A Soakly Alternative That Does More
— Including Private Pool Hire
Everything Soakly does for swim school admin — plus a full private pool hire module, deeper GoCardless integration, waiting list automation and flat pricing that doesn't penalise you for growing.
9,999 student trial limit · UK-built · GDPR compliant · Cancel any time
A note on this comparison: the comments about Soakly below are based on their public marketing and a recorded sales demo we attended as a prospective customer on 29 April 2026. Soakly, like ClassBase, evolves continually — features may have changed since publication.
Soakly is excellent for swim school admin
Soakly has built a strong platform for managing swim lessons — class scheduling, attendance, GoCardless payments, progress tracking and native mobile apps. If swim lesson management is all you need, it's a solid choice.
So why consider ClassBase?
Because most swim schools do more than teach lessons. If you hire your pool out for private sessions, parties or swim clubs, Soakly doesn't cover that — you need a second system. ClassBase manages both from one calendar, with one login and one monthly bill. You can also try it now — no sales call, no scheduled demo before you can log in.
Try it today — no demo gate, sign up and explore
Private pool hire with public calendar and Stripe payments
Deeper GoCardless with variable DD, mandate management and auto-triggers
Flat pricing that doesn't charge per swimmer
ClassBase vs Soakly — feature by feature
Both platforms handle swim lessons well. Here's where they differ.
Feature
Soakly
ClassBase
Self-serve free trial (no sales demo required)
Private pool hire module
GoCardless Direct Debit
Mid-month catch-up invoice for new siblings
Parent portal with self-service DD mandate setup
Waiting list with auto-DD trigger
Online booking connected to your waiting list
Card payments for private pool hire bookings
N/A (no hire module)
Term copy-forward
SMS notifications
Bulk message filter by day or class
Full SwimBiz import — timetable, attendance, enrolments
We attended a 2-hour Soakly product demonstration as a prospective customer. Their software is well-designed for swim lesson administration. The notes below cover four points the Soakly support team raised during the demo, in their own words, that we think are worth considering when comparing platforms.
The waiting list isn’t connected to online booking
“The waiting list is not yet connected to online booking. We've not yet developed the connection that's gonna work, without being a specific need. So, that is in development at the moment.”
— Soakly support agent during their demo
Their flagship feature is a parent questionnaire that recommends the right stage. But when the matched class is full, the system can’t add the family to the waiting list automatically — that's still a manual admin task. With 90 families on a typical waiting list, that's a real workflow gap.
In ClassBase, the waiting list automatically triggers GoCardless mandate setup the moment an admin marks a family as enrolled — one click after a place opens. The pre-registration questionnaire with the waiting-list hook ships next month, integrating the two flows end-to-end.
Bulk messaging by day-of-week is “definitely coming”
“Not all swim schools want to do copying and pasting, so we are looking to develop a feature where you can go ‘all Wednesday classes’. So all that is definitely coming.”
— Soakly support agent
For day-wide messaging — for example, when a Wednesday teacher is off sick and every Wednesday parent needs to be notified — a per-class messaging workflow takes longer.
In ClassBase, bulk messaging filters include day-of-week, level, and specific class — one message to all matched parents in a single send. A teacher-based filter is on our next sprint.
Migration scope: customers and swimmers
“Your swimmers, we will give you a template, and you can put all your swimmers and your customers on a spreadsheet. Everything else we need to build — so your timetable, each class, we need to manually add each teacher on and build your venue.”
— Soakly support agent describing their onboarding
SwimBiz actually exports far more than just customers and swimmers. The standard SwimBiz export package includes customers, students, classes, class session enrolments, attendance history, invoice line items, credits and the waiting list — eight separate CSV files capturing the full operational state of a swim school.
When a migration importer only accepts customers and students, the timetable, attendance history, enrolments and invoice records all need to be rebuilt by hand — even though that data was sitting in the export package. For a school of 200 students with a full Swim England timetable, that’s a meaningful piece of setup work.
In ClassBase, the import wizard auto-detects SwimBiz CSV format and brings all eight files across in a single pass — full timetable, classes, enrolments, attendance history, invoice items, credits and waiting list, alongside customers and swimmers. Clean SwimBiz exports typically import in under an hour. A concierge migration service is also available if you’d prefer end-to-end handling.
Soakly onboarding quote — example for a 200-swimmer school
290 swimmer upload£75
Venues & staff setup£20
67 courses£135
200 bookings£100
Soakly total£330
ClassBase same school£0 — included
Quoted by Soakly directly to a UK swim school, May 2026. ClassBase’s self-service import is free on every plan; hands-on help if you get stuck is also free.
Trial process: demo and onboarding sessions
“During that 30-day trial, you'll get 3 or 4 onboarding sessions with me. I will teach you how to use the software, help you get all your data on.”
— Soakly support agent
Soakly's evaluation process begins with a product demonstration, followed by 3–4 onboarding sessions over the 30-day trial. For schools wanting to evaluate quickly — particularly those approaching a notice deadline with their existing provider — this timeline can be a factor.
ClassBase offers a self-serve free trial: sign up, log in, and explore the full feature set immediately. A guided demonstration is available on request for those who prefer one.
Where Soakly is genuinely strong (and we'll match)
Pre-registration questionnaire — a strong feature for matching new families to the right stage. ClassBase is shipping its own version next month, integrated with the waiting list.
5-level skill competency — granular per-skill mastery rather than just achieved/not. Coming to ClassBase.
Free SMS in-bundle — included with their plan. ClassBase passes Twilio cost at 10p/SMS, so flat fees aren't directly comparable; for low-volume schools we work out cheaper, for high-volume schools they may.
Customer support team includes practising swim school owners — that’s a real advantage for industry-specific questions. ClassBase is built and supported by a working swim school owner too (Vale Swim Academy).
Quotes taken from a recorded Soakly product demonstration, 29 April 2026. Recorded with consent at the start of the call. We’d recommend booking your own demonstration before any purchase decision — it’s the most direct way to evaluate whether a platform fits your school.
The feature Soakly doesn't have
Private pool hire — built in, not bolted on
If you hire your pool out for private sessions, swim clubs, schools or parties, you need more than a lesson scheduler. ClassBase includes a full private pool hire module with its own availability engine, public booking calendar and Stripe payments — all sharing the same calendar as your swim lessons.
Public booking calendar — customers browse and book without logging in
Stripe card payments at checkout — instant confirmation, no chasing
Recurring weekly bookings for swim clubs and schools
Hire membership tiers — free access for swim families, paid for external hirers
Lessons automatically block hire slots — zero double-booking risk
Both use GoCardless — ClassBase goes deeper
Soakly and ClassBase both integrate with GoCardless for Direct Debit collection. But ClassBase takes it further with variable DD, automated mandate triggers and full billing request tracking — so you spend less time chasing payments and more time teaching.
Variable Direct Debit — collect different amounts each month (pro-rata, credits, makeup lessons)
Billing request tracking — see payment status per invoice, auto-retry on failure
Mandate management — import existing GC mandates, track active/cancelled status
Waiting list auto-trigger — space opens, parent gets notified, DD mandate created automatically
Parent portal DD setup — parents set up their own mandate, no admin intervention
Waiting list automation Soakly doesn't offer
When parents register, ClassBase shows them exactly which class days have spaces and which are full — "not available" days are clearly labelled, with a waiting list option inline. When a space opens, the next family is automatically notified and a GoCardless Direct Debit mandate is triggered. Soakly requires this to be handled manually.
Live availability by day — parents see open and unavailable classes at a glance
Matched to stage level, not tied to a single session
Space opens → parent notified → GoCardless DD triggered automatically
No manual follow-up — the system handles the full enrolment flow
Flat pricing that rewards growth
Soakly charges a base fee plus a per-swimmer surcharge — so your costs grow with every student you add. ClassBase uses simple capacity-based tiers with all features included on every plan. No per-swimmer fees, no feature gating.
Starter
£25/mo+VAT
Up to 150 students
Popular
Pro
£49/mo+VAT
Up to 500 students
Enterprise
£79/mo+VAT
Unlimited students
All prices exclude VAT · All features included on every plan · Private hire add-on from £15/mo +VAT · See full pricing
Two revenue streams, one dashboard
Collect swim lesson term fees via GoCardless Direct Debit and private pool hire payments via Stripe card — all from the same ClassBase dashboard. No switching between platforms, no reconciliation headaches.
Term scheduling
Pool hire
GoCardless DD
Stripe payments
Frequently asked questions
Is ClassBase a good alternative to Soakly?
Yes. ClassBase covers the same swim school essentials — class scheduling, attendance, progress tracking, GoCardless Direct Debit and a parent portal — then adds features Soakly doesn't offer: a full private pool hire module with public booking calendar, waiting list automation with auto-DD triggers, and flat tier pricing instead of per-swimmer charges.
Does Soakly have pool hire booking?
No. Soakly focuses on swim lesson management and does not include private pool hire booking. If you hire your pool out for private sessions, parties or swim clubs, you'd need a separate system alongside Soakly — such as Wix Bookings or Bookwhen. ClassBase manages both swim lessons and private pool hire from one calendar with a shared availability engine.
Does ClassBase integrate with GoCardless?
Yes — and ClassBase goes further than most swim school platforms. It supports variable Direct Debit (different amounts each month), billing request tracking, mandate management, parent portal DD setup, and automatic mandate creation when a student moves off the waiting list into a class.
Can I manage pool hire separately from swim classes?
Yes. ClassBase treats private pool hire as a standalone module with its own booking products, pricing, Stripe payments and public calendar. Swim lessons and hire share the same availability engine so there are no double bookings, but they operate as separate revenue streams with separate customer bases if you prefer.
How does ClassBase pricing compare to Soakly?
Soakly charges a base fee plus a per-swimmer surcharge, which means your cost rises with every student you add. ClassBase uses flat tier pricing — Starter at £25/month (up to 150 students), Pro at £49/month (up to 500 students), and Enterprise at £79/month (unlimited). All features are included on every plan. See full pricing.
Does ClassBase support waiting list automation?
Yes. When a space opens in a class, ClassBase can automatically notify the next parent on the waiting list and trigger GoCardless mandate setup. The parent accepts via the portal, the DD mandate is created, and the student is enrolled — all without manual admin work.
Do I need to book a demo before I can try ClassBase?
No. Soakly requires a sales demo before you can access the platform — typically a one-hour call before you can log in and see anything. ClassBase is self-serve: sign up for a free trial, log in immediately, and explore every feature on every plan. No card required, no scheduled call, no waiting. A demo is available if you want one, but it isn't a precondition for trying the product.
Ready to see what ClassBase adds?
Start a free trial and explore the private pool hire module, GoCardless integration and parent portal yourself. No credit card required, no commitment.
