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The best Class For Kids alternatives for UK clubs in 2026

Class For Kids is booking software for children’s activities, priced as a monthly licence plus a fee on every online payment, with cards only and an app that shows the timetable while booking stays on the website. If you want Direct Debit, an app parents book and pay in, or each child’s progress on record, here’s how the alternatives UK providers look at compare, and which suits whom.

By the Dyno team · Updated 25 October 2026

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The Dyno dashboard for a dance studio
A dance studio in the Dyno member app
The verdict

The short answer: who each one suits

Dyno
Providers who want memberships, a real parent app and community, not only class bookings.
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.
CCoacha
Clubs that want a general club system and will pay for the top plan to track skills and grades.
PPembee
Providers who take term and camp bookings on the web and don’t need an app or a record of progress.
What matters

What to look for in a Class For Kids alternative

A flat price, not a fee on every payment

Class For Kids charges a monthly licence plus a transaction fee on every online payment, so it costs more as you grow. Work out a year of fees at your size and compare it with a flat monthly plan.

Direct Debit for monthly fees

Class For Kids takes cards only, so every expired or declined card is another payment to chase. Look for Direct Debit built in alongside cards, so monthly fees arrive without anyone chasing.

An app parents book and pay in

Class For Kids’ app shows each child’s timetable and takes absences, but booking and payment stay on the website. Look for one app where parents book, pay and hear from the club.

Each child’s progress on record

Class For Kids organises classes by stage and moves children between them, rather than keeping a record of each child’s badges and skills. Look for progress parents can follow, with a certificate for each step.

Safeguarding records, not just contacts

Emergency contacts on a register are the start. Look for staff DBS and first-aid records with renewal reminders, a welfare register of medical needs, and photo consent recorded per child.

Camps and terms in one checkout

Holiday camps fill the gaps between terms. Check families can book a camp day and next term’s place in the same checkout, from the same login, for every child.

Side by side

The platforms side by side

Class For Kids alternatives for UK clubs: term and camp booking, parent app, payments, progress and cost
PlatformTerm & camp bookingParent appPaymentsProgress & badgesCost
DynoBlock-purchase term courses with priority re-enrolment for returning families and make-up sessions, alongside ongoing memberships.A real iOS & Android member app with a feed, chat, events, passes and bookings that members actually keep on their phone.Card, Apple Pay & Google Pay via Stripe, paid straight into your own bank account. Direct Debit for UK clubs.Belts, stages, levels and badges tracked per child and visible to parents in the app.From £39 a month with unlimited members, and nothing added to what parents pay. 30 days of Pro free, no card.
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.
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, grades 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.
PPembeeTerms, half-terms, blocks, passes and drop-ins, holiday camps with sibling discounts, and registers on a phone or tablet.A web portal where parents manage their bookings; a native app isn’t mentioned on its pages.Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Klarna through Stripe, with an application fee on each online payment on top of Stripe’s. Tax-Free Childcare and vouchers too.Check with PembeeStandard and Premium monthly plans, plus the application fee on online card payments. 30-day free trial, no card.

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 is all-in-one club software for any membership organisation, kids’ activity providers very much included. Alongside class booking and registers you get recurring memberships, paid events and camps, progression tracking and a genuine parent app with a community feed and chat, on simple monthly plans with no booking fee bolted onto your families’ checkout.

Best for: Providers who want memberships, a real parent app and community, not only class bookings.

How family accounts work

What you get with Dyno

  • Term & camp booking: Block-purchase term courses with priority re-enrolment for returning families and make-up sessions, alongside ongoing memberships.
  • Parent app: A real iOS & Android member app with a feed, chat, events, passes and bookings that members actually keep on their phone.
  • Payments: Card, Apple Pay & Google Pay via Stripe, paid straight into your own bank account. Direct Debit for UK clubs.
  • Progress & badges: Belts, stages, levels and badges tracked per child and visible to parents in the app.
  • Cost: From £39 a month with unlimited members, and nothing added to what parents pay. 30 days of Pro free, no card.
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
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.

P

Pembee

Pembee is UK booking software for clubs, camps, courses and classes, and says it has processed more than 900,000 bookings. Parents book and manage their bookings in a web portal rather than an app, and online card payments carry a Pembee application fee on top of Stripe’s fees. Progress tracking and Direct Debit aren’t mentioned on its public pages.

Best for: Providers who take term and camp bookings on the web and don’t need an app or a record of progress.

Reviewed October 2026 from Pembee’s own website.

FAQ

Common questions

What’s the best Class For Kids alternative in the UK?

For a provider that wants Direct Debit, an app parents book and pay in, and each child’s progress on record, Dyno is built for exactly that. Class Manager is free but takes a service charge on every payment and sells show tickets on a separate site. LoveAdmin, now Thrive4, adds a fee on payments to its subscription. Coacha keeps skills and badges to its top plan, and Pembee keeps parents on a web portal, with a fee on every online card payment.

How much does Class For Kids cost?

Class For Kids charges 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. Dyno’s plans start at £39 a month with unlimited members, with nothing added to what parents pay, and every new club gets 30 days of Dyno Pro free, with no card needed.

Which Class For Kids alternatives take Direct Debit?

Of the platforms here, Dyno, Class Manager, LoveAdmin 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.

Is there a free alternative to Class For Kids?

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 club gets 30 days of Dyno Pro free, with no card needed, then plans start at £39 a month.

Can parents book and pay in the Dyno app?

Yes. Parents enrol for the term or book weekly classes in the Dyno app, pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Direct Debit, and follow each child’s progress and the club’s news in the same place. Families who aren’t with you yet can book a trial class or a camp on your club’s public page without downloading anything.

How do I move from Class For Kids 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 club

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