ClassForKids is a strong generalist platform for kids' activity clubs. ClassBase is a configurable activity engine that runs any activity's admin the same way — plus private venue hire that turns your off-peak hours into hands-off revenue, flat pricing with no per-swimmer fee or cut of your payments, GoCardless bank Direct Debit, and the deepest swim support in the field.
14-day trial · No credit card · Published pricing · No sales call required
About this comparison: points about ClassForKids below come from their publicly available pricing page and help centre, accurate as of August 2026. Both platforms develop continually, so figures may change — please check ClassForKids' current pricing for the latest. This page describes what ClassBase does; it does not claim ClassForKids lacks any feature we haven't verified.
Both platforms handle bookings, waiting lists and a parent portal well. Whatever you teach, these two stand out — and both are drawn straight from ClassForKids' own published information.
ClassForKids publishes a Year-Round tier at £34.99/month plus a payment transaction fee of “from 2.5% (including Stripe)” and an extra 0.5% on recurring payments (other tiers priced on application). ClassBase is a flat monthly tier — £25, £49 or £79 — with no per-swimmer fee and no percentage taken from your fees. As your collection volume grows, a percentage-based fee grows with it; a flat tier doesn't.
Source: classforkids.com/pricing (Aug 2026).
ClassForKids' own help centre documents its subscription/recurring payments as a recurring card payment — “the parent/carer's bank card rather than the sort code and account number.” ClassBase collects via GoCardless bank Direct Debit (and supports Stripe cards too). Bank Direct Debit doesn't expire like a card, so it avoids the churn of chasing parents when a card lapses, and typically carries lower fees.
Source: ClassForKids help centre (Aug 2026).
Where they match, we say so. Where they differ, it's drawn from public information.
| Feature | ClassForKids | ClassBase |
|---|---|---|
| Flat monthly price with no % cut of your fees | Licence + “from 2.5%” +0.5% recurring |
|
| Recurring collection by bank Direct Debit | Recurring card payment | |
| Free self-serve trial (no card) | ||
| Online waiting list with click-to-invite | ||
| Parent portal / dashboard | ||
| Native parent mobile app | Responsive web + teacher view |
|
| Private venue hire for off-peak revenue (book, pay, auto access codes) | — | |
| Swim England & STA progress built in | — |
A dash (—) means we haven't verified that feature in ClassForKids' public materials either way — not that it's absent. The rows show what ClassBase provides.
A configurable activity engine with the depth a serious operator needs — and swim support no generalist matches.
Bookings, payments, registers, waiting lists and parent messages work the same whatever you teach — swim, dance, gymnastics, football and more. Add the skills framework that fits each class.
Rent your space out when it would otherwise sit empty — pool lanes, a dance studio, a sports hall or a court. Customers book and pay online and get their access code automatically, so it runs completely hands-off: an extra revenue stream on the same platform as your classes.
Collect termly or monthly fees by bank Direct Debit, with a waiting list that triggers mandate setup automatically when a place is offered.
Starter £25, Pro £49, Enterprise £79 per month +VAT. No per-swimmer fee, no cut of your payments — the price is the price whether you collect £2k or £20k a term.
The import wizard auto-detects SwimBiz exports and brings customers, classes, attendance and waiting lists across — most schools are live within the hour.
Swim England & STA frameworks marked poolside on any device, visible to parents through the portal — plus custom and any-activity frameworks. Depth no generalist matches.
A fair comparison cuts both ways. ClassForKids ships a native parent app on the App Store and Google Play; ClassBase runs as a responsive web app with a dedicated teacher view, but doesn't have a native app yet. If a downloadable app is a must-have for your parents right now, that's a genuine point in ClassForKids' favour. It's also the UK's largest generalist kids-activity brand, so if you run clubs well beyond swimming, its breadth may suit you.
ClassBase's bet: run any activity on one calm platform, priced flat with bank Direct Debit, with private venue hire for extra off-peak revenue — and swim support that goes deeper than any generalist (Swim England & STA).
Yes. ClassForKids is a strong generalist platform for kids' activity clubs, and ClassBase is a configurable activity engine — bookings, payments, registers, waiting lists and parent messages work the same whatever you teach, and you add the skills framework that fits each class. It also includes private venue hire that turns your off-peak hours into hands-off revenue, and goes deepest on swimming (Swim England & STA progress), all on flat pricing with no per-swimmer fee or percentage cut and GoCardless bank Direct Debit. Both offer a free trial, an online waiting list and a parent portal.
ClassForKids publishes a Year-Round tier at £34.99/month plus a transaction fee “from 2.5% (including Stripe)” and an extra 0.5% on recurring payments (other tiers on application). ClassBase is a flat tier — £25 / £49 / £79 — with no per-swimmer fee and no percentage taken from your fees, so cost doesn't scale with your payment volume.
Yes — ClassBase collects via GoCardless bank Direct Debit and supports Stripe cards. ClassForKids' help centre documents its recurring model as a card payment rather than a direct debit; bank Direct Debit avoids card-expiry churn and typically costs less.
Not currently. ClassForKids ships a native parent app; ClassBase is a responsive web app that works on any device, with a dedicated teacher view for poolside registers and progress. If a native app is essential for your parents today, that's a point in ClassForKids' favour.
Yes. ClassBase's import wizard auto-detects SwimBiz exports and brings customers, classes, attendance and waiting lists across, and accepts CSV exports from other systems. Most schools are running within the hour.
Export your list from ClassForKids as CSV. ClassBase imports your customers, students and class assignments, so you're not starting from zero.
Configure your timetable, pricing and payment methods. Most schools finish this in a single session — and you can start a free trial to try it first.
Invite parents to the portal. They log in, see their child's classes, and manage bookings and payments from day one.
Set up and explore with your own data at no cost, with no card and no sales call. See the difference before you commit to anything.