BJJ Gym Software: The Complete 2026 Guide for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Schools

It's belt testing week at your academy. You're cross-referencing three different spreadsheets—attendance records, technique checklists, and time-in-grade tracking—trying to figure out which of your 60 students are ready for promotion.

Did Timmy complete his 40 required classes? Does he know all 15 blue belt techniques? Has he been training for at least six months?

Eight hours into this data archaeology project, you're still not done, and you should be on the mat drilling.

Next week gets worse. 

Thirty parents will text you asking when their kid is ready for the next belt. Your inbox is already filling up with "How's Sofia doing?" and "What does Marcus need for his yellow belt?" messages that you'll answer between classes while standing in the parking lot.

You didn't open a BJJ academy to become a spreadsheet expert. You did it to teach jiu-jitsu.

This is why choosing the right BJJ gym software matters.

The right software handles belt tracking, parent communication, and family billing automatically. Students log in and see exactly what they need for their next rank. 

Parents check a dashboard instead of texting you.

But the platform you're probably evaluating was built for spin classes, not gi classes. It won't understand that belt progression isn't the same as completing a workout challenge—and it definitely won't handle three kids from the same family across different programs.

Why Generic Fitness Software Doesn't Work for BJJ

We get it—you're a black belt in jiu-jitsu, not software selection. Teaching five or six days per week while running the business doesn't leave much time for evaluating platforms.

Most of the software marketed to gyms was designed for spin classes and yoga studios. 

They'll handle your scheduling and billing just fine. But they fall apart when you need to track whether a white belt has mastered guard passing fundamentals—or when a parent wants to see their kid's progress toward the next rank.

We know choosing the wrong platform costs you 3–6 months of frustration rebuilding your data and retraining staff. You'll build workarounds in spreadsheets, field the same parent questions over and over, and waste time on manual processes that should be automated. 

The right platform fades into the background, letting you focus on teaching.

Understanding BJJ-Specific Needs

BJJ schools operate differently from fitness gyms. 

Belt progression combines attendance (40+ classes), technical skill mastery (15 specific techniques), and time-in-grade minimums (6+ months). Generic fitness software treats progress like workout completion, which doesn't work for martial arts advancement.

Family billing gets complicated when one parent pays for three kids across different programs with sibling discounts.

Each student needs separate attendance and belt tracking, but they share one credit card and billing account. Fitness software built for individual memberships can't handle this easily.

Parent communication matters when kids’ programs drive 40% of revenue. 

Parents need visibility into their child's belt progress and technique development. They're paying but not training, so they want proof that their investment is working. Fitness platforms assume the person working out is the person checking the app.

The 5 must-have features for BJJ academies

As I said just above, BJJ schools are different. Thus, they need software that includes specific features for them. That includes:

1. Skills and curriculum tracking. Students see required techniques for their next belt with progress bars showing completion percentage. Track specific movements (arm bars, guard passes, escapes) tied to rank requirements.

2. Family account management. Link multiple students to a single parent account with automatic sibling discounts. Parents see all kids' schedules, attendance, and belt progress in one dashboard.

3. Automated billing. Recurring charges process automatically with failed payment retries and configurable late fees. No manual payment processing or chasing expired cards.

4. Parent communication portals. Parents check their kid's progress independently (28/40 classes, 10/15 techniques mastered, 4/6 months complete) instead of texting you at 9pm.

5. Attendance tied to promotion. Check-ins automatically count toward belt requirements. Students see real-time progress, which motivates consistent training.

Let’s dig into each software by category—those made for BJJ, those with a martial arts focus, and those that are meant for multiple sports. First up (obviously) are the BJJ-specific ones.

Category 1: Built for BJJ

This BJJ gym software category was designed with martial arts in mind—skills progression, curriculum tracking, and family billing are core features, not afterthoughts. 

If BJJ-specific workflows matter to your academy, start here.

1. Gymdesk

Gymdesk built its platform around martial arts progression, not fitness workouts.

Key features:

• Skills tracking. Create a library of techniques (arm bars, guard passes, escapes) linked to belt requirements, with progress bars showing completion percentage.
• Student visibility. Students see exactly where they stand: 32 of 40 classes, 12 of 15 techniques mastered, 5.2 months logged.
• Parent portal. Parents view the same progression data for their kids, cutting down "how's my child doing?" questions.
• Schedule integration. Skills display on your schedule view so you see the week's curriculum at a glance.
• Family accounts. Link multiple students with automatic sibling discounts and shared parent billing.
• Free website builder. Included at every tier with no hosting fees (saves $3,000-$5,000 in development costs).
• Automated billing. Recurring charges, failed payment retries, and late fees handled automatically.

You can connect three kids to one parent account and set the sibling discount once; the system applies it to every monthly charge thereafter. 

The parent can see all three kids' schedules, attendance records, and belt progression in a single dashboard. When it's time to update emergency contact information or payment methods, they do it once instead of three times.

Automated billing supports Stripe, Square, and Authorize.net for payment processing. 

When a card fails, the system handles retries on a schedule you control and sends reminder emails to the member. You're not spending Sunday evenings manually processing payments or tracking down expired credit cards.

The built-in website builder gives you a responsive site that works on phones and desktops, handles class bookings, displays your schedule, and captures new leads 24/7.

Reporting gives you attendance analytics broken down by rank or skill, revenue tracking, member growth metrics, and retention data. You can export attendance data with custom fields included, which helps when you're preparing for belt tests or analyzing which techniques need more class time.

Pricing: 

No setup fees, no contracts, no cancellation penalties. 30‑day free trial, no credit card required. Every account comes with a free gym website and all features included.

Best for: Small to mid-sized martial arts schools (50-300 students) prioritizing curriculum management and skills progression. The skills tracking and family account features give it an edge for BJJ academies specifically.

Limitations: Fewer third-party integrations than enterprise systems. If you need extensive API connections or Zapier automation, you might find the integration options limited.

Category 2: Martial Arts Focused

You'll find these platforms across karate, taekwondo, and MMA gyms. They include curriculum features, but they're not exclusively built for Brazilian jiu-jitsu. 

Consider these if you run multiple disciplines or need enterprise-level features.

2. Zen Planner

Zen Planner serves martial arts and fitness facilities with strong scheduling and lead management. 

The platform handles basic rank tracking—you can log which belt a student holds—but lacks detailed progress bars, percentage completion, or technique checklists.

Features include: Class capacity management, waitlists, lead tracking, and reporting on member growth and revenue.

Pricing: 

‍Note: Zen Planner requires booking a demo with sales before accessing the platform. Trial features are limited to basic functionality.

Best for: Multi-discipline schools running BJJ alongside other programs.

Limitations: Belt tracking is less detailed than BJJ-specific platforms. No progress visualization or technique mastery checklists.

3. Mindbody

Mindbody is the enterprise option for large fitness operations. 

They offer martial arts features including basic belt tracking, but the platform is designed for broad fitness businesses rather than BJJ specifically.

Features include: Belt/rank progression tracking, automated promotion triggers based on visit counts, complex scheduling across locations, robust payment processing, and marketing tools.

Pricing: Plans start at $99/month per location. Realistic pricing for most gyms: $129-$279/month for standard tiers, $499+ for Ultimate plans. Enterprise pricing is custom. Setup fees and annual contracts typically required—contact Mindbody for current terms.

Best for: Large academies (300+ members) needing enterprise features, multi-location management, or integration with a broad wellness marketplace.

Limitations: Expensive and complex for small operations. Belt tracking exists but treats progression more like fitness goals than martial arts curriculum. Contract requirements and add-on fees increase total cost significantly.

4. Wodify

Wodify was built for CrossFit gyms first—while it now supports martial arts, functional fitness remains its foundation.

Features include: Workout tracking, leaderboards, performance metrics, and belt tracking for martial arts (including automated progression, milestone tracking, and stripe advancement).

Pricing: Wodify uses per-location, tiered pricing. Historical rates started at $79/month, with tiers at $149 and $299. Current pricing is quote-based—contact Wodify for 2026 rates.

Best for: Hybrid CrossFit/BJJ facilities, or martial arts schools that also offer functional fitness programming.

Limitations: CrossFit-centric design means the interface and workflows prioritize workout tracking over curriculum management. Belt tracking exists but isn't as detailed as BJJ-specific platforms.

5. Xplor Recreation

Xplor Recreation (formerly PerfectMind) serves organizations from single-location dojos to large multi-site operations. They offer belt tracking but pricing requires contacting sales.

Features include: Configurable martial arts ranking management, automated belt testing workflows, attendance tracking tied to promotion requirements, and multi-location support.

Pricing: Not publicly disclosed for most configurations. Third-party sources show tiers at $100, $150, and $250/month, but enterprise pricing varies based on annual revenue and organization size.

Best for: Organizations wanting a platform that can scale from single location to multi-site, or those already using Xplor's broader recreation management ecosystem.

Limitations: Pricing opacity makes comparison difficult. No evidence of detailed technique checklists or curriculum mapping—belt tracking appears attendance-based rather than skills-based.

Category 3: Multi-Sport/Fitness

These platforms serve general fitness gyms, yoga studios, and multi-sport facilities. 

They handle billing and scheduling effectively, but lack BJJ-specific belt tracking features. Consider these only if belt progression tracking isn't a priority for your academy.

6. Arbox

Arbox is a fitness-focused platform designed for gyms, yoga studios, and wellness businesses. It offers strong marketing automation and member management but lacks BJJ-specific features.

Features include: Email campaign builders, landing page creation, automated follow-up sequences for leads, billing, scheduling, and attendance tracking with mobile app access for members.

Pricing: Free plan for small operations and testing, then paid plans starting at $49/month with more sessions, onboarding, and support. Standard and Professional tiers add unlimited sessions, data migration, in-person onboarding, and premium features, while Enterprise offers custom pricing with on-site implementation and VIP support. Annual pricing offers 20-25% savings.

Best for: Fitness studios prioritizing marketing automation where BJJ is a secondary offering.

Limitations: No belt/rank tracking, no curriculum management, no parent portal, no family account linking. Not designed for martial arts progression tracking.

7. ABC Glofox

Boutique fitness platform for yoga, pilates, and group fitness—strong on class scheduling, memberships, and a “fitness studio” experience.

Pricing: Starts at ~$110/month (quote-based; varies by package).

Best for: Studios where martial arts is secondary to fitness programs (e.g., BJJ offered as a small add-on class block).

Limitations: No belt/stripe tracking, curriculum mapping, or skills progression features—so advancement and coaching structure live outside the system.

8. Pike13

Multi-program management platform used by swim schools, dance studios, and recreation programs—built for handling lots of class types, schedules, and client accounts.

Pricing: Multiple tiers starting at $159/month (annual discounts available).

Best for: Facilities offering multiple program types with BJJ as one component (especially where family accounts and varied schedules are central).

Limitations: Handles family billing and multi-program ops well, but lacks BJJ-specific progression (belts/stripes), curriculum, and rank-history tracking.

9. WellnessLiving

WellnessLiving is an all-in-one wellness platform that serves fitness studios, yoga, and martial arts schools. It includes belt tracking but is not martial arts-focused.

Features include: Belt/rank tracking with conditional awards tied to attendance, manual belt assignment, automated promotions, scheduling, billing, and marketing automation.

Pricing: Multiple tiers starting at $69/month, ranging up to $569/month for premium features.

Best for: Wellness businesses offering martial arts alongside other programming (yoga, fitness classes).

Limitations: Belt tracking is attendance-based rather than skills-based. No detailed curriculum or technique checklist features. Martial arts is one of many verticals, not the primary focus.

10. PushPress

PushPress started in the CrossFit/strength training space but expanded significantly into martial arts in 2025, adding dedicated belt tracking features.

Features include: Belt/rank tracking with customizable systems and sub-ranks, automated promotion criteria (time at rank, attendance, manual evaluation), bulk promotion capability, scheduling, billing, and lead-to-member automation through their Grow CRM add-on.

Pricing: Free tier available; paid tiers include Core at $159/month, Grow CRM add-on at $329/month, and Max plan at $229/month. Full stack with all add-ons runs approximately $600-650/month.

Best for: Gyms that want both strength/CrossFit programming AND martial arts belt tracking in one system, or martial arts schools prioritizing lead automation.

Limitations: Newer to martial arts than dedicated platforms. Belt tracking is functional but less mature than purpose-built martial arts software. Marketing automation requires the $329/month Grow add-on.

Feature Comparison Matrix

You're comparing 10 platforms. Here's the quick version—which features actually work versus which ones you'll end up working around.

Legend: ✅ = Excellent/Included | ⚠️ = Limited/Partial | ❌ = Not available/Weak

Pricing accurate as of February 2026. Contact vendors for current rates and verify features during free trials.

Deep Dive: Belt Tracking Systems Compared

Let’s get into some of the little details specific to BJJ academies and what they need.

How belt tracking should work in BJJ software

Belt progression in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu combines three elements: time on the mat, technical skill mastery, and minimum time at each rank. 

Software built for BJJ needs to track all three and show students where they stand.

What you need from belt tracking software:

• Attendance counting. Classes automatically count toward belt requirements when students check in.
• Technique mastery tracking. You mark competency in specific moves (arm bars, guard passes, escapes) and the system tracks it.
• Time-in-grade enforcement. Prevents promotion until minimum training duration is met, even if other requirements are complete.
• Progress visibility for students. Students see progress bars showing percentage completion: "73% to blue belt: 32/40 classes, 12/15 techniques, 5.2/6 months"
• Parent portal access. Parents see the same data for their kids without texting you at 9pm.
• Promotion readiness reports. Filter by belt and timeframe to see who's ready to test.

Platforms ranked by belt tracking depth

Gymdesk offers the most comprehensive belt-tracking features, including skills libraries, progress bars showing percentage completion, technique checklists tied to rank requirements, parent visibility into kids' progress, and promotion-readiness reports. 

The skills display directly on the schedule so instructors can see the week's curriculum at a glance. Students and parents both have full access to progression data.

Zen Planner provides customizable ranking systems with automated belt promotion workflows and eligibility criteria. 

The system tracks attendance and can trigger promotions, though it focuses more on attendance counts than detailed technique mastery checklists.

Mindbody, Wodify, PushPress, and WellnessLiving all offer belt tracking, but with less depth than BJJ-specific platforms. 

These systems typically track ranks and can automate promotions based on attendance or time-in-grade, but lack detailed technique checklists or skills libraries. They're adequate for basic belt management but won't give students visibility into exactly which techniques they've mastered.

Glofox, Pike13, and Arbox lack meaningful belt tracking. If curriculum management and promotion readiness are priorities, these platforms will require manual workarounds.

Deep Dive: Parent Communication Tools

BJJ has become hugely popular with kids and their parents. So, it’s extremely important that your BJJ software has parent communication built in.

Kids programs represent 40% or more of revenue for most BJJ academies. Parents paying for training they're not participating in need visibility into progress.

Without good communication tools, instructors spend hours answering "when will my kid test?" and "how's my child doing?" questions via text and email.

Parent portals eliminate most of this by giving guardians direct access to belt readiness, attendance, and technique mastery data.

What to look for in a parent portal

Essential parent portal features:

• Attendance history: Parents see how many classes their child attended each month to identify patterns
• Belt progression status: Percentage completion with specific breakdowns (30/40 classes, 11/15 techniques, 4.5/6 months)
• Technique checklists: Visual indicators showing which moves are mastered and which are still in progress
• Belt testing dates: Upcoming test schedules with eligibility status so families can plan ahead
• Billing self-service: Parents verify charges, download receipts, and update payment methods independently
• Academy announcements: Schedule changes and updates appear automatically without separate communications

Parent portal comparison

Let’s quickly compare all of these platforms on parent comms for full visibility into their child’s progress.

BJJ Gym Software Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay

We covered the pricing for each in the listings above, but let’s see it all together for a clear comparison of what you’ll pay now and as you grow.

Pricing tiers by academy size

You see "$75/month" and think that's the price. Then setup fees, contracts, and add-ons appear.

Here's what you'll actually pay.

These figures reflect base software costs as of February 2026. Payment processing fees typically run 2.5–3% per transaction on top of these monthly rates. Verify current pricing directly with vendors before making decisions.

Hidden costs to watch for

You’ve seen the big type pricing and costs for these platforms, so just watch for the hidden fees that can crop up if you aren’t careful.

• Payment processing fees. These can run 2.5-3% per transaction on top of monthly rates (some platforms mark up beyond processor costs). They are unavoidable, but you can find better rates on some platforms.
• Setup and onboarding fees. You could pay $300-$1,000 for enterprise platforms (Mindbody $500+, Zen Planner $300-$500), or nothing at all.
• Contract requirements. Some platforms lock you into 12-month commitments with early termination penalties.
• Add-on features. Extra charges for SMS, advanced reporting, branded apps, or integrations.
• Per-location fees. Multiplies monthly cost for each additional academy you operate.

How to Choose the Best BJJ Gym Software for Your Academy

Choosing any software takes some research. You’ve gotta look at features, user reviews, pricing, fees, customer support, and on and on. Here’s how you can do it right.

Match platform to academy size and needs

The size of your operation matters. Not all platforms can scale well with your needs, or become prohibitively expensive if they do. 

• Small academies (50-100 members): BJJ gym software platforms like Gymdesk and Arbox offer belt tracking and family billing without enterprise complexity and cost.
• Mid-sized academies (100-300 members): Gymdesk, Zen Planner, and Arbox scale effectively. Choose based on whether belt tracking depth or enterprise features matter more.
• Large academies (300+ members) or multi-location: Zen Planner, Gymdesk, and Mindbody provide enterprise reporting and multi-location management, though with some of these options, belt tracking capabilities decrease.

Questions to ask during free trials

Use your 14-30 day trial to test core features with actual academy data:

• Belt tracking:
  
  • Can students see progress percentage and technique gaps?
  • Does it track attendance + skills + time-in-grade together?
  • Can parents view kids' belt readiness?
• Family accounts:
  
  • Can you link multiple students with automatic sibling discounts?
  • Do parents see all kids in one dashboard?

• Billing:
  
  • Do recurring charges and failed payment retries work automatically?
  • Can you configure late fees once and forget about them?

• Setup:
  
  • Can you configure core features in 1-2 days without extensive training?
  • Does support respond quickly during onboarding?

The Bottom Line

Gymdesk offers the deepest BJJ-specific features—skills tracking, family billing, and parent portals—at competitive pricing ($75-200/month). 

Zen Planner serves multi-discipline schools with solid belt tracking and operational tools. Mindbody provides enterprise features for large operations but at higher cost and complexity.

Several platforms (Wodify, PushPress, WellnessLiving) now offer basic belt tracking, but they're not purpose-built for martial arts. If detailed curriculum management and parent visibility into technique progress matter to your academy, BJJ-focused platforms have a significant advantage.

Platforms like Glofox, Pike13, and Arbox lack belt tracking entirely—only consider these if you don't need progression management or you're willing to handle it manually.

Pricing ranges from $69/month (basic tiers) to $500+/month (enterprise systems with add-ons). 

Many platforms require demos rather than self-service trials, so budget time for sales conversations when evaluating options.

The right platform handles billing automatically, gives parents belt progress visibility, and returns your evenings to teaching instead of administrative work. Focus on platforms matching your academy size, verify belt tracking depth meets your needs, and confirm billing and scheduling work reliably.

Gymdesk was built by BJJ practitioners for gym owners who got tired of spreadsheets. 

The platform includes skills tracking, family accounts, and a website builder at every pricing tier. The 30-day trial doesn't need a credit card, so you can test belt tracking and parent portals with your actual students before deciding anything.

Try Gymdesk free for 30 days.