Most platforms charge hundreds of dollars or lock you into contracts just to manage student ranks and attendance. Here's a transparent comparison showing why Gym Admin is the smartest choice for BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, Karate, and Taekwondo academies.
Compare pricing tiers, martial arts automation (BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, etc.), and transaction structures.
| Features | Gym Admin | Gymdesk | Kombat Evolve | BJJLINK | Zen Planner | Mindbody |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price (50 Students)Ideal for startup dojos | $0 (FREE Forever) | $99 / mo | €59 / mo | $49 / mo | $99 / mo | $200+ / mo |
| Monthly Price (150 Students)For established gyms | $59 (Flat Rate) | $199 / mo | €99 / mo | $149 / mo | $149+ / mo | $300+ / mo |
| Transaction FeePlus standard Stripe fees | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | Custom / High | Custom / High |
| Consolidated Family BillingLink parent/child profiles under one paying card | ⚠️ Limited (Separate invoices) | ⚠️ Complex setup | ⚠️ Complex setup | |||
| Waiver & Payment GuardAutomated check-in pause for missing waivers/failed dues | ⚠️ Basic alerts only | |||||
| Student-Managed PausesLet students request pauses/absences in-app | Yes (Unique) | Owner must set manually | ||||
| Free Managed Data MigrationCo-founders safely move your students & payments | Yes (100% Free) | ⚠️ Limited (CSV import templates) | ⚠️ Basic CSV templates | ⚠️ Basic import only | ❌ No (Charges setup fee) | ❌ No (Charges setup fee) |
| No CC Required to TryTest the entire platform risk-free | ⚠️ Required for trial core features | ❌ No (Subscription required) | ❌ No (Subscription required) | ❌ No (Setup fee + contract required) | ❌ No (Setup fee + contract required) | |
| Belts & StripesTrack attendance milestones and automate stripe/belt promotions | ||||||
| Custom RankingSupport custom belt systems, colors, and promotion rules | ⚠️ Limited (BJJ focus) | ❌ BJJ Only | ⚠️ Complex setup |
See how much you actually save every year when choosing Gym Admin.
Up to 45 active students
Around 120 active students
250+ active students
A deep dive into why gym owners transition from these platforms to Gym Admin.
Gymdesk is a great platform, but its pricing model scales with your student numbers. Once you pass 25 students, your monthly fee jumps to $99/mo. Once you pass 50, it goes to $149/mo, and then $199/mo for over 100 students.
Why Gym Admin is better: Gym Admin is completely free for up to 50 students, and our Pro plan is just $59/mo flat for unlimited students. You get belt and stripe tracking, custom rank management (BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, etc.), student self check-ins, and Stripe processing, but keep $1,600+ more of your mat revenue every single year.
Kombat Evolve is built by a BJJ practitioner and features great competition features. However, it lacks a free tier, requiring a minimum payment of €59/month (roughly $65 USD) even if you are just starting out with 5 or 10 students on the mat.
Why Gym Admin is better: Startups need to minimize overhead. Gym Admin's free starter tier lets you manage your check-ins and payments with no subscription costs until you hit 50 students, allowing you to bootstrap your academy risk-free.
MAAT is tailored closely for European clubs (support for SEPA, WhatsApp integration). However, it costs €49/month starting subscription, plus it charges a 1% transaction fee.
Why Gym Admin is better: Since MAAT charges a subscription fee *plus* a 1% transaction fee, you're paying double. Gym Admin has a 1% transaction fee, but the starter tier has zero subscription fee, and the Pro tier is just $59/mo flat. Additionally, our student self-service app provides a superior check-in and pause management interface.
BJJLINK offers simple BJJ-centric features, but their pricing model starts at $49/mo and goes up to $149/mo. However, BJJLINK is strictly BJJ-focused, which makes it less suitable for multi-discipline academies offering Muay Thai, MMA, or Karate alongside BJJ.
Why Gym Admin is better: Gym Admin is co-founded by Anderson, a BJJ Black Belt with 20+ years of mat experience, and Mariana. It supports custom ranking structures tailored for BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, and more on a single platform. For just $59/mo flat, you get unlimited student capacity and multi-discipline tracking with no lock-in contracts.
Zen Planner and Mindbody are built for large corporate fitness clubs, yoga franchises, and crossfit boxes. They charge upwards of $150 to $500+/mo, require annual lock-in contracts, and have complex, confusing setups that take weeks to configure.
Why Gym Admin is better: These massive systems have no understanding of combat sports culture. They don't easily track BJJ belt stripe criteria, Muay Thai levels, MMA fight records, or recognize dojo family linked profiles. Gym Admin is built explicitly for martial arts academies (BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, Karate, Taekwondo), installs in seconds, and is extremely easy to navigate.
Three pillars that make Gym Admin the best fit for martial arts academies (BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, and more).
We don't charge subscription fees for startup academies under 50 students. Once you grow, you pay a flat $59/mo—no sliding scale, no surprise fees, and no student limit thresholds.
Manage your academy's unique structure (whether BJJ belts, Muay Thai levels, or MMA ranks) with automated class attendance rules, stripe requirements, digital liability waiver integration, and family discount plans.
Built with enterprise reliability by former Big Tech developers. The interface is optimized to perform lightning fast on both iOS and Android, keeping dojo staff off screens and on the mats.
Join hundreds of martial arts academies (specializing in BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, and more) using Gym Admin to automate student check-ins, rank promotions, and Stripe billing. Get setup in less than 5 minutes.
No credit card required
Android
iPhone / iPad / Mac