Mat Track vs 
Gymdesk
The Gymdesk alternative built for combat sports.
Gymdesk is good software, and the most-installed platform in our crawl of 5,191 martial arts gym websites. Mat Track is the alternative for gyms where the martial art is the point: ranks across disciplines, retention alerts built on attendance, and a member app people actually open.
Every figure on this page checked against Gymdesk's public pricing, August 2026.
The fair version first
What Gymdesk is, honestly
Gymdesk sells simple, transparent gym management: four tiers priced purely by member count ($75 to $200 a month), every feature at every tier, a website builder in the bundle, and month-to-month billing with no setup fees. In our August 2026 crawl of 5,191 martial arts gym websites it was the most-detected platform, on 27% of the 1,146 sites running visible booking software. It earned that: setup is fast, the bill is predictable, and nothing important is paywalled behind modules.
What the crawl cannot show is what happens after setup, and that is where the two products part ways. Gymdesk records your members; it is booking-first software with reporting on top. Mat Track is retention-first: attendance feeds each member's own 60-day pattern, drops get flagged before they become cancellations, and the member app gives people reasons to keep showing up between gradings.
Our data
What 5,191 gym websites told us about Gymdesk
We run the largest open directory of martial arts gyms, so we can measure this market instead of guessing at it. In August 2026 we crawled 5,191 gym websites; 1,146 of them carried signals of a bookable software platform, and Gymdesk was the most-detected of all, on 26.6% of those sites. When we say Gymdesk is the incumbent, that is not a figure of speech. It is also why this page compares against Gymdesk specifically: it is the platform a switching gym is most likely to be leaving.
Share of the 1,146 sites with identifiable booking software, not of all gyms. The crawler reads public website signals only, so platforms that leave no public footprint on a gym's own site are not measured.
Side by side
Mat Track vs Gymdesk at a glance
| Mat Track | Gymdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and plans | ||
| Entry price | Free up to 200 contacts | $75/mo (up to 50 members) |
| Top published price | $199/mo (Pro) | $200/mo (201 to 400 members) |
| Free plan | Yes, full features to 200 contacts | No, trial only |
| Billing | Billed monthly, no contract | Month to month |
| Platform transaction fees | None | None (choice of processors) |
| Member experience | ||
| Member app | Included: streaks, badges, leaderboards, community | Branded app +$100/mo; member portal included |
| Reasons to open it daily | Session logging, streaks, challenges, community feed | Bookings and payments |
| Day passes and drop-ins | Included, QR entry with digital waiver | Included |
| Retention and coaching | ||
| Retention alerts | Each member vs their own 60-day pattern | Reporting, no per-member alerts |
| Comeback flows | Comeback challenges, off by default until data exists | Manual |
| Per-coach retention view | Yes | No |
| Martial arts fit | ||
| Belt and rank tracking | Multi-art ranks per member | Basic ranks |
| Gradings and promotions | Criteria-based, visible to members in the app | Basic |
| Public gym page | Your page on an 11,000-gym directory | Website builder included |
Sources: Gymdesk's public pricing page and Mat Track's pricing, both checked August 2026. Full breakdown: Gymdesk pricing explained.
The maths
The worked example: a 150-member gym over a year
On Gymdesk, 150 members lands in the $150 tier, and the branded member app adds $100, so the configured bill is $250 a month, $3,000 a year. On Mat Track the same gym fits the Growth plan at $99 a month with the member app included, $1,188 a year. That is about $1,800 a year kept, before counting the retention side. And below 200 contacts the comparison is starker: Mat Track's free plan covers what Gymdesk charges $75 to $150 a month for at that size.
A member app your members actually open
Gymdesk's included portal handles bookings and payments; its branded app costs $100 a month on top. Mat Track's app ships in every plan, free plan included, and it is built to be opened daily rather than at renewal time: one tap to log a session, streaks members protect, badges at real milestones, leaderboards and challenges that turn classmates into the friendships that keep people training.
Retention alerts, not just reports
A report tells you attendance fell last month. An alert tells you Priya has missed two weeks against her own normal, today, while a message can still save her. Mat Track watches every member against their own 60-day pattern and flags the drops; comeback challenges invite lapsing members back with a target rather than a guilt trip. This is the mechanism behind the numbers in our retention guide, and it is the single biggest practical difference from Gymdesk's reporting.
Built for belts, gradings and more than one art
A member at a combat sports gym can hold a BJJ belt and a striking level at the same time, each moving on its own ladder. Mat Track tracks ranks across arts natively, with criteria members can see in the app, so progress stays visible through the long gaps between gradings. Day passes with QR entry and phone-signed waivers handle the drop-in stream without a paper form in sight.
The rest of the toolkit
Also in Mat Track, so nothing is lost in the move
The front desk
- Kiosk and QR check-in. Members self-scan on the way in; the register fills itself.
- Class scheduling. Bookings, waitlists and capacity limits, synced to the member app.
- Digital waivers. Signed on a phone at the door, stored against the member, no paper.
- Guest passes. Members share a pass from the app, so trials walk in pre-registered.
The money
- Stripe and GoCardless billing. Cards and direct debits, with failed payments chased automatically.
- Family and group billing. One payer, several members, one invoice.
- Day passes and drop-ins. Paid at the door with QR entry and a waiver in the same flow.
- No platform transaction fees. You pay your processor's rate and nothing on top.
Keeping people
- Email and SMS inbox. Messages to members from the console, replies back in one place.
- Automations. Welcome sequences, missed-payment chases and comeback nudges on paid plans.
- Multi-location reporting. Every site on one screen, on Pro.
- Your page on the directory. A claimed profile on the 11,000-gym Mat Track directory, pointing searchers at your door.
Who moves
The gyms that switch from Gymdesk
The club under 200 contacts
A single-location BJJ or judo club paying Gymdesk $75 to $150 a month for a member list that fits inside Mat Track's free plan. The switch is not a discount, it is the same core job for $0, and the saved money usually goes on mats.
The gym paying extra for its app
Gymdesk's branded app is $100 a month on top of the plan. Gyms that bought it wanted members looking at their phone and seeing the gym; on Mat Track that app, with streaks, badges and community built in, is part of every plan including the free one.
The multi-art combat sports gym
BJJ in the morning, Muay Thai at night, members holding a rank in each. Gymdesk's basic ranks force workarounds; Mat Track tracks each art on its own ladder with grading criteria members can read in the app.
The part nobody else has
Practitioners in your area may already be on Mat Track
Mat Track is not just gym software; it is the app martial artists use to log their training, keep streaks and find somewhere to train on the 11,000-gym directory. That is a pool of active practitioners no other platform on this page can show you. Claim your gym's page and your timetable, trial offer and grading culture are in front of the people already searching your postcode.
Switching
What moving from Gymdesk looks like
- Export your members, plans and payment records from Gymdesk (Settings gives you CSV exports).
- Import them into Mat Track and invite members to the app; direct debits and cards need fresh consent, which the invite flow handles.
- Run both systems in parallel for one billing cycle, then cancel Gymdesk (month to month, so the exit costs nothing).
The honest bit
When Gymdesk is the better pick
Pick Gymdesk if you want a website builder in the same bill, month-to-month billing on every plan, or the reassurance of the most-installed platform in martial arts. Those are real advantages and we would rather you pick the right tool than ours for the wrong reasons. Comparing the whole market rather than just us? Our best Gymdesk alternatives roundup covers the field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mat Track cheaper than Gymdesk?
What does Mat Track have that Gymdesk does not?
What does Gymdesk have that Mat Track does not?
How long does switching from Gymdesk take?
Can I try Mat Track while still on Gymdesk?
Does Mat Track have a website builder like Gymdesk?
Will my members notice the switch from Gymdesk?
More data-led comparisons from the same team: best muay thai gym software, best MMA gym software, best boxing gym software, Wodify vs PushPress and the retention guide behind our alerts.
Try the switch without the risk
Free up to 200 contacts, no card. Import your members, run one real week, and keep Gymdesk until you are sure. And practitioners already log their training on the Mat Track app; claiming your gym's page puts your timetable in front of them.