Kozaru

Kozaru is a web-based dojo management system for martial arts schools that need student records, attendance, grading and fees in one workflow. It suits schools where belt progression and family participation matter as much as administration. The free tier is practical for a small school, while larger dojos must budget for per-student charges and paid messaging.

Overview

Kozaru brings the recurring work of running a martial arts school into one system: student management, attendance, gradings, bookings, membership billing and family access. Its attendance view compares each student's visits with that student's normal rhythm and flags possible drift, which gives staff a useful follow-up queue instead of only a historical attendance list.

The product is designed around dojo operations, having grown from systems used in a real martial arts school. That focus is more relevant to a traditional dojo than a generic gym platform, particularly when grading rules and family communication are central requirements.

Key features

Attendance, ranks and gradings

Schools can create their own belt ranks and grading rules. Readiness is calculated from attendance and time held, connecting progression records to criteria the school defines. This can make promotion administration more consistent, but instructors still decide whether a student is actually ready.

Family access and class operations

Parents and students use a school-branded web app installed from a link, so participation does not depend on an app-store download. Members can book classes, join waitlists and check in through a tablet kiosk. Timetable and instructor pages can be embedded in Wix, Squarespace and WordPress sites, and Google sign-in is supported.

Payments and messaging

Member payments go through the school's own Stripe account. Kozaru says it neither holds those funds nor takes a percentage of fees, leaving the school in control of its payment relationship. App notifications are free; text messages cost 10c each and honor STOP replies, so frequent SMS communication needs an explicit budget.

Security and data handling

Each school's private records are encrypted with a school-specific key, while database rules separate one school's records from another's. Kozaru says its servers are in Melbourne, data is not sold or shared, and its privacy policy was written with the Australian Privacy Act and GDPR in mind. Encrypted backups are kept in three tiers for up to a year and restored and checked quarterly.

Pricing

Kozaru uses a freemium model with a 30-day trial and monthly billing rather than an annual subscription.

The Free plan is a sensible starting point for a school with no more than 20 active students, but the cap is firm and the AI helper is excluded. The Kozaru plan removes the ceiling and supports multiple halls on one bill, making it the straightforward choice for a growing school; its per-student charge rises as membership does. The federation console is aimed at organizations overseeing multiple dojos, not an individual school, and requires substantial commitment before use.

Platforms

Kozaru is delivered on the web, including its school-branded family app and tablet kiosk workflow. A mobile app is listed among its capabilities, while the member-facing experience is described as a web app installed from a link. Its headquarters are in Australia.

Who it's for

Kozaru is best for martial arts schools that want dojo-specific grading and attendance tools alongside billing, bookings and family accounts. It is especially suitable for schools defining their own belt structure, monitoring attendance patterns and involving parents in class administration. A school above 20 active students should plan for the paid tier, and any operation relying heavily on SMS should account for the per-message fee.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Dojo-focused progression: Custom ranks and grading rules, with readiness tied to attendance and time held, fit structured martial arts programs.
• Useful attendance follow-up: Rhythm comparisons flag possible disengagement rather than leaving staff with raw check-in data.
• Family-friendly access: A branded link-installed app, bookings, waitlists and kiosk check-in cover common parent and student tasks.
• Payment control: Schools use their own Stripe account, and Kozaru says it does not hold funds or take a percentage.
• Clear data separation: School-specific encryption, isolated database rules and tiered encrypted backups support privacy-conscious operators.

Cons

• Small free-plan ceiling: More than 20 active students requires the paid plan.
• Messaging costs extra: Texts are charged at 10c each, even though app notifications are free.
• AI helper is not included: It adds $9 per month on the Kozaru plan.
• Federation pricing is steep: The head-office console is A$5,010 a month, requires a card up front and has no trial.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, see Martial Arts School Software.

• Clubworx is the better fit if you need Android and iOS apps, a free plan for up to 20 active members, online booking, payments, messaging and a self-check-in kiosk.
• Gym Admin suits schools wanting broader device coverage and a free allowance of up to 50 active students with billing, attendance, rank tracking and student-app access.
• DojoStack is worth choosing for a new or small school under 75 students seeking free student management, attendance, belt tracking, a parent portal and basic reporting.
• OLM is an alternative when transaction-based pricing is preferable, with free platform access and percentage charges on membership invoices and other sales.
• Spoteca fits a very small operation needing a free web plan for up to 10 billable enrollments, with all features included.
• Kombat Evolve is a paid, cross-platform option with a 59.00 EUR monthly starter plan for up to 100 active members.
• GymMaster is for organizations prepared for paid software, starting at $89 a month for 100 current members on its Foundation plan.
• Zen Planner is another paid choice, with Studio pricing of $99 a month for up to 45 active members.

Verdict

Choose Kozaru if your dojo needs belt progression, attendance insight, family access and payments in one martial-arts-specific system, especially while membership remains within the free tier or grows predictably on the per-student plan. Look elsewhere if a 20-student free cap, per-text charges or the high-cost federation console conflicts with your scale or communication model.