Software buying checklist for studios

✔ Last verified 2026-10-23✔ Prices linked to vendor sources✔ Our methodologyAffiliate disclosure

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A practical checklist for martial arts schools, BJJ gyms, and dance and yoga studios comparing management software. Tick items as you go, or print it and take it to demos.

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1. Must-have features

• Recurring memberships with automatic retry of failed payments
• Family accounts (one payer, several students) if you teach kids
• Belt or rank tracking with attendance-based promotion readiness (martial arts)
• Class booking, waitlists and class packs or drop-ins (dance and yoga)
• Check-in method that fits your front desk: kiosk, barcode or app
• Online waivers and sign-up forms
• Lead capture and trial-class follow-up
• Reports you actually use: active members, cancellations, revenue by program

2. Real cost

• Write down your active-customer or member count today and in 12 months; most tools price by it
• Get the published monthly price at both counts, in writing if it's quoted
• Ask for the card processing rate and per-transaction fee, and whether you can use your own processor
• Ask whether there's a platform fee or revenue percentage on top of processing
• List the add-ons you'd need (branded app, website, texting, extra locations or users) and their monthly prices
• Confirm contract length, auto-renewal, cancellation notice and any setup or exit fee
• Ask whether annual billing is discounted and whether the discount is refundable if you leave

3. Your data

• Confirm you can export customers, payment history and notes yourself, in CSV, at any time
• Ask who moves your data in, what it costs, and how long it takes
• Ask how stored cards or recurring billing move over without customers re-entering cards
• Check what happens to your data after you cancel and for how long you can download it

4. Trial and decision

• Start a trial and run one real week through it, not just the demo
• Test the mobile app as a staff member and as a customer
• Time how long the most common task takes (booking, check-in, quoting)
• Contact support once during the trial and note how fast and useful the answer is
• Ask two current users in your niche (forums, local groups) what they'd change

Compare published prices: pricing by student count · best martial arts software · dance and yoga studio software · revenue calculator

FAQ

What's the most overlooked cost in studio software?

Payment processing and platform fees. Many vendors don't publish their processing rate, so ask for it in writing and plug it into our revenue calculator.

Can I get the checklist as a PDF?

Yes. Use the Print button and choose 'Save as PDF'.

Should I pick software before opening a studio?

Set it up before you take your first payments, so memberships, waivers and attendance live in one place from day one.