Head-to-Head
NextKick vs WellnessLiving
NextKick vs WellnessLiving — martial arts-first platform vs general fitness software.
Feature-by-Feature
Why martial arts schools move from WellnessLiving to NextKick
WellnessLiving is a broad fitness and wellness platform with a deep feature set — booking, memberships, marketing, reporting — used across studios of every kind. For a martial arts school the question is not whether it can do a lot. It is whether the things it does map onto belts, testing cycles, and family accounts, or whether you spend your time translating.
Last reviewed . Competitor figures are what switching owners reported on the plans they were using.
Martial arts is the product, not a vertical
Rank structures, attendance-based testing eligibility, scored gradings, and digital certificates are built into NextKick. Owners on WellnessLiving described belt tracking as basic on their plan, which pushes the most important record in a martial arts school back onto paper or a spreadsheet.
One flat price instead of a plan ladder
WellnessLiving plans ran from $89 to $399/mo for the owners we spoke to, tiered by capability. NextKick is $150/mo flat, with the app, marketing tools, website, AI features, and eStore included rather than gated behind a higher tier.
Migration and support you do not have to project-manage
White-glove migration and 24/7 priority support were not part of the package the owners we spoke to had. NextKick loads your data, reconciles it with you, and stays reachable afterwards — which matters most in the two weeks when it matters most.
Compare the tier you would actually be on
Entry pricing on a tiered platform is rarely the tier a working school ends up on. Price the plan that includes the app, automated marketing, and the reporting you need, then compare that number. Processing matters too: 2.9% versus NextKick's 2.5% is roughly $100 a month on $25,000 of tuition.
Switching from WellnessLiving
WellnessLiving accounts tend to carry a lot of data — purchase options, packages, rewards, staff schedules — most of which a martial arts school does not need to bring along. We migrate the parts that matter: students and their families, active recurring purchase options mapped to NextKick plans, attendance, and rank if you tracked it in a custom field. The rest is left behind on purpose, which is often the point of the switch.
- Free data migration, done by our team
- Parallel billing through your first cycle
- No contract, no setup fee
WellnessLiving vs NextKick — common questions
Why do martial arts schools switch from WellnessLiving to NextKick?
Most commonly because rank progression and testing are the centre of how a school operates, and a general wellness platform models them shallowly. Owners also cited plan tiering and support responsiveness.
Is NextKick cheaper than WellnessLiving?
NextKick is $150/mo flat with processing from 2.0%. WellnessLiving plans ranged from $89 to $399/mo with 2.9% processing on the tiers owners described. Compare against the tier you would actually need and confirm current pricing with WellnessLiving.
Does NextKick handle class booking and waitlists?
Yes — class capacity, booking, waitlists, and check-in, including kiosk and face recognition check-in for the evening rush.
Can I migrate my WellnessLiving clients and memberships?
Yes. Clients, memberships, attendance, and payment plans are migrated for you and reconciled against your prior statement.
Does NextKick support multiple locations?
Yes. Shared student profiles, per-location and rolled-up reporting, and centralized billing from a single owner account.
What support do I get after migrating?
Priority support with people who know martial arts operations, reachable by phone rather than ticket queue only.
Compare other platforms
Comparison information last reviewed: January 2025.The comparisons on this page reflect the firsthand, self-reported experiences of martial arts school owners who switched to NextKick from the platform named, as reported at the time they switched. Competitor pricing, processing fees, features, and workflows change over time, and the details shown may not reflect the named provider's current offering, plan tiers, or terms. Feature indicators — including checkmarks, "Partial," "Needs extra setup," and "✗" — represent what these owners reported experiencing on the specific plans they used, not a comprehensive or independent audit of the competitor's product, and should be read as reported experience rather than statements of present fact. This page is provided for general informational purposes only, reflects the opinions of NextKick and its customers, and is not intended as, and should not be relied upon as, a complete, objective, or current assessment. We make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any competitor information. Please verify all pricing, fees, and features directly with each provider before making any decision. All product names, logos, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners; their use here is for identification and comparison purposes only and does not imply any affiliation with, endorsement by, or partnership with those owners. If you believe any information on this page is inaccurate or outdated, please contact us at [email protected] and we will review and correct it promptly.
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