DynoComparisons / Zen Planner
Zen Planner vs Dyno
The Zen Planner alternative with free belt progression and a community app members keep.
What is Dyno?
Dyno gives martial arts schools the memberships, class scheduling and billing they need, with belt and grade progression tracking built in free, plus a community feed, chat and ticketed gradings in a native member app priced for independent clubs.
What is Zen Planner?
Zen Planner is management software for martial arts schools, gyms and affiliates, covering memberships, scheduling, billing, belt tracking and a member app. It is a capable, established platform, but pricing comes through a sales call rather than a published page, and belt tracking sits inside a paid, fitness-oriented suite.
Why schools go looking for a Zen Planner alternative
- Mature but priceyIt covers a lot in one place, but pricing is sales-led and can feel steep for an independent dojo.
- Paid in piecesFeatures you assumed were included sit in a higher tier or a paid suite, so the real monthly figure is rarely the first one you hear.
- Belt tracking behind a paywallThe thing most central to a martial arts school sits inside a paid, fitness-shaped suite.
- Committing earlyA term commitment and a sales process come before you have seen how the platform fits your school.
How Dyno approaches the same job
- Progression freeBelts, stages and levels with full promotion history, on every plan, for every track you run.
- The essentialsCard, Apple Pay and Google Pay memberships through Stripe, class scheduling, waivers and kiosk check-in.
- The school’s own appA native app with feed, chat, timetable and gradings sold as ticketed events with member pricing.
- Priced in the openPlans are published, progression and community are included rather than sold on, and there is no long-term contract to sign.
What switching from Zen Planner actually involves
- We move your dataOur team migrates students, memberships, belt ranks and key records across for you.
- UninterruptedMost schools run a short overlap so gradings and billing continue without a hard cut-over.
- Payments move with careCard authorisations, and Direct Debit mandates where UK clubs use them, re-establish through Stripe as members activate in the app, and the dashboard shows who has moved across and who still needs a nudge.
Zen Planner vs Dyno: feature by feature
Dyno
Zen Planner
Built for
Martial arts, plus fitness, sports, community and members’ clubs.
Zen Planner: Martial arts schools, gyms and affiliate programs.
Progression tracking
Belts, stages and levels with promotion history, free on every plan.
Zen Planner: Belt and skill tracking within a paid suite.
Member app
A real iOS & Android member app with a feed, chat, events, passes and bookings that members actually keep on their phone.
Zen Planner: Member app for booking, check-in and account management.
Memberships & billing
Recurring memberships by card, Apple Pay and Google Pay via Stripe into your own account, plus Direct Debit for UK clubs.
Zen Planner: Integrated billing bundled into the suite.
Events & gradings
Gradings, seminars and socials run as ticketed events with member pricing.
Zen Planner: Scheduling and attendance rather than ticketed events.
Child protection
Built in and free: coach background check and first aid records with reminders, a welfare register of medical flags, photo consent per student and child-safe account defaults for junior classes.
Zen Planner: Waivers and records within the suite rather than dedicated safeguarding tooling.
Community & engagement
Community feed, chat and leaderboards built in.
Zen Planner: Engagement via automations and notifications.
Getting started
Free to start, no card required. Most clubs are taking payments the same day they sign up.
Zen Planner: Sales-led onboarding; pricing on enquiry.
Best for
Schools wanting free progression and community in a modern app.
Zen Planner: Schools happy with an established, fitness-led suite bought through a sales process.
Zen Planner details are based on publicly available information and last reviewed July 2026; they may have changed, check Zen Planner’s website for their current features and pricing.
Dig into the details
Switching from Zen Planner: common questions
- Does Dyno track belts and grades like Zen Planner?
- Yes, and it is free on every plan. Progression tracking covers belts, stages and levels across multiple tracks with full promotion history, and students and parents can see current rank and progress in the member app. Staff record promotions as they happen, often at a grading.
- How does Dyno compare with Zen Planner on price?
- Dyno publishes its plans on the pricing page, quoted in GBP or USD, and you can start free without a card or a call. Belt progression, community and events are included rather than sold as separate modules, and there is no long-term contract, so the figure you see is what you pay. Zen Planner prices through a sales conversation, so you will need a quote to compare directly.
- Can we run gradings and seminars as paid events?
- Yes. Gradings, seminars and socials run as ticketed events with capacity, member and non-member pricing and payment in the same checkout, so you are not managing them on a separate site alongside monthly memberships.
- Does Dyno handle parents paying for children?
- Yes. Family accounts let one parent manage and pay for several children’s memberships, see their gradings and progress, and handle waivers, which matches how most martial arts schools actually enrol their junior classes.
- Can you migrate our students and belt ranks from Zen Planner?
- Yes. We move students, memberships, belt ranks and key records for you, usually with a short overlap so nothing is disrupted. Payment authorisations are re-collected through Stripe as families activate, and the dashboard shows who has completed the move.
- Does Dyno cover safeguarding for a martial arts school with junior classes?
- Yes, and it costs nothing extra. You can hold coach DBS, first-aid and coaching records with renewal reminders, keep a welfare register of each student’s emergency contacts and medical flags, capture photo consent per student, and publish a named safeguarding lead and policy on your club page. Junior accounts are locked down by default, with no messaging, discovery or public profile, which suits a school teaching children alongside adults.
Switch from Zen Planner to Dyno
A quick, personalised walkthrough, no slides, no commitment. Tell us a little about your club and we’ll be in touch.