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Scheduling · head to head

Planday vs Sawyer

Planday logo

Planday

Scheduling

Danish workforce scheduling and shift management software for shift-based businesses

From
£2.99/user per month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sawyer logo

Sawyer

Scheduling

Class and camp booking software for children activity businesses, with a marketplace that takes up to 30 percent

From
$189/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Planday plus and Pro pricing not published; requires contacting sales; 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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planday and Sawyer actually diverge.

Attributes where Planday and Sawyer differ
AttributePlandaySawyer
Starting price£2.99/user per month$189/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer business per month, plus marketplace commission
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Planday

Nothing recorded that Sawyer does not also cover.

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.

Planday

  • Workforce scheduling and managementnot Sawyer
  • Time tracking and payroll integrationnot Sawyer
  • Employee scheduling for retail and hospitalitynot Sawyer
  • Rostering and shift managementnot Sawyer

Sawyer

  • A new kids activity studio with no mailing list that wants the marketplace to fill its first termsnot Planday
  • An established music school moving off spreadsheets that will run Sawyer as software only and never list on the marketplacenot Planday
  • A gym selling memberships, class packs and birthday parties that needs all three billed from one systemnot Planday
  • A provider running summer camps alongside term-time classes who wants a single parent account for bothnot Planday

Where each one falls short

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

Planday

  • Plus and Pro pricing not published; requires contacting sales
  • Starter tier requires minimum of 5 users making it unsuitable for solo operations
  • Plus plan pricing per user not specified on pricing page

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

Planday

£2.99/user per month
  • Starter$2.99/user per month
    • Intuitive scheduling
    • Simple time tracking
    • Working time rules
  • Plus$null/mo
    • Advanced scheduling
    • Leave and absence management
    • Accurate payroll reporting and integrations
  • Pro$null/mo
    • Custom planning metrics
    • Auto-scheduling
    • Configurable organisational structure

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 Planday if

Nothing in the data separates Planday from Sawyer on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Planday review

Choose Sawyer if

  • You need class and camp registration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want memberships and class packs.
Sawyer review

Questions people ask

Is Planday or Sawyer better?
Neither clearly leads. Planday starts at £2.99/user per month and Sawyer at $189/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planday or Sawyer?
Planday starts at £2.99/user per month and Sawyer at $189/month.
Does Planday or Sawyer run on more platforms?
Planday runs on Web. Sawyer runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Planday best used for?
Planday is most often used for workforce scheduling and management, time tracking and payroll integration, employee scheduling for retail and hospitality, rostering and shift management. Of those, workforce scheduling and management and time tracking and payroll integration are not what Sawyer is typically brought in for.
What can Planday do that Sawyer cannot?
Sawyer covers Class and camp registration, Memberships and class packs, Consumer marketplace, Auto-billing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Planday: How much does Planday cost?

Planday's Starter plan costs £2.99 per user per month with a minimum of 5 users required. Plus and Pro plans require contacting sales for custom pricing.

Source
Sawyer: 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.

Planday: Does Planday offer a free trial?

Yes, Planday offers a 30-day free trial available for both Starter and Plus plans with no credit card required. You can cancel anytime.

Source
Sawyer: Can I use Sawyer without the marketplace?

Yes, on Grow and Scale the listing is optional. On Launch it is required.

Planday: What is the minimum Planday commitment?

The Starter tier requires a minimum of 5 users at £2.99 per user per month. Annual prepayment may offer different terms; contact sales for details.

Source
Sawyer: 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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