Best Free Martial Arts School Software
The honest answer: there is no truly free martial arts management software that handles billing, belt tracking, and scheduling at a production level. What exists is a spectrum from “free with severe limitations” to “very affordable paid.” Here's what's actually available and when each option makes sense.
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⚠️ The Truth About “Free” Martial Arts Software
Free tiers of martial arts software exist primarily as lead generation tools — designed to get you on the platform and convert you to a paid plan. The free features are deliberately limited to prevent you from actually running your school on them at any real scale.
For schools just starting (under 10 students), free tools can bridge the gap until you have enough revenue to justify software costs. Beyond that threshold, the operational limitations of free tools cost you more in time and lost revenue than a $79/month paid subscription.
Free & Near-Free Options
Google Sheets + Square/Stripe
FreeThe DIY approach: spreadsheets for member management and belt tracking, plus a payment processor like Square (free reader, 2.6% per swipe) or Stripe for automated billing. This works for very small schools (under 20 students) and costs nothing beyond payment processing fees.
Works for:
- Under 20 students
- No automated billing needed
- Simple belt system
- Tech-comfortable owner
Breaks down when:
- You need automated monthly billing
- Family billing becomes complex
- You need attendance reporting
- You want students to self-register online
ClassBug
From $29/monthClassBug is the most affordable paid option — $29/month for basic features. It handles class scheduling, basic billing, and simple member management. Belt tracking is rudimentary. Good as a stepping stone between pure DIY and a full martial arts platform.
Limitation: You'll outgrow ClassBug quickly. By the time you have 40+ students, you'll want the belt tracking and family billing features that ClassBug lacks. Budget to migrate to Kicksite or Zen Planner within your first year.
Zen Planner 30-Day Free Trial
$99/month after trialZen Planner's 30-day free trial is the longest in the industry. You get full access to the complete platform including belt tracking, billing, and member management. If you're opening a new school, you can use the trial period to fully configure and test the platform before your first billing cycle.
Start 30-Day Free TrialWhen to Stop Using Free Tools
The ROI on martial arts software is usually clear once you do the math. A $99/month platform like Zen Planner will pay for itself if it helps you:
Retain 1 more student
~$100–200/month saved in lost revenue
Reduce billing admin time by 2 hours/week
Worth $100+ if your time is worth $50/hour
Add automated monthly billing (vs. manual invoicing)
Eliminates late payments and reduces churn by 15–20%
Add online registration and trial booking
1–2 extra trial conversions/month typically pays for the software