Compare
BlackBeltCRM vs Spark, Gymdesk, Kicksite, AMS and Zen Planner.
Every fact comes from the vendor's own website, with a link to the page and the date it was checked. Where a competitor does something we do not, the chart says so.
Swipe the table sideways to see every competitor.
| Feature | BlackBeltCRM | Spark Membership | Gymdesk | Kicksite | AMS (ATLAS) | Zen Planner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price published on the website | Yes$49 to $249 a month by active members, every feature on every plan. | Yes$199/month after an 8-week free trial; one plan, no tiers listed. | Yes$100-$240/mo by active members; $75-$200 with Gymdesk Payments. | Yes$49 (0-25), $99 (26-50), $149 (51-100), $199 (101+) per month. | NoNo prices on site; free demo or call 1-800-275-1600. | 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). | $199$199/month; fee the same at 200 or 1,000 students. | $125Small Gym (51-100): $125/mo, or $100 with Gymdesk Payments. | $149$149/month for 51-100 students. | Quote onlyNo prices on the website; price after a demo. | $15561-75 members: Studio $155, Essentials $254, Ultimate $404/mo. |
| No contract required | YesMonth to month. No contract, no setup fee. | YesMonth-to-month, cancel anytime; no long-term contract. | YesMonth to month; no setup fee, minimum term or cancellation cost. | PartlyMonthly plans need 30 days written notice to cancel; annual plans are 12-month contracts. | Not publishedContract terms are not stated on the pages read. | YesMonth-to-month; annual contract available on request. |
| Keeps no percent of your tuition | YesFlat monthly price. Card processing is billed separately. | YesFlat monthly fee; card processing averages 2.86%. | YesFlat tiers; Gymdesk Payments cards 2.9% + $0.30. | YesFlat tiers by student count; Basys cards 2.9% + $0.25. | Not publishedBilling service fee structure not stated; page says "no monthly fees." | YesFlat tiers; processing is custom-priced, rates not listed. |
| Families billed in the school's own name | YesFamilies pay in the school's name, on the school's own rules. | Not publishedName shown on family card statements is not stated. | YesGymdesk Payments shows "FWD* [Your Business Name]"; prefix cannot be removed. | Not publishedName shown on family statements is not stated. | Not publishedAMS runs full-service billing and collections; payee name not stated. | Not publishedName shown on member statements is not stated. |
| Money goes straight to the school's merchant account | YesMerchant account opened through our partner, held in the school's name. | NoUS/Canada must use Spark's in-house merchant; outside them, own Stripe. | YesOwn Stripe, Square, Authorize.net or GoCardless supported; software costs more. | Not publishedBasys is the preferred partner; using another merchant account is not stated. | PartlySells merchant accounts to "process your own payments"; also full-service billing. | 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. | Not publishedAttendance reports and milestone automations; no at-risk alert described. | YesFlags members past a set absence window; can auto-send win-back messages. | PartlyAttendance Log shows who is at risk; no automatic alert described. | Not publishedGoal alerts mentioned; no attendance or at-risk alert described. | 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. | PartlyCancelled Memberships and conversion reports; no churn-rate or tenure report named. | YesMember Growth report: monthly churn, average membership length, net growth. | Not publishedNo retention or churn report named. | YesSet and track retention goals with reports, graphs and alerts. | 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. | YesSparkAI Business Intelligence Reporting analyzes attendance, attrition and marketing data. | NoBlog: not interested in "stapling AI onto a feature list". | Not publishedWebinar says AI is being added carefully; no AI feature named. | Not publishedATLAS page names a Smart Dashboard of statistics; AI not mentioned. | 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 publishedNo staff how-to assistant described; SparkAI Email Writer drafts emails. | NoFounder post: "AI features are coming"; no assistant released. | Not publishedNo AI assistant named. | Not publishedATLAS page does not mention AI or an assistant. | Not publishedEngage AI Agent automates messages; staff how-to assistant not described. |
| Free import from your old software | YesSelf-service import during the trial, free at any size, with undo. | YesFree student data migration listed on the pricing page. | Yes"Migration support included"; $0 setup fees. | YesFree data migration when switching from another system. | Not publishedData import is not mentioned. | YesData transferred during free onboarding sessions; no migration fee listed. |
| English and Spanish | YesApp, member portal and emails in English and Spanish. | Not publishedSpanish is not mentioned on the pricing, offer or help pages read. | Not publishedSite offered in English and Japanese; Spanish not mentioned. | Not publishedSpanish is not mentioned. | Not publishedSpanish is not mentioned. | Not publishedSpanish is not mentioned. |
| Belts, ranks and testing | YesRanks per program, promotion history and testing fees. | YesBelt history and rank progression with testing built in. | YesPromotion criteria per rank or belt, with readiness notifications. | YesCustom belt curriculum, belt testing events, one-click promotion. | Not publishedNot stated on the vendor's ATLAS page. | YesCustom ranks, testing events, eligibility lists, promotion history. |
| Two-way texting | YesTwo-way texting with an inbox and automations; text messaging is a paid add-on per location. | YesSpark SMS is two-way; text credits are sold separately. | YesReplies are captured on the member profile; any staff member can answer. | YesTwo-way texting with students and prospects since Dec 9, 2025. | Not publishedOnly a promotional-SMS opt-in on the demo form. | 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, trial and reactivation campaigns by email and SMS. | Yes"Capture leads and follow up automatically" via automations. | YesAutomated lead-nurturing message flows for prospects. | Yes"Set and forget" prospect and student follow-up automation. | 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. | YesMember app referrals, reviews posted to Google, in-app membership sales; Ignite landing pages. | YesLead capture forms, online member sign-up, referral program, automated review requests. | PartlyLead capture forms and online membership purchase via landing pages. | PartlyLead capture funnel stated; reviews, online sign-up, referral program not described. | YesEmbeddable lead forms, automated review requests, online sign-ups. |
| Social media posts | In developmentIn development: AI-written posts from your own school's data; you approve them, then post in one tap, and we show which posts brought in new members. | YesIgnite add-on ($199/mo): monthly calendar of daily ready-made posts; who publishes is not stated. | Not publishedSocial media posting not mentioned on the marketing features page. | Not publishedNo social posting feature or service stated. | YesSocial Media Auto-Syndication Engine in Black Belt and Masters website packages; no prices. | PartlyEngage add-on (from $249/mo): Content AI drafts social posts; posting not stated. |
| Website for your school | 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. | YesIgnite add-on ($199/mo) builds the website during $1 setup. | YesNo-code website builder included in every plan. | YesKicksite professionals build the website; four tiers, prices not listed. | YesAMS builds a customized lead-generating website; three packages, no prices. | YesZen Planner builds the website from $99/mo; included in Essentials. |
| Paid ads run for you | NoWe do not run ads for you. | NoIgnite FAQ: "We don't" run ads; provides ad copy and guides. | Not publishedAd management service not mentioned on marketing or pricing pages. | YesMarketing Services team manages Google, Facebook or Instagram ads (undated newsletter). | YesMasters package: done-for-you, fully managed Facebook ad campaigns. | 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. | YesWhite-label app: $1,200 first year, then $499/year. | YesBranded app $100/mo on App Store and Google Play; first month free. | Not publishedMember portal is a mobile web app; no branded store app mentioned. | Not publishedMobile app image shown; no branded app described. | 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
- Spark Membership: sparkmembership.com/spark-membership-pricing, sparkmembership.com/special-offer, help.sparkmembership.com/en/articles/5273152-merchant-and-merchant-fees-information, help.sparkmembership.com/en/articles/15934015-how-do-i-set-up-and-manage-automations-based-on-attendance-milestones-in-spark-membership, help.sparkmembership.com/en/articles/14672656-how-can-i-track-and-troubleshoot-trial-and-membership-performance-metrics-in-spark-minds, sparkmembership.com/business-intelligence-reporting, sparkmembership.com/ai-email-writer, sparkmembership.com/compare/black-belt-alternative, sparkmembership.com/app, sparkmembership.com/ignite, help.sparkmembership.com/en/articles/16775010-what-is-the-process-for-setting-up-and-deploying-a-white-label-app-with-spark-membership
- Gymdesk: gymdesk.com/pricing, docs.gymdesk.com/en/help/docs/gymdesk-payments-faqs, docs.gymdesk.com/help/payment-processing, gymdesk.com/features/member-insights, gymdesk.com/blog/ai-for-gym-management, gymdesk.com/blog/gymdesk-founder-journey, gymdesk.com/10th-planet-jiu-jitsu, gymdesk.com/why-gymdesk, gymdesk.com/software/martial-arts, gymdesk.com/features/sms, gymdesk.com/features/marketing, gymdesk.com/features/website
- Kicksite: kicksite.com/pricing, kicksite.com/terms-of-service, kicksite.com/kicksite-vs-spark-membership, kicksite.com/faq, kicksite.com/features, kicksite.com/webinar/2025-year-in-review-2026-preview, kicksite.com/newsletter/two-way-texting-the-next-phase-of-enhanced-kicksite-communications, kicksite.com/knowledge-base/step-5-bring-in-new-students-with-bizbuilders, kicksite.com/martial-arts-websites, kicksite.com/newsletter/google-ads-vs-social-ads-how-each-can-help-your-business
- AMS (ATLAS): ourams.com/atlas-martial-arts-software, ourams.com/martial-arts-tuition-billing-service, ourams.com/martial-arts-school-merchant-account, ourams.com/professional-martial-arts-websites
- 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
Questions people ask
- What is the best martial arts school software in 2026?
- It depends on what you need most. If keeping students and a published price matter most, BlackBeltCRM is $119 a month at 75 students with retention reports and at-risk warnings. If you want the vendor to build your website and marketing, Kicksite, Zen Planner and AMS sell that today; BlackBeltCRM websites for schools are coming January 2027. The chart above shows each vendor row by row, with sources.
- How much does martial arts software cost for 75 students?
- Checked October 2026 on each vendor's own site: BlackBeltCRM $119, Kicksite $149, Gymdesk $125 ($100 with Gymdesk Payments), Zen Planner $155 to $404 depending on the plan, Spark Membership $199. AMS does not publish a price.
- Do I need a contract for martial arts software?
- Not with BlackBeltCRM, Spark Membership, Gymdesk or Zen Planner, which all state month-to-month terms. Kicksite and AMS do not state their contract terms publicly.
- Can I keep billing my families in my own school's name?
- With BlackBeltCRM the merchant account is held in your school's name and families pay you. Spark requires schools in the US and Canada to use its in-house merchant service, and Gymdesk Payments puts a FWD* prefix before your name on card statements.
One competitor at a time
- Kicksite alternative
- Spark Membership alternative
- Zen Planner alternative
- Jackrabbit Class alternative
- Mindbody alternative
- PushPress alternative
- Gymdesk alternative
- Martialytics alternative
How to read a comparison like this one: Best martial arts school software (2026), compared.