The best dojo management software handles what generic gym systems fumble: real rank structures (kyu/dan grades, stripes, custom levels), grading administration, families as the billing unit, and the mid-syllabus drift that costs dojos their students. Seven platforms compared honestly for traditional martial arts schools — karate, judo, aikido, and multi-art dojos alike. Updated July 2026.
Key takeaways
- Rank-system flexibility is the first filter: kyu/dan and custom structures need configurable criteria, not a text field.
- Specialists vs generalists is the real choice: martial-arts-only platforms (Mat Track, Kicksite, Martialytics) vs activity-centre systems (iClassPro) serve different operating models.
- Mat Track leads on retention — behavioural churn detection catches mid-syllabus drift; ranks, families and billing are native.
- Kicksite is the traditional standard — nearly 20 years, 2,000+ schools, $49–$199 honest pricing.
- Martialytics is the grading purist’s pick; Zen Planner the scale pick.
- Free options exist: Mat Track’s 200-contact free plan and PushPress’s free tier are real plans, not trials.
What a dojo actually needs from management software
A traditional dojo’s operations differ from a fitness gym’s in four specific ways: progression is structural (grades with criteria, not arbitrary levels), the paying customer is often a parent, revenue events cluster around gradings, and attrition hides in plateaus between ranks. The platforms below are assessed on those four realities — rank configurability, family handling, grading administration, and drift detection — with every price dated and checkable.
1. Mat Track
Best for: dojos that want rank progression, families and retention handled in one system.
Mat Track is built martial-arts-first: native belt/rank promotion tracking with configurable criteria and full history, QR and kiosk check-in, family and group billing, and SMS/email automation in one platform. Rank structures are fully configurable — kyu/dan grades, stripes, custom levels — with per-rank criteria driving automatic grading eligibility, which suits karate, judo, aikido and multi-art dojos equally. Its analytics go deepest here — behavioural churn detection baselines each member’s own attendance over 60 days and flags drop-offs before they become cancellations, alongside cohort retention and coach-performance reporting. Built by a team running a multi-site BJJ academy that grew from 120 to 1,200 members across four locations; month-to-month, free migrations, and the Starter plan is free for up to 200 contacts.
Where it wins: configurable rank systems, family billing, churn analytics, free plan.
Where Mat Track wins: —
Pricing:Free / $99 / $199 per month by contact count; 0% platform transaction fees.
Start free with Mat Track → — no credit card required.
2. Kicksite
Best for: traditional single-location dojos that want the established standard.
Kicksite has spent nearly 20 years serving only martial arts schools — 2,000+ of them — with rank promotion, attendance, lead capture and free one-way texting at honest student-count pricing ($49–$199/mo, all features included). US support is consistently praised; reporting and US-only payment rails are the known limits.
Where it wins: longevity, simplicity, support.
Where Mat Track wins: analytics, UK/EU billing, multi-site, free plan.
Pricing: $49–$199/mo. As of June 2026 — verify at kicksite.com.
3. Martialytics
Best for: dojos whose priority is grading administration done beautifully.
Martialytics is martial-arts-only and deliberately focused: belt-readiness reports, attendance-linked progression, clean grading administration, simple daily use on any device. It doesn’t try to be your marketing engine or website — that focus is the appeal and the limit. Quote-based pricing with a free trial.
Where it wins: grading focus, ease of use.
Where Mat Track wins: billing/marketing/analytics breadth, published pricing.
Pricing: Quote-based with trial. As of June 2026 — verify at martialytics.com.
4. GymDesk
Best for: small dojos wanting curriculum tracking plus a free website.
GymDesk brings per-rank technique checklists with progress bars, a parent portal, family accounts with sibling discounts, and a bundled website builder — from $75/mo published, five processors including GoCardless, 15-student free plan after trial. Weigh its recent post-acquisition reviews.
Where it wins: curriculum checklists, website, processor choice.
Where Mat Track wins: churn detection, marketing depth, bigger free plan.
Pricing: $75–~$200/mo. As of June 2026 — verify at gymdesk.com.
5. Zen Planner
Best for: multi-programme dojos and organisations testing at scale.
Zen Planner’s testing-event management and payroll depth suit organisations running large, frequent gradings across programmes. Reported base $99–$348/mo (quote-routed 2026) plus modules to $348–$525+; exit terms deserve written confirmation.
Where it wins: testing at scale, payroll, depth.
Where Mat Track wins: bundled pricing, no lock-in, churn analytics.
Pricing: Reported $99–$348/mo + add-ons. As of June 2026 — verify at zenplanner.com.
6. iClassPro
Best for: activity centres where the dojo is one programme among several.
iClassPro manages children’s activity centres — gymnastics, swim, dance, martial arts — with family portals, skill tracking and automations. Right when the dojo shares a roof with other kids’ programmes; generalist when it doesn’t. Tiered pricing per location via sales.
Where it wins: multi-activity operations, family portals.
Where Mat Track wins: martial-arts-native depth, published pricing.
Pricing: Tiered per location; confirm at iclasspro.com. As of July 2026.
7. PushPress
Best for: hybrid dojos adding fitness programmes, wanting a free start.
PushPress suits dojos running hybrid fitness/martial-arts models: free Core tier (higher card processing of 4.19–4.99% + $0.30), published paid tiers ($159/$229), native rank tracking and belt-test events, modular add-ons for marketing and programming.
Where it wins: free entry, hybrid-model fit, transparent modules.
Where Mat Track wins: bundled analytics, GoCardless, martial-arts purity.
Pricing: Free / $159 / $229 + add-ons. As of June 2026 — verify at pushpress.com.
Comparison table
| Platform | Best for | Starting price | Rank / grading tools | Family features | Retention analytics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mat Track | Ranks + retention | $0/mo | ✅ Configurable kyu/dan criteria | ✅ | ✅ Behavioural |
| Kicksite | Traditional standard | $49/mo | ✅ Promotions + testing | Basic | Limited |
| Martialytics | Grading purity | Quote | ✅ Readiness reports | Limited | Limited |
| GymDesk | Curriculum + website | $75/mo | ✅ Technique checklists | ✅ | At-risk alerts |
| Zen Planner | Scale + payroll | ~$99/mo (quote-routed) | ✅ Deepest events | ✅ | Reporting |
| iClassPro | Multi-activity centres | Tiered (sales) | Skill tracking | ✅ Portals | Reporting |
| PushPress | Hybrid + free start | $0/mo | ✅ Added | ✅ | Reporting |
All pricing as of June–July 2026; verify on each provider’s site. Some pricing is quote-based.
Which is right for your dojo?
Start from your operating model. Single traditional dojo wanting the proven standard: Kicksite. Dojo that wants gradings automated and students kept: Mat Track — configurable rank criteria plus churn detection, free to start. Grading administration as the whole brief: Martialytics. Multi-programme organisation: Zen Planner. Kids’ activity centre with a dojo inside it: iClassPro. Hybrid fitness model: PushPress.
Start your free trial with Mat Track → — no credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dojo management software in 2026?
Mat Track for dojos that want configurable rank systems (kyu/dan, stripes, custom levels), family billing and behavioural churn detection in one platform with a free plan; Kicksite as the long-standing martial-arts-only standard; Martialytics where grading administration is the whole requirement.
How much does dojo management software cost?
From free (Mat Track Starter, 200 contacts) and $49/mo (Kicksite, Jackrabbit) through $75–$249/mo for most single-location dojos, to $348–$525+/mo full-stack on modular platforms. Quote-based vendors (Martialytics, iClassPro, Zen Planner’s 2026 base) should confirm everything in writing. As of mid-2026.
Can dojo software handle different rank systems like kyu/dan grades?
The specialists can: Mat Track’s rank structures are fully configurable (kyu/dan, stripes, custom levels) with per-rank promotion criteria; Kicksite and Zen Planner support custom belt systems; GymDesk maps technique checklists to each rank. Generalist fitness software usually reduces ranks to a text field — check before buying.
What software do traditional martial arts schools use most?
Kicksite is the most established martial-arts-only platform (nearly 20 years, 2,000+ schools), with Zen Planner common among larger organisations. Newer schools increasingly pick analytics-led platforms like Mat Track, or grading-focused tools like Martialytics, depending on priorities.
Is there free dojo management software?
Yes — Mat Track’s Starter plan is permanently free for up to 200 contacts including rank tracking, attendance, billing and analytics; PushPress’s Core Free is $0/mo with higher card processing; GymDesk offers a 15-student free plan after trial. Free trials (Kicksite, Martialytics) are not free plans.
