Scheduling · head to head
Doodle vs Sawyer
Sawyer
Scheduling
Class and camp booking software for children activity businesses, with a marketplace that takes up to 30 percent
- From
- $189/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Doodle has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Doodle free plan restricted to one active poll and one booking page with 10-slot limit; Sawyer the Launch plan looks free but forces a marketplace listing at 30 percent commission, so a single high-value camp booking through the marketplace can cost more than a year of the Grow subscription would have.
- They diverge on capability: Doodle covers Group polls, Sawyer covers Class and camp registration.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Doodle and Sawyer actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling).
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 Doodle
- Group polls
- 1:1 scheduling
- Booking pages
- Calendar sync
- Time zone support
- Google Calendar
- Outlook
- Zoom
Only in Sawyer
- Class and camp registration
- Memberships and class packs
- Consumer marketplace
- Auto-billing
- Waivers and e-signature
- Multi-location
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Doodle
- Schedulingnot Sawyer
- Appointment bookingnot Sawyer
- Time trackingnot Sawyer
- Resource managementnot Sawyer
- Team coordinationnot Sawyer
Sawyer
- A new kids activity studio with no mailing list that wants the marketplace to fill its first termsnot Doodle
- An established music school moving off spreadsheets that will run Sawyer as software only and never list on the marketplacenot Doodle
- A gym selling memberships, class packs and birthday parties that needs all three billed from one systemnot Doodle
- A provider running summer camps alongside term-time classes who wants a single parent account for bothnot Doodle
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Doodle
- Free plan restricted to one active poll and one booking page with 10-slot limit
- Free users see excessive advertisements on booking pages
- Limited customization options for poll types and response formats
- Mobile app experiences bugs and has less polished interface than desktop version
Sawyer
- The Launch plan looks free but forces a marketplace listing at 30 percent commission, so a single high-value camp booking through the marketplace can cost more than a year of the Grow subscription would have.
- Marketplace commission applies to the order value, not the margin, so low-margin providers can lose money on a marketplace booking.
- Payment processing fees are charged separately by Stripe on top of the subscription and any commission, which the plan comparison does not surface clearly.
- The step from Grow to Scale doubles the monthly cost for account management and integrations rather than for capability most providers need, making the middle tier the only sensible choice for many.
- It is built for consumer activity businesses, so providers who invoice schools, councils or corporate clients will find the billing model a poor fit.
Pricing, plan by plan
Doodle
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Doodle review.
Sawyer
$189/month- Launch$undefined/month
- No monthly subscription fee
- 3 percent per transaction
- Marketplace listing required, 30 percent commission on marketplace orders
- Grow$189/month
- 189 USD per month billed annually, 219 monthly
- Marketplace listing optional, 20 percent commission if used
- Advanced scheduling, waitlists, free trials
- Scale$379/month
- 379 USD per month billed annually, 399 monthly
- Marketplace listing optional, 15 percent commission if used
- Dedicated account manager and registration launch support
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Custom pricing for large multi-site operators
Which should you pick?
Choose Doodle if
- You need group polls.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
- You also want 1:1 scheduling.
Choose Sawyer if
- You need class and camp registration.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want memberships and class packs.
Questions people ask
- Is Doodle or Sawyer better?
- Neither clearly leads. Doodle starts at Free and Sawyer at $189/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Doodle or Sawyer?
- Doodle has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Doodle and $189/month for Sawyer.
- Does Doodle or Sawyer run on more platforms?
- Doodle runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android). Sawyer runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Doodle for free?
- Yes. Doodle has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sawyer starts at $189/month.
- What is Doodle best used for?
- Doodle is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management. Of those, scheduling and appointment booking are not what Sawyer is typically brought in for.
- What can Doodle do that Sawyer cannot?
- Doodle covers Group polls, 1:1 scheduling, Booking pages, Calendar sync. Sawyer covers Class and camp registration, Memberships and class packs, Consumer marketplace, Auto-billing.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Doodle: Does Doodle offer a free plan?
Yes. Doodle's free plan includes one active group poll, one booking page, and one 1:1 meeting, limited to 10 slots per poll with ads displayed. Premium plans start at $15/month.
SourceSawyer: Is the Launch plan really free?
No. It has no monthly fee but charges 3 percent per transaction and requires a marketplace listing that takes 30 percent of marketplace orders.
Doodle: What are Doodle's pricing plans?
Professional plan costs $15/month (or $132/year). Team plan costs $19.95/user/month (or $8.95/user/month billed annually) with a two-seat minimum.
SourceSawyer: Can I use Sawyer without the marketplace?
Yes, on Grow and Scale the listing is optional. On Launch it is required.
Doodle: Does Doodle integrate with calendar apps?
Yes. Doodle integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar to prevent double-bookings. Slack integration allows poll creation and sharing directly in Slack channels.
SourceSawyer: What does the marketplace commission apply to?
The full order value of bookings originating on hisawyer.com, not to bookings from your own website.
Sawyer: Is there a contract?
Monthly plans are month to month with 30 days notice; annual billing saves roughly 5 to 14 percent depending on tier.
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