8 Best Gym Memberships of 2024, According to Fitness Experts

How We Evaluated the Best Gym Memberships

The best gym memberships are not all trying to do the same job. Some are designed for budget-conscious beginners. Some are built for travelers who need access in multiple cities. Others are perfect for serious lifters, class lovers, or families who want more than a room full of machines. For this ranking, the biggest factors were:

• Value for money: What you get for the monthly cost, plus how likely you are to actually use it.
• Equipment and layout: Strength machines, free weights, cardio options, floor space, and overall flow.
• Classes and coaching: Group fitness, personal training, and beginner-friendly guidance.
• Convenience: Hours, location access, travel flexibility, parking, and app support.
• Amenities: Locker rooms, pools, childcare, recovery options, courts, and community feel.
• Overall experience: Cleanliness, comfort, motivation, and whether the space makes you want to return.

Those criteria matter because a membership should support your routine, not complicate it. If the gym is hard to reach, painfully crowded, or missing the basics you care about, motivation tends to disappear faster than a New Year’s resolution by mid-February.

The 8 Best Gym Memberships of 2024

1. LA Fitness Best Overall Gym Membership

LA Fitness earns the top overall spot because it hits the sweet spot between price, equipment variety, and all-around usefulness. It is the kind of gym that works for a broad range of people: beginners, casual exercisers, strength trainers, cardio regulars, and folks who want a few extra amenities without stepping into luxury-club territory.

One of the biggest strengths of LA Fitness is scale. Many locations are large, which means more room to move and a better mix of machines, free weights, functional training areas, and cardio equipment. Group classes are also a big draw, with options that typically include cycling, yoga, dance-based formats, and strength-focused sessions. In many clubs, you will also find basketball courts, racquetball, pools, and hot tubs, which gives the membership a lot of range.

LA Fitness is especially appealing for people who want a gym that can grow with them. You can start with treadmill walks and basic resistance machines, then move into lifting, classes, or sport-style amenities later without needing a new membership. It is not the cheapest gym on the list, but the overall package makes sense for many adults who want one membership that covers a lot of ground.

Best for: People who want a well-rounded gym with solid equipment, classes, and classic health-club amenities.

2. Planet Fitness Best Value Gym Membership

If your dream gym membership starts with the phrase “I would like to spend as little money as humanly possible,” Planet Fitness deserves your attention. It remains one of the best-value options in the country, especially for beginners or anyone who wants a low-pressure environment.

Planet Fitness built its reputation on affordability and approachability. The brand’s Judgement Free Zone concept has helped make it less intimidating for newcomers, and that matters more than hardcore gym culture fans may admit. For many people, simply feeling comfortable walking in the door is half the battle. The facilities are typically clean, spacious, and strong on cardio equipment, with enough selectorized strength machines to support a full-body routine.

The standard membership is perfect for people who mostly want access to their home club, while the Black Card tier is more flexible and adds perks such as multi-club access and guest privileges. No, it is not the place for advanced powerlifting dreams or endless specialty classes. But for walkers, beginners, general fitness seekers, and budget-minded members, Planet Fitness offers a lot of bang for not a lot of bucks.

Best for: Beginners, casual exercisers, and anyone who wants a clean, affordable gym without unnecessary frills.

3. Crunch Fitness Best Gym Membership for Beginners

Crunch Fitness is what happens when a budget-friendly gym decides it also wants a personality. It blends affordability with a more energetic, class-forward vibe, which makes it a great option for people who are just starting out and do not want their workout experience to feel like detention with dumbbells.

What sets Crunch apart is the balance. You usually get a healthy mix of cardio machines, strength equipment, group fitness classes, and training support, all in a relatively accessible price range. Many clubs also offer specialty spaces and upgraded amenities depending on the location. The brand’s “No Judgments” approach makes it appealing to beginners, but it still has enough substance to keep more experienced members engaged.

Another big plus is variety. If you get bored easily, Crunch gives you options. You can lift one day, take a class the next, and do a quick cardio session after work without feeling stuck in one routine. For many newer members, that variety is what prevents the dreaded “I have been paying for this membership for three months and only used it twice” phase.

Best for: New gym-goers who want affordable flexibility, a friendly vibe, and a better class selection than most budget gyms.

4. Anytime Fitness Best Gym Membership for Travelers

Anytime Fitness is the gym version of a dependable passport. If you travel for work, commute unpredictably, or simply keep weird hours, this membership is one of the easiest to justify. The chain’s 24/7 access and huge international footprint make it ideal for people whose schedules do not fit neatly into standard business hours.

The beauty of Anytime Fitness is convenience. You can train early in the morning, late at night, or in another city without turning your routine into a logistical puzzle. Most clubs are smaller than giant health-club chains, but they usually include the essentials: cardio machines, free weights, strength equipment, and functional training tools. Many locations also offer coaching and small-group training.

It is a smart choice for consistency. When your life involves travel, shift work, or irregular days, convenience becomes a serious training advantage. A fancy gym you cannot access is less useful than a practical gym you can reach whenever life allows. Anytime Fitness understands that, and it shows.

Best for: Frequent travelers, busy professionals, and anyone who values 24/7 access more than splashy amenities.

5. Equinox Best Luxury Gym Membership

Equinox is the premium pick for people who want fitness to feel polished, curated, and just a little dramatic in the best possible way. This is not the membership for bargain hunters. It is the membership for people who want high-end equipment, strong group fitness programming, excellent design, and amenities that feel closer to a boutique hotel than a neighborhood gym.

What you are paying for at Equinox is not just access to treadmills and weights. You are buying into a premium experience: sleek locker rooms, spa-like extras, high-caliber instructors, stylish studios, and a training environment that feels deliberately elevated. If your motivation improves when your surroundings feel top-tier, Equinox can make the monthly splurge feel less ridiculous and more strategic.

The class lineup is one of the biggest selling points. For members who rely on structure, expert coaching, and studio-style energy, Equinox offers serious value. It also appeals to people who want recovery and wellness built into the club experience. Is it expensive? Absolutely. Does it make a compelling case for the money if you use it often? Also yes.

Best for: Members who want a luxury fitness experience with premium classes, recovery perks, and an upscale environment.

6. Life Time Best Gym Membership for Variety

If LA Fitness is the reliable all-rounder, Life Time is the overachiever who somehow joined every club on campus and still made honor roll. This membership stands out because it delivers an enormous menu of options under one roof. Many locations are sprawling, and the brand leans hard into the “athletic country club” identity.

Life Time is ideal for people who want their membership to do more than cover workouts. Depending on location, you may find pools, tennis or pickleball access, large studio schedules, family programming, kids’ spaces, recovery areas, and digital workouts in addition to standard gym equipment. The club experience is built for variety seekers and families who want a single destination that serves multiple needs.

It is expensive compared with mid-market gyms, but the value can make sense if you use the extras. Members who take classes often, bring kids, use the pools, and treat the club as a lifestyle hub may get a lot for the price. Members who only want thirty minutes on the elliptical? They may be paying for a lot of things they will never touch.

Best for: Families, class enthusiasts, and people who want a full-service fitness and wellness club rather than just a gym.

7. Gold’s Gym Best Gym Membership for Lifting

Gold’s Gym still carries serious credibility with lifters, and for good reason. Strength training is the headline here. If you care deeply about free weights, machines that actually challenge you, and a training atmosphere that respects heavy lifting, Gold’s remains one of the strongest names in the business.

This does not mean Gold’s Gym is only for bodybuilders or people who say “leg day” with the gravity of a Shakespearean monologue. Many locations also include cardio equipment, group classes, and personal training. But the lifting culture is what sets it apart. Gold’s tends to appeal to members who want substance over sparkle and would rather see more racks than more cucumber water.

Because locations vary, it is smart to tour your local club before signing up. Still, for anyone prioritizing barbell work, dumbbells, and serious training equipment, Gold’s Gym remains a top choice in 2024.

Best for: Lifters, strength-focused members, and anyone who wants a gym with real muscle-building credibility.

8. Orangetheory Fitness Best Boutique Gym Membership

Orangetheory is the best pick for people who do not want to think about what workout to do when they arrive. The class structure is the magic. You show up, follow the coach, move through stations, watch your heart-rate data, and leave feeling like your calendar made a better decision than your motivation ever could.

The workouts combine treadmill intervals, rowing, and floor-based strength work into a one-hour session designed to improve endurance, power, and overall conditioning. The real-time heart-rate component adds accountability without requiring members to invent their own programming. For a lot of busy adults, that makes Orangetheory worth the premium compared with a traditional open-floor gym.

The downside is that it is not as flexible as a regular membership. You are working around class times, and you are paying for coached structure rather than unlimited freestyle access. But if you are the kind of person who thrives with guidance, energy, and a bit of healthy performance data, Orangetheory can be a game changer.

Best for: People who love coached workouts, measurable progress, and a boutique studio format that removes guesswork.

How to Choose the Right Gym Membership for You

The best gym membership is not the one your coworker loves or the one with the flashiest ad. It is the one you will use consistently. That means being honest about your habits, not your fantasy self. If you hate classes, do not pay extra for a club built around them. If you travel constantly, multi-location access matters. If you are brand new, a low-pressure environment may be more important than a fancy locker room.

Start with three questions: What kind of workouts do you actually enjoy? How much can you comfortably spend every month? And how easy is it to get there? Those answers narrow the field quickly. From there, pay attention to hidden fees, trial options, cleanliness, peak-hour crowding, and whether the equipment you need is actually available. A gym can look gorgeous online and still have exactly one squat rack being guarded like a national treasure.

It is also worth thinking about motivation style. Some people need open access and flexibility. Others need class times, coaching, and community to stay accountable. Neither approach is better. The winning formula is the one that keeps you moving month after month.

Real-World Gym Membership Experiences in 2024

In real life, gym memberships are rarely judged by a spreadsheet alone. They are judged on a sleepy Tuesday morning when you are deciding whether to work out before work, on a rushed Thursday evening when the parking lot is full, and on that dangerous stretch in late January when your enthusiasm starts negotiating for more blanket time. That is where the true personality of a gym shows up.

Many budget-gym members say the biggest surprise is how much they appreciate simplicity. They join expecting “basic,” but end up loving the no-fuss routine. At Planet Fitness or Crunch, the appeal often becomes psychological as much as financial. The environment feels approachable, the equipment covers the essentials, and there is less pressure to perform fitness at an Olympic level just because someone nearby brought chalk and a tripod.

Members at larger clubs like LA Fitness often talk about convenience through variety. One day they lift. Another day they swim. Another day they take a class because making decisions feels exhausting. That flexibility matters more than people realize. When your gym supports different energy levels and moods, it becomes easier to stay consistent instead of dropping off whenever your routine changes.

Travel-heavy professionals usually have a different love language: access. For them, Anytime Fitness makes sense because it removes excuses. Red-eye flight? Late meeting? Weird schedule? The gym is still there. People who once bounced in and out of routines often find that 24/7 access helps them stop treating fitness like a perfect schedule hobby and start treating it like part of normal life.

Luxury-club members often describe something else entirely: atmosphere as motivation. That may sound silly until you experience it. A clean, beautiful, premium space can genuinely make some people more likely to work out. Equinox and Life Time members often talk about wanting to stay longer, take more classes, or build entire routines around the club because the environment feels elevated. For the right person, that is not vanity. It is behavior design.

Then there are strength-focused members, who judge a gym with the intensity of restaurant critics but for barbells. Gold’s Gym tends to attract people who care about equipment quality, training space, and culture. Their experience is less about scented towels and more about whether the setup supports serious progress. If the dumbbell range is weak or the racks are scarce, they notice immediately and dramatically, usually with the emotional tone of someone who has been personally betrayed.

Orangetheory members often describe the experience in one word: accountability. They like that a coach leads the session, the workout is already built, and the heart-rate data gives immediate feedback. For busy people who are mentally done by 6 p.m., that structure can be the difference between exercising and simply driving home while promising to “do something tomorrow.”

The biggest lesson from real gym experiences in 2024 is this: the most satisfying membership is not always the cheapest, the fanciest, or the most popular. It is the one that makes regular exercise feel realistic. Some people need a bargain. Some need coaching. Some need childcare. Some need a deadlift platform and emotional peace. Once you know which type you are, the right membership becomes much easier to spot.

Final Verdict

The best gym memberships of 2024 prove there is no single perfect choice for everyone. LA Fitness is the best overall pick because it offers the broadest balance of value, equipment, classes, and amenities. Planet Fitness is the value king. Crunch is beginner-friendly without feeling boring. Anytime Fitness wins on flexibility. Equinox is the clear luxury option. Life Time is unmatched for variety. Gold’s Gym remains a haven for lifters. Orangetheory is the boutique favorite for structured, coach-led training.

If you are still undecided, tour two or three clubs in your area and test the vibe. Check the parking situation. Walk through the locker room. Peek at the busiest hour. Ask about fees. Try a class if that matters to you. Your future self will thank you, and your wallet may stop side-eyeing you every month.