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Events · head to head

Guest Manager vs SportsEngine

Guest Manager logo

Guest Manager

Events

Event check-in and registration

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: 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; 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: Guest Manager covers Registration, SportsEngine covers Online registration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Guest Manager and SportsEngine actually diverge.

Attributes where Guest Manager and SportsEngine differ
AttributeGuest ManagerSportsEngine
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
CategoryEventsSports
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Guest Manager

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

Only in SportsEngine

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

What people use each for

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

Guest Manager

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

SportsEngine

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

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

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 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

Choose SportsEngine if

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

Questions people ask

Is Guest Manager or SportsEngine better?
Neither clearly leads. Guest Manager starts at Free and SportsEngine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Guest Manager or SportsEngine?
Guest Manager starts at Free and SportsEngine at Free.
Does Guest Manager or SportsEngine run on more platforms?
Guest Manager runs on Web, Ios, Android. SportsEngine runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Guest Manager for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Guest Manager best used for?
Guest Manager is most often used for guest list check in on tablets at events, selling and scanning event tickets, printing name badges onsite. Of those, guest list check in on tablets at events and selling and scanning event tickets are not what SportsEngine is typically brought in for.
What can Guest Manager do that SportsEngine cannot?
Guest Manager covers Registration, QR check-in, Badge printing, Attendance tracking. SportsEngine covers Online registration, Compliance and screening, Governing body integration, Scheduling and tournaments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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.

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
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.

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
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.

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.

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