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Why Anytime Fitness works
Roughly twice the price of PureGym, for a smaller building with less equipment. The reason people pay it has almost nothing to do with the gym floor.
On paper Anytime Fitness makes little sense. Around £45 a month against PureGym's £22, in a footprint that is usually a fraction of the size, without a pool, sauna or anything else the money might explain.
The explanation is structural: Anytime Fitness clubs are franchises. Each one is owned and run by an individual operator rather than a head office, and that single fact drives everything people like and dislike about them.
What franchising changes
An owner-operator is usually on site, knows members by name, and carries the reputational cost of a broken machine personally. Budget chains manage hundreds of sites centrally; a franchisee manages one. The result is that Anytime clubs consistently feel more like a local gym and less like a facility, and the community around them tends to be stronger.
It also means smaller. These are neighbourhood-scale gyms, typically quieter than a budget megasite at 7pm, which for a lot of people is worth more than another twenty machines.
You are not paying for equipment. You are paying for it not to be busy, and for someone to be accountable.
The global keyfob
The genuinely distinctive feature is reciprocal access. Your keyfob opens the door at any Anytime Fitness club worldwide — several thousand of them across dozens of countries. For anyone who travels regularly for work, that turns a local membership into a global one, and no budget chain offers anything comparable.
Combined with 24-hour keyfob entry as standard, it suits irregular schedules better than almost anything else at this price.
The honest counterweight
Franchising cuts both ways. Quality depends on the individual owner, so consistency across the estate is weaker than a centrally managed chain — a superb club and a tired one can carry the same sign. Visit the specific branch before committing; the brand tells you less than usual.
Contracts are also typically fixed-term rather than rolling, unlike the budget chains, so leaving is harder. And at £45 a month you are within reach of a council leisure centre with a pool, classes and a crèche — a comparison worth making before you sign.
Who it suits
People who travel, people who train at unsociable hours, and people who would rather pay more to avoid queueing for a bench. If you want maximum equipment per pound, or the freedom to cancel next month, the budget chains beat it comfortably.
Prices and locations change. Figures reflect publicly reported rates in 2026 — confirm with the operator before joining. We have no commercial relationship with any operator listed on this site.