Blink vs Planet Fitness – Which Is Better?

By bulksupplementsdirect

Updated on Monday 15 August 2022

In the United States, there are 41,370 and counting gyms, but two gyms that compete against each other are Blink and Planet Fitness. Both Blink and Planet Fitness gyms are considered budget-friendly, and from a non-gym goer, can look remarkably similar.

However, each caters to different people’s needs to attract customers, so there may be some differences behind each of these gyms. Needless to say, we break these down throughout the post to determine which gym is better for you. But, which is better in the battle between Blink vs Planet Fitness?.

After comparing both Blink vs Planet Fitness, it’s hard to split them apart. Blink started later than planet fitness, and it was heavily influenced by how they operate. Both gyms cater to the same target audience, are incredibly inexpensive, have “okay” equipment, and are generally found in cities.

As you can see, it’s not easy to truly determine which is better out of Blink and Planet Fitness. However, there are some differences you’ll want to be aware of. These differences are only minor. But they may provide different individuals with an array of benefits depending on their budget, gym experience, location, and overall lifestyle. Want to know more about Blink vs Planet Fitness? Check out the below:

As mentioned above, the battle between Blink vs Planet Fitness has been going on within the fitness industry for some time now. And rightly so, because they’re extremely similar to one another. However, below we detail the differences between them so you can determine whether or not Blink or Planet Fitness is best suited to your requirements.

Opening hours

The first and most prominent factors of a gym and truly determine whether or not someone joins them has to be the opening hours. Being into fitness can seem difficult for most, but being restricted to what times you can undergo exercise makes it even harder.

For example, if you’re an early bird that enjoys getting up a 4 am and heading straight to the gym, most sports centers aren’t even open at this time. The same follows if you work late, if you don’t finish work until 10, 11, 12 pm and want to gym afterward, it can become a prevalent issue with most gyms.

Here’s how the Blink vs Planet Fitness breaks down in terms of opening hours:

Blink Fitness – Unlike planet fitness, blink only operates regular commercial gym hours, which can seem problematic for some. Typically, they’re open Monday to Friday from 5 am to 11 pm, Fridays from 5 am to 10 pm, and on weekends you’ll only be able to gym between 7 am and 7 pm. These are the standard hours that Blink Fitness follows but be aware it may change from gym to gym.

Planet Fitness – If you’re someone that enjoys working out early in the morning or late at night, then Planet Fitness is your go-to. This is because most Planet Fitness’s are open 24 hours a day. Again, this varies from gym to gym.

Equipment quality

Another factor that plays an essential role in which gym you join is the available equipment and quality. Before we compare the two, let’s get something clear. When joining a budget-friendly commercial gym, you cannot expect the equipment to be superb. Typically, gyms like this are packed with cardio equipment, don’t have extremely heavyweights, and aren’t suited for people like bodybuilders.

Blink Fitness – According to Blink’s website, each location is equipped with 80 pieces of cardio equipment (treadmills, spinners, row machines) and 50 pieces of strength equipment. If you’re joining for strength purposes, you should check out your local Blink Fitness because it doesn’t actually say what 50 pieces of strength equipment is included within each location.

Planet Fitness – The same goes with Planet Fitness, although it doesn’t state exactly how much strength and cardio equipment is located in one area. However, I can suggest that Planet Fitness has more cardio machines than weights by a mile.

The strength equipment provided at each of these gyms isn’t anything remarkable. You should expect an array of different dumbbells (maybe up to 90lbs), a few barbells, 5 to 20kg plates (going up in increments of five), and some basic strength machines like a lat pulldown, leg extension, and bicep machine.

Cleaning facilities

After a hot and sweaty gym session, many people don’t want to drive all the way home to clean themselves. After all, it’s much easier at the gym anyway. But, how do Blink and Planets cleaning facilities compare to one another?

Blink Fitness – In most Blink Fitness locations, you’ll find cleaning facilities like a changing room and shower. They’re very basic, but they do the job.

Planet Fitness – Same follows suit with Planet Fitness, they have showers and changing rooms but nothing to wow yourself over.

How can each improve?

Most importantly, how can each of these commercial gyms improve. Here, you’ll find some of the suggested improvements that I believe each of these gyms should undergo to entice more people to join them.

Blink Fitness – Personally, I think Blink Fitness should expand more and include additional extras within their facilities like a sauna, steam room, or hot tub area. They have the infrastructure to do so because they work set hours during the day. This means they can introduce a larger workforce to cater to these extras. However, if they undergo these changes, you may see an increase in the membership price.

Planet Fitness – For Planet Fitness, I also recommend the above. But it’ll be much harder to implement something like this because of their operating hours. Instead, they can entice more people to join their gym by setting up classes, daycare centers, and anything similar of that matter. This improves convenience for people and allows them to enjoy their fitness experience a little bit more.

Now you understand the difference between Blink and Planet Fitness, I’m sure you’re eager to decide which one to pick. If you’re going to choose between the two, I recommend you become knowledgeable on the below suggestions before doing so.

Which should you pick?

After reading the above, it all comes down to this one crucial question, which should you pick? Personally, I believe both are beneficial if you’re someone looking to start a gym without costing you an arm and a leg. Here’s how I would decide between the two based on various different reasons for joining.

Blink Fitness

Blink Fitness is well-known for having heavier weights than Planet Fitness. This isn’t by a lot, Blink Fitness claims to have dumbbells of 90lbs, but most Planet Fitness’s will be around the 60 to 90lb dumbbells area anyway.

If you live in the following areas, they’re riddled with Blink Fitness gyms that are easily accessible: NJ, Philly, LA, NY.

At Blink, they have a personal trainer program, meaning you can hire a personal trainer if you don’t have sufficient knowledge on how to train effectively.

Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness has the lowest price of any commercial gym. Their package ranges from $10, $15, and $24,99 a month depending on how committed you are, and If you only want to choose one Planet Fitness gym or not (note, they have 2,000+ worldwide).

If you enjoy cardio, then Planet Fitness may be the ideal option.

Are you someone that likes doing fitness out of regular hours? Great, because Planet Fitness operates 24/7 in most locations.

Which is a better value?

Honestly, these gyms probably include the 80% of Americans who have a gym membership and don’t use it. However, apart from that, if you’re just looking for the cheapest membership possible to join a gym, then a perfect option is Planet Fitness.

For $10 a month (on a set contract), you’ll receive access to a gym all year round. Considering $10 a month is a Netflix subscription and a burger at a fast-food restaurant, it isn’t a lot for a gym membership.