Softwr

Sports · head to head

Catapult vs Zen Planner

Catapult logo

Catapult

Sports

Wearable athlete tracking and video analysis for professional teams, with indoor sport needing separate hardware

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zen Planner logo

Zen Planner

Sports

Member management for fitness businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Catapult satellite positioning does not work indoors, so arena sports must buy a local positioning system with anchor units installed in the venue, which is a capital project priced far above the outdoor product.; Zen Planner limited staff app features compared to desktop version
  • They diverge on capability: Catapult covers Vector wearables, Zen Planner covers Member management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Catapult and Zen Planner actually diverge.

Attributes where Catapult and Zen Planner differ
AttributeCatapultZen Planner
Starting priceOn request$99/month
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2006

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Sports).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Catapult

  • Vector wearables
  • Training load analysis
  • Local positioning system
  • Video analysis
  • Weight room monitoring
  • Athlete management integration

Only in Zen Planner

  • Member management
  • Automated billing
  • Class scheduling
  • Workout tracking
  • Marketing tools
  • Stripe
  • Mailchimp
  • SugarWOD

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Catapult

  • A professional football or rugby club managing training load across a squad through a congested fixture listnot Zen Planner
  • A national team programme that needs consistent workload data across athletes who play for different clubsnot Zen Planner
  • A college programme with a sports science department that will act on readiness data rather than file itnot Zen Planner
  • An indoor sport organisation prepared to fund a venue installation to get positional data where satellite tracking failsnot Zen Planner

Zen Planner

  • Workout trackingnot Catapult
  • Nutrition managementnot Catapult
  • Health monitoringnot Catapult
  • Fitness coachingnot Catapult
  • Wellness improvementnot Catapult

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Catapult

  • Satellite positioning does not work indoors, so arena sports must buy a local positioning system with anchor units installed in the venue, which is a capital project priced far above the outdoor product.
  • Contracts are typically multi-year with hardware bundled into the subscription, so the annual figure understates the commitment and early exit does not recover the hardware.
  • The data is only useful with a qualified sports scientist to interpret it; programmes that buy the vests without the staff get expensive attendance records instead of workload management.
  • Raw data access and export are limited relative to what research-minded departments want, so bespoke analysis often depends on what the vendor chooses to expose.
  • Cost puts it out of reach of amateur and school sport entirely, and the venue dependency for indoor tracking means the system is tied to a building rather than to the team.

Zen Planner

  • Limited staff app features compared to desktop version
  • System crashes and occasional bugs reported by users
  • Integration difficulties with certain third-party platforms
  • Customers report continued charges after completed cancellation

Pricing, plan by plan

Catapult

On request
  • Catapult Vector$undefined/year
    • Quoted per athlete with hardware bundled into a multi-year term
    • Outdoor satellite positioning only
    • Analysis software and support included
  • Catapult Indoor Tracking$undefined/year
    • Requires anchor units installed in the venue
    • Capital installation cost in addition to the subscription
    • Priced well above the outdoor product
  • Catapult Video$undefined/year
    • Coded match and training video
    • Quoted per organisation
    • Sold separately from athlete monitoring

Zen Planner

$99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Zen Planner review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Catapult if

  • You need vector wearables.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want training load analysis.
Catapult review

Choose Zen Planner if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automated billing.
Zen Planner review

Questions people ask

Is Catapult or Zen Planner better?
Neither clearly leads. Catapult starts at On request and Zen Planner at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Catapult or Zen Planner?
Catapult starts at On request and Zen Planner at $99/month.
Does Catapult or Zen Planner run on more platforms?
Catapult runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows. Zen Planner runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Catapult best used for?
Catapult is most often used for a professional football or rugby club managing training load across a squad through a congested fixture list, a national team programme that needs consistent workload data across athletes who play for different clubs, a college programme with a sports science department that will act on readiness data rather than file it, an indoor sport organisation prepared to fund a venue installation to get positional data where satellite tracking fails. Of those, a professional football or rugby club managing training load across a squad through a congested fixture list and a national team programme that needs consistent workload data across athletes who play for different clubs are not what Zen Planner is typically brought in for.
What can Catapult do that Zen Planner cannot?
Catapult covers Vector wearables, Training load analysis, Local positioning system, Video analysis. Zen Planner covers Member management, Automated billing, Class scheduling, Workout tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Catapult: Does it work indoors?

Not the satellite-based Vector product. Indoor sports need the local positioning system, which requires anchor units installed in the venue and costs considerably more.

Zen Planner: Does Zen Planner have a free tier?

No, Zen Planner does not offer a free tier. Pricing starts at $99 per month with no free trial mentioned in their standard offerings.

Source
Catapult: Is the hardware bought or leased?

It is normally bundled into a multi-year subscription. Ask what happens to the units at the end of the term and what an early exit costs.

Zen Planner: Can Zen Planner integrate with ClassPass?

Yes. ClassPass seamlessly integrates with Zen Planner, allowing gyms to sync their schedule and avoid overbooking when offering ClassPass to members.

Source
Catapult: Do we need a sports scientist?

Effectively yes. Without someone to interpret load and readiness data and a coaching staff willing to change sessions because of it, the investment does not return anything.

Zen Planner: Does Zen Planner work with SugarWOD?

Yes. Zen Planner integrates with SugarWOD, making it a popular choice for CrossFit gym owners who want to manage both WOD tracking and gym operations in one system.

Source
Catapult: How does it compare with a chest strap or a watch?

Those give heart rate and little else. Catapult adds positional, acceleration and collision data, which is what distinguishes training load work from fitness tracking.

Share

Related pages

More on Catapult

More on Zen Planner

Keep looking

Other head to heads