Fitness Stakeholders Say All-in-One Software Isn’t Enough Anymore

Industry leaders tend to agree that more flexible software systems, primarily those with open APIs, create the greater advantage in today’s fitness landscape

Not too long ago, the term “one-size-fits-all” carried a positive connotation. Products that promised to work for everyone were seen as innovative and worth investing in. Today, however, they’re falling out of favor, and especially quickly when it comes to fitness software. 

At the ATN Innovation Summit 2026, Al Noshirvani, executive chairman at AltaDX; Zakaria Mansour, co-founder and CEO of bsport; Travis Shannon, chief technology officer of Hapana; Jeff Sanders, chief growth officer at Energy Fitness; and Mike Neff, executive vice president at Crunch Fitness, met to discuss why more flexible systems, primarily those with open APIs, create the greater advantage. 

Energy’s Sanders cited the increased competition in the fitness industry and how it catalyzed this move toward open API systems. Saturation led consumers to develop more distinct and sophisticated demands, which forced the software to adapt in response. 

“In the beginning, it was just about checking in, paying a bill and having a good workout,” Sanders said. “As the members and customers start looking for more — things like personalization — the software has ramped up to keep up with them. They’ve done a great job at that, and I think it’s going to continue to get more complex.”

The panelists identified alignment between programs and services as a vital element in today’s industry, both to meet modern consumer demands and spur general functionality. It’s especially crucial regarding payments, they collectively said.

“You have to make sure that architecture is built properly,” Crunch’s Neff said. “There are a lot of customizations that we have to do, such as integrations to mobile, web and third-party apps, to ensure that we drive all transaction volume through one core system. Otherwise, you don’t even want to talk to your finance department on a Monday morning when you’re trying to reconcile from three different billing systems.”

“That is the one core piece that must be stable,” Hapana’s Shannon added. “It must be right, and the more that you change and mess with that component, the more risk.”

Alignment is something all-in-one programs often fail to establish or maintain. When everything is internalized, these systems remain effective. However, once you need to “bolt on” other pieces, things can easily fall out of sync. 

“The data doesn’t flow and doesn’t connect well,” Sanders said. “It becomes an issue for us on reporting and setting up automations… We have to start looking at ‘all-in-one’ as ‘having everything you need in one, and looking at what you can work with outside of that.’ That evolution of thinking is what operators have to start becoming honest with themselves about.”

AI and the “build vs buy” dynamic were primary topics during the conversation. AltaDX’s Noshirvani noted that he’s even heard tell of consumers who’ve built their own AI programs to create online bookings. bsport’s Mansour advised against that and other build-over-buy instances, though he did acknowledge they’re helping to push fitness software brands forward. 

“What we see is that at scale and in production, it doesn’t work yet,” Mansour said. “Our job is being challenged. Now, customers are asking much more from the operating system, not just to be a system of recall, but a system of action. That’s the new challenge today for us.” 

On the topic of buying vs building, Shannon praised AI for its ability to make building easier. Nevertheless, Sanders cautioned against jumping too quickly into either option from a gym brand perspective. 

“What will be difficult is finding what makes sense,” he said. “Too often, we rush in to buy or build without really sitting down and thinking about it. We listen to the loudest member, who happens to be what we call the ‘squeaky wheel effect,’ and we think we have to provide a solution for that, but that’s not the volume of members that want it.”