MatSync
Free plan
$0up to 30 students · all core featuresGrow plan
01
Verified comparison
MatSyncvsZen Planner
MatSync is free for clubs with up to 30 students, and Grow costs $39 per month ($35 billed yearly) for unlimited students, while Zen Planner Studio starts at $99 per month for up to 45 active members. Both include front-desk kiosk check-in. Choose Zen Planner if you need waitlists, multi-location management or built-in marketing; choose MatSync if you run one academy.
This page is published by MatSync, made in Poland (EU). We make one of the two products compared, so every Zen Planner fact below links to Zen Planner's own public pages.
Facts checked17 October 2026
zenplanner.com The difference
What is the difference between MatSync and Zen Planner?
MatSync is martial arts club software for a single academy. It is free up to 30 students, and Grow costs $39 per month for unlimited students. Zen Planner is a broader studio platform from $99 per month that adds waitlists, multi-location management and paid marketing add-ons. Both offer check-in from the member app and from a kiosk tablet at the front desk.
$0Free plan
≤ 30 students
≤ 30 students
03
Price at a glance
Which is cheaper,
MatSync or Zen Planner?
Public list prices only. Payment-processing fees, tax, hardware and optional products may change the total.
MatSync costs less in subscription fees at both sizes we checked. A 30-student club pays $0 on MatSync's Free plan and $99 per month on Zen Planner Studio. A 100-student club pays $39 per month on MatSync Grow ($35 billed yearly) and $189 per month on Zen Planner Studio (76 to 100 active members). MatSync takes a 0.5% app fee, plus Stripe's fee, on payments clubs take through Stripe Connect.
Zen Planner
Published starting structure
$99–$289 / monthStudio: $99/month for 0–45 active members, up to $289/month for 251+.How pricing works
Priced by active members (anyone with a membership or who attended in the past month). Website ($99/month), Engage ($249/month), branded app ($39/month) and card reader ($39/month) are add-ons; Essentials and Ultimate bundle Website and Engage.
Official sourcePayments clubs take through Stripe Connect carry a 0.5% MatSync app fee plus Stripe's processing fee. Payments recorded by hand (cash, bank transfer) carry no MatSync app fee. Zen Planner doesn't publish its processing rate on the pages we checked, and Stripe's fees vary by country and card.
04
At a glance
Which features do MatSync
and Zen Planner each include?
Both MatSync and Zen Planner cover class scheduling, front-desk kiosk check-in, belt tracking, family accounts, online payments and an iOS and Android member app. MatSync also offers sibling discounts at checkout and EU data hosting. Zen Planner's own pages list waitlists, multi-location support and paid Website, Engage and branded-app products. The table below links every source.
MatSync vs Zen Planner at a glance
| Capability | MatSync | Zen Planner | Zen Planner source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price today | Free: $0 up to 30 students. Grow: $39/month, or $35/month billed yearly, unlimited students. | Studio from $99/month (0–45 active members) to $289/month (251+) | Pricing tiers |
| Price for a 30-student club | $0 (Free plan) | $99/month (Studio, 0–45 active members) | Pricing tiers |
| Price for a 100-student club | $39/month on Grow ($35/month billed yearly) | $189/month (Studio, 76–100 active members) | Pricing tiers |
| What the price is based on | Student count: free up to 30 students, Grow for unlimited students. Every feature on both plans. | Active members (anyone with a membership or who attended an event in the past month). All Studio features at every tier. | Pricing tiers |
| Paid add-ons | Optional academy website service: $49 one-time setup, hosting billed separately. | Website $99/month, Engage $249/month, branded app $39/month, card reader (Lane 3600) $39/month | Pricing tiers |
| Online payment fees | 0.5% MatSync app fee plus Stripe's processing fee on payments taken through Stripe Connect. Manually recorded payments carry no MatSync app fee. | Not verified (no rate published on the pages reviewed; Zen Planner lists “Flex Fees” to “offset transaction and processing costs”) | Mobile app |
| Contract | No setup or onboarding fee for the software. | Month-to-month; annual contract on request | Pricing tiers |
| Try before paying | Permanent free plan up to 30 students, no credit card | Free demo. Self-serve free trial: not verified. | Features |
| Check-in | Front-desk kiosk on an Android tablet (member card, app code, PIN or phone QR), a QR poster, coach roll call and app bookings | App check-in from the member app, plus kiosk mode on a front-desk tablet | Features Mobile app |
| Waitlists | No | Yes, members can join waitlists in the app | Mobile app Features |
| Belt and rank tracking | Configurable ranks, stripes, time-in-grade and attendance | Customizable rank structure, promotion log | Martial arts page |
| Families | One parent login for several children. Sibling discounts at Stripe checkout (default 10% off the 2nd member, 15% off the 3rd and later; the club sets the rates). | Linked family accounts, shared memberships and family billing | Martial arts page |
| Signup documents | Clubs can set up custom onboarding with required documents that members sign by typing their name. MatSync doesn't write legal waivers. | Not verified | — |
| Multiple locations | No multi-location support | Yes, from a single dashboard | Martial arts page |
| Member messaging | Email and push notifications. No SMS or WhatsApp. | Email and text campaigns in Engage (add-on); demo page lists “two-way SMS & email follow-up” | Home page Demo page Pricing tiers |
| Mobile apps | iOS and Android member app | Member app (iOS and Android) and staff app; branded app $39/month | Mobile app Pricing tiers |
| Switching help | The MatSync team imports members, rebuilds the schedule and sets up plans, at no cost | Onboarding team handles migration in free onboarding sessions | Martial arts page Demo page |
| Data hosting | EU data centers, encrypted in transit and at rest, built with GDPR in mind | Not verified | — |
| Languages | Website in 6 languages (EN, FR, DE, NL, pt-BR, ES); the web dashboard and member web pages also support Greek. | Not verified | — |
| Company | MatSync, made in Poland (EU) | Zen Planner is a Daxko brand (“Copyright © 2026 Daxko”; Daxko, LLC, Birmingham, AL, in every page footer) | Pricing tiers (footer) |
“Not verified” means we could not find the fact on Zen Planner’s public pages on 17 October 2026. It is not a claim that the feature is missing.
Choose by operating model
When should you choose Zen Planner instead of MatSync?
Choose Zen Planner if your academy needs class waitlists, several locations in one dashboard, or marketing campaigns through Engage. Choose MatSync if you run one academy and want kiosk, QR and app check-in included. MatSync is free up to 30 students, and Grow is $39 per month for unlimited students.
Choose MatSync when
- You run one academy and want every feature at a lower price: MatSync is free up to 30 students, and Grow is $39 per month for unlimited students.
- Members book and check in from the iOS and Android app, and staff use the club dashboard on phone, tablet or desktop.
- You want Stripe checkout (0.5% MatSync app fee plus Stripe's fee) alongside family profiles, sibling discounts, scheduling, attendance and belt progression.
Choose the alternative when
You need waitlists, multi-location management, or built-in marketing (Engage).
What the alternative does well
- Kiosk mode and a separate staff app for the front desk
- Belt, family billing, multi-location and reporting tools
- Optional Website, Engage marketing and branded-app products
What to budget or plan for
- Studio pricing runs from $99 to $289 per month by active members
- Website, Engage and branded app add $99, $249 and $39 per month
- Payment-processing rates aren’t published on the pages we checked
06
Switching
How do you switch from Zen Planner to MatSync?
Send the MatSync team whatever you can export from Zen Planner, such as a CSV, spreadsheet or PDF report. The team imports your members, rebuilds the class schedule and sets up plans at current prices, at no extra cost. Members then download the app, and each re-authorizes their card payments.
- 01
Get your data out of Zen Planner
Whatever you can export is enough — a CSV, a spreadsheet, a PDF report or an admin export. You do not need to clean it up or match any template.
- 02
Send it to the MatSync team
Hand the file over and tell us how your classes and plans are organised. This is the only step that needs time from you.
- 03
We rebuild your club
We import members, recreate your class schedule and set up subscription plans to match what members already pay, then hand it back for you to check.
- 04
Invite your members
Members download the app and set a password. Payment mandates held by Zen Planner have to be re-authorised by each member, because payment details cannot legally be transferred between providers.
Setup help is included at no cost, and you can check your rebuilt club before you invite a single member.
07
Academy proof
What do academy owners say about MatSync?
Dan Paraoaru of Colt BJJ Academy says members and parents find MatSync easy for booking kids' classes, tracking progress and payments, and switching between siblings' accounts. Team Masters Nyon says payments are much easier to manage and collect. Isla BJJ also uses MatSync.
We’ve had great feedback from members and parents. It’s easy to book kids’ classes, track progress and payments, and move easily between siblings’ accounts.
Source ledger
Where do these Zen Planner
facts come from?
Every Zen Planner fact on this page comes from Zen Planner’s own public pages: pricing tiers, martial arts software, features, mobile app, demo and home page, checked on 17 October 2026. MatSync publishes this page. Facts we could not find publicly are marked “Not verified” rather than counted as missing features.
01Zen Planner pricing tierswww.zenplanner.com↗02Zen Planner martial arts softwarewww.zenplanner.com↗03Zen Planner featureswww.zenplanner.com↗04Zen Planner mobile appwww.zenplanner.com↗05Zen Planner demowww.zenplanner.com↗06Zen Planner home pagewww.zenplanner.com↗
MethodMethod
List prices and published capabilities were reviewed on the date shown. Quotes, regional taxes, processing rates and product changes can alter the result. When a detail is not public, this page says so.
Facts checked: 17 October 2026Direct answers
Questions about switching from Zen Planner to MatSync
01Which costs less to start, MatSync or Zen Planner?+
MatSync. It is $0 for clubs with up to 30 students, and Grow costs $39 per month ($35 billed yearly) for unlimited students. Payments clubs take through Stripe Connect carry a 0.5% MatSync app fee plus Stripe's fee. Zen Planner Studio costs $99 to $289 per month depending on active members, according to its pricing page checked on 17 October 2026.
02Does Zen Planner support belts and progression?+
Yes. Zen Planner's martial arts page says you can set up your own rank structure, log each promotion and see where every student stands. MatSync also tracks ranks, stripes, time-in-grade and attendance for each student, and attendance feeds belt progression. Both work for any number of belts.
03When is Zen Planner the better choice?+
Zen Planner fits academies that need class waitlists, several locations in one dashboard, or Engage marketing campaigns. MatSync fits a single academy and includes kiosk, QR and app check-in. MatSync is free up to 30 students, and Grow is $39 per month.
04Are the prices and features guaranteed?+
No. MatSync checked this comparison on 17 October 2026 using the Zen Planner pages linked above. Prices, taxes, processing rates, regions and product packaging can change, so confirm the final price with Zen Planner before you decide. Corrections are welcome at support@matsync.app.
05Can I move from Zen Planner to MatSync?+
Yes. Export what you can from Zen Planner and send it to the MatSync team, who import members, rebuild the schedule and set up plans at no cost. Check your export access and the fields you need first. Members re-authorize card payments, because payment details can't move between providers.
Compare MatSync with other systems
Better fit, not louder claims
Try the simpler academy workflow.
Create the club, invite the team and run your first classes. MatSync is free up to 30 students, and no credit card is required.
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