Softwr

Events · head to head

Activity Messenger vs SportsEngine

Activity Messenger logo

Activity Messenger

Events

Registrations, payments and communications for sports and leisure

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SportsEngine logo

SportsEngine

Sports

Registration and governance platform mandated by several United States national governing bodies

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only SportsEngine has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; SportsEngine a large part of the cost is the payment processing percentage on registrations rather than the platform quotation, so the true seasonal cost scales with the money you collect and is usually passed on to families.
  • They diverge on capability: Activity Messenger covers Digital waivers, SportsEngine covers Compliance and screening.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Activity Messenger and SportsEngine differ
AttributeActivity MessengerSportsEngine
Starting price$99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryEventsSports
Founded2019Unknown

Identical on both: 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

  • Digital waivers
  • Email and SMS automation
  • Memberships and ticketing
  • Staff management
  • Attendance tracking
  • Bulk certificates

Only in SportsEngine

  • Compliance and screening
  • Governing body integration
  • Scheduling and tournaments
  • Organisation websites
  • Free team tier

Both cover

  • Online registration

What people use each for

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

Activity Messenger

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

SportsEngine

  • A club affiliated to a national governing body that runs its member registration and safeguarding on SportsEnginenot Activity Messenger
  • A league that needs background screening status tracked against every volunteer before the season startsnot Activity Messenger
  • An organisation collecting several hundred registrations with instalment payment plans across multiple programmesnot Activity Messenger
  • A tournament organiser needing brackets, schedules and public results pages in one placenot 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.

SportsEngine

  • A large part of the cost is the payment processing percentage on registrations rather than the platform quotation, so the true seasonal cost scales with the money you collect and is usually passed on to families.
  • The free team tier is a funnel rather than a complete product, and organisations that adopt it discover the features they need are on the quoted club product.
  • The product line has grown through acquisition and corporate reorganisation under NBC Sports Next, so overlapping products and periodic retirements happen on a schedule set by the parent rather than by you.
  • Website building and communication tools are dated compared with general purpose alternatives, and clubs that care about their public presence often end up running a separate site anyway.
  • Outside the United States and outside the sports whose governing bodies mandate it, the case for choosing SportsEngine over a simpler and cheaper registration tool is weak.

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

SportsEngine

Free
  • SportsEngine HQFree
    • Free for individual teams
    • Rosters, schedules and messaging
    • Parent application access
  • SportsEngine for Clubs and Leagues$undefined/year
    • Quoted per organisation
    • Registration, payments and compliance tracking
    • Websites and multi-team scheduling

Which should you pick?

Choose Activity Messenger if

  • You need digital waivers.
  • You also want email and sms automation.
Activity Messenger review

Choose SportsEngine if

  • You need compliance and screening.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want governing body integration.
SportsEngine review

Questions people ask

Is Activity Messenger or SportsEngine better?
Neither clearly leads. Activity Messenger starts at $99/month and SportsEngine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activity Messenger or SportsEngine?
SportsEngine has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/month for Activity Messenger and Free for SportsEngine.
Does Activity Messenger or SportsEngine run on more platforms?
Activity Messenger runs on Web. SportsEngine runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use SportsEngine for free?
Yes. SportsEngine has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Activity Messenger starts at $99/month.
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 SportsEngine is typically brought in for.
What can Activity Messenger do that SportsEngine cannot?
Activity Messenger covers Digital waivers, Email and SMS automation, Memberships and ticketing, Staff management. SportsEngine covers Compliance and screening, Governing body integration, Scheduling and tournaments, Organisation websites. Both handle Online registration.

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
SportsEngine: Do we have to use it?

If your national governing body runs member registration and safeguarding compliance on SportsEngine, effectively yes, unless you are prepared to duplicate registration in two systems.

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
SportsEngine: What does it cost?

The organisation product is quoted, and on top of that there is a processing percentage on every registration payment. Model the processing against your registration volume.

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
SportsEngine: Is SportsEngine HQ really free?

Yes, for individual teams. It is deliberately limited compared with the club and league product it is designed to lead you towards.

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
SportsEngine: How does it compare with TeamSnap?

TeamSnap is stronger at team-level communication and cheaper for a single team. SportsEngine wins where registration, payments and governing body compliance are the requirement.

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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