CyberKnockouts
Honest software comparison

Zen Planner Alternative for Martial Arts Schools

Zen Planner prices its software by how many members you have and sells the website separately. Our prices are published flat numbers. Here is what each side publishes.

Claim Your Free PreviewRun Your Numbers

Free 24-hour preview. No contracts. Cancel anytime.

What Zen Planner does and who it suits

Zen Planner is gym and studio management software. Its Studio plan is published as covering membership management, online scheduling, member self-service, attendance tracking, belt and skill tracking, memberships and billing, payment processing, reporting and dashboards, staff and member mobile apps, payroll management, and a SugarWOD integration. A website, the Zen Planner Engage marketing product, a branded mobile app, and card readers are priced separately.

Best suited for

Zen Planner's own FAQ says it "was started in 2006 by a martial arts school owner who knew there had to be a more efficient way to manage his business and keep track of details on his students," and that it now serves over 5,000 customers worldwide. Its pricing model is the distinctive part: "Only pay for active members. No charges for prospects or staff." If your roster shrinks in the summer and grows in the fall, that is the argument.

Where Zen Planner shines

  • Belt and skill tracking is included in the Studio plan, not an add-on
  • You are billed only for Active Members — "prospects, alumni, staff, and pay-per-session attendees are never counted"
  • Payment processing and payroll management are both inside Studio
  • Month-to-month by default: "you're never locked into a long-term commitment". An annual contract is available on request
  • Dedicated onboarding specialist and done-for-you data migration are listed as included
  • "There is no setup or gateway fee with select preferred integrated payment processors"

Trade-offs to weigh

  • Studio is published as "starting at $99/mo" and the bill "adjusts automatically each month based on your Active Member count", so the starting price is a floor, not a quote
  • The website is a separate product starting at $99/mo; Engage is $249/mo; the branded mobile app and card readers are $39/mo each
  • Payment processing carries an asterisk on the pricing page: "Additional charges and/or fees may apply", with no rate published
  • Exact numbers come from a demo — the page says your Account Executive "will walk through exact numbers"
Head-to-head

Zen Planner vs. CyberKnockouts

The Zen Planner column is what Zen Planner publishes, read on 2026-09-26. Where it publishes nothing, the cell says so rather than guessing.

  • Published monthly price

    Zen Planner
    Studio from $99/mo · Website from $99/mo · Engage $249/mo · branded app $39/mo · card readers $39/moPromo: Month-to-month; annual contract available on request
    CyberKnockouts
    $50/mo (website) or $99/mo (admin panel)

  • Credit card processing

    Zen Planner
    Preferred processors including Zen Planner's in-house provider, Daxko Payments. No rate published; the feature carries the note "Additional charges and/or fees may apply."
    CyberKnockouts
    Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢ flat per card

  • Custom website included?

    Zen Planner
    No. The website is a separate product starting at $99/mo, described as customizable branded design with integrated lead capture.
    CyberKnockouts
    Custom 5-page site, copy included, loads under 1s ($999 one-time)

  • School website

    Zen Planner
    Separate product starting at $99/mo on top of the software
    CyberKnockouts
    Custom 5-page site, copy included — $999 one-time + $50/mo retainer

  • How the monthly price is set

    Zen Planner
    Scales with Active Member count and adjusts automatically each month; Studio starts at $99/mo
    CyberKnockouts
    Published flat prices: $50/mo for the site, $99/mo all-in with the admin panel

  • Member desk

    Zen Planner
    Included in Studio, starting at $99/mo
    CyberKnockouts
    Custom admin panel for members and billing — $1,499 one-time, or $2,250 bundled, + $99/mo

  • Card processing

    Zen Planner
    Preferred processors including in-house Daxko Payments; rate not published
    CyberKnockouts
    Your own Stripe account at Stripe's published 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card charge

  • Whose name is on the statement

    Zen Planner
    Not stated on the pricing page
    CyberKnockouts
    Your academy's name, because the Stripe account is yours

  • Marketing automation

    Zen Planner
    Zen Planner Engage, $249/mo
    CyberKnockouts
    Lead forms and local SEO are part of the site build, not a separate monthly product

  • Before you pay

    Zen Planner
    Demo with an Account Executive for exact numbers
    CyberKnockouts
    Free 24-hour working preview of your own academy's site

  • Belt and skill tracking

    Zen Planner
    Listed as included in Studio
    CyberKnockouts
    Not a feature of our panel today. Our panel covers members, plans, failed cards, and who showed up

Every Zen Planner cell above is quoted or paraphrased from the page we read on 2026-09-26.

Read the source (zenplanner.com/pricing) →

Where we differ

Our published prices and what they cover. Nothing here is a comparison — it is what you get from us.

The Rebuild

$999 + $50/mo

Custom 5-page site, copy included, mobile-first, loads in under 1 second, and local SEO. The $50/mo retainer covers hosting, updates, and keeping the site fast.

Web + Admin Bundle

$2,250 + $99/mo

Save $248 against buying separately. The Rebuild plus a custom admin panel for members, plans, failed cards, and who showed up last night. Priority support and same-day fixes come with the panel.

Direct Stripe Processing

2.9% + 30¢

Stripe standard card rate vs gym-software rates up to 5%. Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH, and cards. Your academy's name on student bank statements.

Accounting Simplicity

QuickBooks Sync

Charges sync to QuickBooks Online, so your accountant does not rebuild the month from a CSV export.

Zero Lock-In

No Contracts

No contracts. You see the preview before you pay, and you can cancel the retainer at any time.

Risk-Free Validation

Free 24h Preview

We build a working preview of your school's new website within 24 hours. You review it live on your own smartphone before paying a single cent.

Published prices, side by side

Published prices side by side, on $25,000 a month of card tuition

Published starting prices only. Zen Planner states that Studio's price rises with your Active Member count, so its real number for your school can be higher than the floor shown here and only a demo will tell you. Nothing here is a quote or a savings claim.

Zen Planner, as published

Studio at its published starting price ($99/mo × 12)
from $1,188
Website add-on at its starting price ($99/mo × 12)
from $1,188
Software + website at the published floor
from $2,376
Card processing
No rate published

CyberKnockouts, as published

Web + Admin Panel, one-time
$2,250
All-in retainer ($99/mo × 12)
$1,188
Website only: one-time
$999
Website only: retainer ($50/mo × 12)
$600

The arithmetic on those published prices

At the published floors: $2,376 a year for Studio plus the website add-on, against $1,188 a year for our all-in retainer. That is a $1,188 a year difference, and our $2,250 one-time build equals 1.9 years of it ($2,250 ÷ $1,188). Zen Planner's number moves up with your member count; ours is the published flat price.

Card processing: check your own statement

Zen Planner does not publish a processing rate. Its pricing page marks payment processing with "Additional charges and/or fees may apply" and its FAQ names Daxko Payments as the in-house provider. So check your own statement: total processing fees for the month, divided by total card volume billed, is your effective rate.

  1. 1Every 1 percentage point on $25,000 a month of card volume is $250 a month, or $3,000 a year. That is just $25,000 × 0.01.
  2. 2Stripe publishes 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card charge (stripe.com/pricing, read 2026-09-26).
  3. 3On $25,000 a month across 175 charges, Stripe's published rate is $25,000 × 2.9% = $725, plus 175 × $0.30 = $52.50. That is $777.50 a month, $9,330 a year.
  4. 4Subtract $777.50 from your own monthly fee total to see your own gap. Multiply by 12 for the year.

Stripe's published rate: stripe.com/pricing, read 2026-09-26. For the step-by-step version of this arithmetic, including how to work out your own effective rate from a payout report, read what martial arts schools really pay for gym software and card fees.

Want this on your own tuition and card volume?

Run your own numbers

What switching from Zen Planner actually involves

Four steps, in this order. We build the site in 24 hours while you pull your member data at your own pace, so nothing has to move until you are ready.

  1. 01

    Export member and belt data

    Pull your active student list, family accounts, rank history, and payment schedules out of your current reporting tools.

  2. 02

    Review your 24-hour preview

    We build a fast, mobile-first site for your school. Open it on your own phone and on a desktop before committing to anything.

  3. 03

    Connect your own Stripe account

    Your merchant balance stays yours, and charges sync to QuickBooks Online.

  4. 04

    Move billing, then drop what you no longer use

    Recreate recurring memberships, confirm no member is double-charged, then cancel the add-ons you have replaced.

Questions

Zen Planner Alternative FAQ

Why is the Zen Planner website priced separately?
Because it is a separate product. Zen Planner's pricing page lists "Website — a professional website built to capture leads and turn visitors into members" at a starting price of $99/mo, alongside Studio at a starting price of $99/mo. We price the site as a one-time build of $999 plus a $50/month retainer instead.
Does your price go up as my enrollment grows?
Our published prices are $50/month for the website retainer and $99/month all-in with the admin panel. There are no student-count tiers in that published pricing. Zen Planner states the opposite model plainly: "Pricing scales with your Active Members only." Neither approach is wrong; they just bill differently.
Can I keep Zen Planner for scheduling and use you for the website?
Yes, and plenty of schools should. If your front desk already runs on Zen Planner's check-in and belt tracking, keep it. We build the public website for $999 plus $50/month and link it to the member portal you already use.
What happens when a parent books a trial class on my new site?
The form sends you an email with the parent's name, contact details, and the class they picked, so you can follow up while the lead is warm.
What is included in the $50/month website retainer?
The $50/month retainer covers hosting, updates, and keeping the site fast. You are not paying a developer by the hour to change a class time.

Related guides and comparisons

GuideThe Martial Arts Website ChecklistWhat a parent looks for on your home and schedule pages before booking a trial.GuideGym Software Fees: What Martial Arts Schools Actually PayHow per-member pricing and processing fees show up on your own statement.Free toolAcademy Website GraderCheck your current site's speed, mobile layout, and trial booking path in about 30 seconds.ComparisonSpark Membership AlternativeSpark sells a full front-desk system built by martial arts school owners. We sell a custom website and a lean billing desk on your own Stripe account. Here are both published prices, side by side.ComparisonKicksite AlternativeKicksite publishes four flat tiers and unlocks every feature at each one. We publish a one-time build fee and a flat retainer. Both sets of numbers are below.ComparisonNextKick AlternativeNextKick prices software, website and marketing as separate monthly services. We price a one-time build plus a flat retainer. Here is every published number on both sides.

Pricing and trademarks

Prices as published on Zen Planner's site on 2026-09-26; check Zen Planner for current pricing. Zen Planner is a trademark of its owner. CyberKnockouts is not affiliated.

READY FOR YOUR KNOCKOUT?

Claim your free 24-hour preview. No credit card. No commitment. Just a website worth fighting for.

Claim Your Free Preview