Compare gyms in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Anytime Fitness, Flex Fitness, City Fitness, Les Mills, Jetts and Snap Fitness were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Atmosphere, Equipment & Facilities, Flexibility & Perks, Staff Availability and Value for Money.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Anytime Fitness rated the No.1 gym chain by fit and active Kiwis.
Our review compares gyms on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Kiwis think about our compared gym brands before you go ahead and take out a membership. Think of it like asking hundreds of your closest friends and family which gym chain they think is best.
Canstar Blue surveyed 495 Kiwis for their feedback on the gym chains of which they are currently members. Note: this does not include free gyms.
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
Ratings resultsThis 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.
Ratings resultsPlacing second on our awards table, Flex Fitness earns a superb set of ratings from its many happy gymgoers. The gym chain earns two top 5-Star ratings, for Atmosphere and Equipment & Facilities, and great 4-Star ratings across all other categories.
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.
Ratings resultsThe winner of Canstar Blue’s Gyms Award in 2016 and 2020, CityFitness places third in this year’s award rankings, earning an equal mix of ratings across all categories.
It’s worth noting that CityFitness is the only gym chain on our awards table to earn a top 5-Star rating for Value for Money.
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.
Ratings resultsLes Mills has won our Gyms Award more than any other gym brand: five awards from nine. However, this year it slips to fourth on our table. But it still rates highly with its gymgoers, earning four 4-Star ratings, including for Overall Satisfaction, plus a top 5-Star score for Staff Availability.
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:
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.
Ratings resultsAlthough Jetts earns predominantly 3-Star ratings, including for Overall Satisfaction, it earns 4 Stars for Value for Money and a top 5-Star rating for Flexibility & Perks.
However, it’s worth noting that 3 Stars is by no means a poor rating, rather it indicates that Jetts’ customers are content with the levels of satisfaction delivered by their choice of gym.
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.
Ratings resultsRounding out our awards table, Snap Fitness scores predominantly great 4-Star ratings, plus 5 Stars for Flexibility & Perks. It earns its lowest ratings, 3 Stars, for Overall Satisfaction and Staff Availability.
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:
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.
Editor’s notesCurves 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.
Editor’s notesBased 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.
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.
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:
About the author of this pageBruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery puzzle book 5 Minute Murder.
Attend a gym close to home: 80%
Attend a gym close to work: 28%
| Gym frequency | % |
| 3-5 p/w | 48% |
| 1-2 p/w | 23% |
| 5-6 p/w | 20% |
| Less once p/w | 5% |
| Every day | 3% |
| Main motivation | % |
| Improve fitness | 29% |
| Feel healthier | 19% |
| Lose weight | 18% |
| Build muscle | 15% |
| Mental wellness | 11% |
| Social activity | 3% |
| Sports training | 3% |
| Rehabilitation | 2% |
| Gym services used | % |
| Classes or sessions (that cost extra) | 31% |
| Personal development programs | 19% |
| Well-being advice and services | 19% |
| Personal trainer | 18% |
| Physiotherapy/sports massage | 11% |
| Pet gym hates | % |
| Overcrowding | 65% |
| Unclean gym | 46% |
| People hogging equipment | 39% |
| Unclean changing room/showers | 38% |
| People not resetting equipment | 31% |
| People not wiping equipment | 31% |
| People staring | 28% |
| Loud grunting | 24% |
| Gym show offs | 22% |
| People making conversation | 13% |
| Music or TV choices | 13% |
Canstar Blue surveyed 2503 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from respondents who regularly use a gym membership. In this case, 495 New Zealanders. Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.
The past winners from Canstar Blue’s Gym ratings:
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