Swimphony is a well-regarded UK swim-school platform with its own native app. 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, transparent flat pricing you can see before you sign up, an instant self-serve trial with no contact form, and both GoCardless bank Direct Debit and Stripe card payments.
14-day trial · No credit card · Published pricing · No sales call required
About this comparison: points about Swimphony come from publicly available information, accurate as of August 2026 — swimphony.com/swim-school-software, swimphony.com, swimphony.com/school-swimming-software, the Swimphony Classes app listing on the App Store, and sta.co.uk (2019). Both platforms develop continually, so figures may change — please check Swimphony's own site for the latest. This page describes what ClassBase does; it does not claim Swimphony lacks any feature we haven't verified.
Both platforms handle bookings, waiting lists and a parent portal well, and both support Swim England and STA progress tracking. Whatever else you teach, these two stand out — and both are drawn straight from Swimphony's own published information.
Swimphony's school-swimming (local authority) line publicly lists “Pricing starts at £100 per school, per year”; pricing for its swim-school SaaS product isn't published on its site, and getting started runs through a “Request a Free Trial or Demo” contact form. ClassBase publishes all three tiers — £25, £49 or £79 — and you can start exploring your own data immediately, no form and no sales call.
Source: swimphony.com/school-swimming-software, swimphony.com/swim-school-software (Aug 2026).
Turning empty pool time into revenue takes its own booking, payment and access flow. ClassBase includes this out of the box — pool lanes, a dance studio, a sports hall or a court, booked and paid for online with an automatic access code, running hands-off alongside your classes on the same platform.
A ClassBase capability — see our comparison table note on unverified features below.
Where they match, we say so. Where they differ, it's drawn from public information.
| Feature | Swimphony | ClassBase |
|---|---|---|
| Runs any activity on one platform | — | |
| Private venue hire for off-peak revenue (book, pay, auto access codes) | — | |
| Published flat-tier pricing, visible before signup | School-swimming: from £100/yr published. Swim-school tier: not published |
|
| Instant self-serve trial (no contact form) | Free trial/demo via contact form |
|
| Automated recurring payments — card & bank Direct Debit | ||
| Online waiting list | ||
| Parent portal / dashboard | ||
| Native parent mobile app | Responsive web + teacher view |
|
| Swim England, STA & custom award-scheme tracking |
A dash (—) means we haven't verified that feature in Swimphony's public materials either way — dash does not mean absent. The rows show what ClassBase provides.
A configurable activity engine with the depth a serious operator needs — built for more than swimming alone.
Bookings, payments, registers, waiting lists and parent messages work the same whatever you teach — swim, dance, gymnastics, football and more. Add the skills or award 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 or card, with a waiting list that triggers mandate setup automatically when a place is offered — both rails on one platform.
Starter £25, Pro £49, Enterprise £79 per month +VAT — published on our site, with no per-swimmer fee and no percentage cut of your payments. See exactly what it costs before you sign up.
Start using ClassBase today with your own data — no contact form, no demo booking, no card required. Most schools are exploring their own timetable within minutes.
Track progress against Swim England, STA or any custom framework you define — poolside, pitch-side or hall-side, on any device, visible to parents through the portal.
A fair comparison cuts both ways. Swimphony ships a native app (Swimphony Classes) 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 Swimphony's favour. It's also a platform built and marketed specifically for swimming, with an established Member Hub and award-scheme workflow, so if you teach swimming only and value that specialist focus, it's worth a look.
ClassBase's bet: run any activity you teach — swim included — on one calm platform, with transparent pricing you can see before you sign up, an instant trial with no contact form, and private venue hire that turns off-peak hours into hands-off revenue.
Yes. Swimphony is a well-regarded swimming-specific platform; ClassBase is a configurable multi-activity engine — bookings, payments, registers, waiting lists and a parent portal work the same however many activities you run, with private venue hire for off-peak revenue and flat published pricing (no contact form to get started). Swim England, STA and other award frameworks are available for schools that want them, alongside frameworks for any other activity you teach.
Swimphony's school-swimming (local authority) line lists ‘Pricing starts at £100 per school, per year’; pricing for its swim-school SaaS product isn't published — you request a free trial or demo via a contact form. ClassBase publishes all three tiers (Starter £25, Pro £49, Enterprise £79 per month +VAT) with no per-swimmer fee, and you can start a free trial immediately without contacting anyone.
Yes — Swimphony ships a native app (Swimphony Classes) on iOS and Android, and that's a genuine advantage if a downloadable app matters to your parents today. ClassBase runs as a responsive web app that works on any phone, tablet or computer, plus a dedicated teacher view for poolside (or pitch-side, or hall-side) registers and progress.
Both platforms automate recurring payments. Swimphony markets automated collection by debit card, credit card and Direct Debit. ClassBase collects via GoCardless bank Direct Debit and Stripe card payments, giving you both rails on one platform.
Yes. ClassBase's import wizard brings customers, students, classes, attendance and waiting lists across from a CSV export, and auto-detects SwimBiz files. Most schools are running within the hour.
Export your list from Swimphony 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.