Garrison365 vs Zen Planner

Zen Planner's belt tracking is good. Ours knows the federation rules.

Zen Planner is the most martial-arts-capable of the big generalists, so this is not a comparison against a weak field. Below: what a running academy actually pays, how deep the belt and grading tools go — with BJJ Link alongside — and how payments work. Every figure is sourced and dated October 16, 2026.

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What a running academy pays.

To get what Garrison365 includes — website, CRM and lead follow-up, AI, and a member app under your name — Zen Planner's package is Ultimate, priced by active members, plus the branded app.

Active membersZen Planner Ultimate + branded appGarrison365

Up to 45 active members$387/mo$348 + $39$249/mo

76–100$477/mo$438 + $39$249/mo

151–200$527/mo$488 + $39$249/mo

251+$577/mo$538 + $39$249/mo

Sources: Zen Planner member tiers · Zen Planner pricing (branded mobile app add-on), checked October 16, 2026. Garrison365: one flat price, unlimited members. How our pricing works → · BJJ Link and Kicksite on cost →

Belts and grading, side by side.

“Not documented” means the vendor's public material doesn't say — not that it can't be done. Ask for it in their demo.

CapabilityZen PlannerBJJ LinkGarrison365

What earns a belt or stripeClass hours, technique milestones and instructor assessments; flags a student when all criteria are met.“Rank eligibility requirements” — which criteria is not documented.14 kinds of requirement per belt and per stripe: time, classes, mat hours, days per week, age, sparring, coach rating, required techniques, technique classes, program classes and real submissions.

Federation rulesNot documented.Not documented.IBJJF minimum ages applied on top of your rules (by birth year), and 19 starting templates across BJJ, judo, karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai, capoeira and more.

Changing the rulesNot documented.Not documented.Before a change applies you see how many students become ready or stop being ready. Every version is kept; past promotions are never rewritten.

Kids to adult beltsNot documented.Not documented.Students are flagged as they reach the age; a coach confirms each move, which is recorded as a move — not a promotion — and can be undone.

More than one martial artConfigurable rank systems.Built for BJJ.Each art keeps its own logic — kyu/dan, poom to dan, cords, prajioud — and a student can progress in several at once.

Time at beltNot documented.Not documented.Academy time and federation-registration time tracked separately; a coach can adjust it with a reason that stays on record.

Nudging students near a promotionEngage AI sends a preparation message as a student nears a stripe or belt (Engage / Ultimate).Not documented.A “ready to test” notice to the student when every rule is met, and coach suggestions on who to check in with and what to teach next.

Sources: Zen Planner, “BJJ gym software features … in 2026” · BJJ Link, Progress + Rank (BJJ Link: from $49/mo plus a 1% service fee, or $149/mo — pricing), checked October 16, 2026.

Zen Planner

Payments run through Zen Planner's preferred processors, including its in-house Daxko Payments. Processing is custom-priced and not published — ask for the rate before you sign.

Source: Zen Planner pricing, checked October 16, 2026.

Garrison365

Payments run through your own Stripe account at Stripe's standard published rates. We add no markup today; if that ever changes for any academy, it will be an explicit opt-in — never a silent line on your statement.

Switching doesn't have to cost you a member.

We migrate your members, plans, belts and stripes for free — usually within a week. No contracts, no export fees on our end.

Running a BJJ academy specifically? See The Mat →