Choosing Software for Kids Activity Providers
Kids clubs, after-school providers, dance schools, and activity centres need software that handles class scheduling, parent payments, and waitlists. Many providers still manage this with spreadsheets and bank transfers. Dedicated software cuts admin time considerably, especially when you are juggling multiple class types, age groups, and term dates.
This guide compares three platforms used by kids activity providers. ClassForKids and LoveAdmin are specialists built for this market. Bizzly is a broader platform that covers class operations, billing, and website building. Competitor data below comes from public pricing pages verified in May 2026; Bizzly details were checked against the product in July 2026.
What Matters for Kids Activity Providers
Class scheduling and capacity
You need to set up classes by age group, day, and time, with capacity limits per session. When a class fills up, a waitlist should capture interest automatically rather than requiring parents to email you.
Parent payments and billing
Parents expect to pay online. Monthly subscriptions, termly payments, and pay-as-you-go options each suit different business models. Reliable automated payment collection is especially important for ongoing weekly classes because it reduces the admin of chasing individual parents.
Attendance tracking
For safeguarding and operational reasons, knowing who is in each session matters. Digital attendance registers replace paper sign-in sheets and create a searchable record. This is important for Ofsted-registered providers.
Trial sessions and tasters
Many activity providers offer free or discounted trial sessions to attract new families. Software that handles trial registration, follow-up, and conversion to full membership saves manual chasing.
Online presence
Parents search Google for “kids football classes near me” or “gymnastics for children [town]”. A professional website with class details, pricing, and instant booking converts more of those searches into sign-ups.
Feature Comparison
Kids Activity Provider Software: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Bizzly | ClassForKids | LoveAdmin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full drag-and-drop website builder | |||
| Online booking / class registration | |||
| Subscription billing | Check website | ||
| Term / season packs (mid-term pro-rating) | Check website | Check website | |
| Season subscriptions that auto-roll into the next season | Check website | Check website | |
| One-off payments | |||
| Payment-gated booking quotas | Check website | Check website | |
| Card payments | |||
| Automated invoicing | Check website | ||
| Intake / contact forms | |||
| Class timetable / schedule | |||
| Attendance registers | |||
| Waitlist management | Standard+ | ||
| Trial session management | Standard+ | ||
| Parent/guardian portal | |||
| Award scheme tracking | |||
| Automated reminders | |||
| SMS notifications | Standard+ | Check website | |
| Marketing emails | Check website | ||
| WhatsApp AI assistant (24/7 bookings) | Standard+ | ||
| Google Calendar sync | |||
| API access | Check website | ||
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | Demo + implementation | |
| UK pricing (GBP) |
Platform Reviews
ClassForKids
Best for: Children's class and activity providers who want a specialist booking and management platform.
ClassForKids is built specifically for kids activity providers: swimming schools, football coaching, gymnastics, dance, and after-school clubs. It handles class scheduling, online booking, parent payments, attendance registers, and waitlist management. The platform is well known in the UK kids activities market.
The booking experience is designed around how parents actually search: by activity type, age group, day, and location. Trial sessions can be offered with automatic follow-up to convert trial families into paying members.
ClassForKids now publicly lists UK pricing from £34.99 for the Standard plan, plus a Bespoke plan (POA). They also list free onboarding and a free trial. If you are comparing total cost, still check the latest payment-processing or transaction-fee details directly on their pricing and payments pages.
- Pricing: From £34.99/month (UK Standard) + Bespoke plan (POA).
- Strengths: Purpose-built for kids activities, attendance registers, waitlists, trial management, parent booking experience
- Limitations: No website builder, exact total cost depends on your payment setup
LoveAdmin
Best for: Gymnastics clubs, dance schools, swim schools, and larger activity providers who need attendance, assessments, and membership management.
LoveAdmin serves activity providers, sports clubs, and membership organisations. For kids activity providers specifically, it offers class scheduling with capacity management, attendance registers, waitlist and trial management, customisable registration forms, and an award scheme tracking feature (useful for gymnastics and martial arts grading).
The pricing model is £35/month for the Activity Providers plan, plus an implementation fee and a 3% platform fee on all transactions processed through the system. The implementation fee covers full system setup, training, and customisation. This is a different model to the flat monthly pricing of Bizzly. At higher transaction volumes, the 3% fee adds meaningful cost. A provider processing £5,000/month in parent payments pays £150/month in platform fees on top of the £35 subscription.
LoveAdmin does not include a website builder. You get a branded booking page but need a separate website for your full online presence.
- Pricing: £35/month + implementation fee + 3% platform fee. VAT extra.
- Strengths: Attendance registers, award scheme tracking, waitlists, trial management, full setup and training included
- Limitations: 3% platform fee on transactions, implementation fee, no website builder
Bizzly
Best for: Small activity providers who want flat monthly pricing, a built-in website, and subscription billing without transaction fees.
Bizzly is a general platform rather than a kids-only specialist, but it covers the class-operations essentials alongside booking, subscription billing, payments, and website building. Children sit as profiles under one parent account, custom profile fields gate places by age band or level, and registration forms capture medical, consent, and emergency details. The Standard plan at £29/month includes 200 monthly bookings, 3 calendars (one per activity type or location), and automated invoicing. There are no platform fees on top of the monthly subscription.
For a small provider running 5 to 10 weekly classes, Bizzly offers a simpler and cheaper alternative to specialist tools. Parents can book online, pay by card, and manage their bookings through a customer portal that also handles pausing, plan changes, policy-driven cancellation with a live refund quote, and credits. Registers, waitlists, and free trial sessions are built in, and billing and booking are one system, so a child can only book what an active plan, pack, or credits cover. The website editor means you can create a professional site without paying for a separate Wix or Squarespace subscription.
The gaps are real: no assessment or award scheme tracking, and no per-student progress or lesson-notes journal (the nearest equivalent is a note saved against each attendance mark). Parents also cannot reschedule themselves on the web portal — they cancel and rebook, or you move them from the admin calendar. If structured grading is essential to how you run your business, a specialist tool is the better choice.
- Pricing: Base £19, Standard £29, Pro £49/month. No platform fees. 14-day free trial, no credit card.
- Strengths: Flat pricing with no transaction fees, drag-and-drop website editor on every plan, subscription plus term and season billing, payment-gated booking quotas, registers, waitlists and trials, WhatsApp AI assistant, HubSpot CRM
- Limitations: No award scheme or grading tracking, no per-student progress notes, no parent self-serve rescheduling on the web portal
Pricing Comparison
| Item | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bizzly | £19 to £49/month | Base £19, Standard £29, Pro £49. Flat monthly fee. No platform or transaction fees from Bizzly. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. |
| ClassForKids | From £34.99/month (UK Standard) | ClassForKids lists UK Standard pricing from £34.99 and a Bespoke plan (POA). Free onboarding and free trial are listed. See classforkids.com/pricing for latest plan details and any payment-related fees. |
| LoveAdmin | From £35/month + 3% platform fee | Activity Providers plan: £35/month plus implementation fee plus 3% platform fee on transactions. Sports Clubs and Membership Orgs: from £20/month + 3%. Enterprise: custom pricing. |
How to Choose
Small provider running a few weekly classes
Bizzly at £19 to £29/month gives you booking, payments, and a website without transaction fees. The simplicity and lower cost make it a good fit for providers with straightforward scheduling needs.
Gymnastics club or swim school with grading
LoveAdmin's award scheme tracking and assessment features are built for this use case. The higher total cost (subscription + 3%) is justified if you need structured progression tracking across classes and students.
Multi-activity provider needing attendance registers
All three handle attendance digitally, so compare the workflow rather than the checkbox. Bizzly gives you a per-session day register with Present, Late, and Absent marking, a note against each mark, a printable register sheet, and a cross-session roster with filters. Register access is its own staff permission, so a coach can take the register without seeing billing.
Provider who needs a website and booking in one
Bizzly is the only platform in this comparison that includes a full website builder. ClassForKids and LoveAdmin give you booking pages but not a standalone site. If your current setup involves paying for both a website and a booking tool separately, Bizzly consolidates those costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best software for a kids activity provider in the UK?
What does LoveAdmin cost for a small activity provider?
Can Bizzly handle term-based class bookings?
Do I need a separate website if I use ClassForKids or LoveAdmin?
What is the difference between ClassForKids and LoveAdmin?
Can I use Bizzly for after-school clubs?
Summary
ClassForKids and LoveAdmin are specialist tools built for the kids activity market, and LoveAdmin adds award scheme and assessment tracking that general platforms lack. Bizzly covers registers, waitlists, trials, and term and season billing too, and pairs them with flat pricing, a website editor on every plan, and a WhatsApp AI assistant. The right choice depends on whether you need grading and progress tracking or prefer an all-in-one platform at a lower cost.
See how Bizzly works for kids activity providers on the kids clubs industry page, or compare plans on the pricing page.