Comparison
ActivityOS vs Class Manager, membermeister & DanceBiz
If you're choosing management software for a UK dance, gymnastics, or activity school, you've probably come across all four of these. Here's how ActivityOS compares on pricing model, parent experience, and the features that matter most to independent schools — safeguarding, competitions, and getting paid without losing a cut of every invoice.
We built ActivityOS, so treat this as an interested party's comparison, not a neutral
third-party review. Every ActivityOS detail below reflects what's actually live today.
Figures for other platforms are described generally — worth confirming directly with them,
since pricing and features change.
Pricing model
How the costs actually differ
| ActivityOS | Class Manager | membermeister | DanceBiz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing structure | Flat rate | Free tier + revenue share | Tiered by student count | Tiered by student count |
| Starting price | £29/mo or £290/yr | £0/mo | From a low monthly tier | From a low monthly tier |
| Transaction fees on payments | £0 — flat price only | Percentage-based | Gateway fees only | Gateway fees only |
| Cost as your school grows | Fixed | Scales with revenue | Scales with student count | Scales with student count |
ActivityOS pricing reflects current plans, including the annual option at checkout. Competitor figures are general — check their current sites for exact numbers before comparing costs directly.
What's included
Features that matter to activity schools specifically
- Parent portal included on every plan — timetables, invoices, competition results, push notifications
- Term, monthly, or automated billing with sibling and multi-class discounts, part payments and separate invoices per class; parents pay by bank transfer, card (Stripe) or Direct Debit (GoCardless)
- Built-in competition and festival tracking — entries, categories, results shared straight to the parent portal
- Staff DBS expiry tracking with automated 60/30/7-day reminders
- Two-factor authentication for staff accounts
- Multi-guardian logins, so separated families can each see and pay their own share
- One-click CSV export formatted for Sage and Xero
- No per-student or per-transaction fees on top of the flat price
At a glance
Which one fits your school
ActivityOS
Best for independent UK schools wanting predictable costs and modern features
Purpose-built for dance, gymnastics, and activity schools — competition tracking, DBS safeguarding, 2FA, and a real parent portal, all under one flat price with no commission on payments.
Class Manager
Best for brand-new or very small studios minimising upfront cost
A free-to-start option that can suit a studio just getting off the ground.
Worth checking how the revenue-share pricing scales as your student numbers grow.
membermeister
Best for simple, traditional term billing
A clean, straightforward interface for schools that mainly need registers and recurring invoicing.
Lighter on niche studio features like competition management or uniform ordering.
DanceBiz
Best for large, established production-focused schools
A deep, mature feature set including costume and show management for bigger operations.
More complex to learn, and priced accordingly for that depth.
See it on your own school
Free for 12 weeks, no card needed. Import your students and try the parent portal before you decide anything.
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