Softwr

Scheduling · head to head

Picktime vs Zen Planner

Picktime logo

Picktime

Scheduling

Appointment, class and resource booking with an unusually capable free tier

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zen Planner logo

Zen Planner

Sports

Member management for fitness businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Picktime has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Picktime the Pro plan is cheaper per user than Starter because it is sold in a ten user block, so a business with four or five staff pays more per head than a business with ten and has no tier that fits it well.; Zen Planner limited staff app features compared to desktop version
  • They diverge on capability: Picktime covers Free tier with three staff, Zen Planner covers Member management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Picktime and Zen Planner differ
AttributePicktimeZen Planner
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelPer user per monthUnknown
Free tierYesNo
CategorySchedulingSports
FoundedUnknown2006

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Picktime

  • Free tier with three staff
  • Resource booking
  • Class and course booking
  • SMS reminders
  • Two way calendar sync
  • Payments
  • Multilingual booking pages
  • Booking approval

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.

Picktime

  • A public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at allnot Zen Planner
  • A two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a monthnot Zen Planner
  • A community centre running classes with capacity limits and a waitlist across two venuesnot Zen Planner
  • A small salon that wants staff and chair availability booked together rather than assuming every stylist has a stationnot Zen Planner

Zen Planner

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

Where each one falls short

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

Picktime

  • The Pro plan is cheaper per user than Starter because it is sold in a ten user block, so a business with four or five staff pays more per head than a business with ten and has no tier that fits it well.
  • SMS is only on paid plans and the free tier is email only, so the no cost option loses the single feature that most reduces no shows.
  • Reporting is limited to basic booking counts and revenue totals, so any business that wants utilisation by resource, staff productivity or cohort retention will be exporting data and analysing it elsewhere.
  • Integrations beyond calendar, payments and Zapier are sparse, with no native connection to mainstream CRM or practice management systems, meaning customer data lives in a second silo that someone reconciles manually.
  • Support is email only with no phone or guaranteed response time, which is acceptable at three dollars a user but a genuine risk if the booking page goes down on a trading day.

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

Picktime

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Three staff members
    • Two locations and three resources
    • Unlimited appointments
  • Starter$3/month
    • Per user, billed annually
    • Three staff and two locations
    • SMS notifications and reminders
  • Pro$2.25/month
    • Per user, billed annually, minimum ten users
    • Unlimited locations
    • Customisable emails

Zen Planner

$99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Zen Planner review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Picktime if

  • You need free tier with three staff.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want resource booking.
Picktime 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 Picktime or Zen Planner better?
Neither clearly leads. Picktime starts at Free and Zen Planner at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Picktime or Zen Planner?
Picktime has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Picktime and $99/month for Zen Planner.
Does Picktime or Zen Planner run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Picktime for free?
Yes. Picktime has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zen Planner starts at $99/month.
What is Picktime best used for?
Picktime is most often used for a public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at all, a two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a month, a community centre running classes with capacity limits and a waitlist across two venues, a small salon that wants staff and chair availability booked together rather than assuming every stylist has a station. Of those, a public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at all and a two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a month are not what Zen Planner is typically brought in for.
What can Picktime do that Zen Planner cannot?
Picktime covers Free tier with three staff, Resource booking, Class and course booking, SMS reminders. Zen Planner covers Member management, Automated billing, Class scheduling, Workout tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Picktime: Is the free plan actually usable long term?

Yes. It allows three staff, two locations and unlimited appointments permanently. The main limits are no SMS and PayPal only for payments.

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
Picktime: Can it book rooms and equipment?

Yes. Resources are first class objects and can be booked alongside or independently of staff.

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
Picktime: Why does Pro cost less per user than Starter?

Pro is priced for a block of ten users. Below that headcount the per user rate on Starter is what you pay.

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
Picktime: Does it take card payments?

Stripe and Square on paid plans; the free plan supports PayPal only.

Share

Related pages

More on Picktime

More on Zen Planner

Keep looking

Other head to heads