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Events · head to head

Activity Messenger vs CampMinder

Activity Messenger logo

Activity Messenger

Events

Registrations, payments and communications for sports and leisure

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CampMinder logo

CampMinder

Education

Camp management for residential summer camps, priced by camper rather than by seat

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Activity Messenger entry pricing is 99 dollars a month, and online registration itself only appears on the 149 dollar Premium tier, so the cheapest plan is a communications tool rather than a registration one.; CampMinder pricing is never published and scales with camper volume, so a camp that grows a session finds its renewal quote grows with it, without a published schedule to check the increase against.
  • They diverge on capability: Activity Messenger covers Online registration, CampMinder covers Enrolment and waitlists.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activity Messenger and CampMinder actually diverge.

Attributes where Activity Messenger and CampMinder differ
AttributeActivity MessengerCampMinder
Starting price$99/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryEventsEducation
Founded2019Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Activity Messenger

  • Online registration
  • Digital waivers
  • Email and SMS automation
  • Memberships and ticketing
  • Attendance tracking
  • Bulk certificates

Only in CampMinder

  • Enrolment and waitlists
  • Tuition billing
  • Health records
  • Cabin and group assignment
  • Parent portal
  • Transport
  • Reporting

Both cover

  • Staff management

What people use each for

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

Activity Messenger

  • Running seasonal camp and class registrationsnot CampMinder
  • Collecting signed liability waivers digitallynot CampMinder
  • Managing memberships and recurring programmesnot CampMinder
  • Onboarding and timesheeting seasonal instructorsnot CampMinder
  • Email and SMS campaigns to a registrant listnot CampMinder

CampMinder

  • An overnight camp of eight hundred campers whose nurse currently runs medication logs on paper and cannot produce records for an insurernot Activity Messenger
  • A camp hiring three hundred seasonal staff a year and losing candidates in an email-based application processnot Activity Messenger
  • A camp network wanting consistent enrolment and retention reporting across several sitesnot Activity Messenger
  • A camp whose parent communication during session is the main driver of re-enrolment and is currently ad hocnot Activity Messenger

Where each one falls short

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

Activity Messenger

  • Entry pricing is 99 dollars a month, and online registration itself only appears on the 149 dollar Premium tier, so the cheapest plan is a communications tool rather than a registration one.
  • Payment processing costs 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on cards with a 1 percent service fee on all methods, which is charged on top of the subscription.
  • Tiers are gated on email subscriber counts, so an organisation with a large mailing list and few registrations pays for the list.
  • Staff scheduling is listed as coming soon on the Pro tier rather than available.
  • The customer base and case studies are concentrated in North America, so a European organisation should check tax and payment handling before committing.

CampMinder

  • Pricing is never published and scales with camper volume, so a camp that grows a session finds its renewal quote grows with it, without a published schedule to check the increase against.
  • Payment processing is charged separately from the licence and is negotiable, but many camps accept the default rate; on several million dollars of card tuition that decision costs more than the software.
  • It is built for the North American residential camp model, so camps in the UK, Europe or Australia find terminology, health record structure and transport tooling assume American practice.
  • The interface accumulated over two decades and is dense; new administrators need real training, which matters when camp offices turn over staff between seasons.
  • Off-season utilisation is poor: a camp pays for a full year of a platform it uses intensively for four months, which makes the per-camper cost feel high to a board reviewing annual spend.

Pricing, plan by plan

Activity Messenger

$99/month
  • Light$99/month
    • Email marketing with Canva integration
    • Digital waivers and signatures
    • Surveys and forms
  • Premium$149/month
    • Online registration and camps and activities management
    • Staff management
    • Memberships and automations
  • Pro$229/month
    • Private lessons and bookings
    • Unlimited users
    • Fully white label
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited data storage
    • Fundraising for athletes

CampMinder

On request
  • CampMinder$undefined/year
    • Registration, billing, health and staff modules
    • Parent portal with photos and messaging
    • Priced by camper volume, quoted annually

Which should you pick?

Choose Activity Messenger if

  • You need online registration.
  • You also want digital waivers.
Activity Messenger review

Choose CampMinder if

  • You need enrolment and waitlists.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want tuition billing.
CampMinder review

Questions people ask

Is Activity Messenger or CampMinder better?
Neither clearly leads. Activity Messenger starts at $99/month and CampMinder at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activity Messenger or CampMinder?
Activity Messenger starts at $99/month and CampMinder at On request.
Does Activity Messenger or CampMinder run on more platforms?
Activity Messenger runs on Web. CampMinder runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Activity Messenger best used for?
Activity Messenger is most often used for running seasonal camp and class registrations, collecting signed liability waivers digitally, managing memberships and recurring programmes, onboarding and timesheeting seasonal instructors. Of those, running seasonal camp and class registrations and collecting signed liability waivers digitally are not what CampMinder is typically brought in for.
What can Activity Messenger do that CampMinder cannot?
Activity Messenger covers Online registration, Digital waivers, Email and SMS automation, Memberships and ticketing. CampMinder covers Enrolment and waitlists, Tuition billing, Health records, Cabin and group assignment. Both handle Staff management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Activity Messenger: What does Activity Messenger cost?

Light is $99 a month, Premium $149, Pro $229, and Enterprise is custom priced. A $10 pause plan is available for seasonal businesses for up to six months.

Source
CampMinder: What does CampMinder cost?

It is not published. Pricing is quoted annually against camper volume, plus separate implementation and payment processing costs. Ask for the volume bands in writing so next year's increase is predictable.

Activity Messenger: Are there transaction fees on top?

Yes. Credit card payments are 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction, Interac and bank transfers are 1 percent plus $0.40, and a 1 percent service fee applies across all payment methods.

Source
CampMinder: Is payment processing negotiable?

Yes, and it is the largest cost most camps overlook. Compare the offered rate against an independent merchant quote before signing.

Activity Messenger: Which tier includes online registration?

Premium at $149 a month. The $99 Light tier covers email marketing, digital waivers, surveys and forms, but registration, camps and activities management, memberships and ticketing start at Premium.

Source
CampMinder: Does it handle camper health records properly?

Yes. The health centre module with medication administration logs is one of the strongest reasons camps choose it over generic registration tools.

Activity Messenger: Who is it built for?

Sports and leisure organisations: classes and camps, schools, federations, dance studios, gymnastics clubs, swim schools, soccer academies, tennis clubs, parks and recreation departments and sports associations.

Source
CampMinder: Is it suitable for a day camp?

It can be, but much of what you pay for, such as bunking, transport and health centre operations, is built for overnight camps.

Activity Messenger: Who built it?

Founded in Montreal in 2019 by Martin Drapeau, Olivier Rousseau and Michael Shpigelman. Drapeau was previously CTO of Amilia, where he spent six years growing the company from 15 to 110 people.

Source
Activity Messenger: What does it integrate with?

Stripe for payments, Zoom for online sessions on the Premium tier and above, and Canva for email design.

Source
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