# Page 3 | Gymdesk Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 3 - Is Gymdesk the right Martial Arts solution for you? Explore 148 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/148663/Martial-Arts-on-Rails/reviews --- Gymdesk 4.8 (148) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 3 - Reviews of Gymdesk ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 51-75 of 148 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use JB Jason B. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "'Martial Arts on Rails' is worth your attention. Try it out!" September 30, 2021 5.0 Overall experience to date has been very good. I have received excellent customer service. Due to COVID-19 temporary shutdown of my gym/dojo, I had some time on my hands to do a detailed review and trial of this software. I have looked a several systems over the past couple of years in detail and used another system for 12 months prior to moving to Martial Arts on Rails. Although it doesn't do 100% of what I wanted, it is very close and improving all the time. Remember there is no such thing as a perfect system. This software does a good job of majoring on the majors and is growing and adding new features and feature improvements continually based on user feedback. Keep up the fantastic work Martial Arts on Rails! Pros \- Ease of use. - Ability to easily communicate via Text Message or Email in bulk to members/database without leaving the system or having to export to another system. - Member Portal very useful. - Overall features combined equals a great product. - Support has proven to be very responsive. Cons \- At time of writing, there are limited integration options e.g. No 'Zapier' integration. However, for most users I believe you won't need another system. That's one of the benefits of this software. - There are work arounds, however at time of writing there is no customised tagging system for member database. - Even though I believe they have an easy Family management feature. At time of writing there is no easy way to communicate directly with a parent/guardian of a child student. For example, currently the email would be addressed directly to the child, not the parent/guardian. Alternatives considered [Martialytics](https://www.capterra.com/p/136339/Martialytics/)[Clubworx](https://www.capterra.com/p/141410/ClubWorx/)[Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/)[Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/)[MemberPress](https://www.capterra.com/p/134534/MemberPress/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk \- Looks good. - Easy to use. - Easy bulk communication via text or email. - Online Member Portal is more flexible than other solutions I reviewed. - Handles most things I require to create a complete solution for my gym/dojo. Review Source BP Becky P. Owner/CPT Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Really please with Gymdesk." September 23, 2022 5.0 The support is really, really responsive. I am impressed with that. Almost always within an hour or two, or quickly next day. The best. Pros It 'sings' to me. So much software is not 'ready out of the box.' There was such a learning curve. Many charge, demo required etc. As a busy gym and yoga studio owner with some capacity to learn on my own, I was up and in this in less than 5 minutes...and understand most of it. From there, it has served me well on customer management, communications, booking and payments. Cons I could use some more specific things pertinent to how I run my businesses, but perhaps others don't. So I could use some customization on a few things. I also get confused from time to time on the forms/sign up/membership connections...I think that could be better explained. Again though, it may be how I run my business not necessarily what makes sense for most consumers. Reason for choosing Gymdesk I 'got' it. It is simple. For me, it just resonated with me and how I need my businesses to run. Once I used their support, I know I made the right decision. Review Source MB Matt B. Head Instructor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Gymdesk Software for BJJ Gyms" September 11, 2022 5.0 I really dont understand how I get so much spam (up to 20/day). If there could be a block to enable them not to resend emails. I would like it a whole lot more. Pros It like that it comes with its own webpage that can later be integrated with your own. It suits my gym perfectly accounting for all of my needs. I would recommend this for anyone setting up a BJJ Academy. It also has an easy to view, "how to" that helped me out. My emails initially to the Gymdesk Team, were answered quite quickly and after a while of using it, it became so much easier. Cons Being in Australia, it was annoying that only Square can be used for the POS. But Square isnt too bad with its low fees. Reason for choosing Gymdesk I liked the demo on Youtube and after viewing the others, I felt like this product was the one for me. I took about 5months to make my decision knowing how important it would be. I am glad I went with Gymdesk Review Source Response from Gymdesk September 19, 2022 Thanks for reviewing us, Matt! We're glad to hear you've enjoyed your experience overall. We thought you might like to know we also work with Stripe and GoCardless in Australia in case you're not happy with Square. If you'd like to know more, please reach out and we'll be happy to assist! MB Mark B. Owner Sports Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "TERRIBLE customer service and support--simply terrible. " October 10, 2022 2.0 Terrible. I am cancelling and going with the company's competitor. At least they provide a customer service phone number. Pros It is an OKAY membership management platform. Cons Gymdesk's customer service and support is TERRIBLE. For one, they do not provide a phone number at ALL. After several emails asking for a callback, someone responded back that they do NOT do CALLBACKS but that they would SCHEDULE a customer service call. Really? Okay, yes, let's do that. What a pain. Especially because I am calling about the 3 THREE charges a month that my $75 a month service is supposed to cost. Reason for choosing Gymdesk Originally, the pricing. However, as I have pointed out, there is NO savings at all and in fact Gymdesk ends up costing way more than its competitors. Review Source Response from Gymdesk November 28, 2022 Hi Mark, While we do not provide live phone support due to our customers being in many timezones, we do provide extremely effective and quick one on one support via live chat, email, or a scheduled video call on demand. We responded promptly to your inquiry and addressed your concerns in under 1 hours time. Ultimately, it was a user error on your end that we helped you discover and resolve. We did everything in our power to address this and are sad to hear that you chose to no longer utilize our services. We take pride in our customer service as evidenced by the many other reviews here. Since this review was submitted before we could clear your misunderstanding regarding the charges, we hope you'll reconsider. Regardless, we wish you the best with your gym endeavors. TH Trish H. Head Coach Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Awesome and Easy to Use Software at a Solid Price Range" June 17, 2021 5.0 Very positive experience overall. Customer service is amazing and I have no plans on changing software. Pros I really enjoy how easy it is to set up memberships, schedules, personal training and other sales using Martial Arts on Rails. Loads of flexibility for payments and how you choose tot run your business. We're a small, not for profit boxing gym so flexibility was absolute key. Cons I would like if there were a way to track athletes progress more a long with coaching plans so I could keep everything in one place more efficiently. Also, I know its not in the cards and it's not a huge deal- but would be amazing if there were an app. Reason for choosing Gymdesk Ease of use and price point. Review Source AL Angela L. Owner/Operator Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Top Value" September 7, 2021 5.0 I am very pleased with our choice to go with maonrails. This system was initially meant for our yoga and fitness programs, but the benefits we are seeing in our karate programs is amazing. The students love how easy it is to use, they love the portal and payment option. The free website is easy to set up, with lots of choices to customize. We run a number of different classes using this program and it keeps us organized so we can focus on the classes rather than the back office. The report features are very helpful to keep each program separate. Overall, using this program has saved us hours of paperwork each week. It is the program we didn't know we needed until we tried it! Definitely would recommend giving it a try. Great customer service, great website and amazing tool to keep ranks, dates, payments, attendance and schedules organized! Pros The price was the selling point. Not the cost of the program, but the fact that there was not a tiered system for pricing. You know exactly what you are getting from day one! The program is also very easy to setup and use. The support is fantastic. Not being one that is up on all the latest technology, they took the time to walk me through things, step by step. They were answering my questions and assisting right away so I never had to wait. Cons Being in Canada, there are some features that cannot be used based on the payment processing company we use. There is none that allow same functionalities as in the US. I am sure it will be in a future update. Alternatives considered [RhinoFit](https://www.capterra.com/p/166393/RhinoFit/)[Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/)[WellnessLiving](https://www.capterra.com/p/145039/WellnessLiving/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk We were looking for a program with no additional/hidden fees for options. We wanted one price and know what was included without having to purchase/increase costs for updates. Wanted a no hassle program that would be user friendly for everyone. Review Source SC Stephen C. Martial Arts Instructor Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Nothing but amazing!" October 9, 2020 5.0 Pros The beautiful UI and overall feel of the software got us hooked! This software is on par if not better than most big named software out there that we have tried at a fraction of the price! Although there are a ton of amazing features, nothing comes close to how the customer service makes you feel when you join. Customer service is hands down the best thing about this software. If we have an issue they personally emails us back almost instantly to get it resolved! They are there anytime of day to assist and make sure the software is running at its full potential. The best of all is that they listens to feedback and actually implements them! WHAT? I've asked my recent software many times for what I thought were simple requests, and have always gotten a "we will see what we can do" response. The software is constantly being updated and cared for! Martial Arts on Rails has been one of the greatest decisions we have ever made for our school/business. Don't be like us and wait to get started. Sign-up now and see for yourself how amazing this software is! Cons There is nothing to dislike. If we have an issue the customer service finds a way to fix it. No matter what. Alternatives considered [RhinoFit](https://www.capterra.com/p/166393/RhinoFit/)[WellnessLiving](https://www.capterra.com/p/145039/WellnessLiving/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk Pricing. Integrations to our current billing system. Beautiful UI and customization. Switched from [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/) Kept feeling like the price was going up while more and more restrictions were being added. We would contact customer support just for them to transfer me to another person who would then transfer us to another person, that would make us wait for an email that never arrived. Also It felt/looked like their software was stuck in the early 2000. Complete opposite of Maonrails! Review Source NS Nick S. Owner and Head Instructor Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Amazing product with excellent service!" October 4, 2022 5.0 We handled all of our members, monthly payments, POS, leads, etc. with multiple spreadsheets and several different products. It saves us so much time and give us peace of mind to know that almost everything we need is in one place! Pros Aside from the ability to customize this software to meet our school's needs, the team is very responsive and always willing to answer any questions we have! They have even been able to implement some small new features within a few weeks to make our experience that much better! Cons There aren't many things negative about this software; the only thing may be integration with more apps. However as fast as they are improving, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened soon! Review Source Alan M. Owner / Head Instructor Sports Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Why MaonRails is the best solution for a Martial Arts Studio" February 10, 2020 5.0 Excellent. As a martial arts studio owner you NEED a billing system, MAonRails is built specifically with martial arts studios in mind (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is my discipline) which is important. It allows me more control over my accounts then other solutions as well. Pros I have actually used a number of products and competitors in the past, and I feel the customer service is top notch, ease of use and the right features are in place. (this was clearly built by a martial artist for martial artists Cons I haven't used the offered website as I already had my own. MaonRails has definitely grown since I first started using them and I am eager to see what new and useful features they plan on integrating. Review Source MG Maurice G. Owner Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great martial arts management software" November 17, 2021 5.0 Pros Great membership management, auto billing which is important, attendance tracking, sales & marketing Are great. The only email and text function is a game changer too! You have to pay a little extra but it’s a huge life saver to send messages out quickly to all members or to certain members. Cons I’d like to see this software give the member the ability to track their progress according to the program, ranks and promotion requirements. For example, when I set certain skills for a particular rank, the student cannot see what those skills are on their one member portal. They can see what rank they are, but not the skills associated with the rank. Review Source Response from Gymdesk November 22, 2021 Hi Maurice, thanks for the positive review and continued support! We do have the option to show promotion criteria for the current to members, if you reach out we'd be happy to show you how to do that. SM Sabrina M. Director in Sales and Operations Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "The Factory Dillsburg - GymDesk Customer Review" February 28, 2022 5.0 10/10 amazing experience Pros I absolutely love this software. The customer service, how user friendly the software is, the troubleshooting support, and all of the different functions that the software offers is amazing. Based on all of the things each software pricing level offers, Gymdesk sets itself MUCH higher over other software programs available. I would recommend to anyone. Cons There are some features i wish there would be more options for customization. Switched from [OnMat](https://www.capterra.com/p/131178/OnMat/) The software cost was MUCH lower then previous software programs used in the past. previously we had multiple features that we had to pay for separately are now wrapped all into one software, and controlled from one site. we used to have to use multiple programs and websites and support numbers and that was a heavy hassle. Now that everything is all into one site, it has made my job much easier, faster and less stressful Review Source AG Andre G. Owner Head Instructor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Very Happy" October 20, 2022 5.0 Amazing customer service. Great software for members and administration. Pros Ease of use for myself and members. Website development. Customer Service. Cons There are some filters I could use with Mindbody when running reports or creating back end changes which make things easier.However I have only thought this once or twice in my year of using their software and it does not impact my operations. Alternatives considered [Acuity Scheduling](https://www.capterra.com/p/191978/Acuity-Scheduling/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk The trial was incredible. The setup was easy and fun. Great member feedback. Switched from [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Initially cost. Gymdesk was recommended. Review Source TD Tommy D. Martial Arts Instructor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Martial Arts on Rails is THE Best Management Tool for Martial Arts Schools" July 7, 2021 5.0 The services provided by Martial Arts on Rails are amazing. We use it every day whether we check for renewal dates, attendance tracking, belt promotions, Pros \-Student/Attendance Tracking -Billing/Invoicing -Memberships -Easy to set up and import data -Affordable pricing for the software -Amazing customer service -Interactive portal for students/parents -Highly customizable + So much more Cons There are little to no cons to Martial Arts on Rails. Even if there are bugs or questions contacting them will you get you a response very quickly and you'll be guided to a resolution. Review Source DC David C. Sensei Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Straightforward and intuitive as long as you don't have to deal with families" September 9, 2022 4.0 positive Pros Reasonably intuitive feature set for 90% of features Highly responsive support team Reasonable price point Cons Dealing with families: - no separate inputs for parent/guardian (let alone both parents) if student is a minor except under "Emergency Contacts" - cumbersome and inflexible mechanisms for grouping students under a family accounts and how family discounts are priced - no simple way of toggling a student between memberships without cancelling entirely - no way to list custom fields on members overview - no way to see on members overview screen which customers have credit card on file No integration with small receipt printer - huge waste of toner and paper when customers ask for receipt Review Source Response from Gymdesk September 15, 2022 Thanks for reviewing us David! Sorry to hear you did not have a good experience with our family account management. If you can reach out to us with your concerns, we'd be happy to help you set it up better for your needs. Thanks, -Eran SC Sharla C. Operations manager Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Not bad for the price." October 1, 2022 3.0 It’s ok. Easy enough to use but I’m used to using Spark and I feel like some of the features are lacking. For the price, I’ll stick around for now. Pros Mostly easy to use once you figure it out. Cons 1) You can’t send out waivers to multiple people at once. Would be nice if you could have them fill out the waivers without having to individually assign them to each person. 2)Wish there was a more detailed way to sort through leads, students etc. for example using tags for things like events, or to separate different types of leads etc. We have only used this for a month and haven’t even quite started using the full functioning yet so there may be more later. Alternatives considered [Spark Membership](https://www.capterra.com/p/229881/Spark/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk I really wanted to use Spark Membership but chose not to based on their pricing. Review Source Response from Gymdesk October 11, 2022 Thanks for reviewing us Sharla! We're sorry to hear you did not have the best experience with our software. There is an option to assign documents to members in bulk, using our bulk member operations, and there's plenty of filters you can use for the leads, including custom fields you can add. We'd be happy to help you utilize the software to the fullest extent - please reach out to our support and we'd help you get set up! YM Yan M. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Almost satisfied" August 13, 2022 5.0 I'm enjoying the experience. The software is making our business routine easier. Pros Attendance tracking: - Pros: you track everyone on the class that they belongs Punch Card: - Pros: We found a way to create a membership as "Punch Card" and it's working the remaining class pretty well. Check In Report: -We can see every student that checked in and their dates. Cons Attendance tracking: - Cons: Some teenagers are attending adults class and there's no way to track their attendance on adults class counting attendance for new stripe or promotion on their belts. Punch Card: - Cons: We can't take the expiration date for future charges. We have to select a date for the next payment even if the remaining classes are not done. Reason for choosing Gymdesk Due the attendance tracking that in the past was made by spreadsheet. Now we're trying with the recurring payments. Review Source Response from Gymdesk August 17, 2022 Thanks for the positive review of our product, Yan! We're glad to hear you found it useful for your business. There is an option to have a session apply towards promotion in multiple programs by setting it to "All Programs" - if you need more help with setting that up, please reach out to our support and we'll be happy to assist you! RL Reuven L. Owner Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "An up and coming top notch tool for martial arts schools" July 26, 2020 4.0 So far so great! Very few complaints/frustrations from members during transition as opposed to previous softwares used like zenplanner etc... where every step was met with crashing apps and the like. Here we have a program that works right in every smartphone/computer’s browser. Just log in and access everything, including remote training videos, which right now are crucial. Would love to see some more features surrounding support for remote training, but considering the relative “newness” of the product and how great everything else has been for myself and my students - a solid A-! Pros Easy setup (BIG) Automated Payment Processing Easy “on the fly” changes Beautiful schedule for website Booking and checkins Built in waivers/agreements/forms Developer is constantly listening to users and giving feedback as to why software functions the way it does or when features will be ready and DELIVERS Cons Lack of robust reporting Lack of configurable signup menu (users see a long list that you can’t organize by category, yet) A lot of functionality seems to leverage and almost depend on you using the built-in website builder, so if you have your own website, it might feel limiting Alternatives considered [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk Ease of use Switched from [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/) Too complex for my needs Constantly getting lost in menus Reporting numbers always wrong/different Payment processing felt like a prison sentence Ugly embedded scheduler Constant student complaints Review Source LM Latasha M. GYM OWNER Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A Must have for Gym Owners" October 1, 2023 5.0 Gymdesk is a lifesaver. I am able to organize all of my work flow in one system. I love the membership renewal, the personalized website, the group text message marketing, the online store for selling our products, and so much more!! It’s definitely a must have for all gym owners. There are so any features to use. I love Gymdesk and will never change. They are truly the best!! Pros I absolutely love Gymdesk memberships management. Cons I really cannot find anything that I least like at this moment. Review Source MH Matt H. Owner Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent Software and Amazing Customer Service" October 25, 2019 5.0 My experience has been great. We've grown to extremely quickly, and a big part of that has been through our website contact forms. I can't say enough about the customer service and the simplicity of the software. Both are fantastic. Pros I chose this software because of the ease of implementation. Other companies wanted weekly conference calls to train me on the software. MA on Rails was very intuitive. I had no problems setting up my school. Any issue I have has been resolved immediately. Eran offers fantastic customer service. Customer service really sets them apart from larger companies. Cons I'd like some added features. You have everything you need to run your business, but there are a couple of things that would be nice to have. Expanded reporting and an app would be top of the list. The positives vastly outweigh any negatives. Reason for choosing Gymdesk More modern and clean look. Positive reviews. Review Source SG Steven G. Adviser Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Martial Arts on Rails Review" November 16, 2021 5.0 We were looking for a product to manage a small wrestling club and strength training business. We do not have a full-time manager and most of the products were overly complicated. Martial Arts on Rails has turned out to be the perfect solution. Pros The software is extremely easy to set-up and use, yet it has sufficient flexibility to manage our club in the way we want to operate. Interface is excellent and intuitive. The ability to create a website and easily integrate with a payment gateway was also excellent. Finally, customer support is to notch. Cons At first I was concerned that it did not have a corresponding App but the website works great on a cell phone and this has not been an issue. The product team continues to add features and improve functionality. No concerns. Reason for choosing Gymdesk Ease of use, pricing and the right feature set for our business. Switched from [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/) We wanted something that was less complicated and a better end-user experience. Cost was also a factor but secondary. Review Source LB Luke B. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Fantastic Software" October 20, 2021 5.0 Fantastic so far Pros The ease of use is what I like most. Everything is easy to use, even our members have mentioned how much easier it is for them to use. Cons Would be great if you had an App version for members also. Also an Event section, i.e putting on an internal comp or grading and our members could register for the event through this program. Reason for choosing Gymdesk Better overall package, and \[SENSITIVE CONTENT\] answered every question within hours. Switched from [Kicksite](https://www.capterra.com/p/131168/Kicksite/) Kicksite was decent but there customer service was poor. And the software was Clunky at times. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Generalist animator Animation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "GymPreview" September 19, 2022 5.0 A great app with all the right features, very helpful and easy to setup, customer service is top notch. Pros Has a appealing user interface,with many customizable options Cons Not many negatives I have towards this platform but wish it had an app in the playstore and the gym sheduling can be a little confusing. Review Source BP Brian P. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Simple and User Friendly" September 3, 2020 5.0 Onboarding was easy, tutorial videos/FAQ was helpful, but it was already easy to navigate prior to even watching them. Pros I really enjoy the simplicity of setting my academy up on the software, the positive feedback from my students who use this for class reservations, and how easy it is to navigate day to day operations. I really wish I discovered this sooner so I could've saved myself from the headaches I experienced using other software platforms. Customer service is great and very responsive which helps for troubleshooting on the fly. Cons I think it would be great if there was a feature within the software to interact with members where they would be notified if an admin user posted something under the content section or even a community board where we can also post updates. Switched from [Virtuagym](https://www.capterra.com/p/132191/Virtuagym/) Their platform was advertised to be suitable for small businesses, but really it's designed for large health clubs or small fitness gyms like crossfit. I didn't find it user friendly at all from onboarding to day to day management. The customer service wasn't as receptive as they are more UK based so that didn't really help with timely responses or onboarding. I wouldn't recommend them to martial arts studios. Review Source DN Douglas N. Instructor Professional Training & Coaching Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Instructor" October 11, 2021 5.0 Pros Having used a couple products prior, this one works best for our schools, because of the size, the affordability and features. We use to have to carry hard copies of paperwork/release now we can pull it at any location, even at tournaments sites if needed. Cons The inability to just read or replay to messages seems to be a bit problematic as I get email notifiations, but, if I don't read the email or on the message screen, those messages may go unanswered for some time. Review Source KM Kyle M. Manager Law Practice Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great software for managing a martial arts gym." August 2, 2021 5.0 Pros I like the customer service the most. \[SENSITIVE CONTENT\] has been most helpful and promptly responded to any questions or concern that I have had. Beyond that, the breadth of capabilities of the software is really great and I discover new functionality of the software almost weekly. Cons There are very few cons with this software. There are little things that have come up here and there, but \[SENSITIVE CONTENT\] has resolved them quickly or helped us find a workaround. Alternatives considered [Zen Planner](https://www.capterra.com/p/134351/Zen-Planner/) Reason for choosing Gymdesk The user interface is what drove me to choose MA on Rails initially. After looking deeper I found that the functionality our gym was looking for is here and is an all in one package. Great product. Review Source Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.