The best martial arts club software for UK schools in 2026

Most martial arts schools need four things from their software: belt gradings, monthly memberships on Direct Debit, safe handling of junior classes and an app students actually open. Here’s how the main platforms compare, and which suits whom.

By the Dyno team · Updated 15 October 2026

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The Dyno dashboard for a martial arts club

A martial arts club in the Dyno member app

The verdict

The short answer: who each one suits

Dyno: Schools wanting free progression and community in a modern app.
GGymdesk: Clubs that only need admin and billing, with members on a portal.
KKicksite: Schools that only want front-desk software, with students on a web portal.
ZZen Planner: Schools willing to buy a fitness-led suite through a sales process and pay for belt tracking.
TTeamUp: Businesses that only need a booking system and are happy for their community to live on WhatsApp.
CClubRight: Clubs that only need membership records and Direct Debit collection.
CClubworx: Small schools that only need admin and belt tracking, and will pay extra for a member app.

What matters

What to look for in martial arts software

Belts and gradings, included

Your syllabus, each student’s belt and stripes, and who is ready to grade should live in the software, with every promotion kept on record. Check whether it’s part of the plan or a paid extra.

Monthly memberships on Direct Debit

Most schools bill monthly, which suits Direct Debit: there’s no card to expire, and it usually costs less per payment than a card. Check whether it’s built in or needs a provider you sign up to separately.

Juniors and their parents

Kids’ classes carry most schools. Look for one parent login that books and pays for every child, with children on the register without needing an email address of their own.

Safeguarding records

If you teach children, look for coaches’ DBS and first-aid records with renewal reminders, a welfare register of medical notes and emergency contacts, and photo consent, not just a waiver on sign-up.

An app students actually open

A native app with the timetable, bookings, chat and each student’s grading history keeps students coming back between classes. A web portal takes payments and bookings, and little else.

Gradings and seminars as paid events

Gradings, seminars and open mats bring money in. Check you can sell tickets to them, with member and non-member prices, without another tool.

Side by side

The platforms side by side

Martial arts club software for UK schools: belts and gradings, member app, payments, junior safeguarding and cost
Platform	Belts & gradings	Member app	Payments	Junior safeguarding	Cost
Dyno	Belts, stripes and levels with promotion history, free on every plan.	A real iOS & Android member app with a feed, chat, events, passes and bookings that members actually keep on their phone.	Recurring memberships by card, Apple Pay and Google Pay via Stripe into your own account, plus Direct Debit for UK clubs.	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.	From £39 a month, with belt tracking and safeguarding on every plan. 30 days of Pro free, no card.
GGymdesk	Belt and skill tracking for martial arts is supported.	Member app and portal focused on booking, check-in and account management.	Integrated billing and point-of-sale.	Digital forms and waivers; health screening and staff vetting are lighter.	Free trial available; self-serve setup with a website builder.
KKicksite	Rank promotion tracking.	Member portal and mobile web experience focused on check-in and accounts.	Integrated billing and tuition collection.	Check with Kicksite	Tiers that step up with student count, and no free tier.
ZZen Planner	Belt and skill tracking within a paid suite.	Member app for booking, check-in and account management.	Integrated billing bundled into the suite.	Waivers and records within the suite rather than dedicated safeguarding tooling.	Sales-led onboarding; pricing on enquiry.
TTeamUp	Check with TeamUp	Member booking is largely web-based, built around booking and account management rather than community.	Card and Direct Debit through payment gateways you connect.	Waivers and forms supported; health screening and safeguarding are lighter.	Free trial available; self-serve setup.
CClubRight	Check with ClubRight	Member app focused on access and bookings.	Direct Debit collection.	Waivers and member forms supported.	Sales-led onboarding.
CClubworx	Belt rankings and gradings tracked on every plan; grading events are an add-on on the top two tiers.	A branded member app, sold as a monthly add-on to paid plans and not on the free plan.	Card and Direct Debit through a provider you sign up to separately: Stripe or GoCardless in the UK.	Check with Clubworx	Free for up to 20 active members, then tiers that step up with active members. The member app costs extra.

Other platforms’ details are based on publicly available information, last reviewed July to October 2026. They may have changed, so check each platform’s website for current features and pricing. “Check with” means we couldn’t confirm it either way.

In detail

Each platform in more detail

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.

Best for: Schools wanting free progression and community in a modern app.

Dyno for martial arts schools

Where Dyno isn’t the right pick

Dyno has no free plan. Plans start at £39 a month, after 30 days of Pro free.
Dyno checks students in at a kiosk (a tablet at the desk) rather than controlling door hardware.
If you want an app under your school’s own name in the app stores, that’s on Dyno’s Enterprise plan. On the standard plans, students use the Dyno app with your school’s own space inside it.
Dyno is newer than the other platforms here, so it has a shorter track record.

Gymdesk

Gymdesk is gym and martial arts management software covering memberships, billing, attendance, digital forms and a built-in website builder. Its member-facing side is a booking and account portal rather than a native community app, so members log in to pay and book while the club’s community lives somewhere else.

Best for: Clubs that only need admin and billing, with members on a portal.

Gymdesk vs Dyno, feature by feature

Kicksite

Kicksite is management software built specifically for martial arts schools, covering attendance, billing, rank promotions and communication. Its pricing tiers step up with your student count, there is no free tier, and students and parents get a portal and mobile web experience rather than a native community app.

Best for: Schools that only want front-desk software, with students on a web portal.

Kicksite vs Dyno, feature by feature

Zen Planner

Zen Planner is management software for martial arts schools, gyms and affiliates, covering memberships, scheduling, billing, belt tracking and a member app. Pricing comes through a sales call rather than a price list on its website, belt tracking sits inside a paid, fitness-oriented suite, and the member app is built for booking and check-in rather than community.

Best for: Schools willing to buy a fitness-led suite through a sales process and pay for belt tracking.

Zen Planner vs Dyno, feature by feature

TeamUp

TeamUp is class-management software for gyms, martial arts and fitness businesses, covering scheduling, memberships and payments. Its member side is built for booking rather than community, so members open it to book a class and close it again, and the conversation that keeps them coming back ends up on WhatsApp.

Best for: Businesses that only need a booking system and are happy for their community to live on WhatsApp.

TeamUp vs Dyno, feature by feature

ClubRight

ClubRight is UK club and gym management software covering memberships, Direct Debit, bookings and access. It is built for the back office: members get an app for access and bookings, with little in the way of community, events or anything that keeps them engaged.

Best for: Clubs that only need membership records and Direct Debit collection.

ClubRight vs Dyno, feature by feature

Clubworx

Clubworx is member management software for gyms and studios, martial arts schools among them, with belt and grading tracking. It doesn’t take payments itself: you connect a provider you sign up to separately, which in the UK means Stripe or GoCardless. The member app is a monthly add-on to the paid plans, and isn’t on the free plan for up to 20 active members.

Best for: Small schools that only need admin and belt tracking, and will pay extra for a member app.

Reviewed October 2026 from Clubworx’s own website.

FAQ

Common questions

What’s the best martial arts club software in the UK?

For a UK school that wants belt gradings, monthly memberships on Direct Debit, junior safeguarding records and an app students open, all in one place, we’d say Dyno, though we make it. Kicksite and Gymdesk give students a portal rather than a native community app, Zen Planner sells through a sales call with belt tracking inside a paid suite, and TeamUp and ClubRight are built around bookings and Direct Debit, so check their belt tracking with them.

Is there free martial arts club software?

Clubworx has a free plan for up to 20 active members, without its member app. Kicksite has no free tier. Dyno isn’t free: plans start at £39 a month, and every new school gets 30 days of Pro first, with no card needed.

Which martial arts software takes UK Direct Debit?

Of the platforms here, Dyno, TeamUp, ClubRight and Clubworx collect Direct Debit. Dyno has it built in, through Stripe alongside card payments, at 1% + 20p capped at £4 per payment.

Can I track belts and gradings in Dyno?

Yes, free on every plan. Set up each belt system’s syllabus and coaches tick off techniques as students get there. The roster shows every student’s belt and who is ready to grade, and you promote one student or the whole grading at once, with each promotion kept on their history. Gradings and seminars run as ticketed events.

Does Dyno handle junior classes and safeguarding?

Yes. A parent books and pays for every child from one login, and under-13s sit on the register without an email address of their own. Coaches’ DBS and first-aid records come with renewal reminders, alongside a welfare register of medical notes and emergency contacts and photo consent for each student, all included.

How do I move my school to Dyno?

We move your students, memberships and data across for you, free, and your old system keeps collecting until each student has moved. Direct Debits held with GoCardless move across in a Bacs bulk change, with nothing for students to sign.

See if Dyno fits your school

30 days of Pro, free, with no card needed. Or book a quick walkthrough first.

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