If you’re reading this, you’re likely evaluating swim school software or considering switching from a system that no longer fits your needs.
Many swim schools struggle with clunky registration flows, poor mobile experiences, manual communication, and having to juggle multiple tools for waivers, email, and reporting.
To help you make a confident decision, we’ve compared the 7 best swim school management software platforms.
Each option includes an overview, key features, pros and cons, and reviews to help you choose the solution that best fits your swim school or aquatic center.
DISCLAIMER: Activity Messenger is our product. We created it because we struggled for years as operators with the shortcomings of existing Swim Club Management Software.
Swim schools don’t change software lightly. Most switches happen after years of working around limitations rather than having tools that truly support day-to-day operations.
Common reasons swim schools decide to switch include:
Over time, these friction points add up — creating more admin work, lower conversion rates, and a poorer experience for families.
| Software | Best For | Core Strengths | Limitations | Integrations | Starting Price | Capterra Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activity Messenger | Small–mid-sized swim schools | All-in-one registration, email & SMS, waivers, automations | Requires setup for swim-specific billing logic | Stripe, Zoom, Canva, ChatGPT, Zapier | From $89/month | 4.7/5 |
| JackRabbit Swim | Established swim schools | Deep swim industry features, scheduling, billing | Dated UX, limited communication tools | QuickBooks, Constant Contact | From $49/month | 4.5/5 |
| SportsEngine | Swim teams & clubs | Team management, registration, reporting | Less suited for lesson-based programs | Google, Stripe, Zapier | Varies | 4.2/5 |
| iClassPro | Multi-sport academies | Skill tracking, parent portal, reporting | Navigation and trial workflows | QuickBooks, Zapier | From $139/month (USD) | 4.5/5 |
| Amilia | Municipal swim programs | Membership & facility management | Setup complexity, mobile UX | QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier | From $99/month | 4.3/5 |
| Uplifter | Canadian swim schools | Registration & reporting | Limited marketing features | National sport orgs | Varies | 4.4/5 |
| Sportimea | Custom workflows | Flexible forms and payments | Limited automation & reviews | Limited | From 39 £/ month | N/A |
Activity Messenger has quickly become a top choice for swim schools and aquatic centers looking to modernize operations and improve communication with clients. It combines registration, communication, and workflow automation into a mobile-first, intuitive platform.
Pricing & Plans
Features
Reviews on Capterra (4.7 out of 5 stars)
Jackrabbit Swim has long been a cornerstone in swim management software. Its robust feature set includes everything from attendance tracking to online registration for swim lessons and billing.
SportsEngine is a good online registration software, especially for a swim team. It can be a registration software for swim schools with online registrations, communication tools, financial reports, and more.
📌 Read More: 5 Best SportsEngine Alternatives
iClassPro helps swim schools focus more on coaching and swimmer development. It offers features like class and staff management, skill tracking and party booking.
📌 Read More: 8 best iClassPro Alternatives
Amilia is a management tool developed for swim schools. It improves customer experience by simplifying registration, staff management and administrative tasks. Class scheduling, drop-in sessions, and payment processing are also handled by the platform.
📌 Read More: Using Amilia? Consider This Alternative
Uplifter Inc. helps swim schools simplify registration, attendance tracking and payments into one platform.
📌 Read More: Why Clubs Are Switching to This Uplifter Alternative
Sportimea positions itself as a customizable registration and club management platform for swim schools. It offers registration, communication, and payment collection, but may lack some of the automation and modern UX features.
Pricing & Plans
Features
Reviews on Capterra (Not widely reviewed)
Before looking at a new software for your swim school, here’s a list of important features you’ll likely want in your next tool:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Email Marketing | Create and send newsletters; segment and personalize based on registration status, age, level, etc. |
| Start/End of Session Reminders | Automatically notify families when sessions begin and end without manual work. |
| Integrated MailMerge | Personalize communications with swimmer-specific info like name, level, and start date. |
| Waitlist Automation | Automate notifications to fill spots from the waitlist as soon as they become available. |
| Financial Reporting | Gain insights with revenue, expense, and profitability reports. |
| Waivers with Digital Signature | Collect digital waivers during or outside registration (e.g., for events, drop-ins). |
| Ticketing for Swim Meets | Simplify ticket sales for competitions with integrated ticketing tools. |
| Surveys | Collect feedback with surveys sent automatically via email/SMS at session end. |
| Online Class Registration | Mobile-first registration process to make enrollment easy for parents. |
| Staff Management | Manage payroll, scheduling, documents, and communication in one place. |
| Data and Analytics | Use analytics to guide decisions on class offerings, marketing, and staffing. |
| Bulk Certificates | Automatically generate and send certificates for completed courses or levels. |
| Attendance Tracking | Track attendance accurately with an easy-to-use digital system. |
| Mass Texting | Send urgent updates or last-minute changes via mass texting. |
| Swim Progress Report and Report Cards | Share swimmer progress through customizable digital report cards. |
What It Is: Activity Messenger guides families to find the ideal swim class efficiently. Based on initial preferences such as day, age, class type, and level, the registration process adjusts to display the most suitable classes.
Why It Matters: Most swim school software displays all class options to every visitor, which can be overwhelming, especially on smartphones, and may not address their specific needs and preferences.
Extra Perks: No parent enjoys creating yet another online account for their kid’s activities. Activity Messenger eliminates the need for account creation, making registration hassle-free. Rest assured that your customers still have an account they can log in at any time.
What It Is: Imagine doing all of your marketing tasks without switching between tools. With Activity Messenger, you can send newsletters, create marketing automations, and even retarget customers who abandoned their carts.
Why It Matters: Think about your newsletter workflow. Typically, you have to manually export subscribers from your swim software to a tool like MailChimp or ConstantContact. This process is tedious, error-prone and costly.
Extra Perks: You can create email marketing campaigns using our integrated Canva feature. An analytics dashboard provides clear insights into your marketing efforts, conversion rates, and how it impacts your registration.
What It Is: Task automation in Activity Messenger isn’t just a buzzword. Our system includes a wide range of automations tailored for swim schools, from sending reminders for unsigned waivers to automating marketing for kids’ parties.
Here are just a few examples:
Why It Matters: For example, to ensure that every swimmer attends a lesson with all necessary safety protocols in place, automated reminders can be sent for unsigned waivers using a class list. This precise, targeted automation not only increases efficiency but also enhances the safety of your swim school.
Extra Perks: Automation integrates with Activity Messenger’s mail merge capabilities. Personalize your reminders before the first registration comes in, ensuring every email is sent at the right time and tailored to each recipient.
Customers can feel intimidated when sifting through traditional client registration portals. This level of complexity often causes potential clients to give up and abandon the process altogether. A modern swim management software offers a solution that mimics personalized phone assistance by fully customizing class selection based on each family’s needs.
This allows swim clubs to help their customers quickly find the classes that meet their needs, increasing the likelihood that they will convert to paying customers. And in today’s world, your software should be mobile-first, not only mobile-friendly.
With a streamlined and easy-to-use registration journey, Activity Messenger is all about simplicity, efficiency, and forward thinking. The platform is designed to consolidate functionality. It eliminates the need for separate services like Mailchimp, SurveyMonkey, BambooHR and SmartWaiver.
And it’s not just the financial benefits that resonate with our users. It’s the convenience of centralizing all their needs, from registrations and communications to waivers and marketing campaigns, into one holistic view of their swim club.
The best swim school management software depends on your program size and needs. Activity Messenger is ideal for swim schools looking for an all-in-one solution that combines registration, email and SMS communication, digital waivers, and automation. Legacy platforms like JackRabbit Swim are better suited for long-established schools with complex billing structures.
Most swim school software platforms start between $40 and $100 per month, with pricing increasing based on the number of swimmers, locations, or advanced features. Some platforms charge per active student, while others offer flat monthly pricing. Many providers offer free trials or demos before committing.
Yes. Mobile usability is a key differentiator between older and newer platforms. Activity Messenger is designed to be mobile-first, allowing parents to register, sign waivers, and receive updates directly from their phones. iClassPro also offers a mobile app with a strong parent portal experience.
Most swim school management systems support multiple levels and age groups, but the experience varies. Traditional platforms often display all classes at once, while newer systems guide parents to the correct level based on age, availability, and preferences — reducing confusion and registration drop-off.
Yes. Some swim schools use swim software as a full replacement for their existing system, while others use it as an add-on.
For example, Activity Messenger is often used alongside legacy platforms for email marketing, bulk SMS, digital waivers, surveys, progress reports, and certificates during a gradual transition.
Swim team software focuses on rosters, competitions, and athlete management, while swim lesson software is designed for session-based programs with age and level progression. Tools like SportEngine are better suited for teams, whereas platforms like Activity Messenger and JackRabbit Swim are optimized for swim lessons and learn-to-swim programs.
Automation significantly reduces administrative workload for swim schools. Automated reminders for session start/end dates, unsigned waivers, waitlists, and surveys help staff save time while improving the parent experience. Schools using automation often see fewer missed classes, fewer support emails, and higher retention.
Choosing the right swim school software depends on your program size, structure, and long-term goals.
Some legacy platforms offer deep swim-specific functionality, while newer solutions focus on simplifying registration, communication, and automation. The best choice is the one that reduces administrative work while creating a smoother experience for families.
Activity Messenger is a strong option for swim schools looking to consolidate tools, automate repetitive tasks, and modernize their registration and communication workflows — all in one platform.
💡 Ready to modernize your swim school? Book a free demo of Activity Messenger to see how swim schools are saving hours a week on admin while delivering a better experience for families.
No problem. Many swim schools use Activity Messenger as they slowly transition from their current class management software. Activity Messenger can be an add-on to your current solution for email marketing, bulk SMS, event ticketing, swimmer progress reports and report cards, bulk certificates, digital waivers, party booking, surveys and much more.
