Softwr

Events · head to head

ACTIVE Network vs Planning Pod

ACTIVE Network logo

ACTIVE Network

Events

Registration and payment software for parks departments, races and camps, owned by Global Payments

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Planning Pod logo

Planning Pod

Events

Event planning software that works

From
$59/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ACTIVE Network revenue comes from registration processing rather than licence fees, so the vendor is aligned with transaction volume and not with the quality of the administrative experience.; Planning Pod no transparent pricing table published; pricing determined individually per venue during demo
  • They diverge on capability: ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, Planning Pod covers Lead management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ACTIVE Network and Planning Pod actually diverge.

Attributes where ACTIVE Network and Planning Pod differ
AttributeACTIVE NetworkPlanning Pod
Starting priceOn request$59/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Events).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ACTIVE Network

  • ACTIVENet
  • ACTIVEWorks Endurance
  • Camp and Class Manager
  • Participant-paid fees
  • Facility and league scheduling
  • ACTIVE.com listing

Only in Planning Pod

  • Lead management
  • Floor plans
  • Budgeting
  • Timeline
  • Client portal
  • QuickBooks
  • Stripe
  • PayPal

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ACTIVE Network

  • A city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residentsnot Planning Pod
  • A race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendornot Planning Pod
  • A YMCA needing membership, childcare billing and facility booking in one systemnot Planning Pod
  • An agency with no software budget that can fund registration through participant-paid processing feesnot Planning Pod

Planning Pod

  • Event planningnot ACTIVE Network
  • Ticket salesnot ACTIVE Network
  • Attendee managementnot ACTIVE Network
  • Virtual eventsnot ACTIVE Network
  • Event marketingnot ACTIVE Network

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ACTIVE Network

  • Revenue comes from registration processing rather than licence fees, so the vendor is aligned with transaction volume and not with the quality of the administrative experience.
  • Passing the processing fee to participants is normal practice, which makes the cost invisible on the agency budget and visible to residents as a service charge at checkout.
  • The ACTIVENet codebase is long-lived and parts of the administrative interface remain dated, with upgrade cycles driven by the parent rather than by agency requests.
  • Support responsiveness is a persistent complaint among municipal customers, and escalation paths are slower than in a standalone software vendor.
  • Because Global Payments owns the merchant relationship, moving off ACTIVE means changing processor as well as software, which usually requires a procurement process rather than a simple switch.

Planning Pod

  • No transparent pricing table published; pricing determined individually per venue during demo
  • Pricing based on event volume complexity rather than standard tiers
  • Requires personalized demo to determine exact pricing

Pricing, plan by plan

ACTIVE Network

On request
  • ACTIVENet$undefined/year
    • Registration, facility and membership modules
    • Revenue derived primarily from registration processing fees
    • Fee can be absorbed by the agency or passed to the participant
  • Camp and Class Manager$undefined/year
    • Flat rate or per registration fee model
    • Rates quoted per account, not published
  • ACTIVEWorks Endurance$undefined/year
    • Race registration priced on a per registration fee
    • ACTIVE.com listing included

Planning Pod

$59/month
  • Planner$59/month
    • Basic planning tools
    • 5 events
    • Email support
  • Professional$99/month
    • Unlimited events
    • Floor plans
    • Budget tracking
  • Business$199/month
    • Team features
    • Client portal
    • API access

Which should you pick?

Choose ACTIVE Network if

  • You need activenet.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want activeworks endurance.
ACTIVE Network review

Choose Planning Pod if

  • You need lead management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want floor plans.
Planning Pod review

Questions people ask

Is ACTIVE Network or Planning Pod better?
Neither clearly leads. ACTIVE Network starts at On request and Planning Pod at $59/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ACTIVE Network or Planning Pod?
ACTIVE Network starts at On request and Planning Pod at $59/month.
Does ACTIVE Network or Planning Pod run on more platforms?
ACTIVE Network runs on Web, iOS, Android. Planning Pod runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is ACTIVE Network best used for?
ACTIVE Network is most often used for a city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residents, a race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendor, a ymca needing membership, childcare billing and facility booking in one system, an agency with no software budget that can fund registration through participant-paid processing fees. Of those, a city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residents and a race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendor are not what Planning Pod is typically brought in for.
What can ACTIVE Network do that Planning Pod cannot?
ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, ACTIVEWorks Endurance, Camp and Class Manager, Participant-paid fees. Planning Pod covers Lead management, Floor plans, Budgeting, Timeline.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ACTIVE Network: Who owns ACTIVE Network?

Global Payments, which acquired it in 2017 for around 1.2 billion US dollars. It sits in the merchant solutions business.

Planning Pod: How does Planning Pod pricing work?

Planning Pod uses volume-based pricing determined by the number of events your venue manages at any given time. Pricing typically ranges from $199-319/month for single-location venues, but you only pay for the volume you actually run.

Source
ACTIVE Network: How does ACTIVE make money?

Primarily from registration processing fees, charged as a percentage plus a fixed amount per registration.

Planning Pod: Does Planning Pod publish a public pricing table?

No, Planning Pod does not publish a detailed public pricing table. To determine your specific rate, you must schedule a personalized demo and discuss your venue's event volume with their team.

Source
ACTIVE Network: Can we absorb the fee instead of charging residents?

Yes, the agency chooses. Most pass it to the participant, which is why registrants see a service fee.

ACTIVE Network: Is pricing published?

No. Both licence and processing rates are quoted per account.

Share

Related pages

More on ACTIVE Network

More on Planning Pod

Keep looking

Other head to heads