Comparison
Looking for a Zen Planner alternative?
Short answer: BlackBeltCRM publishes every price: $49 to $249 a month by active members, every feature on every plan. Zen Planner pricing model: By active member count, in three plans, published on their pricing page. Both ladders are below, checked against the sources listed at the bottom.
Gyms, boxes and studios, with an add-on catalog. Here is where BlackBeltCRM is stronger, with both price ladders side by side, checked on 24 October 2026 against the sources listed at the bottom.
The difference that is not a feature
Most membership platforms tell you how many members you have. Very few tell you why they leave — and that is not a screen somebody forgot to build, it is a consequence of how long they have been keeping records and in what shape.
BlackBeltCRM has been running membership businesses since 2011 and keeps the whole record: every status change, every promotion, every attendance mark, every payment. That is what makes cohort retention curves, tenure at cancellation and churn as a rate possible. A platform holding two years of shallow data cannot produce them by adding a report.
Zen Planner and BlackBeltCRM, row by row
Swipe the table sideways to see every competitor.
| Feature | BlackBeltCRM | Zen Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Price published on the website | Yes$49 to $249 a month by active members, every feature on every plan. | YesStudio from $99, Essentials $198, Ultimate $348/mo; scales by active members. |
| Monthly cost at 75 active students | $119$119 a month (Club, 51 to 100 members). | $15561-75 members: Studio $155, Essentials $254, Ultimate $404/mo. |
| No contract required | YesMonth to month. No contract, no setup fee. | YesMonth-to-month; annual contract available on request. |
| Keeps no percent of your tuition | YesFlat monthly price. Card payments 2.75% + 35¢ each, everything included. | YesFlat tiers; processing is custom-priced, rates not listed. |
| Families billed in your own name | YesFamilies pay in your name, on your own rules. | Not publishedName shown on member statements is not stated. |
| Money goes straight to your merchant account | YesMerchant account opened through our partner, held in the business's name. | PartlyDaxko Payments in-house; "third-party processors are also supported." |
| Warning before a student quits | YesAt-risk warnings on Home, with a one-tap come-back message. | Yes"Track at-risk members, churn rates, and engagement trends." |
| Retention, churn-rate and tenure reports | YesCohort retention, tenure at cancellation, churn as a rate. | YesChurn rates and membership lifecycle data in reporting. |
| AI reading of your business | YesA daily AI reading of your numbers on Home; every figure checked against your own data before it shows. | Not publishedEngage AI covers calls, chat, reviews and content; no AI summary of your numbers. |
| AI helper inside the software | YesAsk how to do anything; steps for the screen you are on, from our help, in English or Spanish. | Not publishedEngage AI Agent automates messages; staff how-to assistant not described. |
| Free import from your old software | YesFree self-service import on every new account, with a preview and undo. | YesData transferred during free onboarding sessions; no migration fee listed. |
| English and Spanish | YesApp and emails in English and Spanish. | Not publishedSpanish is not mentioned. |
| Belts, ranks and testing | YesRanks per program, promotion history and testing fees. | YesCustom ranks, testing events, eligibility lists, promotion history. |
| Two-way texting | YesTwo-way texting from your own number, with an inbox and automations; a paid add-on per location. | PartlyTwo-way member messaging in Engage add-on ($249/mo) or Ultimate. |
| Automatic lead follow-up | YesLead pipeline with automatic follow-up emails and texts. | YesAutomated lead follow-ups, trial tracking, re-engagement campaigns. |
| Marketing tools built in | YesLead forms, Google review requests, online join and pay, and a referral program. | YesEmbeddable lead forms, automated review requests, online sign-ups. |
| Social media posts | In developmentIn development: AI-written posts from your own business's data; you approve them, then post in one tap, and we show which posts brought in new members. | PartlyEngage add-on (from $249/mo): Content AI drafts social posts; posting not stated. |
| Website for your business | ComingComing January 2027: pick a template you can adjust, or have us design a professional site for a one-time fee. Hosting is a monthly fee. Schedule, prices, lead forms and online join come live from your BlackBeltCRM. | YesZen Planner builds the website from $99/mo; included in Essentials. |
| Paid ads run for you | NoWe do not run ads for you. | YesTeam-run Facebook/Instagram/Google campaigns from $79/mo plus $99 setup. |
| Branded app in the app stores | In planningYour own branded app in the App Store and Google Play is in planning; today the member portal adds to the phone's home screen. | YesBranded Mobile App add-on $39/mo. |
Sources and dates
Each competitor fact was read on its vendor's own public pages on the date shown; "Not published" means the vendor does not state it publicly. "Coming", "In development" and "In planning" mark our own features that are not live yet. Prices and features change, so check their sites, and tell us if something here is out of date.
- BlackBeltCRM: blackbeltcrm.com/pricing, blackbeltcrm.com, blackbeltcrm.com/features/analytics, blackbeltcrm.com/ai-gym-software, blackbeltcrm.com/switching, blackbeltcrm.com/features/support, blackbeltcrm.com/markets/martial-arts, blackbeltcrm.com/features/communications, blackbeltcrm.com/features/leads-trials, blackbeltcrm.com/features, blackbeltcrm.com/features/member-portal
- Zen Planner: zenplanner.com/pricing, zenplanner.com/pricing/active-member-tiers, zenplanner.com/payments, zenplanner.com/features/reporting-dashboards-software, zenplanner.com/engage/ai, zenplanner.com/features, zenplanner.com/features/belt-tracking-software, zenplanner.com/products/zen-planner-engage, zenplanner.com/services/best-fitness-websites, zenplanner.com/services/digital-marketing
Where we are stronger
At 75 active members their Studio plan is $155 a month, Essentials $254 and Ultimate $404; ours is $119 with every feature. Two-way texting needs their $249 Engage add-on or the Ultimate plan. Every feature we have is on every plan.
Pricing, side by side
Zen Planner: By active member count, in three plans, published on their pricing page.
Zen Planner
| Studio | $99from; $155 at 61-75 members |
| Essentials | $198from; $254 at 61-75 members |
| Ultimate | $348from; $404 at 61-75 members |
| Engage marketing add-on | $249 |
| Branded app add-on | $39 |
BlackBeltCRM
| Up to 25 members | $49 |
| 26 – 50 members | $79 |
| 51 – 100 members | $119 |
| 101 – 250 members | $159 |
| 251 – 500 members | $199 |
| 501+ members | $249 |
Every feature is on every plan. Nothing is held back for a higher tier and there are no per-staff charges. Charged on top only if you use them: extra Locations at $39 each, payment processing, and text messaging. Card payments are 2.75% + 35¢ each, everything included, plus $20 a month per location; bank payments are 25¢.
Switching
The trial is free, asks for no card, and switches every feature on. Bring one program across and run it alongside what you have — that is a more honest test than any demo, including ours.
A new account starts on BlackBeltCRM 2027 with the free import tool. You import your members yourself during the trial:choose Zen Planner in the importer for the steps to export your members, see every family and member before anything is written, and undo it if you change your mind. How the import works. If somebody tells you migration is effortless, ask them to show you your own file first.
Sources
Zen Planner pricing verified 24 October 2026 from:
Their pricing changes and ours has gone stale before, which is why these pages carry a date. If you are reading this well after the date above, check their site — and tell us, so we can fix it.
Comparing more than one?
Most people are. Here is the same treatment for the rest.
Try it against your own numbers
Free to try, no card, no contract. Or work out what churn is costing you first — two numbers, no sign-up.
Start free trialSwitching is a file, not a project.
Export from your old system, import it here and check every family before anything is saved. If something looks wrong, undo it.
- Switching is a file, not a project
- Import your members from your old system’s export, free at any size. You see every family before anything is saved, and you can undo it.
- No contract, no card to start
- Free to try. Export your members to CSV or Excel any time, without asking us.
- $49 a month, every feature
- Priced by the size of your membership. No setup fee, no per-staff charge, no feature held for a higher plan.
- English and Spanish
- Each person on your team picks English or Spanish, and emails go out in each family’s language.