Gymdesk vs BlackBeltCRM for martial arts schools (2026)
Gymdesk and BlackBeltCRM compared for martial arts businesses: price at your size, belts and testing, at-risk warnings, Spanish and apps. Sourced and dated.
Gymdesk is one of the most capable products in this market, and many martial arts schools run on it well. This is a fair side-by-side for a martial arts school, with Gymdesk facts taken from their own pages on October 24, 2026 and ours from what is live today.
At a glance
| Gymdesk | BlackBeltCRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, 40 members | $100, or $75 with Gymdesk Payments | $79 |
| Price, 75 members | $125, or $100 with Gymdesk Payments | $119 |
| Price, 200 members | $240, or $200 with Gymdesk Payments | $159 |
| Price, 300 members | Contact sales | $199 |
| Extra location | $50, or $100 with your own processor | $39 |
| Contract | None, cancel anytime | None, cancel anytime |
| Belts and ranks | Promotion criteria per rank, readiness notifications; each stripe its own rank | Standard ladder to 10th-degree black belt, 68 built-in belt pictures, test fees per rank, full promotion history |
| Warning before a student quits | Flags members past an absence window you set | At-risk flags, including the first 90 days |
| Retention reports | Monthly churn, average membership length, net growth | Cohort retention, tenure at cancellation, churn as a rate |
| English and Spanish | Not stated | App, member portal and emails |
| Name on the family’s card statement | “FWD* [Your Business Name]” with Gymdesk Payments | Your school’s name, on a merchant account held in your name |
| Website | Included in every plan | Coming January 2027 |
| Branded app | $100 a month | In planning |
| Leaving | Self-serve exports, no fee to cancel | Self-serve CSV and Excel exports, no contract |
Where Gymdesk wins
A website and an app today. Every Gymdesk plan includes a website, and a branded app is $100 a month. Ours are not live yet.
Choice of processor. You can bring Stripe, Square and others, and keep your stored cards with them.
Price at 51 to 100 members with Gymdesk Payments. $100 against our $119.
Where we are stronger for a martial arts school
Belts and testing. Both products track ranks and readiness. Ours starts from the full standard ladder to 10th-degree black belt, lets you choose every belt from 68 built-in pictures, puts the test fee on the family account and keeps every promotion on the student’s record.
Retention you can act on. Both flag absent members. We also report cohort retention and tenure at cancellation, so you can see whether students stay longer this year than last.
Spanish. The app, the member portal and the emails run in English and Spanish.
Your name on the bill. Families see your school on their statement, not a processor prefix.
A published price at every size, including past 250 members.
See every vendor row by row on the comparison page, the details in Gymdesk pricing in 2026, and how to move in Leaving Gymdesk. Our full ladder is on the pricing page, and the switching guide covers the free import.
Gymdesk facts are quoted from gymdesk.com and docs.gymdesk.com on October 24, 2026, linked in each cell. They can change; check their pages, and tell us if anything here is out of date.
Questions people ask
Is Gymdesk or BlackBeltCRM better for a martial arts school?
Gymdesk is a strong all-round choice with a website included, a branded app and a choice of processors. BlackBeltCRM goes deeper on belts and testing, reports retention as a rate, runs in English and Spanish and bills families in your school's name. Which is better depends on which of those your school needs most.
Which is cheaper?
It depends on size and how you take payments. Under 50 members and from 101 to 250 we are cheaper; at 51 to 100, Gymdesk with Gymdesk Payments is $19 a month less than us. Above 250 Gymdesk quotes by sales and we publish $199 to 500 and $249 above.