Most gym software was designed for a country with one currency, steady power and customers who pay by card. Running a gym or academy in Lebanon rarely looks like that. Members pay in dollars, in lira, or both. Invoices and reminders go out on WhatsApp. The front desk has to keep working when the internet or the electricity drops. And your staff would probably rather work in Arabic.
Here are eight things to check before you commit to any gym or academy system, and the questions to put to every vendor, including us.
1. Billing in two currencies, with the rate on record
This is the first test, because it is where money goes missing. Ask whether every payment can be recorded in dollars, in lira, or split across both, and whether the exchange rate used that day is saved next to the payment. Without the rate on record, the cash drawer and the books drift apart, and nobody can explain the difference at month end.
Ask how payments are recorded too. Members pay in cash, through OMT or Whish, or by bank transfer. A system should let you log each of these with a reference so you can reconcile later. In Praxella, every payment is held in two currencies with the daily rate stamped on the invoice, and cash, OMT, Whish and transfers are recorded by reference. Read more about billing in two currencies.
2. Card payments: decide whether you need them
Some systems process card and online payments. Others only record what you collected. Neither is wrong, but you should know which one you are buying. Praxella records payments and does not process them, so it does not take card payments. If most of your members pay online by card, put this question to every vendor first.
3. WhatsApp reminders: who presses send?
Reminders are the cheapest way to cut late payments, and in Lebanon that means WhatsApp. There are two designs. Some tools send reminders automatically. Others prepare the message and leave the sending to a person. Automatic sending saves staff time. Staff-sent messages give you control over what each parent receives and when.
Praxella uses the second approach today. It prepares bilingual invoices and reminders in Arabic and English, a staff member reviews each one, and it goes out with one tap from the gym's own WhatsApp number. Praxella does not send WhatsApp messages by itself. Whichever approach you prefer, ask the vendor to show you a real reminder from start to finish.
4. Arabic that is built in, not added on
Check the staff screens, not only the member app. Is the interface a true right-to-left layout, or an English layout with translated labels? Can invoices go out in Arabic? Can staff switch to English or French when they need to? Praxella's interface was designed in Arabic, right to left, and English and French are one tap away.
5. A front desk that works offline
Ask what happens at the desk when the connection drops. Can staff still check members in? Does the data sync by itself when the connection returns? In Praxella, check-in works without internet at the front desk and on coach phones. The data is saved locally and syncs when the connection comes back.
6. Rules that match your sport
A generic membership system treats a karate student, a gymnast and a footballer the same way. Martial arts need a belt ladder per discipline. Gymnastics runs on levels, often across several branches. Football groups players by age. Check that the system speaks your sport and that it handles the billing cases that come up every week: a child who joins mid-month should pay only for the sessions left, siblings may get a discount, and a parent wants one balance for all their children.
Praxella has dedicated setups for martial arts, gymnastics and football academies. It prorates every first bill by the sessions left, shows sibling and desk discounts on the invoice, and keeps one account and one balance per family. See the sports Praxella is set up for.
7. Moving from Excel
Most owners start in a spreadsheet. Ask whether migration is included, who does it, and whether the data is checked before you go live. In Praxella, migration is part of onboarding: members, guardians, classes and balances are migrated and verified before go-live.
8. Who sets it up, who runs it, and what it costs
Ask who installs the system, trains your staff, hosts it, and answers when something breaks. Then compare total cost, not only the monthly fee. Setup, migration, training, hosting and support can each be extra with one vendor and included with another.
Praxella is set up, hosted and run for each academy. Year one is all-inclusive and covers data migration, setup, staff training, hosting, maintenance and support:
- Studio (one location, up to 150 members): $3,000
- Academy (one location, up to 400 members): $4,500
- Network (two branches, unlimited members): $5,500
From year two it is $79, $149 or $249 a month, or $711, $1,341 or $2,241 a year (three months free when you pay yearly). Additional branches are $79 a month each. See the full pricing.
Your checklist
- Payments in dollars, lira or both, with the day's rate saved?
- Cash, OMT, Whish and transfers logged by reference?
- Card payments needed, and processed or not?
- WhatsApp reminders: who sends, from which number?
- True right-to-left staff screens and Arabic invoices?
- Offline check-in that syncs later?
- Your sport, plus mid-month, sibling and family billing?
- Migration, setup, training and hosting: what does year one include?