Comparison
Retention OS vs. Zen Planner
Zen Planner is a comprehensive studio management platform — billing, scheduling, payroll, websites, and member apps — used by thousands of gyms and studios. Retention OS does one thing: help you keep students from quitting. It is built specifically for martial arts schools and costs a fraction of Zen Planner's price.
If you already use Zen Planner for billing and scheduling, Retention OS adds the engagement and retention layer it does not provide.
Also compare: Retention OS vs. Kicksite →
| Feature | Zen Planner | Retention OS |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Higher price point | From $49/mo |
| Student billing & payments | ||
| Class scheduling | ||
| Payroll management | ||
| Member portal & app | ||
| Website builder | ||
| Attendance tracking | ||
| Daily at-risk student alerts | ||
| Student quit-risk scoring | ||
| Behavioral observation logging during class | ||
| Automated parent email after every class | ||
| Recognition tracking per student per class | ||
| Belt and stripe progression tracking | ||
| TV lobby display | ||
| Multi-location support | ||
| Built specifically for martial arts schools | ||
| Works alongside your existing billing software | n/a | |
| 14-day free trial, no credit card |
= partial or general version available. Feature descriptions based on publicly available product information at time of publication.
Choose Zen Planner if…
- You run a larger operation and need billing, scheduling, payroll, and member management under one roof
- You want a member-facing app and online portal
- Your school runs multiple disciplines (not just martial arts)
Choose Retention OS if…
- You want a daily list of which students are at risk of quitting — ranked and ready to act on
- You want parents to get a personal note about their child after every class, written in your instructor's voice — automatically
- You run a martial arts school specifically and want software that understands belts, stripes, and ATA-style programs
- You already have billing and scheduling handled — and want a focused retention system at a lower price
The real difference
Zen Planner is built to run your studio. Retention OS is built to keep students enrolled once they're in. The two tools solve different problems — which is why many schools use both.
Zen Planner does not surface which students are at high risk of quitting tomorrow. It does not log behavioral observations during class. It does not send a personalized parent email after every session in the instructor's voice. That is the layer Retention OS adds — for schools that know fixing billing isn't what fixes retention.
Try the retention layer Zen Planner doesn't provide
14-day free trial. No credit card. Works alongside Zen Planner — not instead of it.
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