FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions we hear most often in demos and email. Don’t see yours? Email [email protected] — answers usually back within a few hours.
Pricing & billing
Is MatCommunity really free for small academies?
Yes. Solo Mat is free forever for academies with 10 or fewer active students on a single location. No card, no trial expiration, no nag screen. If you stay under the cap, you stay free.
What happens if I go over my member cap?
14-day grace period with email warnings at 80 / 90 / 100 / 105 / 110% utilization. Then you choose: upgrade your tier, or pay $8.99 / member / month overage on your current tier. You’re not locked out and your data isn’t held hostage either way.
Is there a contract?
No. Month-to-month is month-to-month. Annual is one year prepaid; cancel anytime before renewal. No early-termination fees.
What about cancellation refunds?
30-day money-back guarantee on your first paid charge. Annual cancellations are pro-rated for unused months if cancelled within 30 days of the most recent renewal. Full details on the refund policy page.
Do you take payments from my members?
No. Stripe Connect routes member payments directly to your gym’s own Stripe account. We never touch the money. You pay your MatCommunity subscription separately via Stripe. See the security page for the full payment architecture.
Switching & migration
Will you migrate my data from GymDesk / Mindbody / Zen Planner?
Yes, free for the alpha cohort and free on Black Belt tier and above post-alpha. We pull CSV exports from your existing tool and reconstruct student roster, attendance history, belt and stripe records (with lineage where available), and Stripe payment history. Most migrations are done in 24–48 hours.
Can I keep my existing waivers?
Yes. Upload your existing signed PDFs and we store them alongside new ones. Members can re-sign in our flow if you want a fresh signature for liability records.
What if I leave?
Full self-serve CSV + JSON export anytime from Settings. 90-day grace period after cancellation before permanent deletion. We never hold data hostage.
Product
What does 'BJJ-native' actually mean?
Belt + stripe tracking with promotion ceremonies and certificate generation. Position-based curriculum (mount, side control, back, guard) — not “skills with stars.” Lineage chain tracking back to Helio Gracie. Kids belts (13 ranks per IBJJF), teen belts, adult white → black plus degrees. Gi, no-gi, and open mat as first-class class types.
Do parents get a separate login for their kid?
Yes. Household billing groups parent + kids on one invoice. Each child has their own member profile, belt progress, and attendance history. The parent gets a master view via the member app.
How long does setup actually take?
If you’re starting from scratch: 10–30 minutes from signup to first class on the schedule. If you’re migrating from GymDesk / Mindbody / Zen Planner: 24–48 hours including data import.
What if my coaches don't like the new tool?
14-day free trial on paid tiers. Show them Coach Mode — the on-mat tablet view. That’s usually the moment it clicks. If it doesn’t, you cancel within 30 days and we refund.
How does MatCommunity handle our competition team?
Your competition team is its own roster — its own attendance, its own coach lead, its own reporting. We track weight class and walking weight per athlete, log weight cuts ahead of registration, and export a roster CSV in the shape IBJJF, AJP, and Naga ask for. We don’t auto-register against tournament APIs yet — that’s on the roadmap. The export gets you 95% of the way there in five minutes instead of an afternoon.
Does MatCommunity integrate with IBJJF?
Not yet. Direct API integration is on the roadmap if member demand justifies the engineering cost. What we do today: all belts, stripes, and kids ranks follow IBJJF-recognized ranks (13 kids ranks, teen belts, adult white → black plus degrees). Our rank export lands in the IBJJF-shape CSV so registering athletes is a copy-paste, not a re-entry.
Can I use MatCommunity outside the US?
MatCommunity supports USD billing at alpha launch. International billing (EUR, GBP, BRL, AUD) is on the roadmap for Q4 2026. The product itself works fine internationally; it’s the multi-currency Stripe Connect flow we haven’t finished hardening. Email [email protected] if you run an academy outside the US and want on the early list.
Still have questions?
Email [email protected] — we’re a small team and we answer our own email. Usually within a few hours during US business days.