SwimDesk (by GreeneDesk) is a well-regarded activity platform built and hosted in Australia for schools across Australia and New Zealand. ClassBase is a UK-built 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, transparent flat GBP pricing, UK payment rails (GoCardless Direct Debit and Stripe), and Swim England & STA progress tracking built in for schools that need it.
Free self-serve trial · No credit card · Published flat pricing · UK payment rails
About this comparison: points about SwimDesk come from publicly available information, accurate as of August 2026 — GreeneDesk's SwimDesk solutions page, pricing page and payments page (greenedesk.com.au), and its Capterra listing. Both platforms develop continually, so figures may change — please check SwimDesk's current pricing for the latest. This page describes what ClassBase does; it does not claim SwimDesk lacks any feature we haven't verified.
A configurable activity engine built and priced for the UK — with private venue hire built in as an extra revenue stream.
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 fees the UK way — bank Direct Debit via GoCardless, with Stripe for card payments — plus 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 enrolment bands, no waiting on a quote to know what you'll pay.
The import wizard auto-detects SwimBiz exports and brings customers, classes, attendance and waiting lists across — most UK schools are live within the hour.
Progress frameworks marked poolside on any device, visible to parents through the portal — plus custom and any-activity frameworks, for schools that want UK curriculum tracking built in.
A fair comparison cuts both ways. SwimDesk ships native instructor and parent apps; 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 SwimDesk's favour. It's also purpose-built and long established for the Australian and New Zealand market, so if that's where you operate, it may be the more natural fit.
ClassBase's bet: a UK-built, configurable activity engine — transparent flat pricing, UK payment rails, private venue hire for extra off-peak revenue, and Swim England & STA frameworks out of the box for schools that need them.
It depends where you're based. SwimDesk (by GreeneDesk) is built and hosted in Australia and marketed to Australia and New Zealand. ClassBase is a UK-built, configurable activity engine — bookings, payments, registers, waiting lists and parent messages work the same whatever you teach, with UK payment rails (GoCardless bank Direct Debit and Stripe) and Swim England & STA progress frameworks built in. It also includes private venue hire that turns your off-peak hours into hands-off revenue. Both offer a free self-serve trial and a parent portal.
SwimDesk's published pricing is banded by enrolment volume — Essentials (up to 500 enrolments), Professional (501–1,500, its 'Most Popular' tier) and Enterprise (1,500+, marked 'Custom') — with 15% off on annual billing, but exact tier prices aren't published; Capterra lists it as 'Contact vendor for pricing'. ClassBase publishes flat monthly tiers instead — Starter £25, Pro £49, Enterprise £79 — with no per-swimmer fee, so you know the cost before you sign up.
ClassBase collects recurring fees via GoCardless bank Direct Debit and takes card payments through Stripe — both named, UK-focused payment rails. SwimDesk's payments page states Direct Debit, automated recurring payments, failed-payment recovery and PCI compliance, without naming a specific processor.
Not currently — this is a genuine SwimDesk strength. SwimDesk ships native instructor and parent apps; ClassBase runs as a responsive web app that works on any phone, tablet or computer, with a dedicated teacher view for poolside registers and progress. If a downloadable app is essential for your parents today, that's a real point in SwimDesk's favour.
Yes. ClassBase's import wizard auto-detects SwimBiz exports and brings customers, students, classes, attendance and waiting lists across, and also accepts CSV exports from other systems. Most UK schools are running within the hour.
Export your list from SwimDesk 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.