Swim school software, compared

On This Page

1. What swim schools actually use
2. The swim-specific systems, side by side
3. What it costs at your size
4. The rules your software has to fit
5. Which should you trial?
6. Before you switch
7. My view
8. Questions I get asked

Search for swim school software in Australia and page one is one Australian vendor's homepage, three software directories, some gym and leisure-centre platforms, and a list from an American vendor that ranks itself first. Nothing lines up Australian-dollar prices, tells you what the cheap plans leave out, or covers the things that changed recently: card surcharges are gone, state swim vouchers are redeemed in government systems, and voucher programs want each teacher's licence on record. This guide is for the owner of an independent swim school with one or two pools. I build swim school websites and have no relationship with any of these vendors. Prices and features come from each vendor's own pages, and the rules from the ACCC, the state voucher programs and Royal Life Saving.

What swim schools actually use

A Royal Life Saving survey of 45 organisations teaching hundreds of thousands of children a year found them using 20 different systems, including several built in-house and a couple of manual ones. The most common were leisure-centre platforms: Links Modular Systems, Perfect Gym and iClass, then SwimBiz, SwimDesk, Xplor Recreation, Udio and others. That sample leaned towards councils and large operators. An independent school with one or two pools is usually choosing among the smaller, swim-specific products below.

The same survey found almost every organisation used its system for enrolments, scheduling, attendance and skills within a level, but only a small minority used it to measure children against the three National Benchmarks for swimming and water safety. Royal Life Saving asked software developers to build their data fields and reports around the framework. That's worth asking about on a demo.

The swim-specific systems, side by side

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

As each vendor describes it on its own pages, in Australian dollars. "Not named" means I couldn't find it, not that it can't be done; ask on the demo.

SimplySwim

Australian, and the only swim vendor ranking at the top of Google here. Sales is $172 a month for up to 500 active students, Complete $215 above that, and Elite $305 with no limit, all before GST, with no discount for paying yearly. The catch is the plan split: level progression and certificates, skills report cards, photo consent controls, policies and agreements, and online family sign-up and enrolment are Elite only. So a school of 300 that wants parents to enrol online pays $305, not $172. Direct debit, waitlists matched against your timetable and configurable make-up rules are in every plan. Its FAQ says there's no lock-in and cancellation takes effect at the end of the billing term, while its terms ask for 30 days' notice before the period ends, so check which applies.

SwimBiz

From a Melbourne company, priced by families rather than students: $37.75 a month up to 50 families, rising to $258.25 for up to 1,000, with no setup fee and free data import. That's cheap, but direct debit, the parent portal, the app and the card payment gateway are add-ons without published prices, so get them quoted. It includes a make-up list, skill records with progress reports, waitlists, and staff qualification records with expiry reminders.

Udio

Built in Perth for swim schools, priced per facility: Build $49, Grow $149, Elevate $299 a month, or about a quarter less billed yearly. Every plan has the parent portal, make-up vouchers and automatic payments with no extra software fee. The waitlist starts at Grow, and staff qualification records are Elevate only. No lock-in, with 30 days' notice to cancel. It's hosted on Amazon Web Services and says some service providers are overseas.

SwimDesk

A Melbourne product priced by enrolments, with prices given only after a demo. It's the only one here that says it supports AUSTSWIM, Royal Life Saving and YMCA learn-to-swim programs, with assessments on a tablet at the pool deck (working offline), branded certificates, a parent app, waitlists and make-ups. Data is hosted in Sydney and "nothing is processed offshore". It's used by councils too, and can sit on top of a leisure-centre system.

First Class and Enrolmy

First Class is an international swim school system with an Australian-dollar estimate calculator: from $125 a month for up to 100 active students, in bands of 100 up to about 1,500, with a premium tier for a branded app. SMS and transaction fees are extra. Australian data is held in Sydney. Enrolmy is a children's activities platform priced including GST, from $179 a month for up to 400 active attendees, and the only one I found that sells a NSW Active and Creative Kids voucher add-on.

Others you'll see. iClassPro and Jackrabbit price in US dollars, and Jackrabbit's own payments are card only in Australia. Class Manager has no subscription and charges 2.9% plus 30 cents on each online payment, which is cheap for a tiny school and dear at scale. nextRec (formerly Xplor Recreation) and Perfect Gym are leisure-centre platforms priced by quote. Clubfit is gym software with a swim page but no levels or make-ups named.

What it costs at your size

Put in your students and families. The lesson fee starts empty: add your average monthly fee per student to see payment fees.

What this shows. The subscription is often not the biggest software cost. On Stripe's published Australian rates, a card payment costs 1.65% plus 30 cents and a bank direct debit 1% plus 30 cents, capped at $3.50. On a $120 family invoice that's $2.28 by card against $1.50 by direct debit. For a few hundred families paying monthly, moving most of them to direct debit saves more than dropping a plan tier. Your software's own processor may charge differently, and none of these vendors publishes its Australian rates, so ask.

The rules your software has to fit

No more card surcharges

The ACCC says businesses can no longer charge a surcharge for paying by Visa, Mastercard, American Express or eftpos, and calling a card surcharge something else may be misleading. Some swim software still advertises passing card fees on to families. Turn that setting off and build payment costs into your lesson prices. You can still offer a discount for bank direct debit or PayID, as long as the full price is what you display.

Direct debit and dishonours

Bank direct debit runs on a mandate the family signs, and they can cancel it through you or their bank. PayTo is the newer version, approved and managed in the parent's own banking app. If a debit fails, disclose any dishonour fee up front and keep it to a genuine cost: penalties that only run one way are what the unfair terms law targets.

Enrolment terms, cancellations and make-ups

Your enrolment terms are a standard form consumer contract, and unfair terms in one are void and now attract penalties. Examples in the law include terms that let only one side cancel, penalise only one side, or let one side change the deal. A make-up policy that expires credits quickly, blocks most make-up spots and sits inside a "cannot be changed" agreement is that pattern. Show cancellation and make-up rules before enrolment, give a credit or make-up when you cancel, and set the software to match what you wrote. A new law will also make businesses that bill on rolling agreements tell families the key terms up front and let them cancel as easily as they joined.

Vouchers

State swim vouchers are redeemed in government systems, not in your swim software. Queensland's Play On! Learn to Swim vouchers can only be redeemed in its own system, which isn't integrated with anything else. NSW Active and Creative Kids vouchers are redeemed through the Service NSW business profile or app, and the program is now for families on Family Tax Benefit. NSW's First Lap preschool voucher has ended, so take it off your website. Ask any vendor how it records a voucher as a part-payment on the family's invoice.

Teacher licences and checks

Voucher programs have turned qualifications into a records job. NSW wants a swim teacher licence or accreditation number for each staff member delivering lessons when you register. Queensland, SA, WA and the NT require affiliation with a recognised body, and Queensland also wants current CPR and annual professional development. Victoria's child safe standards expect qualifications and Working with Children Checks to be reviewed regularly. A licence lasts a few years, so it's an expiry date the software should remind you about; the regulator's own systems stay the record of the check.

Children's data and photos

Most swim schools collect medical conditions at enrolment, and the Privacy Commissioner says sports clubs that help members with injuries or fitness should assume they're covered by privacy law. A swim school keeping medical notes is in the same position. Know where your vendor keeps the data, name it in your privacy policy, and use the software's consent records for photos. A certificate carries a child's name, level and your school, so leave sharing it to the parent. My guide on photos of children online covers consent; for swimming, Sport Integrity Australia suggests showing children in the water or from the shoulders up.

Which should you trial?

Before you switch

Your ticks save in this browser.

My view

Choose on two things first: whether parents can enrol, book make-ups and pay by direct debit without ringing you, and what the plan that does that actually costs. The entry prices on these pages are rarely the price you'll pay, because the swim features sit higher up or cost extra. Then move as many families as you can to bank direct debit, because at a few hundred students the payment fees are a bigger line than the software. And whatever you pick, put the booking and enrolment links on your website where parents look, because the best software in the world doesn't help if families can't find the portal on a phone.

Questions I get asked

What is the best swim school software in Australia?

It depends on size and what you need parents to do themselves. For an independent school, SimplySwim, Udio, SwimBiz, SwimDesk and First Class are the swim-specific options with Australian pricing or support; compare the plan that includes online enrolment and direct debit, not the entry price.

Is there free swim school software?

Not really. Class Manager has no subscription but charges a fee on every online payment, which adds up as you grow. SwimBiz starts at under $40 a month for very small schools.

Can I charge families a card surcharge?

No. Card surcharges on Visa, Mastercard, American Express and eftpos are no longer allowed. Build the cost into your lesson price, or offer a discount for direct debit and show the full price first.

Can swim school software take NSW or Queensland vouchers?

Vouchers are redeemed in the government's system, not your software: the Service NSW business profile or app in NSW, and Queensland's own system for Play On! Learn to Swim. Your software should record the voucher as a part-payment.

Which swim school software keeps data in Australia?

SwimDesk and First Class say Australian customers' data is held in Sydney. Others don't say, so ask before you sign.