I absolutely hate working out and that exorbitantly priced barre class that I want to go for is not making things easier. I mean, come on – how can it be that $35 can buy me 3 super satisfying meals at McDonalds, but only 1 hour of exercise?!
So yes, as an incredibly lazy (yet vain) girl who struggles to keep fit, I genuinely appreciate the existence of fitness passes. I love that their business strategy is to force me to pay first and hope that I never make it to enough classes to make my money’s worth. Because this way, I will actually try to prove them wrong and do my best to hit the studio after work and/or on weekends.
If you’re a fellow lazy girl who’s just trying to do better, here’s an overview of GuavaPass, KFit and ClassPass.
Update [8 Jan 2019]: ClassPass has acquired GuavaPass! The latter will cease to exist in Singapore from 15 Jan 2019. Good game, GuavaPass…
KFit vs ClassPass (ex-GuavaPass) at a glance
| KFit | ClassPass | |
| Free trial? | No | Yes, 45 credits free |
| Monthly subscription fee for class package | $129 for 10 classes | $59 for 25 credits / $99 for 45 credits / $185 for 85 credits / $315 for 150 credits (1 class = approx. 10 credits) |
| Price per class (based on above) | $12.90 | Varies due to dynamic pricing, approx. $20 |
| Any unlimited monthly subscription? | No | No |
| Pausing membership | Yes, cancel for free | No, need to cancel and reactivate at $79 |
| No. of partner studios | 613 | 244 (should increase, assuming they take over GuavaPass studios) |
| Restrictions to note | Visiting limits are decided by studio, usually 2 to 5 visits per month | Class pricing changes depending on popularity & no. of times you visited |
ClassPass used to be the cheapest fitness subscription service, but all that has changed since they “updated the pricing model” in Dec 2018 (read: jacked up the prices dramatically).
If you’re new to this fitness subscription thing and just want to try it out, you can sign up for the ClassPass free trial where you get 45 credits to use for a week. That’s about 4 or 5 classes or so. However, booking classes is a bit stressful, as you’ll soon find out. Class prices (in credits) can fluctuate wildly depending on the popularity of the studio and timeslot, so it’s hard to know how long your credits can last.
If you don’t want an anxiety attack each time you try to book a class, the more established KFit is an affordable option. They also have the most partner studios in town.
In Jan 2019, ClassPass also acquired GuavaPass, so that’s one less competitor in the scene, but (on the positive side) one less option for you to think about.
GuavaPass (now acquired by ClassPass)
GuavaPass has been around a pretty long time, and it used to be the most expensive membership, yet remained popular thanks to some coveted studios being GuavaPass exclusives.
As of Jan 2019, GuavaPass has been acquired by ClassPass. Existing GuavaPass members will NOT be given a refund, but will instead be ported over to ClassPass, where you’ll be given a ClassPass account with an “equivalent value to your unused GuavaPass membership”.
For GuavaPass “migrants”, your ClassPass membership is not auto-recurring, so at the end of your membership you can decide if you want to continue with ClassPass. For more details on the migration, you can see this FAQ page on ClassPass.
KFit (cheapest fitness subscription in Singapore)
| KFit | |
| Partner studios | 613 |
| Free trial? | No |
| Cheapest package | One-time pass (pay per class) |
| Cheapest per class package | $129/month for 10 classes |
| Late cancellation & no-show fees | $15 for cancellations not made by stipulated deadline (depends on the studio) |
| Can pause membership? | Yes, non-chargeable for cancellations made at least 7 days before next billing |
| Referral programme | $5 for referral when referee makes a purchase, $20 when referee signs up for 10-class package |
KFit pricing: Right now, KFit seems like better value for money compared to ClassPass. You can save money on the subscription fee by buying a KFit deal on Fave (former Groupon) for your first purchase.
Although they do not have a free trial, you can make a low-commitment purchase for just 1 class to try first. If you like it, you can just upgrade to a full month’s subscription ($129/month for 10 classes). There’s only 1 package plan available, but 10 classes should be enough for most people (about 2x a week).
Other limitations: The visit limits are decided by the individual studios, and most studios allow 2 to 5 visits per month.
The cancellation deadlines are also determined by the partners, and it can be from as strict as 3 days in advance, to just 2 hours before class commences. The late cancellation and no-show penalty is $15, which is a tad high, but then again, it’s also totally avoidable.
What else? While you can’t pause your KFit membership per se, you can cancel it at no charge. Just make sure you do it at least 7 days before your next billing cycle by emailing [email protected] If you miss it, you will automatically charged for the next month so do be careful!
ClassPass (credit-based system for those with no loyalty)
| ClassPass | |
| Partner studios | 244 |
| Free trial? | Yes, free 45 credits (4 to 7 classes) |
| Cheapest package | $59/month for 25 credits (2 to 3 classes) |
| Cheapest per class package | $315/month for 150 credits (15 to 23 classes) |
| Late cancellation & no-show fees | $15 for cancellations made within 12 hours of class, $20 for no-show. Credits will be refunded. |
| Can pause membership? | No. Either switch to Classpass Lite ($20/month for 10 credits), or cancel your account. Reactivation is chargeable ($79). |
| Referral programme | $40 for both referral and referee |
Pricing: New York City-based ClassPass launched in early August 2018 and once offered the best deal for a fitness subscription plan. It was the cheapest in the market and offered an amazing 200-credit package for $100/month. Since 200 credits gets you 20 to 30 classes a month, that’s as good as an unlimited pass.
But of course, introductory promotional prices like these are unsustainable, and what dya know? They’ve now changed the pricing model quite drastically, and now offer 4 subscription plans:
- 25 credits (2 to 3 classes) for $59/month ($19.67 to $29.50 per class)
- 45 credits (4 to 7 classes) for $99/month ($14.14 to $24.75 per class)
- 85 credits (8 to 13 classes) for $185/month ($14.23 to $23.13 per class)
- 150 credits (15 to 23 classes) for $315/month ($13.70 to $21 per class)
Other limitations: The tricky thing about ClassPass is that it uses a dynamic pricing system. You pay for classes with credits, and this credit cost is not fixed. It depends on factors like class timing, how popular the class/studio is, and how many visits you’ve made so far.
If you think about it, you can potentially get a lot of mileage from your credits if you don’t mind studio-hopping and opting for less popular time slots. Typically, a “cheap” class is 6 to 8 credits, while a popular one – like at WeBarre – can go up to 19 credits.
What else? Additionally, ClassPass allows you to bring over up to 10 unused credits every month. Sure, it’s not a lot (about 1 class), but it’s better than nothing, which is the case for KFit.
The only shitty thing is that you can’t pause your ClassPass membership. You’ll have to cancel it, and if you change your mind, there is a steep $79 reactivation fee. The only way to avoid this is to downgrade to ClassPass Lite ($20), which gives you 10 credits that can roll over to the next month.
Which fitness pass do you use – GuavaPass, KFit or ClassPass? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
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Tags: Featured, Fitness & Beauty, This Versus That
