Best Software for Small Martial Arts Schools
Small martial arts schools — those with 20 to 100 active students — need software that covers the essentials without enterprise complexity or enterprise pricing. You want billing automation, belt tracking, and member management. You don't need franchise dashboards and enterprise APIs. Here are the platforms built for your scale.
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What Small Schools Actually Need
For a school with 20–100 students, the ROI calculation on software is simple: does it save you enough time and reduce enough churn to cover its monthly cost? At $79–99/month, most school owners find the break-even is about one retained student per month. If your software's automated billing, reminder emails, and easy re-enrollment save even one student from dropping due to administrative friction, it pays for itself.
What Small Schools Need
- Automated recurring billing
- Belt/rank tracking (even basic)
- Attendance logging
- Family billing with sibling discounts
- Online registration and trial booking
- Basic email/SMS communications
- Simple member portal
What Small Schools Don't Need (Yet)
- ✗Enterprise multi-location management
- ✗Franchise reporting dashboards
- ✗Full API access
- ✗Government/rec center billing
- ✗On-demand video platform
- ✗Advanced loyalty programs
Top Picks for Small Martial Arts Schools
🥇 Kicksite — Best for Small Schools Under 100 Students
From $79/month · 14-day free trial
Kicksite is the top recommendation for small martial arts schools because it provides the right features at the right price without unnecessary complexity. The $79/month entry tier covers automated billing, belt tracking, attendance logging, family accounts, and lead management — everything a growing school needs in year one through year three.
The interface is clean and requires no technical background to use effectively. Setup typically takes 1–2 days. Customer support via phone is consistently rated as excellent. For a school owner who wears many hats and needs software that just works without a learning curve, Kicksite is the ideal starting point.
Try Kicksite Free🥈 Zen Planner — Best for Small Schools Planning to Scale
From $99/month · 30-day free trial
If you're under 100 students now but believe you'll hit 150–200+ within 2 years, starting with Zen Planner is the smarter long-term move. You won't need to migrate platforms when you scale, and you'll benefit from the deeper belt tracking and reporting tools earlier than you need them. The 30-day free trial gives you plenty of time to evaluate before committing.
The extra $20/month vs. Kicksite is the primary trade-off. For most small schools, it's worth it if you're serious about growth — the depth you don't need today is there when you need it tomorrow.
Budget Pick: Spark Membership
$149/month flat (good deal for 80+ students)
Spark Membership's flat $149/month becomes relevant when you cross about 80 active students. At that size, Kicksite's tiered pricing and Zen Planner's higher tiers approach Spark's flat rate — and Spark's trial funnel automation becomes a valuable growth tool.
The True Cost of Running a School Without Software
Small school owners sometimes delay software adoption to save $79–99/month. The hidden costs of manual management are typically much higher:
Time tracking belt progression manually
2–5 hours/month
Chasing late payments without automated billing
5–10% payment failure rate
Manual class sign-up vs. online booking
Missed trial conversions
No automated renewal reminders
Higher churn at renewal time