Zen Planner is one of the better-known names in studio software, especially for martial arts academies in the US. We get asked how we compare often enough that we wrote it down — including the parts where Zen Planner is genuinely strong and we are not the right fit.
Where Zen Planner is strong
Zen Planner grew up serving BJJ, MMA and karate gyms, and it shows. The product carries a depth of martial-arts-specific features that most general booking systems never built. If you run a martial arts academy in the US, you have probably already considered them — for good reasons.
- Deep martial arts focus. Belt tracking, ranking systems, curriculum tracking, attendance for promotion — the things a karate or BJJ school actually needs are first-class, not bolted on.
- Family and kid-friendly accounts. Parent accounts, multiple children under one billing record, household management. Useful if half your members are under twelve.
- Strong reporting. Revenue, attendance and retention reports are well-developed. If you live in spreadsheets, you will find what you need.
- Owned by Daxko. A large fitness software conglomerate sits behind Zen Planner — more engineers, more infrastructure, and a stable company that is unlikely to disappear.
Where the approaches differ
Zen Planner's maturity brings depth, and its place in a larger group brings stability. The points below are where its setup and Class Booking's differ.
- US-based. Zen Planner is built in and for the US market. European studios should check its current options for EU data hosting and EUR or GBP billing.
- Pricing. Zen Planner publishes its plans on its own pricing page. Check it for current prices and for any add-ons, such as a branded app.
- Payment processing. Check how card processing is priced on your Zen Planner plan. Class Booking adds nothing on top of your Stripe rate.
- Product history. Zen Planner has been developed since the 2000s and has a long track record. Class Booking was built in 2024–25 on current frameworks.
- Ownership. Zen Planner is part of Daxko, a larger fitness-software group. Class Booking is independent and owned by the team that builds it.
Where Class Booking is different
We made different choices. Some are better, some are worse, depending on what you actually need.
- Modern stack, EU-native. Built in 2024–25, hosted in the EU, GDPR by default. Data residency is not a checkbox — it is where the platform lives.
- €10 / £8 / $13 to €50 / £40 / $60 per month. Flat plans in your local currency, with nothing added on top of your Stripe rate.
- Strong defaults, less configuration. Out of the box you do not need to spend a week wiring fifty things. Deliberate defaults for cancellation windows, waitlists, payments and notifications.
- Independent. No outside investors. We grow at the pace of the studios using us.
- Martial arts: attendance and waivers, no belt module. Attendance per class and student and digital waivers per class type work today. There is no belt or rank module, so if you need one, Zen Planner is the stronger fit.
Side-by-side
| Zen Planner | Class Booking | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | See Zen Planner's own pricing page | From €10 / £8 / $13/month |
| Transaction fees | Depends on plan; see Zen Planner's terms | Nothing on top of your Stripe rate |
| EU data residency | US-based | EU-hosted, GDPR-native (we are the data processor) |
| Native currencies | USD; see Zen Planner for other currencies | EUR, GBP, SEK, DKK, NOK out of the box |
| Contract | See Zen Planner's current terms | Monthly. Cancel anytime. |
| Mobile apps | Branded member app available | Mobile-first web app; PWA install supported |
| Founded / built | Founded 2006 | Built 2024–25 on a modern stack |
| Ownership | Part of Daxko | Independent. No outside investors. |
| Support model | Tiered support by plan | Email support, answered by the people who built it |
| Martial arts features | Belt tracking, ranks, attendance — a clear strength | Attendance and waivers; no belt or rank module |
Details reflect publicly available information as of April 2026. Both products change — check each provider's current pricing page before deciding.
Who picks which
Pick Zen Planner if
You run a martial arts academy, particularly in the US, and want deep belt, rank and curriculum tracking plus family accounts. If you are already on Zen Planner and it works for you, switching has real costs — staff retraining, member communication, data migration.
Pick Class Booking if
You are a European martial arts gym, or any class-based studio, that wants EU data residency, native EUR/GBP billing, flat public pricing with nothing on top of your Stripe rate, and support from the team that builds the platform.
Zen Planner is a well-established product, and for the right studio it is a sensible choice. We made different choices — which one fits depends on where you operate and what you need.