All Reviews

Zen Planner Review

The gold standard for martial arts school management

$99–$348/month·Founded 2006·15,000+ schools
4.8
Editor's Choice

Affiliate Disclosure: MartialArtsSoftware.io may earn a commission when you purchase software through links on this page. This doesn't affect our editorial scores or rankings — we evaluate every tool independently. Read our editorial standards →

Overview

Zen Planner is the most widely used software among martial arts schools. Purpose-built for dojos and academies since 2006, it offers the deepest belt/rank tracking system in the market, robust billing, comprehensive reporting, and a large peer community of school owners.

Best For

All martial arts schools — especially those needing deep belt tracking

Pricing

$99–$348/month

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Deepest belt and rank tracking system — supports custom belt hierarchies, stripe systems, and promotion criteria
  • Purpose-built for martial arts since 2006 with 15,000+ schools on the platform
  • Robust automated billing with dunning management and family plan discounts
  • Branded mobile app for students to check schedules, track progress, and make payments
  • Comprehensive attendance tracking with kiosk check-in and parent notification
  • Large community of martial arts school owners sharing best practices and workflows

Cons

  • Higher price point than Kicksite — the $348/month tier is needed for full feature access
  • Interface design feels dated compared to newer competitors like Wodify
  • Reporting tools have a learning curve and can be overwhelming for first-time software users
  • Customer support response times have slowed as the user base has grown

Key Features

Custom belt and rank hierarchy management with promotion criteria and time-in-grade tracking
Automated billing with dunning, family discounts, contract management, and retry sequences
Student attendance tracking with kiosk mode, barcode scanning, and parent alerts
Branded mobile app for student scheduling, progress tracking, and payments
Lead management pipeline with automated follow-up sequences
Comprehensive reporting: revenue, retention, attendance trends, and rank progression
Class scheduling with waitlists, capacity limits, and instructor assignment
Integration with website for trial class signups and new student onboarding

Our Verdict

Zen Planner is the gold standard for martial arts school management software, and for good reason. Its belt tracking system is unmatched — you can configure custom rank hierarchies for any discipline (BJJ, Karate, Taekwondo, Krav Maga) with stripe requirements, attendance minimums, and time-in-grade rules that auto-flag students eligible for promotion.

For school owners who take student progression seriously, this alone justifies the price premium over Kicksite. The billing automation is equally mature, handling family discounts, sibling rates, contract freezes, and failed payment retry sequences without manual intervention.

Where Zen Planner falls short is in modern design and onboarding speed. The interface works but feels like 2015 enterprise software. If you're a small school with simple needs and a tight budget, Kicksite covers the basics at half the price. But for any school with 50+ students where belt tracking and billing automation matter, Zen Planner is the safest choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Zen Planner cost per month?▼
Zen Planner pricing ranges from $99 to $348/month depending on your school size and feature needs. The Starter plan at $99/month covers basic scheduling and billing for smaller schools. The Growth plan at $199/month adds the branded app and marketing tools. The Peak plan at $348/month unlocks advanced reporting, custom automations, and priority support. There are no per-student fees.
Does Zen Planner have belt tracking for BJJ and Karate?▼
Yes, Zen Planner has the most comprehensive belt tracking system in the martial arts software market. You can configure custom rank hierarchies for any discipline — BJJ (with stripe systems), Karate (with kyu/dan ranks), Taekwondo, Judo, and more. Each rank can have attendance requirements, time-in-grade minimums, and skill checkoff criteria. The system auto-flags students who meet promotion criteria.
Can Zen Planner handle family billing and sibling discounts?▼
Yes, Zen Planner supports family accounts with automated sibling discounts, family plan pricing, and consolidated billing. You can set up percentage-based or flat-rate discounts for additional family members, and parents receive a single invoice for all enrolled children.
Does Zen Planner offer a free trial?▼
Zen Planner offers a free trial period (typically 14 days) so you can test the platform with your actual school data. They also provide a free demo with a martial arts specialist who can walk you through belt tracking, billing setup, and reporting for your specific school type.

Try Zen Planner

See if Zen Planner is the right fit for your school

Visit Zen Planner

Compare Zen Planner

Zen Planner vs Kicksite →WellnessLiving vs Zen Planner →Zen Planner vs Mindbody →PerfectMind vs Zen Planner →