Overview

Kananas is a membership-management platform with a dance-school toolkit, aimed at studios that need to run classes and administer members in the same service. Its combination of scheduling, billing, member access and recital operations makes it a broad operational choice; contact caps and payment fees deserve close attention before committing.

Beyond dance studios, Kananas is built for associations, clubs, schools and nonprofits. For a studio, that wider membership focus is useful when administration is as important as class logistics, but may be more than a business needs if it only wants a scheduler.

Key features

Studios can schedule recurring classes and private lessons, assign teachers, and track student progress and attendance. Tuition billing and recital management add practical coverage for routine operations and events. This breadth can reduce the need to separate class administration from membership work, though it also makes Kananas a less focused fit for studios seeking only one narrow function.

Kananas supports USD billing, and its FAQ names Stripe as a local payment gateway for US studios. If the suggested tip covering payment fees is refused, transactions cost 2.4% plus $0.25. That variable charge matters to studios processing many or small payments, so compare it with the value of the bundled administration.

Studios can import spreadsheet data or records from systems such as Mindbody and Jackrabbit. A REST API, webhooks and sandbox support custom connections; Zapier or Make can link Kananas to over 2,000 applications. These are useful migration and workflow options for studios with existing systems, although custom integrations may require planning. The built-in AI assistant is described as automating tasks and generating reports and insights, which may help with routine administration.

Kananas provides iOS and Android apps for members and administrators, including parent and staff access. Its terms describe safeguards such as access controls, secure communications, logging, backups, infrastructure security and incident procedures, and include a GDPR data-processing agreement. Users can export databases or lists. A free account unused for at least six months may be deleted, and data is destroyed three months after a subscription ends without renewal.

Pricing

Kananas uses a freemium model, with a 30-day free trial that has no commitment and converts to the Free version afterward.

Free: 0.00 USD per free, up to 50 contacts. This provides a low-risk starting point for small organizations, but the contact ceiling can quickly constrain a growing studio.
Paid plans (starting price): 99.00 USD per year, billed $99/year, starting at 250 contacts. This raises the entry capacity substantially over Free, but the starting price does not establish that every paid feature is included.
M plan: 366.00 USD per year, billed $366/year, for 1,000 members with all features included. This is the clearest fit for studios needing the full feature set and a larger member base.

The 30-day trial gives studios time to assess the service before the account drops to Free. Check both the contact limit and payment-fee terms against expected enrollment and transaction volume.

Platforms

Kananas is available on the web, Android and iOS, and provides an API. Mobile access for parents, members and staff is useful when studio administration and member communication happen away from a desk.

Who it's for

Kananas is best suited to membership-based dance studios that want class scheduling and tuition operations alongside member records, communications and event management. Its imports and integration options also make it relevant to studios moving from spreadsheet-based processes or systems such as Mindbody and Jackrabbit. Studios with fewer than 50 contacts can begin on Free; those expecting more members should account for the paid contact tiers. A studio focused exclusively on class scheduling may be better served by a narrower product.

Pros and cons

Pros: Scheduling, billing, attendance and recital management sit alongside membership tools, making Kananas a practical single platform for studio and organization administration.
Pros: Spreadsheet and competitor-system imports, plus API and automation connections, offer several routes for migration and workflow integration.
Pros: A 30-day no-commitment trial transitions to a free tier, giving smaller organizations a continuing option after evaluation.
Cons: The Free plan stops at 50 contacts, while the $99/year starting plan begins at 250 contacts; studios need to match their enrollment to the right tier.
Cons: Refusing the suggested payment-fee tip leaves a 2.4% plus $0.25 transaction charge, which can weigh on payment-heavy studios.
Cons: Unused Free accounts may be deleted after six months, and non-renewed subscription data is destroyed three months after term end, so exports and retention planning matter.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Dance Studio Management Software.

DanceBiz is a paid alternative with a free trial and monthly plans, including a $24.95/month option for up to 50 active customers; consider it if a monthly-priced paid plan better matches your budget and enrollment.
The Studio Director offers a free trial and software-only or software-plus-payments options for 0–100 students, with custom pricing; consider it if that student range and payments choice suit your studio.
Class Manager has a free plan with no monthly subscription and a flat service charge for online payments; consider it if avoiding a subscription is the priority.
ClassJuggler offers a $44.95/month plan for emerging schools and a separate $10/month customer-portal add-on; consider it if those paid options fit your school.
StudioPartner has a free tier for 30 students, four membership plans and 90 days of attendance history; consider it if those caps cover your needs.
Rosterra starts at $30/month per location for up to 25 active members and unlimited staff accounts; consider it if a per-location plan and that member cap fit your operation.
Stepsi offers a free plan and paid annual options, including a €30/year tier for up to 100 active members; consider it if that annual structure and cap suit your studio.
YourFee provides a seven-day free trial for up to 10 active students, with attendance tracking and online fee collection; consider it if a short trial is enough to assess those functions.

Verdict

Choose Kananas if your studio needs membership administration and dance-school operations in one platform, especially when scheduling, billing and recital management all matter. Its broad feature set and integration routes are the main reasons to choose it; the contact-tier jump, payment charges and data-retention terms are reasons to look elsewhere or plan carefully before enrolling members.

	Bookingo	Kananas
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	—	$8.25/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web	Android, api, iOS, Web
Attendance tracking	Yes	Yes
Tuition billing	Yes	Yes
Recital management	Yes	Yes
Instructor scheduling	Yes	Yes
Free plan	—	Yes
Mobile app	—	parent and staff

Bookingo vs Kananas

Bookingo

Kananas