exercise.com, trainers can easily create engaging workout programs using our extensive exercise library. Select pre-designed workouts or individual exercises to assign to each client. This gives the customer a personalized experience while keeping your trainers productive! Clients can then view and log their workout anytime, anywhere, and communicate with their trainer using your custom-branded app. To top it off, client progress is easily tracked.

Exercise.com knows that every trainer-client relationship is different, so our workout creator/logger provides users with endless possibilities for delivering workouts, tips, and encouragement to clients in any scenario, including:

1-1 Training

This traditional form of training is still popular at every gym. The Exercise.com software helps trainers juggle multiple clients and keeps your clients laser-focused on their fitness success. Workouts are easy for trainers to create and clients to log anytime, anywhere for better program adherence.

Group Training

Exercise.com helps you utilize the motivation of community through group training. Trainers can use the same tools as 1-1 training to run a group by assigning exercises, providing resources, and giving support.

Online Training

Online training is becoming increasingly popular, and Exercise.com allows you can capitalize on this business opportunity by providing online training services. Trainers can stay in constant communication with clients via the app for increased customer satisfaction!

Exercise Library

Exercise.com provides an extensive library of educational and instructional exercise videos that can be used to build customized workouts for clients. Our professional videos give clear instructions on proper form and technique.

This is a feature unique to Exercise.com and is not included with Chalkbucket Labs.

Custom Exercises

In addition to Exercise.com’s extensive exercise library, we also enable you to upload your own custom exercises or merge with your YouTube or Vimeo accounts. This adds a personalized touch to your workouts and promotes your brand!

TV Workouts

With Exercise.com’s videos, you can cast exercise demos onto a gym television screen during group classes or 1-1 training sessions. This is yet another way Exercise.com promotes personalization so many customers are looking for!

Ecommerce Software

While gym memberships and personal training are crucial to fitness centers, ecommerce is becoming more and more essential to fitness business growth. Chalkbucket Labs states they have payment processing, a POS system, but is very vague about other ecommerce opportunities. Without a variety of ecommerce options, customers may find the products they’re looking for elsewhere.

On the other hand, Exercise.com has all the capabilities to support and grow your business through ecommerce. We have endless ecommerce capabilities with the option of personalizing ecommerce products to fit your brand. Keep reading to learn just a few ways Exercise.com grows your business through ecommerce!

Payment Processing

Chalkbucket Labs uses Bluefin Payment Systems, and Exercise.com uses Stripe. Your customers can be assured that payments and personal information are secure with Stripe.

Sell Products

The Chalkbucket Labs software comes with a free POS reader and application by Bluefin and can be used to sell products, apparel, supplements, and more. However, the POS reader can only be used to sell products in-person and can’t be used to sell online products.

With Exercise.com, you can sell anything online and in-person, such as workout gear, supplements, and nutrition bars. Boost your brand and advertise your business with custom apparel, bumper stickers, water bottles, and more, that your members can use in the community to creatively advertise your business.

Sell Workout Plans

The Exercise.com ecommerce software allows you to create and sell your own workout plans so you can directly compete with trending workout plans that might take customers away from your business. We don’t have a cap on how many plans you can sell, so there’s no limit to your potential profit!

Offer Online Workout Memberships

Many customers are willing to pay extra for highly-personalized workouts. Exercise.com allows you to meet this need by creating customized workouts in advance and deliver these automatically so your client always has a new workout to perform at their location of choice. This saves you time, increases customer satisfaction, and boosts your revenue!

Sell Workout Challenges

Workout challenges are a fun way to engage gym members and promote your brand. With Exercise.com’s customizable and automated software platform, running a workout challenge is an effortless way to boost revenue and encourage a positive gym culture. All you have to do is award the winner!

Chalkbucket Labs has a customizable leadership board, but this isn’t the same as a workout challenge, nor does it allow the customizable features of Exercise.com’s workout challenges.

Health and Fitness Assessment Software

Like workout software, health and fitness assessment software is what sets Exercise.com apart from generic business software. Trainers rely on the data derived from these assessments to create an effective workout program for their clients, and clients are motivated by tracking their progress over time.

Chalkbucket Labs has a few assessments but doesn’t match Exercise.com’s comprehensive and customizable assessments.

Assessments

Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t have standard or customizable assessments. This puts your trainers (and clients!) at a major disadvantage because assessments must either come from another software or in paper format. This disordered system makes it harder to organize assessments by client and track progress.

With Exercise.com, your trainers have access to a full range of standard and customized assessments. These are conveniently stored on your app for easy access by trainers and clients.

Performance & Measurement Reports

Chalkbucket Labs is limited to personal record tracking, benchmarks testing, and performance reports.

But Exercise.com has dozens of standard and customizable performance and measurement reports so trainers can provide a personalized fitness experience. Additionally, we provide personalized interactions that keep your customers engaged and motivated on their fitness journey, such as workout reminders, goal achievements, recurring assessments, progress photos, measurements, and more–all automatically! This increases customer engagement without adding extra managerial tasks.

Nutrition

Every trainer knows that training isn’t complete without solid nutrition. Many clients need guidance and accountability when it comes to this area, so it’s crucial that your software includes nutrition tracking. Unfortunately, Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t offer a nutrition tracker, nor does it integrate with one.

Exercise.com seamlessly integrates with MyFitnessPal, a top user-friendly nutrition tracker. Clients can easily log their dietary intake and trainers can view their entries and analyze whether clients prioritize pre and/or post-workout meals. This keeps clients on track to meet their fitness goals and improves customer satisfaction.

Chalkbucket Labs Pricing

Chalkbucket Labs has a basic three-tiered pricing plan, as detailed below:

• Kickstart: $49/month for up to 25 members
• Standard: $109/month for unlimited members
• Business: $129/month for unlimited members plus WordPress and ecommerce integrations

Chalkbucket Labs states that all features are included with any plan, but they make it clear that only the Business plan has WordPress and ecommerce integrations. It’s uncertain whether other features are withheld under the Kickstart and/or Standard plans.

Finally, you can save $10/month by subscribing to a yearly rather than monthly plan.

Chalkbucket Labs Alternatives

Chalkbucket Labs has the following software alternatives:

And of course, Exercise.com!

The Bottom Line: Pros and Cons

On the surface, Chalkbucket Labs appears to check many of the boxes to manage a fitness facility, but is it the best software for your business? Let’s examine the most pressing points below.

Chalkbucket Labs Cons

There are a few immediate concerns to Chalkbucket Labs, namely that it appears the software and website hasn’t been updated in years. This could impact your business as your software wouldn’t have the same capabilities as a newer, updated software.

There is very little information regarding the specifics of its features, so you must schedule a demo in order to know more about this software.

Chalkbucket Labs doesn’t include a website or app creation, lacks in business management and ecommerce tools, and is incomplete with workout and assessment software. Overall, Chalkbucket Labs can’t compete with the comprehensive software of Exercise.com.

Exercise.com Pros

Exercise.com is an all-in-one business management platform that is custom-made for your fitness business. We promote your brand through a fully customizable app, business management software, website, workout and assessment software, and more! With the addition of countless marketing integrations, automated services, ecommerce opportunities, and more, your business is bound to succeed!

If you’re looking for an alternative to Chalkbucket Labs and are ready to grow and manage your business with fully customizable software, book a demo with Exercise.com.