PushPressvs Spark
Spark's martial arts software that does a lot well.
However, Spark doesn't publish its card rate, won't connect another processor in the US or Canada, and lists two different subscription prices on its own site. PushPress puts every price and rate on one page, and your students' cards leave with you if you ever do.
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 Spark 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, and we start moving your students' saved cards from Spark's processor on day one, so the transfer is done before you go live. Ask Spark up front whether it charges to release them.
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.
Your students move over
You export from Spark, we import. Students, contacts, memberships and attendance go through the 3-step import tool, and our team helps you map plans and next bill dates so nobody gets double-billed.
Students and parents get the app
One announcement, one link. Students and parents download the app, and if any card didn't come across, PushPress sends that family a request to add one and shows you who's done it.
What carries over, and what doesn't
The honest version, listed here rather than buried in an onboarding call.
Is PushPress cheaper than Spark?
On software alone, yes: Pro is $159 a month against Spark's $199 or $249. On processing, nobody can tell you, because Spark doesn't publish its rate. Here's everything you can compare before you sign.
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
ACH through Vericheck: not published
Your own processor: manual logging only
+ $699 one-time setup, texting included
= $488 / mo
+ text credits, prices not published
= $398–$448 / mo
If you pass a fee to your students, you keep it
Plenty of schools pass some or all of their card cost on to students. On PushPress Pro and Max you set a percentage, up to 10%, separately for card and ACH, and every cent of it comes back to you. Spark's public pages don't mention a way to do this.
Either way, check your state's surcharge rules before you turn it on.
How Flex Fees worksWho picks your processor?
Both platforms run payments through one processor. You can't bring your own to PushPress either. The difference is what you can see and what you keep.
Stripe, with every rate published
Spark's own merchant service
Marketing: getting leads is only the first step
Both companies sell a marketing add-on with a website. Grow is a complete marketing platform: it brings leads in, nurtures them and turns them into students. Ignite is a done-for-you service that runs your ads. PushPress Pro plus Grow runs $40 to $90 a month more than Spark plus Ignite, before Spark's text credits and whatever you spend on the ads themselves.
Gets leads, nurtures them, converts them
A done-for-you ad service
Belt and stripe tracking
Both track rank. Here's where each one is stronger.
On Pro and Max
Where Spark is ahead
How we compare: key differences
| PushPress | Spark | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's built for | Martial arts academies, CrossFit boxes and class-based gyms. Built and run by academy owners, gym owners, and practitioners. | Martial arts schools, plus dance, gymnastics, yoga and fitness studios |
| Software price | $159/mo on Pro | $199/mo on the pricing page, $249/mo in the help center |
| Card and ACH rates | Published: 2.89% + $0.30 card, 0.79% + $0.30 ACH on Pro | Not published |
| Choose your own processor | No. Runs on Stripe | No. In the US and Canada, autopay only runs through Spark's own merchant service. |
| Saved cards if you leave | Your own Stripe account. Your card data goes with you. | Not stated |
| Belt and stripe tracking | Pro and Max | Every account. |
| Stripe-level promotion alerts | Belt level-only. | Yes. Spark wins this. |
| Rank-gated curriculum video | Using PushPress Grow, you can create video content gated to rank level. | Yes. |
| Passing fees to students | Flex Fees, up to 10%, and you keep all of it | Not mentioned on Spark's site |
| Texting | Included with Grow, 2,500 segments a month | Credit packs, prices not published |
| Website and marketing | Grow, $329/mo + $699 setup. Website, CRM, lead pipeline and automated text and email follow-up. | Ignite, $199/mo. Done for you, including Facebook ads. |
| Student referral links | Not today | Yes. Spark wins this. |
| Try it free | Free plan at $0 a month, for as long as you want it. 7-day trial on Pro and Max. | 8-week trial, then $199 or $249/mo |
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 a friend who runs a school down the street.
Spark is the better pick if you want to hand off your marketing and never think about your software setup. A rep builds it for you and Ignite runs your ads. And if your curriculum lives in video unlocked by rank, or you promote by stripe and want the software tracking each one, Spark does both and we don't.
PushPress makes more sense if you want every number before you sign. You'll see your card rate on a public page, decide whether students cover processing, and keep your payment data if you ever move on. If you want one platform that brings leads in, nurtures them and turns them into students, Grow costs a little more than Ignite and texting is part of the plan.
Keep reading
If you want to check our work, start here.
Questions about switching from Spark?
What carries over when I switch from Spark 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 migrate from Spark's processor into your own Stripe account, so ask Spark whether it charges to release them. Signed waivers and a website built as part of Ignite stay with Spark.
What are Spark's credit card processing rates?
Spark doesn't publish them. In the US and Canada, payments run through Spark's own merchant service, and Spark says it can't connect any other processor. Ask for your card and ACH rates in writing before you sign. PushPress publishes ours: 2.89% + $0.30 on cards and 0.79% + $0.30 on ACH on Pro.
Can I use my own payment processor with Spark?
Not for autopay. Spark's help center says you can keep your own processor only by logging each payment in Spark by hand, and that checkout pages, auto charge and point of sale won't work with it. PushPress runs on Stripe, so you can't bring your own processor here either, but every rate is published and your card data is portable.
Is PushPress cheaper than Spark?
For software alone, yes: PushPress Pro is $159 a month against Spark's $199 or $249. With a website and marketing add-on, PushPress Pro plus Grow is $488 a month plus a $699 setup, against $398 to $448 for Spark plus Ignite before text credits. Ignite's price doesn't include ad spend, so budget for the ads on top. Processing can't be compared until Spark gives you a rate.
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, single or bulk promotions and a full promotion history. Eligibility is tracked at the belt level, not per stripe. Testing nights run through invite-only events, which were designed for belt testing.
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, set separately for card and ACH, and PushPress keeps none of it. Check your state's surcharge rules first.
Will my students' cards transfer from Spark?
Yes. Saved cards are held by the payment processor, so Spark's processor releases them and we migrate them into your own Stripe account. We start that request on day one. Ask Spark whether it charges for the release. Once you're on PushPress, your cards stay in your Stripe account, and if you ever leave, they go with you.
How long does it take to switch from Spark to PushPress?
About two weeks, if you're motivated. The two things that move the timeline are how fast you decide on your membership plans and pricing, and when you want to start billing. Export everything you can from Spark before you tell them you're leaving.
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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