Best martial arts billing software for recurring dues in 2026
Recurring dues are the money that keeps a martial arts school open, so the billing software you pick decides how much of that money arrives, how much it costs to collect, and how much of your week goes on chasing the rest. This guide compares eight platforms on the prices each one publishes on its own website, read on 6 October 2026, then on the work that happens after a payment: failed cards, families, and the fee on every charge. MatPilot publishes this blog and is one of the eight, so every competitor figure below links back to the vendor's own pricing page for you to check.
- Published prices on 6 October 2026 run from $0 (MatPilot Free, plus 2% per payment) to $348 a month (Zen Planner Ultimate).
- Gymdesk, Kicksite and GymMaster price by roster size; MatPilot Pro, MyStudio, Spark and Pike13 do not.
- Only MatPilot (through Stripe's published rates) and MyStudio publish what a card or ACH payment costs to process.
- Test a declined payment and a family account in every demo: that is where dues are lost.
Published pricing at a glance
Monthly software price as published by each vendor, in US dollars. Processing fees are on top for every platform; the column says where a vendor publishes its rate.
| Software | Published monthly price | What the price is based on | Contract | Processing fee published? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MatPilot | Free: $0 + 2% per payment. Pro: $79 + 0.49% per payment | Free up to 20 members; Pro unlimited | Month to month, no setup fee | Stripe's own rates (US: 2.9% + $0.30 card, 0.8% capped at $5 ACH) |
| Gymdesk | $75 to $200 with Gymdesk Payments; $100 to $240 with your own processor | Active members: up to 50, 51 to 100, 101 to 150, 151 to 250; custom above | Month to month, no setup fee | Not on the pricing page |
| Kicksite | $49, $99, $149, $199 | Students: 0 to 25, 26 to 50, 51 to 100, 101+ | Not stated; annual discount on request | Flat rate through Basys, rate not published |
| Zen Planner | From $99 (Studio), $198 (Essentials), $348 (Ultimate) | Starting prices; member tiers not published | Month to month; annual on request | "Additional charges and/or fees may apply" |
| Spark Membership | $199 after an 8-week free trial | One plan, every feature | "No long contracts" | Not published |
| MyStudio | $79 (Essentials), $159 (Growth), $239 (Scale) per location | Unlimited students on every plan | Not stated | 2.9% + $0.30 card, 1% ACH |
| Pike13 | $159, $225, $286 monthly; $139, $195, $249 on a 12-month contract | Unlimited clients and staff | Monthly or 12-month | Not published |
| GymMaster | $89, $129, $209 per site | Members: 100, 400, 1,300; Enterprise quoted | "No Lock In Contracts" | Not published |
Prices change. Each vendor link goes to the page these figures were read from; check it before you decide, and ask every vendor for its processing rate in writing.
What a month costs at three school sizes
Software fees alone hide the second cost: what each payment pays to be collected. The table below shows the published monthly software price at three roster sizes, with MatPilot's per-payment platform fee worked out on an average of $150 in dues per member. Card processing is left out for every platform because most of them do not publish it.
| Platform | 20 members ($3,000 collected) | 60 members ($9,000) | 120 members ($18,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MatPilot | Free: $60 (2%) | Pro: $79 + $44.10 = $123.10 | Pro: $79 + $88.20 = $167.20 |
| Gymdesk (with Gymdesk Payments) | $75 | $100 | $150 |
| Kicksite | $49 | $149 | $199 |
| Zen Planner | from $99 | from $99 | from $99 |
| Spark Membership | $199 | $199 | $199 |
| MyStudio | $79 | $79 | $79 |
| Pike13 (monthly) | $159 | $159 | $159 |
| GymMaster | $89 | $89 | $129 |
Two things stand out. Per-member tiers climb as you grow: Kicksite goes from $49 to $199 and Gymdesk from $75 to $150 across these three sizes. And a flat software price is not the whole bill: MyStudio's $79 is the lowest published figure at every size, while MatPilot Pro adds 0.49% of what you collect on top of $79. Compare the total, software plus processing, on your own dues.
Recurring dues: what to check
Every platform here takes recurring payments. The differences are in the details you only notice in month three.
- Where the money lands. MatPilot charges members through your own Stripe account, so dues settle with you and Stripe shows you every payment. Ask each vendor whose merchant account the money passes through.
- Billing day. Can you bill everyone on the same day, and prorate a member who joins mid-month? Ask to see a mid-month join in the demo.
- Pausing and freezing. Injuries and holidays are normal in a martial arts school. Check how a freeze stops a charge and restarts it without staff remembering to.
- Price changes. When you raise dues, can you choose whether existing members keep their price?
Failed payments: where dues are lost
A declined card is the most common way a school loses money it has already earned. The question is not whether a platform notices, but how quickly the right person can fix it.
In MatPilot, every member whose payment failed appears on one list with the amount owed. You can retry the charge from that list, and the member is told by email and in the app, with a button to pay the open invoice or update their card. When a parent pays for a child, the message goes to the parent. MyStudio states on its pricing page that declined cards retry automatically. For every other platform here, ask to see a declined payment in the demo: who is told, what they can do from their phone, and what your staff see.
Card or bank debit: the fee on every payment
The processing fee is charged on every dues payment, every month, so a small difference compounds. Stripe's standard US rates are 2.9% + $0.30 on a card and 0.8% capped at $5 on an ACH bank debit. On a $150 membership that is $4.65 on a card against $1.20 on ACH. MyStudio publishes its own: 2.9% + $0.30 on cards and 1% on ACH.
MatPilot lets you switch on ACH (and SEPA Direct Debit for academies billing in euro) in your Stripe account, and shows the real fee Stripe charged on each payment, so you can see what moving your card payers to bank debit would save. See how the fee on one payment breaks down.
Family billing
Martial arts schools bill families more than most gyms: two kids in the junior program, a parent in the adult class. Check that one parent can pay for several members in one payment, and that each child still has their own attendance, rank and documents.
MatPilot Pro bills a household as one payer, one subscription and one line per member, and a parent who starts training joins the subscription the family already has. How family billing works.
Which billing software fits your school?
Under 20 members: MatPilot Free costs nothing until money comes in, then 2% of what you collect through it, with members, scheduling, attendance and the check-in kiosk included. Kicksite's $49 tier (up to 25 students) is the lowest fixed price.
20 to 100 members: this is where per-member tiers start to bite. MatPilot Pro is $79 with unlimited members plus 0.49% per payment; Gymdesk is $75 to $100 with its own payments; MyStudio is $79 with unlimited students. Run the same month of your own dues through each.
Over 100 members: flat pricing matters more than tier price. MyStudio ($79), MatPilot Pro ($79 + 0.49%), Spark ($199) and Pike13 ($159) do not change with roster size; Gymdesk, Kicksite and GymMaster do.
If you teach more than one art: check that ranks, class packs and grading follow each discipline rather than one belt ladder for the whole school. MatPilot keeps ranks, class packs and grading per art, with BJJ, judo, karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai and MMA covered.
Run your own dues through MatPilot
Free up to 20 members, Pro at $79 a month plus 0.49% with unlimited members. No setup fee, no contract.
How to run a fair billing demo
Use the same script with every vendor, so you compare the same work:
- Enrol a new student whose parent pays.
- Charge the first month, prorated from mid-month.
- Decline the next payment and show what the parent and your staff each see.
- Freeze the membership for two weeks and restart it.
- Show the fee the processor took on one payment.
If a step needs a spreadsheet or a reminder on someone's phone, count that as part of the price.
FAQ
What is the cheapest martial arts billing software?
On published prices, MatPilot Free costs $0 a month plus 2% of payments, for up to 20 members. Kicksite's lowest tier is $49 for up to 25 students, and MyStudio is $79 with unlimited students. Add processing to every one of them.
How much does MatPilot cost?
Free is $0 a month with a 2% platform fee per payment, for up to 20 members. Pro is $79 a month plus 0.49% per payment, with unlimited members. Stripe's own processing fee applies on top, and there is no setup fee or contract.
Which platforms charge by number of students?
Gymdesk (by active members, 50 to 250 per tier), Kicksite (by students, four tiers from 25 to 101+) and GymMaster (by members, 100 to 1,300). MatPilot Pro, MyStudio, Spark Membership and Pike13 publish prices that do not change with roster size.
Is ACH cheaper than card for monthly dues?
Usually. Stripe's standard US rates are 2.9% + $0.30 on a card and 0.8% capped at $5 on ACH, so a $150 membership costs $4.65 on a card and $1.20 by bank debit. ACH settles more slowly and the member authorizes it once.
What happens when a member's card is declined in MatPilot?
The member appears on your failed-payments list with the amount owed, and you can retry from there. The member, or the parent who pays, is told by email and in the app, with a button to pay or update their card.
Do these prices include payment processing?
No. Every price in this guide is the software fee. Processing is charged on top by every platform; MatPilot uses Stripe's published rates and MyStudio publishes its own, while the others do not publish theirs on their pricing pages.