Martial arts schools don’t run like generic gyms — they run on progression. The best martial arts software ties belt and rank tracking to attendance, manages family billing under one account, and converts trials into long-term members. This guide compares the 7 best martial arts management platforms in 2026, honestly, including where each one wins. Updated June 2026.
Key takeaways
- The best martial arts software is built around progression and retention, not just scheduling — rank tracking should read from attendance and flag eligible students automatically.
- Mat Track is the top pick for retention-focused schools — it pairs native belt tracking with behavioural churn detection, so you keep the members you work hard to enrol.
- Spark Membership and Kicksite are strong martial-arts-native veterans, each with loyal followings and deep dojo-specific tooling.
- GymDesk and Zen Planner offer broad, mature feature sets; PushPress suits CrossFit-adjacent gyms expanding into martial arts.
- Beware sticker prices — several platforms add marketing, website, and app modules as paid extras, so the real monthly cost can be far higher than the headline.
- Match the tool to your priority: retention and growth (Mat Track), automation depth (Spark), simplicity (Kicksite), or broad features (GymDesk, Zen Planner).
What to look for in martial arts software
Before the list, the criteria that actually matter for a dojo, academy or fight gym:
- Rank tracking tied to attendance — promotions should work as an event workflow that reads directly from attendance records, not a manual field you update by hand.
- Trial-to-member conversion — the trial window is short (typically 7–14 days); automated follow-up is what turns enquiries into enrolments.
- Retention visibility — the metric that actually grows a membership business is keeping members, so the software should surface who’s at risk before they quit.
- Family billing — multiple students under one account is standard in martial arts and should be native.
- Real total cost — a low headline price plus paid add-ons for marketing, website and app can cost more than an all-in-one platform.
1. Mat Track — best for retention-driven martial arts schools
Best for: schools that want to keep the members they enrol, with belt tracking and churn prevention in one platform.
Every martial arts platform tracks belts. Mat Track is built around what happens between promotions — keeping members training. Its behavioural churn detection sets each member’s personal attendance baseline over 60 days and flags them the moment they slip below it, so an instructor can reach out before a quiet student becomes a cancelled one. Paired with native belt/rank promotion tracking (with full history and eligibility criteria) and coach-performance analytics, it’s built around progression and retention — the two things that actually grow a school.
It’s also transparent and accessible on price: a free-forever Starter plan (up to 200 contacts), Growth at $99/mo, and Pro at $199/mo, with 0% platform transaction fees and no lock-in contract. You can start on a free trial without a card. Mat Track is built and run by a team operating a real multi-site BJJ academy (a multi-site BJJ academy that grew to 1,200 members across four locations), so the workflows reflect how schools actually run.
Where Mat Track wins: behavioural churn detection and retention analytics no other platform here matches, native belt tracking, transparent pricing, a genuinely free plan, and no lock-in.
Where others may suit better: if you want the longest martial-arts track record or the deepest lead-automation toolset, Spark and Kicksite (below) are worth a close look.
Pricing:Free / $99 / $199 per month. Start your free trial →
2. Spark Membership — best for automation-heavy growth schools
Best for: schools that want deep sales, marketing and lead-automation tooling built by martial artists.
Spark Membership is a martial-arts-native platform built by school owners, with genuinely strong automation — lead and trial follow-up sequences, sales funnels, a branded member app, POS, and rank tracking that ties to attendance. For a growth-focused school that lives or dies on lead conversion, its automation depth is a real strength. Pricing is quote-based (reported around $249/month), and some reviewers report payment glitches and gaps between onboarding promises and delivery, though many praise the support team.
Where it wins vs Mat Track: deeper out-of-the-box sales/marketing funnels and lead automation, longer martial-arts-specific track record. Where Mat Track wins: behavioural churn/retention analytics, transparent published pricing, a free plan, 0% platform fees.
Pricing: quote-based, reported ~$249/month.
3. Kicksite — best for traditional schools wanting simplicity
Best for: established US dojos that value ease of use and support over deep analytics.
Kicksite is one of the longest-running martial-arts-only platforms — nearly two decades in business, with a strong reputation for ease of use and US-based support. Pricing is simple and tiered by student count: $49/mo (up to 25), $99 (26–50), $149 (51–100), $199 (100+), with all features at every tier. The honest trade-offs: reviewers note limited reporting and multi-location management, and its payment processing runs on the US-focused BASYS, so it’s less suited to UK/EU schools.
Where it wins vs Mat Track: long track record, simplicity, strong support reputation. Where Mat Track wins: deeper retention analytics, multi-location dashboards, UK/EU billing, a free plan.
Pricing: $49–$199/month by student count.
4. GymDesk — best all-rounder with a built-in website
Best for: schools wanting a broad, easy-to-use platform with a bundled website builder.
GymDesk (formerly Martial Arts on Rails) is a well-rated, easy-to-set-up platform with a built-in website builder and all features included on every tier ($75–$200/month by member count). It supports belt tracking and multiple payment processors. Worth knowing: following its acquisition by private equity, some long-standing martial-arts customers have reported a decline in functionality and support, so it’s worth checking current reviews.
Where it wins vs Mat Track: bundled website builder, long track record, large review base. Where Mat Track wins: behavioural churn detection, retention focus, a free plan, operator-built workflows.
Pricing: $75–$200/month by member count.
5. Zen Planner — best for established multi-discipline schools
Best for: larger schools wanting a deep, mature feature set across disciplines.
Zen Planner has deep features and genuine martial-arts roots (founded 2006 by a martial arts school owner), including belt tracking and testing-event management. Base pricing runs $99–$348/month by member count, but marketing (Engage), website and branded-app modules are separate add-ons — reported full-stack setups reach $348–$525+/month. Its annual discount is a 12-month commitment.
Where it wins vs Mat Track: mature, deep feature set and long track record. Where Mat Track wins: bundled pricing without the add-on stack, behavioural churn analytics, true month-to-month terms, a free plan.
Pricing: $99–$348/month base, plus add-ons.
6. PushPress — best for CrossFit-adjacent gyms adding martial arts
Best for: hybrid facilities running CrossFit alongside martial arts programs.
PushPress is a well-rated platform with a free Core tier and low base paid plans ($159 Pro, $229 Max). It started as CrossFit gym software and added belt tracking and martial-arts billing later — so for a hybrid box it works well, but for a dedicated dojo the CrossFit origins show, and promotion/family-billing workflows aren’t as tight as the martial-arts-native tools. Its free tier carries higher processing fees (4.19–4.99% + $0.30).
Where it wins vs Mat Track: strong for hybrid CrossFit/martial-arts facilities, free tier plus modular add-ons. Where Mat Track wins: purpose-built martial-arts and retention workflows, bundled analytics, simpler pricing.
Pricing: Free / $159 / $229 per month, plus add-ons.
7. Martialytics — best for grappling gyms wanting simplicity
Best for: BJJ and grappling schools that want a clean, focused attendance-and-rank tool.
Martialytics is a martial-arts-focused platform popular with BJJ and grappling gyms for its simplicity and clean attendance/rank tracking. It’s a lighter-weight option: reviewers note lead management and automation are more manual than Spark or Mat Track, so it suits schools that want straightforward record-keeping over deep growth automation.
Where it wins vs Mat Track: simplicity and a clean grappling-focused experience. Where Mat Track wins: behavioural churn/retention analytics, automated follow-up, transparent tiered pricing with a free plan.
Pricing: see Martialytics for current pricing.
Comparison table
| Platform | Best for | Starting price | Free plan | Native belt tracking | Retention analytics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mat Track | Retention-driven schools | $0/mo | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Behavioural churn detection |
| Spark Membership | Automation-heavy growth | ~$249/mo (quote) | ❌ | ✅ | Reporting |
| Kicksite | Traditional simplicity | $49/mo | ❌ | ✅ | Limited |
| GymDesk | All-rounder + website | $75/mo | ✅ (15-student cap) | ✅ | Reporting |
| Zen Planner | Established schools | $99/mo | ❌ | ✅ | Reporting |
| PushPress | CrossFit-adjacent | $0/mo | ✅ | Added (not native) | Reporting |
| Martialytics | Grappling simplicity | See provider | ❌ | ✅ | Basic |
All pricing as of June 2026; verify on each provider’s site. Some pricing is quote-only or operator-reported.
Which martial arts software is right for you?
If keeping members and growing through retention is your priority, Mat Track is the strongest fit — it’s the only platform here that pairs native belt tracking with behavioural churn detection, at transparent pricing with a free plan. If you want the deepest sales-and-marketing automation, Spark Membership leads there. If you want proven simplicity, Kicksite is a safe veteran. For a bundled website, GymDesk; for a deep multi-discipline feature set, Zen Planner; for a hybrid CrossFit box, PushPress; and for lightweight grappling-focused tracking, Martialytics.
Start your free trial with Mat Track → — no credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best martial arts software in 2026?
For schools focused on retention and growth, Mat Track is the best martial arts software — it combines native belt/rank tracking with behavioural churn detection and transparent pricing including a free plan. Spark Membership leads on sales automation, and Kicksite is a strong, simple veteran for traditional dojos.
What features should martial arts software have?
The essentials are belt/rank tracking tied to attendance, family billing under one account, trial-to-member conversion tools, digital waivers, and retention visibility that flags at-risk students before they quit. Martial arts schools run on progression, so generic gym features aren’t enough. As of June 2026.
Is there free martial arts software?
Yes. Mat Track offers a free-forever Starter plan (up to 200 contacts) with native belt tracking, payments and analytics, and PushPress offers a free Core tier (with higher processing fees). Most martial-arts-native platforms like Spark and Kicksite are paid-only.
What’s the difference between martial arts software and general gym software?
Martial arts software handles progression — belt/rank tracking tied to attendance, testing events, and family billing — which generic gym tools do poorly or not at all. Platforms like Mat Track, Spark and Kicksite are built for dojos; Mindbody and Glofox are generalist wellness platforms.
How much does martial arts software cost?
It ranges from free (Mat Track Starter, PushPress Core) to around $250/month. Tiered-by-student platforms like Kicksite run $49–$199/mo; broad platforms like GymDesk and Zen Planner run $75–$348/mo base, often plus add-ons. Mat Track’s paid plans are $99 and $199/mo. As of June 2026.
