KihonHow Kihon compares
There are good options for running a martial arts school. Here is where Kihon is different, and where it is not, using each vendor's own published pages.
Add up the whole bill, not the sticker price
When you compare platforms, add three things together: the monthly software price, the add-ons you would actually use, and the payment fees. Here is Kihon's whole list. One dollar per active member per month, with a 79 dollar minimum, every feature included, billed month to month, plus sales tax where it applies. Founding schools (the first 25) are capped at 249 dollars. A one-time enrollment fee of 299 dollars, with a 200 dollar credit for founding schools, and a paid Pilot's 49 dollars credited toward it. Card payments run through Kihon Payments, where Kihon's fee is published: 0.5% for founding schools, on top of the card processor's own rates. Texting is optional: a one-time 99 dollar setup that covers the carrier registration, 2.60 dollars a month for your number, and a cent per segment. That is everything Kihon charges.
Side by side
Every competitor cell comes from that vendor's own public pages or its funding announcement, read on October 3, 2026. Prices and features move, so check each vendor's page for today's numbers. If we have something wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
| What matters | Kihon | Gymdesk | Spark | Zen Planner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $1 per active member a month, $79 minimum. Founding schools capped at $249 | $75 to $200 a month by member count, up to 400 members | $199 a month at any size | From $99 a month. $348 with the website and marketing tools |
| Payments | Kihon Payments only. A published fee on top of card processing: 0.5% for founding schools | A choice of six processors, including your own Stripe. Says it adds no fee on top of the processor's rate | Spark's own processor only. Advertises an average rate of 2.86% | Zen Planner Payments, priced by quote |
| Contract and exit | Month to month. Cancel online, export your records for free | Month to month. Free export, no exit fee | Month to month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee | Not stated on its pricing page |
| Sold separately | Texting only: $99 setup, $2.60 a month, and a cent per segment | Texting by usage. A branded member app and door access, $100 a month each | Text credits | Website $99, marketing with two-way messaging $249, branded app $39 a month |
| Staff app | Yes. Kihon Staff, on the App Store | No. Its help center has staff log in through the website | An app for leads and trials, plus a member app | Yes |
| Family billing | Family accounts, plus tuition split between two payers | Family accounts | Family accounts | Family billing and linked accounts |
| Two-way texting | Built in, with a free in-app chat | Yes, with a reply inbox | Yes | Part of its marketing add-on |
| Who is behind it | A solo founder who answers the support email | Its founder, with a growth investor since 2024 | Took a growth investment in 2025 | Part of Daxko since 2017 |
The honest take on each
Gymdesk
The closest to Kihon on flat, published pricing, and a genuinely good product. It also lets a school use its own Stripe account with no fee added, which Kihon does not offer. Where Kihon differs: a staff app on the App Store, and contracts that drive the billing. Gymdesk's help center says its documents "do not control memberships, billing, facility access, or attendance." In Kihon the plan writes the money terms of the contract, and an automatic payment will not run on a membership with no signed agreement behind it.
Spark Membership
A sales and marketing machine built for martial arts: lead follow-up, landing pages, and two-way texting, at a flat 199 dollars a month. Kihon is priced by the size of your school, so a school of 100 members pays 100 dollars a month before payment fees. Both run payments through their own service.
Zen Planner
A 99 dollar starting price that grows with what you add. The website, the marketing tools with two-way messaging, and the branded app are each priced separately, and payment pricing is by quote. Kihon is one plan with every feature in it, and its payment fee is published.
One plan with every feature. A staff app on the App Store. Contracts that drive the billing. A payment fee you can read before you sign. Month to month, with a free export of your records whenever you want it.