Best karate school software
✔ Last verified 2026-10-25✔ Prices linked to vendor sources✔ Our methodologyAffiliate disclosure
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A karate dojo runs on rank: students move through kyu and dan grades, testing eligibility depends on attendance and time at rank, and many students are kids billed on a family account. All five tools below say they serve karate schools on their own sites. Prices come from each vendor's pricing page; anything not published is marked unknown.
| Kicksite | Martialytics | Gymdesk | Zen Planner | Spark Membership | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo (0-25 students) | $69/mo (0-50 students) | $75/mo with Gymdesk Payments (≤50 members); $100/mo otherwise | From $99/mo (Studio) | $199/mo after 8-week trial |
| Pricing basis | Priced by active students; all features at every tier | Priced by active students; leads and inactive students free; unlimited users and locations | Priced by active members; extra location $50/mo (Gymdesk Payments) or $100/mo (own processor) | Priced by active members (prospects and staff not counted) | Full access to every feature; setup by account rep; free data migration |
| Free trial | First 30 days free (pricing and switch pages) | 30 days, no credit card | 30 days, no credit card | unknown | 8 weeks |
| Contract | Recurring charges until you cancel; annual plans auto-renew every 12 months and aren't refunded if cancelled early (terms of use); discounted annual pricing on request | No lock-in contracts | Month to month, no setup or cancellation fee | Month-to-month; annual contract on request | Service term set in your Order Form; auto-renews for the same term or 1 year (whichever is shorter) unless you give 30 days' notice; no termination for convenience mid-term (Terms & Conditions 9.1-9.2) |
| Belt / rank tracking | Yes: attendance and belt tracking, promote with one click | Yes: grading-readiness tracking; student app lessons sectioned by rank (features page) | Yes: per-program rank progression; flags who's ready to promote (homepage FAQ) | Yes: belt and skill tracking listed | Yes: rank history, per-rank requirements, test-eligibility from attendance, mass rank promote, certificates |
| Attendance | Yes: kiosk check-in by name, PIN or member-portal barcode; check-in restrictions for past-due balances (FAQ, attendance page) | Yes: engagement tracking, automatic absence follow-up, Kiosk Mode check-in app (features page, site nav) | Yes: check-in by kiosk, name search, barcode or phone | Yes | Yes: attendance trends |
| Booking | Yes: students register for classes and events in the Member Portal mobile web app (FAQ) | Yes: bookings & events, calendar, capacity (features page) | Yes: members book classes from their phone | Yes: online scheduling | Yes: members book and pay in the free Spark Member App (iOS/Android) |
| Payments / fees | US: preferred partner Basys, flat rate $29/mo + 2.9% + $0.25 per card transaction (card + ACH option: $35 setup, $49/mo, 2.9% + $0.25 card, $0.30 ACH); international: Stripe (payment-processing page) | Standard Stripe rates, no markup or revenue % (per vendor) | Gymdesk Payments (US/Canada) rate: unknown | Daxko Payments or preferred processors; rates unknown | Spark Payments (rates not published); supports automatic credit-card surcharging capped at your actual rate, or dual pricing, where legal |
| Rating | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| Source | vendor page vendor page vendor page vendor page vendor page vendor page | vendor page vendor page | vendor page vendor page | vendor page | vendor page vendor page vendor page vendor page vendor page |
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Prices as published (monthly no-commitment / annual where shown). "unknown" = not published. Checked 2026-10-25.
What each vendor says it does for karate
- Kicksite has a dedicated karate school software page listing belt rank tracking, belt testing, kiosk check-in by name, PIN or barcode, and an optional Days at Rank or Classes at Rank display at check-in.
- Zen Planner's karate page says its rank tracking follows kyu and dan ranks, flags students eligible for testing, and handles family billing for siblings and parent-child memberships.
- Spark Membership's karate page lists belt history, family accounts and attendance trends, and says the platform was built by two 7th Dan black belts who ran martial arts schools.
- Martialytics lists Karate Dojos among the schools it's built for, with grading-readiness tracking on its features page.
- Gymdesk says it started in martial arts (including karate), with belt tracking, skills and family memberships built in.
Small dojo (under 50 students)
Kicksite is the lowest published price at $49/mo for 0-25 students ($99 for 26-50). Martialytics is $69/mo for up to 50, and Gymdesk is $75/mo for up to 50 active members with Gymdesk Payments ($100/mo with your own processor). Visit Kicksite
Growing dojo (100-200 students)
Martialytics is $129/mo for 101-200 students and Kicksite is $199/mo for 101+. Gymdesk is $150/mo (101-150) or $200/mo (151-250) with Gymdesk Payments. Zen Planner starts at $99/mo but scales by active members at prices it doesn't publish. Visit Martialytics
Want setup done for you
Spark Membership offers an 8-week free trial, then $199/mo, with free data migration and setup by an account rep. Its terms set a service term in your order form that auto-renews unless you give 30 days' notice, so read the order form before signing. Visit Spark Membership
Cost at 60 active students (published prices only)
- Kicksite: $149/mo (51-100 tier)
- Martialytics: $99/mo (51-100 tier)
- Gymdesk: $100/mo with Gymdesk Payments, $125 without
- Zen Planner: from $99/mo (exact price unknown)
- Spark Membership: $199/mo after the trial
Related: best martial arts school software · martial arts software pricing by student count · Martialytics vs Kicksite · all martial arts and karate tools
FAQ
Is there software made specifically for karate schools?
Kicksite, Zen Planner and Spark Membership each have a dedicated karate school software page, and Martialytics and Gymdesk both list karate among the schools they serve. All five are general martial arts platforms rather than karate-only products.
What is the cheapest karate school software?
Of the published prices we checked, Kicksite starts at $49/mo for 0-25 students, Martialytics at $69/mo for up to 50 students, and Gymdesk at $75/mo for up to 50 active members with Gymdesk Payments ($100/mo with your own processor).
Which karate software tracks kyu and dan ranks?
Zen Planner's karate page explicitly says its rank tracking follows kyu and dan ranks. Kicksite, Martialytics, Gymdesk and Spark Membership all list belt or rank tracking, and Kicksite can show Days at Rank or Classes at Rank when a student checks in.
Does karate school software handle family billing?
Zen Planner says family billing handles siblings and parent-child memberships automatically, Spark Membership lists family accounts, and Gymdesk says family memberships are built in.
Do these tools have free trials?
Martialytics and Gymdesk offer 30 days with no credit card, Kicksite says your first 30 days are free, and Spark Membership offers 8 weeks. We couldn't find a published free trial for Zen Planner.