Kihon review
Usage-based school management with billing, scheduling, ranks, and family accounts.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Kihon is management software for martial arts schools, combining member records, household accounts, recurring billing, scheduling, attendance, rank and belt tracking, grading events, messaging, contracts, and lead management. It is aimed at school owners and staff, particularly small and mid-market operators running disciplines such as BJJ, karate, taekwondo, and kickboxing. The browser-based application is paired with iPhone and iPad apps, a family portal, an iPad check-in kiosk, and lobby information screens.
The main Kihon plan costs $1 per active member per month, billed monthly. Its included features cover members and family accounts, billing and split payments, scheduling and attendance, rank, belt, and grading tools, contracts with e-signatures, automations, and messaging. The Pilot plan costs $49 one time and provides full platform access for up to three real contacts, with no subscription and no auto-renewal. Its fee is credited toward the enrollment fee if the school joins. A separate one-time enrollment/setup fee is also stated. This structure suits schools that want usage-based pricing or a limited pilot before enrolling.
Kihon’s strongest fit is a school that wants one system for operational administration and martial arts progression, including attendance-driven promotion eligibility, bulk promotions, lead pipelines, multi-location reporting, and data export without an exit fee. Its ecosystem is narrower than a platform with broader integration coverage: the listed platforms are web and iOS, support is through email, and integrations are limited. The site describes Kihon as early access, while payment processing is in test mode during banking setup. Schools seeking broader platform coverage, extensive integrations, or payment processing outside that status should consider alternatives; schools focused on member management, billing, attendance, and rank progression should find the feature set more directly aligned.
Kihon pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Covers members, households, billing, scheduling, attendance, and ranks.
- Supports attendance-based promotion eligibility and grading events.
- Includes contracts, e-signatures, exports, and an iPad check-in kiosk.
- Where it doesn't
- No free plan is available.
- Platform coverage is limited to web and iOS.
- Support is provided through email, with limited integrations.
Kihon fact sheet, pricing and score →
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