The 5 Apps Every BJJ Competitor Needs on Their Phone
Short answer: A recreational BJJ competitor needs five things on their phone: a training and tournament tracker, a technique library for game-plan study, a calendar for the season, a conditioning app, and a reliable daily weigh-in log tied to the division limit. The fewer separate apps those live in, the more likely you are to actually use them.
Disclosure: we make Mat Quest. We’ve tried to describe alternatives fairly — check each one yourself.
What comp prep actually involves
Competing as a hobbyist means running a small project on top of a job:
- Training consistently, with more specific rounds as the date gets close
- Picking events, registering, and keeping deadlines straight
- Making weight for your division
- Building a game plan from what actually works for you
- Logging results so the next comp goes better
Most competitors spread this across five apps and a notebook. That’s the problem this post is really about.
1. A tracker that knows about tournaments
Why: A plain training journal tells you how often you train. A competitor’s tracker also needs to know when you fight, what division you’re in, and what happened last time.
What to look for: one-tap session logging, tournament entries with date/organization/division/weight class, match-by-match results, and a visible countdown.
Our pick — Mat Quest (iPhone): One-tap training log with gi/no-gi, duration, rounds and notes. Every tournament gets a VS-screen entry and a home-screen countdown ("FIGHT IN 14 DAYS"). Log placement and, per match, win or loss, method (submission, points, decision, DQ) and what got you. Write a game plan for each event. Weight-cut math and belt tracking live in the same app. More for competitors.
Alternatives: Other BJJ apps cover parts of this. BJJProgress has a competition mode for logging match results, method and points. BJJNote is a training journal; its daily weight records and competition countdown are part of the paid Premium tier. Jiu-Jitsu Logs shows what you finish and what catches you over 4 weeks, 12 weeks or all time. Newer apps also target competitors: Madrollz (tournament prep checklists and fight-by-fight logging, subscription), Tap Early (competition prep and weight management in its paid Pro tier) and SmartBJJ (mainly AI video analysis, with competition-performance tracking).
2. A technique library for game-plan study
Why: Before a comp, you’re not learning new systems — you’re sharpening the two or three positions your game plan depends on, and maybe studying how to deal with a common problem.
What to look for: searchable by position, good detail on the specific guards/passes you use.
Options: Submeta (web) and BJJ Fanatics (which has an iPhone app) are well-known sources of instructional content. Use your own logs to decide what to study: whatever shows up repeatedly in your session notes as "didn’t work" is the topic. See why logging your rolls changes your game.
3. A calendar for the season
Why: Registration deadlines, travel and the event itself are different dates, and each event sets its own. Miss the registration deadline and you may not get in.
What to look for: whatever calendar you already use — Google Calendar or Apple Calendar is fine. Put the registration deadline in as its own event.
In Mat Quest: tournaments appear in a calendar view alongside your training, so you can see the build-up to each event. Registration deadlines still belong in your main calendar.
4. A conditioning app
Why: Comp matches are more intense than most class rounds, and adrenaline makes your gas tank feel smaller. Conditioning outside class helps.
What to look for: short sessions you’ll actually do, and a plan your coach is happy with alongside your mat volume. Any well-reviewed fitness app will do.
5. The one every weight cut depends on: a reliable weigh-in log
Why: At IBJJF events you weigh in in your gi right before your first fight, with one attempt, and missing weight is a disqualification (IBJJF). Other organizations’ rules differ, so check your event’s weigh-in policy. Either way, guessing is how people miss weight.
What to look for: daily weigh-ins, a rolling average (daily weight bounces), and a clear "pounds to go / days to go" against your actual division limit.
In Mat Quest: the weight-cut tool logs daily weigh-ins, shows a rolling 7-day average, and tells you "you’re X lbs from your gi limit with Y days to go," tied to your next tournament’s weight class and date. A calorie tracker like MyFitnessPal (free download, with a paid Premium tier) can help if your coach or dietitian wants you to log food. How you make weight is a decision for your coach or a registered dietitian — apps just keep the numbers honest.
How to combine them without the five-apps mess
The real cost of five apps isn’t the apps — it’s that none of them talk to each other. "How did my training look in the six weeks before my last comp, and what did I weigh two weeks out?" shouldn’t need four apps to answer.
The practical setup:
- One app for training, tournaments, results, game plans and weigh-ins.
- Your normal calendar for deadlines and travel.
- One technique source for targeted study.
- One conditioning app, if you use one.
That’s the stack Mat Quest was built to collapse. See the first IBJJF tournament checklist for how it all fits on fight week, and the white-belt version of this list if you’re just starting out.
FAQ
What’s the best BJJ app for competitors?
One that holds training, tournaments, weigh-ins and results together, and is fast enough to use daily. Mat Quest is built for that; judge any option by the one-tap test.
Is Mat Quest affiliated with IBJJF?
No. Mat Quest is independent and not affiliated with IBJJF, NAGA, AGF or any grappling organization.
Is Mat Quest on Android?
Not yet. Mat Quest is on iPhone; Android is on the roadmap.
Sources (accessed 2026-10-14): App Store listings linked above · IBJJF, "Weigh-ins," https://ibjjf.com/weigh-ins.