Zen Planner prices by how many members you have, which means growing costs you twice.
The short answer
For most martial arts schools and CrossFit boxes, Recess is the strongest Zen Planner alternative in 2026: it is free with no member bands, no branded app add-on and no per-message texting charge. Gymdesk is the cleanest paid option at $75 to $200 a month with every feature on every plan. Kicksite is the cheapest for a small school at $49 a month and has the most complete belt-testing workflow. PushPress models belts and stripes more elegantly than anyone, if you can budget $159 a month for it.
| Platform | Best for | Starting price | One decisive capability | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recess | Schools and boxes that want everything without a monthly bill | Free, no bands | Full progression ladder, family billing, branded app, coach pay, all included | Fewer integrations than the larger platforms |
| Zen Planner | Gyms running two disciplines under one roof | $99 to $289/mo by member count | Handles martial arts and CrossFit together | Price steps up as you grow; app $39/mo; texts charged per message |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| PushPress | Academies that want the most elegant rank model | Free, then $159 and $229 | Stripes are a real sub-level inside a belt, not separate rows | Rank tracking is not on the free plan |
How This List Was Built
Prices were read on each vendor's own pricing page on 8 September 2026.
One exception worth stating plainly: Zen Planner's documentation has moved behind a login. Neither we nor you can verify their feature details without an account. The pricing below comes from what they publish openly. Everything else about them here is deliberately thin, because we will not describe a product we cannot check.
Recess is our own product. Every competitor here gets a real reason to be chosen.
Why Schools Leave Zen Planner
The pricing model does the work. Zen Planner charges by active member count, from $99 to $289 a month. That is defensible in principle and uncomfortable in practice: the month you finally fill your afternoon kids' classes is the month your software bill goes up.
Then the add-ons. A branded app is $39 a month. Texts are billed per message at around 2.1 cents. Their Engage product is a further $249. None of these is outrageous on its own. Together they turn a $99 line into something else.
And their documentation is now behind a login, which means a prospective buyer cannot check what a feature does before booking a call.
Recess
Best for schools and boxes that want everything without a monthly bill. Free, no bands.
Build your own progression ladder: 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 at the counter. Unlimited texting rather than 2.1 cents a message. And a branded app under your school's name in both app stores, included.
Growing does not change the price, because there is no price.
Where Recess loses. Fewer third-party integrations than the larger platforms, and no consumer marketplace.
Zen Planner
Best for gyms running two disciplines under one roof. $99 to $289 a month by member count.
If you run CrossFit in the morning and jiu-jitsu in the evening, Zen Planner has long handled that combination, and it has a real track record in both communities. That is a genuine reason to choose it.
Where Zen Planner loses. The price rises with your member count, so growth costs twice. A branded app is $39 a month, texts are billed per message, and Engage is $249. Their documentation is behind a login, so you cannot verify a feature before you buy, and neither can we.
Gymdesk
Best for schools wanting one clear price. $75 to $200 a month by member count.
Gymdesk publishes openly and puts every feature on every plan, so there is no tier to unlock and no add-on to discover later. For a school that wants a predictable bill, it is the cleanest paid option here.
Where Gymdesk loses. Each stripe must be added as 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 works, it is just more admin than it needs to be.
Kicksite
Best for small schools that need a complete grading event. $49 a month up to 25 students.
The cheapest credible option here, with every feature included at every tier, and the most complete belt-testing workflow of anything on this page: a candidate list, bulk select, score fields, and promotion straight from the event page.
Where Kicksite loses. The price scales with students, reaching $199 a month past 100. At that size, Recess is still free and PushPress Pro is $159.
PushPress
Best for academies that want the most elegant rank model. Free, then $159 and $229.
PushPress models stripes as a real sub-level inside a belt rather than as separate rank rows, which is the cleanest approach in the category. A jiu-jitsu school has six rows rather than 25 to 30. Their Rank Request feature also lets members submit their own belt history for bulk approval, which nobody else documents.
Where PushPress loses. Rank tracking is not on the free plan. Their own FAQ is explicit: it is only available on Pro and Max, at $159 and $229 a month. They also document 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.
What to Check Before You Move
- Does the price rise as you grow? Member-count banding means success costs money.
- What are the add-ons? A branded app and per-message texting are the two that catch schools out.
- Can you read the documentation before you buy? If it is behind a login, you are buying on trust.
- How are stripes modelled? Sub-levels inside a belt or separate rank rows changes your admin significantly.
- What migrates? Rank history and attendance are the two that hurt to retype.
Recess Fits Here
If Zen Planner's member bands, the $39 app or per-message texting is what brought you here, Recess is worth twenty minutes. Free, no bands, unlimited texting, branded app included, and a progression ladder you define yourself.
If you need one platform for CrossFit and martial arts together and Zen Planner is doing that well, that is a real reason to stay.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Zen Planner cost?
Zen Planner publishes bands from $99 to $289 a month based on active member count. Add-ons on top include a branded app at $39 a month, texts billed per message at around 2.1 cents, and their Engage product at $249.
What is the cheapest Zen Planner alternative?
Recess is free with no member bands, no app add-on and unlimited texting. Among paid options, Kicksite starts at $49 a month for up to 25 students with all features included.
Which Zen Planner alternative has the best belt testing?
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 Zen Planner charge more as my school grows?
Yes. Pricing is banded by active member count from $99 to $289 a month, so filling your classes moves you up a band. Recess does not have bands because it has no plan fee.
Can I read Zen Planner's documentation before buying?
Not currently. Their help documentation has moved behind a login, which means feature details cannot be verified independently by a prospective buyer, or by this article. Ask for a demo and have them show you the specific workflows you need.
Which platform handles stripes best?
PushPress. Stripes are a real sub-level inside a belt rather than separate rank rows, so a jiu-jitsu school has roughly six rank entries instead of 25 to 30. Recess also lets you define stripes natively. Gymdesk requires each stripe to be its own row.
