Academies
The best MMA software of 2026 for gyms, facilities and instructors, compared with current prices: Gymdesk, Zen Planner, Spark Membership, PushPress, Martialytics and MatGoat for running the gym, and mmaGPT Academy for tracking student technique.
Quick answer: most MMA gyms and facilities need two kinds of software. One runs the business: billing, scheduling, attendance and belt ranks. Gymdesk is a strong default there, from $75 a month. The other tracks whether students are actually getting better. That is mmaGPT Academy: students film their rounds, each clip comes back with timestamped notes and a drill, and your coaches see every student's progress in one place.
Disclosure: mmaGPT publishes this comparison and mmaGPT Academy is on it. Prices below are from each company's pricing page, checked October 13, 2026.
| Software | What it does | Starting price | Free trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mmaGPT Academy | AI video feedback for every student, plus a coach view of everyone's technique progress | Per student seat, from 15 seats (pricing) | Free 2-week pilot | Tracking technique and keeping students engaged between classes |
| Gymdesk | Billing, scheduling, attendance, belt ranks and a gym website | $75/month with Gymdesk Payments, $100 without, up to 50 active members 1 | 30 days, no card 1 | MMA and BJJ gyms that want simple all-in-one management |
| Zen Planner | Memberships, scheduling, billing, attendance, belt and skill tracking | From $99/month 1 | Book a demo | Larger gyms that want detailed reporting |
| Spark Membership | Martial arts school management with marketing automation | $199/month 1 | 8 weeks 1 | Schools focused on lead follow-up and sales |
| PushPress | Gym management with scheduling, billing and member tracking | Core plan free; Core Pro $159/month 1 | Free plan | New or budget-conscious gyms |
| Martialytics | Martial arts school management priced by active students | From $69/month for 50 students 1 | 30 days 1 | Schools that want to pay as they grow |
| MatGoat | Management for martial arts academies with multi-discipline rank tracking | From $40/month 1 | See their site | Small academies on a tight budget |
Gym management software answers: who paid, who showed up, and what belt are they. It does not show you whether a student's jab, guard retention or takedown defense is getting better.
That gap is where students quit. They train for months, can't see their own progress, and drift away. Coaching software closes it by giving every student feedback on their own rounds between classes, and giving your coaches a view of who is improving and who has gone quiet.
The two work together. Keep your management software for the front desk and add a coaching layer for the mat.
If you teach, the question is less "who paid?" and more "who is getting better?". Management software tells you who showed up. It cannot tell you that a student's takedown defense has improved or that their footwork has stalled.
mmaGPT Academy covers that part. Students upload a clip of a round from their phone, the AI marks each mistake with a timestamp and gives a drill, and you see the whole roster's progress in one view. You check in on the students who need you instead of rewatching every clip.
What it does: Your students film a round of sparring, pad work, drilling or rolling on their phone. Each clip comes back with timestamped technique notes and a drill to fix the main mistake. Feedback is built on your head instructor's system, so every student hears the same standard. Coaches see who is training, who is improving and who is going quiet. It covers 11 disciplines, including MMA, BJJ, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and kickboxing.
Pricing: Per student seat, from 15 seats. Gyms can resell seats to students at a price they set and keep the difference. You verify your seats before you're billed, so you never pay for an empty one. See Academy pricing.
Best for: Gyms that want students improving faster between classes and staying longer.
Honest limitation: It does not do billing, scheduling or check-ins. Pair it with one of the management tools below.
See how mmaGPT Academy works →
What it does: All-in-one gym management: memberships, billing, scheduling, attendance, belt ranks and a responsive gym website, with unlimited staff accounts on every plan.
Pricing: $75 a month for up to 50 active members with Gymdesk Payments ($100 without), rising to $200 a month for 151 to 250 members. 30-day free trial, no card required. 1
Best for: MMA and BJJ gyms that want one simple system.
Honest limitation: Tracks attendance and rank, not technique.
What it does: Membership management, online scheduling, billing, attendance tracking, belt and skill tracking, member and staff apps, payroll and reporting.
Pricing: From $99 a month, priced on active members. Demo required. 1
Best for: Larger gyms and multi-location operations that want deep reporting.
Honest limitation: You book a demo before you can see it working, and marketing add-ons cost extra.
What it does: Martial arts school management built around marketing: automations, payments, attendance, and a rep who sets it up for you.
Pricing: $199 a month after an 8-week free trial, with free student data migration. 1
Best for: Schools that want help with lead follow-up and sales.
Honest limitation: The highest starting price in this list.
What it does: Gym management with scheduling, billing and member tracking. Add-ons cover a CRM, a branded app and workout tracking.
Pricing: Core is free, with costs covered by payment processing fees. Core Pro is $159 a month and Core Max $229. 1
Best for: New gyms that want to start at $0.
Honest limitation: Built for fitness gyms in general, so check how it handles belt ranks and multiple disciplines.
What it does: Martial arts school management priced per active student, with volume discounts as you grow.
Pricing: From $69 a month for 50 students. 30-day free trial. 1
Best for: Schools that want the price to grow with their roster.
Honest limitation: Tracks attendance and rank, not technique.
What it does: Management software for martial arts academies, with separate rank tracking per discipline.
Pricing: From $40 a month; the Professional plan is $60. 1
Best for: Small academies watching every dollar.
Honest limitation: Tracks attendance and rank, not technique.
For running the front desk (billing, scheduling, attendance and belt ranks), Gymdesk is a strong pick for MMA and BJJ gyms, from $75 a month. For tracking how each student's technique improves, mmaGPT Academy is the pick: students film their rounds, get timestamped notes and a drill for each mistake, and coaches see everyone's progress in one place. Most gyms use one of each.
Gym management software like Gymdesk, Zen Planner and Martialytics tracks attendance and belt or rank progress. mmaGPT Academy tracks technique itself: each student's clips are reviewed by AI with notes and drills, and coaches can see who is improving and who has gone quiet.
As of October 2026: MatGoat from $40 a month, Martialytics from $69, Gymdesk from $75 (with Gymdesk Payments), Zen Planner from $99, PushPress has a free Core plan with paid plans from $159, and Spark Membership is $199 a month after an 8-week free trial. mmaGPT Academy is priced per student seat, and gyms can resell seats to students.
PushPress Core is free, with costs covered by payment processing fees. Gymdesk and Martialytics offer 30-day free trials, Spark Membership an 8-week trial, and mmaGPT Academy a free 2-week pilot.
Most MMA instructors use two tools: gym management software (Gymdesk, Zen Planner, Spark Membership, PushPress, Martialytics or MatGoat) for billing, schedules and attendance, and a coaching tool for technique. mmaGPT Academy is built for instructors: students film their rounds, get timestamped notes and a drill, and the instructor sees every student's progress without rewatching hours of footage.
No. mmaGPT Academy does not handle billing, scheduling or check-ins. It sits next to your gym management software and covers coaching: video feedback for every student and a progress view for your coaches.
Want feedback on your own training? Upload a clip to mmaGPT and get a frame-by-frame breakdown in about a minute.
First analysis free with full feedback. Plans from $9 a month after that.
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