Comparison

BJJ Roadmap vs Self Defense Unit

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BJJ Roadmap

Learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu effectively with this app. It breaks down complex techniques and positions, helping you understand the 'why' behind each move. Master grappling strategies and avoid common mistakes to progress faster.

Highlights
  • Master BJJ positions and transitions
  • Understand technique fundamentals
  • Learn effective submissions and escapes
  • Video instruction for techniques
  • Navigate BJJ concepts clearly
  • Avoid common training mistakes
Read full description

Do you want learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu the right way? Then grab the BJJ Roadmap app and let the pieces of the puzzle immediately start coming together for you. BJJ is the most effective grappling system in the world, but it can be very confusing for your first couple of years of training. But BJJ can, and should, make sense! The BJJ Roadmap app is the perfect tool for getting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu right, right from the start. - Master the sense of overwhelm so you can confidently navigate your way among the different techniques and submissions in BJJ - Learn exactly how the different ground positions fit together so that you never feel lost on the mat again - Find out what exactly you should do next to get better at grappling - Discover the missing components you need to get your techniques to work in a real life sparring situation Using high quality video instruction this app will give you the strategies, tactics, techniques and training methods you need to get good at BJJ as fast as possible. WHAT YOU'LL GET IN THE FREE SECTION OF THE APP - A complete overview of the major BJJ positions and how they fit together - A detailed breakdown of the Closed Guard, Open Guard and Half Guard positions - Guard sweeps that take you from the bottom to the top - Guard passes you can use to cut your way through your opponent's defences - How to avoid the most common mistakes made on the top and the bottom WHAT YOU'LL GET IN THE PAID SECTION OF THE APP - Four more positions to round out your BJJ game, including Side Mount, Knee Mount, Rear Mount and the Turtle Position - Advanced details to take your game to the next level quickly and easily. - The best transitions to improve your position so you can keep your opponent continually on the defensive. - Effective escapes you can use even if your opponent is bigger than you - Overviews of the most common, most effective submissions from each position - How to avoid the mistakes that can lead to injury or months of wasted time and effort as you do the wrong thing again and again. This app covers a complete system for learning BJJ. It starts with the Roadmap concept so that you get the complete big picture of the art of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (along with the concepts, techniques and strategies used by almost every advanced player). I want you to know the ‘why, where, when, who and what’ of everything you learn in BJJ, which is why in this app we cover: - Why certain techniques work better than others. - Where your arms and legs MUST be to avoid giving your opponent an easy submission!f - When is the best time for trying specific moves? - Who is best suited for certain positions and submissions? - What the critical take-home details are, without which your technique just won’t work! Many BJJ students never end up learning the fundamentals of the art properly because these basics are so ‘obvious’ to their instructors that they don’t bother to pass them on to their students. But if the concepts, strategies and tactics of BJJ get laid out for you in a clear, concise and interesting manner (instead of you having to figure it all out through trial and error) then your skills will literally jump to a new level overnight. ABOUT STEPHAN KESTING Stephan Kesting is a BJJ black belt and an instructor in Combat Submission Wrestling. In addition to his grappling certifications he also has a Black Belt in Kajukenbo Karate and is a certified Instructor in Dan Inosanto’s Filipino Martial Arts, Majaphait Silat and Jun Fan JKD. With his series of best-selling apps, DVDs, and instructional programs he has helped tens of thousands of martial artists lift the level of their grappling game.

About

Self Defense Unit

Learn effective strategies for self-defense situations, focusing on timing and positioning. This course teaches you how to find the best leverage points from any given position.

Highlights
  • Situational strategy
  • Timing importance
  • Connecting with base
  • Leverage points
  • Positioning techniques
Features
Read full description

In this course, you will understand what the best strategy is for dealing with a given situation, and how important timing is. You will see the importance of connecting with base, and where the best lever can be found for a given position.

Screenshots

BJJ Roadmap4 screens
Self Defense Unit2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BJJ Roadmap at 76% against Self Defense Unit's 38%. BJJ Roadmap also leads on rating (3.9 vs 3.4) and ratings volume (62 vs 10). Self Defense Unit's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BJJ Roadmap sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Self Defense Unit asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BJJ Roadmap holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BJJ Roadmap has 62 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of BJJ Roadmap's written reviews are positive against 38% of Self Defense Unit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BJJ Roadmap ships an update every 8 months, Self Defense Unit fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
BJJ Roadmap versus Self Defense Unit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBJJ RoadmapSelf Defense Unit
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (62 ratings) — better3.4 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews76.0% of reviews — better37.5% of reviews
Number of ratings62 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB13 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGrapplearts Enterprises Inc.Gallerr

Customer experience

BJJ Roadmap

All ratings62 ratings
Positive71.0%
Neutral6.5%
Negative22.6%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive76.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative21.0%

Self Defense Unit

All ratings10 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral25.0%
Negative37.5%

Bugs and requests

BJJ Roadmap

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Videos won't load or play (recurring across multiple iOS versions)
  • No audio/sound in videos on iPhone and iPad
  • Error loading video messages
  • Blank white or black screens preventing video playback
  • App incompatibility with iOS 14 and iOS 18
Show 3 more
  • E-book delivery failure after email signup
  • Video playback issues after iOS updates
  • App crashes on reinstall attempts

Requested features

4 requests
  • Auto-play transition between videos
  • In-depth submission explanations
  • Self-defense curriculum integration
  • Offline video downloading capability

Self Defense Unit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

BJJ Roadmap

One-time6
  • Side Mount$3.99
  • Knee Mount$3.99
  • Full Mount$3.99
Show 3 more
  • Rear Mount$3.99
  • Turtle$3.99
  • Get Them All$13.99
None

Self Defense Unit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BJJ Roadmap free?
BJJ Roadmap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Self Defense Unit free?
Self Defense Unit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BJJ Roadmap or Self Defense Unit?
BJJ Roadmap is rated higher. BJJ Roadmap averages 3.9 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while Self Defense Unit averages 3.4 from 10 ratings.
Do BJJ Roadmap or Self Defense Unit have ads?
Neither BJJ Roadmap nor Self Defense Unit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BJJ Roadmap or Self Defense Unit?
BJJ Roadmap ships an update every 8 months, and Self Defense Unit fortnightly. Most recently, BJJ Roadmap was updated on October 21, 2026 and Self Defense Unit on October 3, 2026.

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