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Scheduling · head to head

Amilia SmartRec vs Guest Manager

Amilia SmartRec logo

Amilia SmartRec

Scheduling

Registration and activity management for community recreation, with a 1% fee on top of the subscription

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Guest Manager logo

Guest Manager

Events

Event check-in and registration

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Guest Manager has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amilia SmartRec the 1% fee on each new invoice item sits on top of both the subscription and card processing, so an organisation invoicing two million dollars pays around twenty thousand a year in a fee that never appears in a plan comparison.; Guest Manager usage is metered in credits consumed by check ins, emails and badges, so cost scales with activity rather than with the subscription alone
  • They diverge on capability: Amilia SmartRec covers Activity registration, Guest Manager covers Registration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amilia SmartRec and Guest Manager actually diverge.

Attributes where Amilia SmartRec and Guest Manager differ
AttributeAmilia SmartRecGuest Manager
Starting price$99/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month plus 1% of invoiced itemssubscription
Free tierNoYes
CategorySchedulingEvents
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Amilia SmartRec

  • Activity registration
  • Family accounts
  • Memberships
  • Facility booking
  • Point of sale
  • Online store
  • Financial reporting
  • Bilingual interface

Only in Guest Manager

  • Registration
  • QR check-in
  • Badge printing
  • Attendance tracking
  • Guest communication
  • Eventbrite
  • Mailchimp
  • Zapier

What people use each for

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

Amilia SmartRec

  • A municipal recreation department replacing paper and phone registration for seasonal programmesnot Guest Manager
  • A community centre that needs one family account covering several children across different activitiesnot Guest Manager
  • A bilingual Canadian organisation required to serve residents in English and Frenchnot Guest Manager
  • A sports club running leagues, camps and memberships that currently sit in three separate systemsnot Guest Manager

Guest Manager

  • Guest list check in on tablets at eventsnot Amilia SmartRec
  • Selling and scanning event ticketsnot Amilia SmartRec
  • Printing name badges onsitenot Amilia SmartRec

Where each one falls short

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

Amilia SmartRec

  • The 1% fee on each new invoice item sits on top of both the subscription and card processing, so an organisation invoicing two million dollars pays around twenty thousand a year in a fee that never appears in a plan comparison.
  • Implementation is charged separately, from $899 on Standard and $2,999 on Advanced, which for a small community organisation is several months of subscription before the system goes live.
  • Parks and facilities management is shallower than a dedicated municipal recreation platform, so departments managing complex field allocation and maintenance schedules will still need another system.
  • Reporting is oriented towards revenue rather than programme utilisation, so recreation managers analysing attendance patterns and capacity end up exporting to spreadsheets.
  • Its strength is in Canada, and US municipalities find fewer local references, fewer integrations with American finance systems and less familiarity with state-specific requirements.

Guest Manager

  • Usage is metered in credits consumed by check ins, emails and badges, so cost scales with activity rather than with the subscription alone
  • Check in devices are capped at 2 on On Demand, 4 on Planner and 8 on Professional
  • Ticket fees are $1.00 per ticket on On Demand and Planner and fall to $0.50 only on the $199 per month Concierge plan
  • Priority support and a dedicated account manager are Concierge and Custom only
  • The free trial covers only the first 50 guest check ins
  • The Custom plan is priced by quote

Pricing, plan by plan

Amilia SmartRec

$99/month
  • Standard$99/month
    • Activity registration and online store
    • Family accounts
    • 1% fee on each new invoice item
  • Advanced$499/month
    • Memberships, facility booking and point of sale
    • Advanced reporting
    • 1% fee on each new invoice item
  • Custom$undefined/year
    • For YMCAs, JCCs and parks and recreation departments
    • Scoped and quoted individually
    • Fee structure negotiated

Guest Manager

Free
  • On Demand$null/usage
    • Pay-as-you-go credit packages
    • 2 devices
    • Self-service support
  • Planner$39/month
    • 3,600 credits/year
    • 4 devices
    • Self-service support
  • Professional$79/month
    • 9,600 credits/year
    • 8 devices
    • Self-service support
  • Concierge$199/month
    • 24,000 credits/year
    • Unlimited devices
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Amilia SmartRec if

  • You need activity registration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want family accounts.
Amilia SmartRec review

Choose Guest Manager if

  • You need registration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want qr check-in.
Guest Manager review

Questions people ask

Is Amilia SmartRec or Guest Manager better?
Neither clearly leads. Amilia SmartRec starts at $99/month and Guest Manager at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amilia SmartRec or Guest Manager?
Guest Manager has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/month for Amilia SmartRec and Free for Guest Manager.
Does Amilia SmartRec or Guest Manager run on more platforms?
Amilia SmartRec runs on Web, iOS, Android. Guest Manager runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Guest Manager for free?
Yes. Guest Manager has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amilia SmartRec starts at $99/month.
What is Amilia SmartRec best used for?
Amilia SmartRec is most often used for a municipal recreation department replacing paper and phone registration for seasonal programmes, a community centre that needs one family account covering several children across different activities, a bilingual canadian organisation required to serve residents in english and french, a sports club running leagues, camps and memberships that currently sit in three separate systems. Of those, a municipal recreation department replacing paper and phone registration for seasonal programmes and a community centre that needs one family account covering several children across different activities are not what Guest Manager is typically brought in for.
What can Amilia SmartRec do that Guest Manager cannot?
Amilia SmartRec covers Activity registration, Family accounts, Memberships, Facility booking. Guest Manager covers Registration, QR check-in, Badge printing, Attendance tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amilia SmartRec: What is the real total cost?

Subscription from $99 or $499 a month, plus roughly 1% on each new invoice item, plus card processing around 2.85% plus $0.30, plus a one-off implementation fee. The percentage fees dominate at any real volume.

Guest Manager: Is there a free trial for Guest Manager?

Yes. New users can check in their first 50 guests free with access to every feature. No credit card required.

Source
Amilia SmartRec: Is the 1% negotiable?

On the Custom tier for larger organisations, the fee structure is part of the negotiation. On the published plans it is not.

Guest Manager: How much does Guest Manager charge per ticket?

Guest Manager charges per-ticket service fees ranging from $0.50-$1.00 depending on your plan, plus payment processor fees (Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30).

Source
Amilia SmartRec: Does it work in French?

Yes, throughout. That is a practical requirement for Quebec and many bilingual Canadian public bodies and a genuine reason to choose it there.

Guest Manager: What is the difference between Guest Manager's subscription plans?

Planner ($39/mo) includes 3,600 credits/year and 4 devices. Professional ($79/mo) includes 9,600 credits/year and 8 devices. Concierge ($199/mo) includes 24,000 credits/year and unlimited devices with priority support.

Source
Amilia SmartRec: Can it replace a municipal recreation system?

For registration and memberships, often yes. For parks asset and facility maintenance management, no.

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