BJJLink vs Gymdesk for Jiu-Jitsu Academies
Two platforms with real jiu-jitsu roots and very different shapes: a content-first BJJ product with flat plans, or a generalist by member tier that a BJJ black belt founded. Published figures, dates, and a third option at the end.
At a Glance
| Comparison point | BJJLink | Gymdesk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Two flat plans, unlimited students | By active member count, four tiers plus Enterprise |
| Published range | BLACK $49/mo plus a 1% service fee on billing; CORAL $149/mo, no service fee (as of Sept 1, 2026) | $75 (to 50 members), $100 (to 100), $150 (to 150), $200 (to 250), Enterprise above (as of Oct 7, 2026) |
| Add-ons | None listed; both plans include the full feature set | Branded member app $100/mo, door access from $100/mo, additional locations $50/mo each; website included |
| Contract terms | No contracts, cancel anytime; 30-day free trial with setup support | Month to month from day one, no setup fee, no minimum term; 30-day free trial, no card required |
| Card processing | Service fee published; card rate and per-transaction fee not published | Gymdesk Payments 2.9% + 30¢, ACH 1% capped at $5, or bring your own Stripe or Square (each tier $25 to $40/mo higher) (as of Oct 7, 2026) |
| Curriculum and technique content | Academy LMS, technique library, curriculum builder, automated belt promotions | Native rank tracking; no LMS listed |
| Apps | Student app, mobile apps, tablet kiosk | Mobile app included; branded member app is an add-on |
| Languages | Portuguese not listed | English and Japanese listed |
| Heritage | Founded 2018 in San Diego; owned by MMA.INC, which announced in 2025 that UFC GYM's BJJ franchise studios will run on it | Founded 2016 as Martial Arts on Rails by Eran Galperin, a BJJ black belt; Austin-based |
| Review scores (Aug 27, 2026) | Capterra none; G2 10 reviews | Capterra 4.8 from 148 reviews; G2 4.8 from 21 |
Figures read from each vendor's own published pages on the dates stated. Prices and features change; verify before you buy.
Which One Fits
Choose BJJLink if
You want to deliver technique videos and curriculum to students inside the software, your billing is above about $10,000 a month so the $149 no-fee plan makes sense, and you prefer flat pricing with unlimited students.
Choose Gymdesk if
You want a polished, fast generalist with jiu-jitsu roots, an included website, a large review history, and the option to keep your own payment processor.
The Math at 100 Students
Take 100 students at the $146 US average membership (Gold BJJ's State of Jiu Jitsu survey), about $14,600 in monthly billing.
BJJLink: on the $49 BLACK plan the 1% service fee is about $146, so the plan costs about $195 before card processing, which is not published. The $149 CORAL plan is cheaper above $10,000 of monthly billing, so at this size take CORAL: $149 plus a processing rate you must get in writing.
Gymdesk: the 51-to-100 tier is $100. Processing on Gymdesk Payments at 2.9% + 30¢ is about $453, so the month runs about $553 before add-ons. At 101 members the tier steps to $150.
For reference, Kmura at the same volume is $150 flat plus about $410 in processing at 2.6% + 30¢, about $560 a month, with the rate published. Only add-on: SMS ($20 one-time registration + $5/mo + the cost of your texts; cost shown before every send).
The Third Option: Kmura
Kmura is built for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specifically. Belts, stripes, promotion history and a fully customizable curriculum are the data model, not custom fields bolted onto a generic member record, so attendance rolls up into who is actually due for a stripe.
Instructor hours and classes taught are tracked, and tracking is where it stops, because Kmura is not payroll software. A nightly AI review reads your academy's activity, flags students who are drifting and pre-drafts the follow-up for your staff to send. It never sends anything on its own. Pricing is $150 a month per location, flat, with every feature included at every size except SMS and card processing at 2.6% + 30¢. Everything is included in $150/month per location except SMS, the only add-on. SMS has a one-time $20 registration fee, a fixed $5/month, and then costs the price of the texts you send. Before any text goes out, Kmura shows you the exact cost based on the number of recipients and segments. Migration is free and white-glove, and the whole platform runs in English and Portuguese.
A demo is a walkthrough with our co-founder, Todd Snider, Co-Founder & CEO.
BJJLink vs Gymdesk FAQ
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