PushPressvs Kicksite
Kicksite is built only for martial arts, and for a small school it costs less than we do. This page is for academies past that: what you'll pay each month once you count processing, what your students and parents actually download, and what it takes to switch.
The 60-second answer
Two honest paths. Find yours and skip the rest of the page.
If any of these sound like your academy
If any of these sound like your academy
How do I switch from Kicksite to PushPress?
About two weeks, if you're motivated. The biggest variable is how fast you make the calls on your own plans and pricing.
Payments set up
You get your own Stripe account. Kicksite's own switching page calls moving saved cards between processors complicated, so plan on asking students to re-enter a card. We set that up on day one so it isn't what holds you back.
Set up programs, ranks and classes
Membership plans, the class schedule, coach and staff accounts, and your belt system with its stripes and promotion criteria. You build your own plans rather than picking from a fixed set.
Your students move over
You export from Kicksite, we import. Students, contacts, memberships and attendance go through the 3-step tool. You get a named onboarding lead, not a ticket queue.
Students and parents get the app
One announcement, one link. Every student gets a request to add their card, and you can see who's done it, so you're not chasing families one by one.
What carries over, and what doesn't
The honest version, listed here rather than buried in an onboarding call.
Is PushPress cheaper than Kicksite?
Under 50 students, no. From 51 to 100, a little, about $15 to $17 a month. Past 100, about $65 a month. Both numbers count Kicksite's card processing fee, which sits on their payment processing page rather than their pricing page.
2.89% + $0.30 on Pro
2.75% + $0.30 on Max
0.79% + $0.30 on Pro and Max
No monthly processing fee on any plan
Cards and ACH: $49/mo + $35 setup
ACH: $0.30 per payment
+ card fees at 2.89% + $0.30
= about $715 / mo
+ card fees at 2.9% + $0.25
= about $780 / mo
If you pass a fee to your students, you keep it
Plenty of academies pass some or all of their card cost on to students. On PushPress Pro and Max you set that number yourself, up to 10%, and every cent of it comes back to your academy. Kicksite has its own version: a Basys service fee where students pay 3.75% and you pay $29 a month.
Either way, check your state's surcharge rules before you turn it on.
How Flex Fees worksA real app, or a website on the home screen
When a parent signs their kid up, what do they download?
A native app
A mobile web app
Belt and stripe tracking
Both track rank. Here's where each one is stronger.
On Pro and Max
On every tier
How we compare: key differences
| PushPress | Kicksite | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's built for | Martial arts academies, CrossFit and other class-based gyms | Martial arts only, since 2007. Kicksite wins on focus. |
| Price at 101+ students | $159/mo on Pro | $199/mo, plus $29/mo for card processing |
| Price under 50 students | $159/mo on Pro. Free plan at $0, without rank tracking. | $49 to $99/mo. Kicksite wins this. |
| Student app | Native app on the App Store and Google Play, every plan | Mobile web app, no App Store download |
| Branded app with your logo | $97/mo add-on | Not listed on their site |
| Belt and stripe tracking | Pro and Max | Every tier |
| Belt testing events | Invite-only events, built for testing nights. Only invited students see the event and register. | RSVPs, testing fees, judges, printed testing forms and belt labels |
| Card processing | 4.99% on Free, 2.89% on Pro, 2.75% on Max, each + $0.30. No monthly processing fee. | 2.9% + $0.25 through Basys, plus $29 to $49/mo |
| Passing fees to students | Flex Fees, up to 10%, and you keep all of it | 3.75% service fee option, $29/mo |
| Card data if you leave | Your own Stripe account. Your card data goes with you. | Not stated |
| Billing a school or company for a group | Not today | Yes. Kicksite wins this. |
| Website | Grow, $329/mo plus setup | In-house design, custom per school |
| Free trial | 7 days on Pro and Max | 30 days |
So which one should you actually pick?
If you've read this far, you already know we're not a neutral party. So here's the version we'd give you on the phone.
Kicksite is good software for the schools it's built for. If you run a smaller traditional school, want judges and printed testing forms out of your software, want someone to build and run your website, or need to bill a school or company for a group of memberships, it does things we don't, and you should take the demo.
On price, we technically start winning at 51 students, when Kicksite moves to its $149 tier and you add its $29 processing fee. It's a small win there, about $15 a month. It gets bigger as you grow: about $65 a month once you pass 100 students. And past that, price is the smallest part of it, especially when the kids program drives the business. Parents get a real app on their phones. Rank tracking, invite-only testing nights, priority booking and pro-rated billing all come with Pro. And your payment data stays yours if you ever move on.
And if none of that sounds like your academy, stay where you are. Switching costs real hours. It should fix something specific.
Keep reading
If you want to check our work, start here.
Questions about switching from Kicksite?
Is PushPress cheaper than Kicksite?
It depends on how many students you have. Under 50 active students, Kicksite is cheaper: $49/mo up to 25 students and $99/mo up to 50. Between 51 and 100, PushPress Pro comes out a little less, about $15 to $17 a month, because Kicksite's $149 tier plus its $29/mo card processing fee runs above our $159. Past 100, the gap is about $65 a month, for an academy with 120 students paying $150 a month by card.
What carries over when I switch from Kicksite to PushPress?
Student records and contact info, attendance history and billing history import directly. Our team helps you move active membership plans and belt and promotion history, or you can send students a rank request. Saved cards don't move, so plan on asking students to re-enter them. Signed waivers and a website Kicksite built for you stay with Kicksite.
Does Kicksite have an app in the App Store?
No. Kicksite's student app is a mobile web app that runs in the phone's browser, and Kicksite describes it as saving the hassle of downloading from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. PushPress students and parents download a native app from the App Store or Google Play, included on every plan. An app with your academy's own name and logo is the Branded App, a $97/mo add-on.
Does PushPress track belts and stripes?
Yes, on Pro and Max. Rank Tracking covers custom belts, colors and stripes, promotion criteria by time at rank, class attendance or manual milestones, an eligibility view showing who's ready, single or bulk promotions, and a full promotion history. Testing nights run through invite-only events, which were designed for belt testing: invite exactly the students who are ready, and only they can see the event and register. Kicksite's Belt Test Event tool adds judges and printed testing forms and belt labels.
Can I pass processing fees on to students with PushPress?
Yes. On Pro and Max, Flex Fees add a percentage of up to 10% to student payments, and PushPress keeps none of it. Kicksite offers a similar Basys service fee option where students pay 3.75% and the school pays $29/mo. Check your state's surcharge rules before turning either one on.
Will my students' cards transfer from Kicksite?
Plan on asking students to re-enter them. Saved cards are held by the payment processor, and Kicksite's own switching page calls moving them between processors complicated. PushPress sends every student a payment-method request and shows you who's finished. Once you're on PushPress, cards live in your own Stripe account, and if you ever leave, they go with you.
How long does it take to switch from Kicksite to PushPress?
About two weeks, if you're motivated. The two things that move the timeline are how fast you make decisions on your membership plans and pricing, and when you want to start billing. Tell us your billing date and the rest works back from it.
Does PushPress have a free plan?
Yes. Core Free is $0 a month with no time limit, and card processing on it is 4.99% + $0.30. Rank tracking, pro-rated billing and priority class booking start on Pro at $159/mo, where cards drop to 2.89% + $0.30. Most academies past 100 students will want Pro.
Ready When You Are
No long-term contracts, every rate published, and an app your students and their parents will actually download.
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