Best summer camp registration and management software

Whether you’re an experienced summer camp director or just starting out in the industry, it takes a lot of work to manage all of the responsibilities involved in running a camp. Not only do you need camp registration software, but you also need technology for communication, scheduling, and organization.

The right tools can help everything run as smoothly as possible. Summer camp registration software enables you to collect information from campers and carry out day-to-day operations throughout the summer. Choosing the right software for your needs will provide a strong foundation for your summer camp’s success.

The benefits of using camp registration and management software

Camp registration and management software offers a lot of advantages for camp leaders and administrators:

• Maintain a professional appearance: Camp registration and management software shows parents that you’re running a credible, professional organization — one they can trust to look after their children. Parents want to ensure that the camp is well run and committed to keeping their kids safe and their financial information secure.
• Make better management decisions: Many camp registration and management software solutions provide detailed analytics. That means you can make decisions based on hard data rather than just gut instincts. For example, software can help you determine when to open camp registration for the best engagement levels or which activities to continue based on historical signup data.
• Communicate more effectively: You can use camp registration and management software to streamline communication with parents and staff. You can filter lists of parents by certain criteria, for example, those who have enrolled kids in certain sessions or those who have outstanding balances. Many tools also have email and text messaging capabilities.
• Increase your profitability: You can use camp registration and management tools to analyze your expenses and optimize profitability. Some applications also manage camper waitlists so you can better plan for future sessions and increase revenue.
• Optimize your scheduling: Determining how many camp counselors you need for each day or activity isn’t easy to do manually. Many camp registration and management tools have scheduling features that allow you to create timetables based on information like the number of kids at the camp and the activities they’re involved in.
• Secure sensitive information: Camps regularly handle financial information, health information, home addresses, and more — and need to store it securely. Camp registration and management software can help ensure this information is protected.
• Enhance the customer experience: Upgrading to modern camp registration and management software demonstrates your commitment to a positive customer experience. Software can make the process easier for parents as well as for organizers, facilitating registrations and payments, perusing camp details, communicating with staff, and more. 

Tips for choosing the right summer camp registration software

Let your camp registration software handle the administrative details so you can focus on the fun parts of coordinating the camp. Automation frees up your staff and improves the overall experience.

Choose a software solution that supports you at every step — from camp registration to end-of-camp activities. Consider how software options can facilitate these important tasks:

• Collecting camper registration forms
• Integrating marketing and registration tools
• Collecting payments
• Collecting permission and waiver forms
• Scheduling facilities
• Managing check-in and checkout
• Gathering camper health questionnaires
• Organizing camp activities
• Communicating with parents
• Analyzing camper information
• Gathering camper feedback
• Reporting camp data and profits

Each camp is unique, which is why it’s essential that you find a software solution you can customize.

Top summer camp registration and management software choices

1. Jotform: best for streamlining all processes that require forms

Jotform’s customizable tools offer user-friendly solutions for building professional summer camp registration and management forms. Jotform can gather registration, arrival, and medical information; process payments; and help manage data with tables and reports. 

You can even build a custom, no-code app to house all of your forms. Start from scratch or use a template.

Popular camp registration form templates include enrollment forms, satisfaction surveys, permission forms, physical examination forms, and job applications.

Best for: camps looking to streamline their various form-based processes 

Overall Capterra user rating: 4.6/5.0

Overall G2 user rating: 4.7/5.0

Best features

• Thousands of form templates
• No-code form customization
• Drag-and-drop mobile app builder
• Secure online payment functionality and numerous payment processing integrations (Square, PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, and more)
• Electronic signatures

Pros and cons

• Pro: Jotform offers a robust form-building tool with a multitude of free templates, an easy-to-use interface, and extensive customization options.
• Con: Jotform doesn’t have an SMS communication tool.

Pricing

Jotform has a free plan, as well as three paid single-user plans starting at $39 per month or $408 per year. There’s also a custom-priced Enterprise plan for larger teams.

2. CampSite: best for streamlining enrollment and operations management

CampSite is a customizable camp management tool for managing both day camps and overnight camps. Features include registration and enrollment, attendance tracking, a messaging dashboard, medical management, transportation coordination, bunking organization, and advanced reporting.

Best for: camps looking for an all-in-one camp management tool

Overall Capterra user rating: 4.7/5.0

Overall G2 user rating: 4.6/5.0

Best features

• Parent dashboard
• Attendance tracking
• Profile pages for campers and staff
• Advanced reporting

Pros and cons

• Pro: Users say the customer service team is highly responsive and very helpful with resolving issues in a timely manner.
• Con: Some users have noted limitations in CampSite’s forms, such as a lack of conditional logic.

Pricing

CampSite requires you to book a demo to learn about pricing and plans.

3. Sawyer: best all-in-one camp management tool

Sawyer’s camp registration software offers registration management, payment processing, activity scheduling, real-time reporting, allergy tracking, and parent communication features.

Best for: camps that want to streamline enrollment and operations management

Overall Capterra user rating: 4.5/5.0

Overall G2 user rating: 4.4/5.0

Best features

• Customizable registration forms
• Activity performance analysis
• Listing on online marketplace for kids’ activities, classes, and camps
• Online family profiles

Pros and cons

• Pro: Users have praised the ease of use and friendly design.
• Con: Some users have noted limitations in the reporting feature.

Pricing

Sawyer has three paid plans, starting at $129 per month or $1,308 per year. Sawyer also offers an Enterprise plan with custom pricing.

4. Regpack: best for registration and communication

Regpack’s full suite of digital tools lets camp administrators handle registration and payment, host custom forms on their websites, automate registration tasks, filter data, and maintain communication with staff, among other things.

Best for: camps looking for a registration and communication tool 

Overall Capterra user rating: 4.4/5.0

Overall G2 user rating: 4.0/5.0

Best features

• Unique application flow with conditional logic for each camper
• Optimized for mobile
• Flexible payment plans for parents
• Dynamic reporting tools

Pros and cons

• Pro: Users have praised the platform’s customizability.
• Con: Some users have noted issues with customer service.

Pricing

Regpack offers three paid plans tailored for businesses of different sizes and needs. Costs vary by number of users and features.

5. ACTIVE Network’s Camp & Class Manager: best for managing camp marketing efforts

ACTIVE Network’s Camp & Class Manager is an all-in-one camp registration tool. Its features include customizable forms and templates, data filtering, marketing tools like social referrals, and the ability to sell merchandise from the platform.

Best for: camps and schools looking to improve their marketing efforts

Overall Capterra user rating: 4.5/5.0

Overall G2 user rating: 4.1/5.0

Best features

• Waitlist automation
• Parent portals
• Easy social media sharing
• Electronic signatures

Pros and cons

• Pro: Users have praised how easy the software is to set up and use.
• Con: Some users found the customer service unhelpful.

Pricing

ACTIVE Network requires you to book a demo to learn about the pricing and plans available.

6. Campminder: best scalable registration and management tool

Campminder offers tools that help camp directors track and meet their goals. Camp management features include solutions for staffing, transportation, health information, reporting, attendance, and more.

Best for: camps looking for registration and management software that scales well

Overall Capterra user rating: 4.7/5.0

Overall G2 user rating: 4.4/5.0

Best features

• Comprehensive staff management HR system
• Customized pricing and enrollment forms
• Secure health information collection and distribution
• Transportation coordination tools

Pros and cons

• Pro: Users have praised Campminder’s customer service.
• Con: Some users have noted difficulty and limitations in the reporting feature.

Pricing

Campminder offers one-year plans. Pricing depends on the number of campers enrolled. The Standard Suite is $9 per camper and offers basic features. The Professional Suite is $31 per camper and comes with more robust features. Exact pricing depends on the individual camp.

7. CampBrain: best for customer service

CampBrain’s management software can support a variety of camp types and conferences. It prioritizes bot-free customer service, and it offers a full suite of camp management tools.

Best for: camps and organizations looking for people-first customer service

Overall Capterra user rating: 4.3/5.0

Overall G2 user rating: 4.4/5.0

Best features

• Customized signup options
• Email scheduling
• Cabin and team assignment tools
• Health incident reporting tools

Pros and cons

• Pro: Users have praised the tool’s ease of use and helpful customer service.
• Con: Some users have expressed frustration with missing features in email and text communication.

Pricing

Schedule a demo with CampBrain to learn more about plans and pricing.

8. Campium: best for simple, straightforward pricing

Campium is management software for summer camps and after-school programs. It offers a full suite of features for registration, payments, reporting, communication, and more. Campium also provides data encryption, SMS messaging, customizable forms, parent portals, and more.

Best for: camps and after-school activity organizers looking for software with simple pricing and no setup fees

Overall Capterra user rating: 4.8/5.0

Overall G2 user rating: 5.0/5.0

Best features

• Optional feature modules
• Targeted communications using filters
• Customizable parent portal
• Custom reporting

Pros and cons

• Pro: Users have found the software user-friendly and simple.
• Con: Some users have noted the platform offers fewer features than others.

Pricing

Campium’s pricing starts at $2,400 per year and can vary by camp size and need. All features are included in all plans, and there are no setup fees. You can schedule a demo with Campium for custom pricing.

The right summer camp registration and management software for your needs

Summer camp registration software is a good investment to improve your camp, automate administrative tasks, and enhance the customer experience. Consider your camp’s unique needs and which software features will best serve campers, parents, and staff members.