Most software can store a belt colour. Far fewer can run a grading day.
The short answer
For most martial arts schools, Recess is the strongest option in 2026: it is free at any size, so filling your classes does not raise the bill, and it handles a progression ladder you define yourself, testing days, family billing and a branded app. Kicksite has the most complete belt-testing workflow in the category and starts at $49 a month. PushPress models stripes more elegantly than anyone, at $159 a month. Gymdesk is the cleanest published price at $75 to $200.
| Platform | Best for | Subscription | How stripes work | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recess | Schools wanting everything with no price band | Free at any size | Native, on a ladder you define | Fewer integrations than the larger platforms |
| Kicksite | Schools that need a complete grading event | $49 to $199/mo by student count | Copy the rank per stripe | The bill rises as the school grows |
| PushPress | Academies wanting the cleanest rank model | Free, then $159 and $229 | A real sub-level inside a belt | Rank tracking is not on the free plan |
| Gymdesk | Schools wanting one clear published price | $75 to $200/mo by member count | Each stripe is its own rank row | 25 to 30 rank rows for a BJJ school |
| Mindbody | Studios where discovery brings new students | From $79/mo per location | Each stripe is a separate belt | Rank tracking is not on the entry tier |
How This List Was Built
Every figure was read on the vendor's own pricing page or help centre on 8 September 2026. For PushPress, all 562 published help articles were downloaded and searched, so where this says something is not documented, that rests on a search of the whole corpus rather than on failing to find it.
Recess is our own product. Kicksite and PushPress each get credit below for something they do better than us.
Storing a Belt Is Not Tracking Progress
Nearly every platform can record that a student is a blue belt. The differences show up in five places.
Whether stripes are a real thing. PushPress models a stripe as a sub-level inside a belt. Gymdesk, Mindbody and Kicksite each make every stripe its own separate rank row. For a jiu-jitsu school with four stripes across six belts, that is about six rank entries against 25 to 30. Same information, very different admin.
Whether eligibility does anything. Most platforms can show time at rank and classes attended. Very few will stop an ineligible promotion. PushPress flags readiness and does not gate it, which is worth knowing rather than assuming.
Whether you can record a result. This is the big one. Booking a grading event is easy. Recording who passed, who failed, and promoting the ones who passed is where platforms diverge sharply. PushPress documents no way to record a test result at all: belt tests run through a generic invite-only events feature that captures registration and payment. Kicksite promotes students who passed straight from the event page, with a candidate list, bulk select and score fields.
Whether the curriculum lives in the software. Most schools keep it in a binder or a spreadsheet. PushPress mentions curriculum once across 562 help articles, and only as something you hold elsewhere.
Whether a family works properly. Three children, one card, one login, one bill. PushPress requires each child to have their own plan, all on the primary payment method, and children cannot share a parent's email: the documented workaround is typing a "+1" into the address.
Recess
Best for schools that want everything with no price band. Free at any size.
Build the ladder your school actually uses: belts, stripes, tips, sashes, levels or skills, because no two schools rank the same way. 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 for uniforms and gear. Unlimited texting. And a branded app in both app stores under your school's name, included.
Grow from 30 students to 300 and the price does not change, because there is no price.
Where Recess loses. Fewer third-party integrations than the larger platforms. Kicksite's belt-testing event workflow is more complete than ours, and PushPress models stripes more elegantly.
Kicksite
Best for schools that need a complete grading event. $49 a month up to 25 students.
The belt-testing workflow is the most complete here: run the event, work from a candidate list, select in bulk, record scores, promote everyone who passed from the event page itself. Most platforms let you book a test and then expect you to update each student by hand. Kicksite closes the loop. Pricing is published openly with every feature at every tier.
Where Kicksite loses. The price bands by student count: $49 up to 25, then $99, $149 and $199 past 100 students. A school that grows pays four times as much for the same product.
PushPress
Best for academies wanting the cleanest rank model. Free, then $159 and $229.
Stripes are a real sub-level inside a belt rather than separate rows, which is the best model in the category. Their Rank Request feature lets members submit their own belt history by email or text for bulk approval, and nobody else documents an equivalent. You can also generate a whole belt system from an AI prompt.
Where PushPress loses. Rank tracking is not on the free plan. Their own FAQ: it is available only on Pro at $159 and Max at $229. They document no way to record a pass or fail on a grading. And their marketing says rank history "moves across cleanly" on migration while their help centre says manually entering rank history is the number one reason academies delay switching. Both are their own words.
Gymdesk
Best for schools wanting one clear published price. $75 to $200 a month by active member count.
Published pricing with every feature on every plan, and a real track record with martial arts schools.
Where Gymdesk loses. Each stripe must be its own rank row: their documentation says a stripe "needs to be added a separate rank in the list". A BJJ school ends up managing 25 to 30 rank entries.
Mindbody
Best for studios where discovery brings new students. From $79/mo per location.
Worth stating plainly because several comparison articles get it wrong: Mindbody does have rank tracking. Two features, both updated in 2026, covering belts and a newer progress-tracking system for attendance, skills and ranks.
Where Mindbody loses. Rank tracking is not on the entry tier, stripes must each be a separate belt, and tier prices above the $79 floor are not published.
What to Check Before You Choose
- Can it record a pass or fail, not just book a grading event?
- How are stripes modelled? Sub-levels or separate rows changes your admin considerably.
- Does the price rise as the school grows? Most band by student count. Ask what 150 students costs.
- How does family billing work? One card, one login, three children is the question every parent asks.
- What migrates? Rank history and attendance are what nobody wants to retype.
Recess Fits Here
If your school outgrew a price band, or you found that grading results cannot be recorded, Recess is worth twenty minutes. Free at any size, a ladder you define, testing days as real events, and family billing that works the way parents expect.
If you are under 25 students and want the most complete testing workflow, Kicksite at $49 a month is a fair deal and we will not pretend otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free martial arts school software with belt tracking?
Recess is free at any student count and includes a progression ladder you define, testing days, family billing, instructor payroll and a branded app. PushPress has a free plan, but its own FAQ confirms rank tracking is only available on Pro at $159 a month and Max at $229.
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.
Does PushPress record whether a student passed a belt test?
Their help centre documents no way to do this. Belt tests run through a generic invite-only events feature that captures registration and payment, with nothing linking a result back to a promotion. A search of all 562 published help articles returns no reference to pass, fail or test results.
Does Mindbody have belt tracking?
Yes. Mindbody has two rank-related features, both updated in 2026: a martial arts belt tracking system and a newer progress-tracking feature covering attendance, skills and ranks. Any article claiming Mindbody has no rank tracking is wrong.
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 supports stripes natively on a ladder you define. Gymdesk, Kicksite and Mindbody each require a stripe to be its own rank or belt.
Can I bill three children on one family account?
Recess supports one payer, one login and one bill natively. PushPress requires each child to have their own plan tied to the primary payment method, and children cannot share a parent's email, with a documented workaround of adding "+1" to the address. Ask any platform this specifically before switching.
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