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Comparisons / Swim schools

The best swim school and swimming club software in the UK for 2026

Swim schools sell lessons by the term and clubs run squads on monthly fees, and both live on pool time. Their software has to fill lesson blocks, keep squads to the sessions they pay for, record every swimmer’s stages and collect fees without chasing. Here’s how the platforms UK swim schools and clubs look at compare, and which suits whom.

By the Dyno team · Updated 16 October 2026

The Dyno dashboard for a swimming club
A swimming club in the Dyno member app
The verdict

The short answer: who each one suits

Dyno
Clubs that want no platform fee and an app their members talk in as well as pay in.
CClass For Kids
Providers who mainly need term and camp booking with card payments, and can do without Direct Debit.
CClass Manager
Schools happy to give up a service charge on every online payment for free software, with show tickets on a separate site.
LLoveAdmin
Clubs content to pay a subscription and a fee on payments for admin and booking, with cards through PayPal.
SSwimClub Manager
Volunteer-run affiliated clubs that bill by invoice and mainly need admin, attendance and gala entries.
SSwim Manager
Competitive swimming clubs whose biggest jobs are invoicing and meet entries.
CCoacha
Clubs that want a general club system and will pay for the top plan to track skills and grades.
What matters

What to look for in swim school software

Lesson blocks sold by the term

Learn-to-swim runs in blocks. Look for one price for the term with every lesson booked, a fair price for children who join late, and first refusal on next term for families already with you.

Squads kept to their sessions

Pool time is the expensive part. Each squad’s membership should decide which sessions it can book, with a capacity that matches the lane space you’ve hired.

Stages and awards on record

Each swimmer’s stage, the skills they’ve ticked off and who is ready to move up should be in the software, with parents able to see it. Check whether it’s on every plan or an extra.

Monthly fees on Direct Debit

Squad fees and lesson plans suit Direct Debit: there’s no card to expire, and it usually costs less per payment. Check whether it’s built in or needs a provider you sign up to separately.

Registers that work on poolside

Coaches should take the register from a phone, with medical notes and photo consent flagged against each child before the session starts.

Galas and times

Clubs that race need meet entries and times. Check which entry systems a platform works with, and whether it sells spectator tickets for the galas you host.

Side by side

The platforms side by side

Swim school and swimming club software for the UK: lesson blocks and registers, parent app, payments, swim stages and cost
PlatformLesson blocks & registersParent appPaymentsSwim stagesCost
DynoBlock-purchase term courses with priority re-enrolment for returning families and make-up sessions.Native iOS & Android member app for parents, with the school’s feed, chat and bookings.Class registers and attendance with recurring Direct Debit or card billing via Stripe.A Learn to Swim stages template with a skills checklist for each stage and a printable certificate for each award, followed by parents in the app. Free on every plan.From £39 a month with unlimited members, and nothing added to what parents pay. 30 days of Pro free, no card.
CClass For KidsTerm and block class booking, with terms re-run for the next term and bookings moved between classes.A phone app that shows each child’s timetable and term dates and takes absences; booking and payments stay on the website.Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay through Stripe, with declined cards retried automatically.Classes organised by stage or ability level, with children moved between classes as they progress, rather than a record of each child’s badges or skills.A monthly licence, or a camps-only plan, plus a transaction fee on every online payment that includes Stripe’s fee. Enterprise and franchise plans are priced on request.
CClass ManagerTermly, monthly or per-class billing, with class capacity limits and make-up lessons.A family portal in the browser, or the Class Manager app on iPhone and Android, for timetables, bookings and fees.Monthly, termly or per-class fees taken automatically through Stripe, with Direct Debit offered for recurring fees, and digital registers.Skills and levels tracked per student, with parents shown their child’s current grade on the family portal if you choose.Free to open an account, with a service charge on every payment processed online, and tailored pricing for high volumes.
LLoveAdminCheck with LoveAdminThe Thrive4 MemberHub app, for booking, payments, family members, medical details and club posts.Cards through PayPal, and Direct Debit through GoCardless or London & Zurich, each connected as a separate account.Development programmes of levels and skills, and awards, with progress shown to parents in the app.A subscription plus a platform fee on payments taken through it. Prices are sent on request.
SSwimClub ManagerLearn-to-swim terms and lessons, with attendance taken on poolside in the app.An app for admins, coaches and parents to see sessions, galas and progress, and pay invoices by card.Invoices paid by card, or by Direct Debit through GoCardless, which the club connects separately.Progress reports against learn-to-swim lessons, seen by parents in the app, with results and personal bests in a separate app, SwimZelo.A flat fee, paid yearly or monthly, with unlimited members. The plan with a club website costs more.
SSwim ManagerAttendance tracking with charts. Check with Swim Manager for lesson or term booking.An iOS and Android app for committee, coaches and parents, which works offline on poolside.Invoices paid by bank transfer, card or Direct Debit, with automatic reminders to late payers.Times and meet results kept current through its rankings integration. Check with Swim Manager for learn-to-swim stages.A fixed monthly fee with no contract.
CCoachaClasses, block bookings and courses, with registers created automatically and self check-in.iOS and Android apps for staff, members and parents on its paid plans, plus a web member portal.Cards through Stripe and Direct Debit through GoCardless, plus cash, standing orders and bank transfers recorded by hand.Skills, stages and badges tracked, with parents told of progress, but only on the top Custom plan.Free for up to 50 members on Coacha Lite, with selected features. Paid plans are a flat monthly fee, not per member.

Other platforms’ details are based on publicly available information, last reviewed October 2026. They may have changed, so check each platform’s website for current features and pricing. “Check with” means we couldn’t confirm it either way.

In detail

Each platform in more detail

Dyno

Dyno covers the same memberships, class and term booking and registers, with no platform fee. Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and UK Direct Debit all go through Stripe into the club’s own account, and members get a native app with a club feed, chat, progression and family accounts.

Best for: Clubs that want no platform fee and an app their members talk in as well as pay in.

Dyno for swim schools and clubs

What you get with Dyno

  • Lesson blocks & registers: Block-purchase term courses with priority re-enrolment for returning families and make-up sessions.
  • Parent app: Native iOS & Android member app for parents, with the school’s feed, chat and bookings.
  • Payments: Class registers and attendance with recurring Direct Debit or card billing via Stripe.
  • Swim stages: A Learn to Swim stages template with a skills checklist for each stage and a printable certificate for each award, followed by parents in the app. Free on every plan.
  • Cost: From £39 a month with unlimited members, and nothing added to what parents pay. 30 days of Pro free, no card.
C

Class For Kids

Class For Kids (ClassForKids), now part of The Access Group, is UK booking software for children’s activity providers such as dance schools, gymnastics clubs, swim schools and football coaching. It handles term, camp and subscription bookings, registers and card payments through Stripe, on a monthly licence plus a transaction fee on every online payment, with no Direct Debit option listed. Its parent app shows a child’s timetable, while booking and paying happen on the website, and it is built for booking rather than a parent community or progression.

Best for: Providers who mainly need term and camp booking with card payments, and can do without Direct Debit.

Class For Kids vs Dyno, feature by feature
C

Class Manager

Class Manager is class-management software for dance, gymnastics, swimming and cheer schools in the UK, the US and Australia, covering registers, scheduling, billing and a family portal with an iOS and Android app. It’s free to use because it takes a service charge on every payment processed online, so the cost grows with the school, and show tickets are sold through a separate sister site, Stage Stubs, rather than in the same checkout.

Best for: Schools happy to give up a service charge on every online payment for free software, with show tickets on a separate site.

Class Manager vs Dyno, feature by feature
L

LoveAdmin

LoveAdmin, renamed Thrive4 in July 2026, is UK club admin software from Pay Here Limited, sold as Thrive4Grassroots, Thrive4Activities and Thrive4Gymnastics. It covers memberships, class and term booking, registers and a MemberHub app for parents. Prices are sent on request, a platform fee is charged on payments on top of the subscription, and cards go through PayPal.

Best for: Clubs content to pay a subscription and a fee on payments for admin and booking, with cards through PayPal.

LoveAdmin vs Dyno, feature by feature
S

SwimClub Manager

SwimClub Manager is UK software for affiliated swimming clubs run by committees and volunteers, covering members, attendance, invoices, galas and Hy-Tek meet entries, with a learn-to-swim module for terms and progress reports. Fees are raised as invoices, which parents pay by card in the app or by Direct Debit through a GoCardless account the club connects. It’s a flat fee with unlimited members, and the plan with a club website costs more.

Best for: Volunteer-run affiliated clubs that bill by invoice and mainly need admin, attendance and gala entries.

Reviewed October 2026 from SwimClub Manager’s own website.

S

Swim Manager

Swim Manager is UK software for swimming clubs, made by people who have run a SwimMark-accredited club. It centres on invoicing and meet entries for Hy-Tek and Sport Systems, with British Swimming rankings integration, SwimMark records, a club website and a club shop. Its site doesn’t describe lesson or term booking or learn-to-swim stages, and it’s priced as a fixed monthly fee.

Best for: Competitive swimming clubs whose biggest jobs are invoicing and meet entries.

Reviewed October 2026 from Swim Manager’s own website.

C

Coacha

Coacha is UK membership and booking software for clubs of every kind, from athletics and swimming to dance studios and gyms, rather than one built around a single activity. Classes, block bookings and registers come as standard, but tracking skills, grades and badges is only on its top Custom plan. Cards go through Stripe and Direct Debit through GoCardless, which clubs usually sign up to separately.

Best for: Clubs that want a general club system and will pay for the top plan to track skills and grades.

Reviewed October 2026 from Coacha’s own website.

FAQ

Common questions

What’s the best swim school software in the UK?

For a UK swim school or club that wants lesson blocks, squad fees on Direct Debit, swim stages and an app parents open, Dyno is built for exactly that. SwimClub Manager and Swim Manager bill families by invoice and centre on club admin and meet entries. Class For Kids is built for booking, with card payments, and Class Manager is free but takes a service charge on every payment.

Is there free swim school software?

Class Manager’s software is free, funded by a service charge on every payment processed online, and Coacha Lite is free for up to 50 members with selected features. Every new school or club gets 30 days of Dyno Pro free, with no card needed, then plans start at £39 a month.

Which swimming club software takes UK Direct Debit?

Of the platforms here, Dyno, Class Manager, LoveAdmin, SwimClub Manager, Swim Manager and Coacha collect Direct Debit. Dyno has it built in, through Stripe alongside card payments, at 1% + 20p capped at £4 per payment, and the money goes straight to your own bank account.

Can Dyno track Learn to Swim stages?

Yes, free on every plan. Start from the Learn to Swim stages template or your own levels, and give each stage its checklist of skills. Teachers tick skills off as children manage them, the roster shows who is ready for their next stage, and each award is recorded with a printable certificate parents can open in the app.

Can I sell learn-to-swim lessons as a term block?

Yes. Sell each learn-to-swim group as a term course with one price for the block. Parents enrol and pay once, every lesson is booked for their child, a child joining late pays only for the lessons left, and families already with you get first refusal on next term.

Does Dyno handle galas and times?

Galas you host run as ticketed events, with families booking in the app or as guests on your public page. Performance results record times by event and pool length, spot personal bests and keep club records by age group; they’re included on Pro and a bolt-on on Starter and Growth. County and regional entries still go through the usual entry systems.

How do I move my swim school or club to Dyno?

We move your families, children, classes and memberships across for you, free, and your old system keeps collecting until each family has moved. The easiest time is between terms. Direct Debits held with GoCardless move across in a Bacs bulk change, with nothing for parents to sign.

See if Dyno fits your swim school

30 days of Pro, free, with no card needed. Or book a quick walkthrough first.

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