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Calendars · head to head

Resource Guru vs Sawyer

Resource Guru logo

Resource Guru

Calendars

The fast, simple way to schedule people and resources

From
$5/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: Resource Guru limited advanced reporting and analytics compared to enterprise-level solutions; 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: Resource Guru covers Resource scheduling, 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 Resource Guru and Sawyer actually diverge.

Attributes where Resource Guru and Sawyer differ
AttributeResource GuruSawyer
Starting price$5/month$189/month
Pricing modelUnknownPer business per month, plus marketplace commission
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryCalendarsScheduling
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Resource Guru

  • Resource scheduling
  • Availability management
  • Clash management
  • Forecasting
  • Leave management
  • Google Calendar
  • Outlook
  • Slack

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.

Resource Guru

  • 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 Resource Guru
  • An established music school moving off spreadsheets that will run Sawyer as software only and never list on the marketplacenot Resource Guru
  • A gym selling memberships, class packs and birthday parties that needs all three billed from one systemnot Resource Guru
  • A provider running summer camps alongside term-time classes who wants a single parent account for bothnot Resource Guru

Where each one falls short

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

Resource Guru

  • Limited advanced reporting and analytics compared to enterprise-level solutions
  • Lacks scalability for large organizations or complex project management scenarios
  • No offline mode requires constant internet connectivity
  • Limited integrations compared to competitors with broader ecosystem support
  • No native invoicing or billing features for financial management

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

Resource Guru

$5/month
  • Grasshopper$5/month
    • Unlimited projects
    • Unlimited clients
    • Personalized dashboards
  • Blackbelt$8/month
    • All Grasshopper features
    • Timesheets
    • Time tracking
  • Master$12/month
    • All Blackbelt features
    • Booking approval workflow
    • SSO single sign-on

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 Resource Guru if

  • You need resource scheduling.
  • You also want availability management.
Resource Guru 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 Resource Guru or Sawyer better?
Neither clearly leads. Resource Guru starts at $5/month and Sawyer at $189/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Resource Guru or Sawyer?
Resource Guru starts at $5/month and Sawyer at $189/month.
Does Resource Guru or Sawyer run on more platforms?
Resource Guru runs on Web. Sawyer runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Resource Guru best used for?
Resource Guru 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 Resource Guru do that Sawyer cannot?
Resource Guru covers Resource scheduling, Availability management, Clash management, Forecasting. Sawyer covers Class and camp registration, Memberships and class packs, Consumer marketplace, Auto-billing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Resource Guru: How is Resource Guru priced?

Resource Guru offers three per-user tiers: Grasshopper ($5/month), Blackbelt ($8/month), and Master ($12/month). Annual billing gives 2 months free. Non-human resources like meeting rooms cost $2.08-5.00 per item depending on tier. A free 30-day trial is available.

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.

Resource Guru: What integrations does Resource Guru offer?

Resource Guru integrates with Jira, Asana, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Zapier, Make, Salesforce, and Gmail for seamless workflow automation.

Source
Sawyer: Can I use Sawyer without the marketplace?

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

Resource Guru: Does Resource Guru have time tracking?

Time tracking is included in Blackbelt and Master plans, allowing teams to monitor billable and non-billable hours. The Grasshopper plan does not include this feature.

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.

Resource Guru: Can Resource Guru be used offline?

No, Resource Guru is a cloud-based platform that requires internet connectivity to access. There is no offline mode available.

Source
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.

Resource Guru: Is Resource Guru suitable for large enterprises?

Resource Guru works well for small to mid-sized teams and agencies but may face scalability limitations for large enterprises requiring advanced reporting, project financial visibility, or complex multi-team workflows.

Source
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