Kicksite is $49 a month until your school works, and then it is $199.
The short answer
For most martial arts schools, Recess is the strongest Kicksite alternative in 2026: it is free at any size, so filling your afternoon classes does not move you up a price band, and it covers belts, stripes, testing days and family billing. Kicksite itself is genuinely good and its belt-testing workflow is the most complete in the category, which this article will not pretend otherwise about. Gymdesk is the cleanest paid alternative. PushPress models stripes more elegantly than anyone, at $159 a month.
| Platform | Best for | Starting price | One decisive capability | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recess | Schools that want everything and no price band | Free at any size | Progression ladder you define, family billing, branded app, all included | Fewer integrations than the larger platforms |
| Kicksite | Small schools that need a complete grading event | $49/mo up to 25 students | Promote students who pass straight from the testing event | Reaches $199/mo past 100 students |
| Gymdesk | Schools wanting one clear price and no upsells | $75 to $200/mo by member count | Every feature on every plan | Each stripe must be its own rank row |
| PushPress | Academies that want the most elegant rank model | Free, then $159 and $229 | Stripes are a real sub-level inside a belt | Rank tracking is not on the free plan |
| Zen Planner | Schools also running CrossFit | $99 to $289/mo by member count | Handles two disciplines under one roof | Price rises with members; documentation behind a login |
How This List Was Built
Prices were read on each vendor's own pricing page on 8 September 2026. Zen Planner's documentation now sits behind a login, so nothing about their features is described here beyond what they publish openly.
Recess is our own product. Kicksite gets full credit below for the thing it does better than us.
What Kicksite Does Better
Their belt testing is the most complete workflow of any platform in this comparison, and it is not close.
You can run a testing event, work from a candidate list, select students in bulk, record scores, and promote everyone who passed directly from the event page. Most platforms handle a belt test by letting you book an event and then expecting you to update each student by hand afterwards. Kicksite closes the loop.
Their pricing is also honest: every feature at every tier, published openly, no add-ons to discover later. For a school under 25 students at $49 a month, it is hard to argue with.
Where Kicksite Costs You
The price is banded by student count: $49 up to 25, $99 to 50, $149 to 100, then $199 past that.
Read that as a growth tax. The month you finally fill your after-school programme is the month your software bill goes up. A school at 110 students pays $2,388 a year, which is four times what it paid at 24 students for the same product.
That is a legitimate way to price software. It is also the single most common reason schools start looking around, because the increase arrives exactly when cash is already committed to more mats and another instructor.
Recess
Best for schools that want everything with no price band. Free at any size.
Build the progression ladder your school actually uses: belts, stripes, tips, sashes, levels or skills. Attach curriculum and grading notes to each rank. Run testing days as real events. Bill several children on one family account, one payer, one login, one bill. Class packs, memberships and drop-ins on one roster. Automated billing with failed payment recovery. Per-class instructor pay. Kiosk check-in. Retail at the counter. Unlimited texting. And a branded app under your school's name in both app stores, included.
Grow from 20 students to 200 and the price does not move, because there is no price.
Where Recess loses. Fewer third-party integrations than the larger platforms. And Kicksite's belt-testing event workflow is more complete than ours, which is worth saying plainly.
Gymdesk
Best for schools wanting one clear price. $75 to $200 a month by active member count.
Published pricing, every feature on every plan, nothing gated. For a school that wants predictability without surprises, it is the cleanest paid option here.
Where Gymdesk loses. Each stripe must be its own rank row. A jiu-jitsu school tracking four stripes across six belts ends up with 25 to 30 rank entries instead of six. It also bands by member count, so it carries the same growth tax as Kicksite.
PushPress
Best for academies wanting the most elegant rank model. Free, then $159 and $229.
Stripes are a real sub-level inside a belt rather than separate rows, which is the cleanest model in the category. Their Rank Request feature lets members submit their own belt history for bulk approval, and nobody else documents an equivalent.
Where PushPress loses. Rank tracking is not on the free plan, only on Pro at $159 and Max at $229. Their help centre also documents no way to record a pass or fail on a grading, so belt tests run through a generic events feature that captures registration and payment only.
Zen Planner
Best for schools also running CrossFit. $99 to $289 a month by member count.
A long track record across both martial arts and functional fitness.
Where Zen Planner loses. Banded by member count, with a branded app at $39 a month and texts billed per message. Their documentation has moved behind a login, so feature details cannot be verified before you buy.
What to Check Before You Move
- Does the price rise as you grow? Kicksite, Gymdesk and Zen Planner all band by member count. Recess does not.
- Can you record a grading result, not just book a grading event?
- How are stripes modelled? Sub-levels inside a belt or separate rank rows changes your admin considerably.
- How does family billing work? One card, one login, several children is not standard.
- What migrates? Rank history and attendance are the two nobody wants to retype.
Recess Fits Here
If your school grew past 100 students and the Kicksite bill went to $199, Recess is worth twenty minutes. Free at any size, with a progression ladder you define and family billing that works the way parents expect.
If you are under 25 students and Kicksite's testing workflow is what you need, $49 a month for that is a fair deal and we are not going to tell you otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Kicksite cost?
Kicksite publishes banded pricing by student count: $49 a month up to 25 students, $99 to 50, $149 to 100, and $199 above that, with all features included at every tier.
What is the cheapest Kicksite alternative?
Recess is free at any student count, with no bands and no feature gates. Among paid alternatives, Gymdesk starts at $75 a month and also includes every feature on every plan.
Which platform has the best belt-testing workflow?
Kicksite. You can promote students who pass directly from the testing event page, with a candidate list, bulk select and score fields. It is the most complete grading workflow of any platform compared here, and worth staying for if that is your priority.
Does software pricing rise as my school grows?
On most platforms, yes. Kicksite, Gymdesk and Zen Planner all band by student or member count, so filling your classes moves you up a band. Recess has no bands because it has no plan fee.
Which platform handles belt stripes best?
PushPress models stripes as a real sub-level inside a belt, so a jiu-jitsu school has roughly six rank entries instead of 25 to 30. Recess also supports stripes natively on a ladder you define. Gymdesk requires each stripe to be its own rank row.
Can I bill several children on one family account?
Recess supports one payer, one login and one bill for several children natively. PushPress requires each child to have their own plan tied to the primary payment method, and children cannot share a parent's email address. Ask any platform this question specifically before switching.
