About Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Gyms Award
Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Gyms Award reveals the gym chain that delivers the best consumer satisfaction to its customers.
We ask Kiwi gym-goers to rate their satisfaction with their choice of gym chain by Overall Satisfaction, as well as important criteria such as Atmosphere, Equipment & Facilities, Staff Availability and Value for Money.
Numbers crunched by Canstar’s researchers:
- 495 Customers Surveyed
- 10 Brands Assessed
- 6 Brands Shortlisted
- 1 Award Winner
The best gym chains in NZ
The gym brands rated are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
1. Anytime Fitness
This is the first year that Anytime Fitness has won our Gyms Award, and it does so with a great set of ratings across all of our award categories.
Last year, Anytime Fitness placed second in our rankings with a clean sweep of 4-Star ratings. This year, however, it takes out top spot with an equal mix of 4- and top 5-Star ratings.
Anytime Fitness' customers award the gym chain its best scores for Overall Satisfaction, Atmosphere and Flexibility & Perks. For Equipment & Facilities, Value for Money and Staff Availability, the gym brand earns great 4-Star ratings.
Anytime Fitness is a global brand that operates 60 gyms across the country. There are 46 in the North Island and 14 in main centres in the South Island.
Membership provides access to all of Anytime Fitness' gyms, nationally and at thousands of its locations worldwide, plus the use of the Anytime Fitness app, which features over 1000 workouts.
New Zealand gyms are locally owned and provide gymgoers with 24/7 access and a personalised fitness consultation and start-up program at the beginning of membership.
Membership prices vary gym to gym, depending on membership type and the amenities and equipment provided by each gym.
Membership plans include Anytime Fitness' Healthy Habits 12-month value membership, and its Lifestyle flexible open-term membership. Seven-day free trials are available.
2. Flex Fitness
Flex was founded in NZ in 2008, and has 35 gyms across the country. Each gym is independently owned and operated and offers 24/7 access.
Facilities and memberships vary according to location, and include: body scanning, ensuite bathrooms, personal training, Technogym equipment and app, saunas and smoothie bars.
3. CityFitness
CityFitness has 50 gyms spread across the country. It has group classes and personal training and offers three membership options:
Basic: $6.99 p/w: Access to all gym locations 24/7.
Black: $13.99 p/w: Members can share their membership with family, and bring a guest at each visit during staffed hours. They can also cancel at any time, and have access to HIIT classes and group studios.
Premium: $17.99 p/w: Extra benefits in addition to those of Black Membership include: access to recovery rooms and yoga studios, unlimited wi-fi and access to Simplicity Fitness, which offers a premium workout experience at certain locations.
Note: a joining fee and a 3% transaction fee applies to each membership payment.
4. Les Mills
Les Mills operates 12 gyms nationwide, in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Hutt Valley, Christchurch and Dunedin. Les Mills offers group fitness and personal training.
A nationwide 12-month membership that allows you to use all Les Mills gyms is $33.50 p/w. Members can save money by signing up to Les Mills' 24-month plan for $30.20 p/w. Currently new members may be eligible for 12 weeks half-price. The membership covers:
- Les Mills At Home – streaming classes
- Les Mills app, featuring hundreds of online workouts and on-demand classes
- Unlimited classes
- Free friend passes
- Pause membership up to five weeks
Cheaper single-gym memberships are available, and prices vary depending on location. Student and corporate deals are also available.
Les Mills offers women-only gyms in Auckland City; New Lynn, Auckland; Hutt City; Taranaki Street, Wellington; Christchurch and Dunedin.
5. Jetts
Jetts has 52 gyms in the North Island, and one in Dunedin, in the South Island.
Jetts has two membership packages, available on month-to-month, 12- and 18-month contracts:
All Gym Access: work out at any Jetts gym, from $11.89 p/w.
Single Gym Access: membership to a single gym, from $10.19 p/w.
Both memberships offer 24/7 gym access, gym wi-fi, access to the Jetts Fitness app. Senior and student rates available. Joining fee may apply.
6. Snap Fitness
Snap Fitness is a global brand that operates over 55 gyms in New Zealand. Membership costs vary by location, as each club is individually owned and operated. Snap Fitness gyms offer:
- 24/7 access
- Free weights, cardio, and functional training zones
- Flexible memberships options
- MyZone heart-rate monitoring
- The Snap App, featuring over 1000 on-demand workouts
- Personal training services
Other gym chains
Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn't mean they're not worth considering. Here are more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
- Curves
- F45
- YMCA
Curves
Curves is a network of fitness centres designed for women. Curves provides basic gym services including cardio, strength training equipment, group and personal training as well as specific services like health and wellness education, a nutrition program, at-home workouts and online membership options.
F45
Based on group High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) programs, F45 is structured around daily classes, comprising unique and systemised high-intensity circuit-training workouts. Prices vary club to club and depend on membership level.
YMCA
The YMCA is a non-profit organisation. Its fitness centres feature standard gym facilities: cardio equipment and weights, plus amenities such as personal training, fitness classes, yoga and tai-chi, pools, spas and saunas. Prices vary club to club and depend on membership level.
Choosing the right gym for you
There are many things to consider when choosing the right gym to match your fitness goals and lifestyle, from its location and membership fees to the facilities on offer.
However, what's surprising from our latest Gym Award research is that a gym's atmosphere is the most important factor for Kiwis when rating their choice of workout venue.
Flexibility and Perks is also important, cited as the No.1 concern for a quarter (25%) of those in our survey, just beating Equipment & Facilities (22%).
This probably reflects that while workout equipment is pretty standard across most gyms, membership structures and gyms' vibes vary more widely, and therefore are more of a concern for gymgoers.
Overall here's how those in our survey rate what's most important to them when considering their gym satisfaction:
- Atmosphere: 28%
- Flexibility & Perks: 25%
- Equipment & Facilities: 22%
- Value for money: 17%
- Staff availability: 8%
