What is the difference between Pembee and Swimmigo?

Pembee is generic class booking software for booking, scheduling, and payments. Swimmigo is a swim-specific app with levels, skills, own teaching method via Studio, and self-practice for parent and child.

Is Pembee more expensive than Swimmigo?

Pembee costs 45 dollars per month plus 0.59 percent Stripe fee. Swimmigo charges 9.99 euros (Solo) or 59.99 euros (School) per month, unlimited children, without transaction fee.

Can I switch from Pembee to Swimmigo?

Yes. You set up Swimmigo for free and transfer your lesson type and levels via Studio. Your 30-day trial only starts once you invite your first real student.

Can I see my child's progress with Pembee?

Pembee records bookings and attendance, no swim-specific lesson progress. With Swimmigo you see progress live in the app, with levels and skills.

Can my child practice independently with Swimmigo?

Yes. With Swimmigo your child practices independently with levels and gamification, even without a fixed swim school. Pembee does not have this.

Can I use my own teaching method?

With Swimmigo you build your own levels, exercises, order, and certificates via Studio. Pembee works with bookings without swim-specific teaching method.

How does pricing work with Pembee?

Pembee charges 45 dollars (Standard) or 105 dollars (Premium) per month, plus 0.59 percent Stripe fee. Swimmigo charges a fixed monthly fee with unlimited children.

Pembee alternative: honest comparison with Swimmigo [2026]

The main difference

The main difference is the focus. Pembee is generic class booking software for clubs, camps, and courses, starting at 45 dollars per month. Swimmigo is a swim-specific app with levels, skills, its own teaching method, and self-practice.

Swimmigo is not the best swim software, but a different one. Pembee handles booking, scheduling, and payments for all kinds of lessons. Swimmigo focuses purely on swimming lessons, from progress to diploma.

What is Pembee?

Pembee is class booking software from Pembee from the United Kingdom. It manages bookings, schedules, payments, and communication for clubs, camps, courses, and lessons. More than 230,000 users and 900,000 bookings run through it.

Price with transaction fee

Pembee costs 45 dollars per month for Standard and 105 dollars for Premium. On top of that, there is a 0.59 percent application fee for Stripe payments, plus Stripe processing fees. The trial period is 30 days free.

Generic booking, no swim-specific progress

Pembee is a booking system: registration forms, schedules, subscriptions, and lesson cards. There is no swim-specific progress with levels and skills, no own teaching method builder, and no self-practice for parent and child. The roster is for attendance, not for lesson progress.

Calm water surface in an indoor pool

What is Swimmigo?

Swimmigo is an app for the entire swimming lesson, from registration to diploma. School, instructor, parent, and swimmer are all in one native app for iOS and Android. Additionally, there is Studio, a web app where you build your own teaching method.

Fixed monthly rate

Swimmigo charges a fixed monthly fee. Solo costs 9.99 euros per month, School costs 59.99 euros per month. Both with unlimited children and free setup; your 30-day trial only starts once you invite your first real student. Parents use the app for free.

Any lesson type, own teaching method, and self-practice

Swimmigo sets up any lesson type in a few minutes: a fixed weekly lesson, a two-week speed course, or a ten-week turbo lesson. Via Studio you build your own levels, exercises, order, videos, and certificates. And uniquely, Swimmigo lets parent and child practice themselves with levels and gamification, even without a fixed swim school.

Comparison table

Feature	Swimmigo	Pembee
Pricing model	Fixed monthly fee, unlimited children, locations, and instructors	45 or 105 dollars per month plus 0.59% Stripe fee
Platform	Native app iOS and Android + Studio web app	Web platform with booking page and mobile roster
Works independently in the app	Yes, the whole system is in one app	No, web platform, no native app for everything
Languages	5 languages	English (multiple currencies available)
Progress tracking	7 levels, 86 skills, 6/6 system	No swim-specific levels or skills
Own teaching method (Studio)	Yes, own levels, exercises, order, videos, and certificates	No, no own teaching method builder
Own branding	Yes, own colors and logo	Yes, site theming and branding
Motivation and gamification	Yes, stars, XP, and mascot	Not found on the site
Self-practice (parent and child)	Yes, parent and child practice themselves with levels and gamification	No, only booking and payment
Family viewing	Yes, share link with high five	Yes, self-service account for multiple participants
Lifetime progress record	Yes, stays with parent and child	Not found on the site
Access control	Mark attendance at lesson start, lesson removed from lesson card	Attendance rosters
Absence and make-up lessons	Yes, swipe and automatic spot freed	Not specifically found on the site
Schedule and occupancy	Yes, see per group where spots are available	Yes, timetable and live capacity
Level transition	Yes, planned transfer, parent confirms	No swim-specific levels
Waiting list and open spots	Yes, self-enrollment	Yes, waitlists (Premium)
Statistics and School Pulse	Yes, key figures, occupancy, and stagnation alerts	Yes, revenue per class and transaction reports (Premium)
Team and collaboration	Yes, multiple instructors, substitutes, and permissions	Yes, admin users (5 or unlimited)
Safety administration	Not present	Yes, health forms and consent
Lesson cards and subscriptions	Yes, own payment models (lesson card, subscription, course)	Yes, term billing, session passes, and memberships
Lesson payments	Optional via Stripe, iDEAL, card, and PayPal, 7.5%	Yes, Stripe plus 0.59% fee
Revenue and costs	Yes, revenue per month and yield per lesson and group	Yes, revenue per class and reconciliation
Discounts and price changes	Yes, coupons and planned price changes	Yes, discount codes
Marketing toolkit	Yes, flyers, social, QR, and diploma maker	Google Ads, GA4, and Meta Pixel (Premium)
In-app communication	Yes, messages with read confirmation	Yes, booking reminders and email
Reviews	Yes, parents rate the school	Not present
Service desk	In-app support	Support team and demo

Where Swimmigo wins

Swim-specific progress: 7 levels and 86 skills. Pembee has no swim-specific levels.
Own teaching method via Studio. Pembee has no own teaching method builder.
Self-practice for parent and child. Pembee does not have this.
All in one native app. Pembee is a web platform with a booking page.
Gamification and motivation for the child.
Fixed monthly fee without transaction fee. Pembee charges 0.59 percent per Stripe payment.

Where Pembee wins

Low base price of 45 dollars per month.
Quick to set up, often live the same day.
Broad: clubs, camps, courses, dance, and gymnastics.
Multiple currencies: Australian dollar, euro, pound, dollar, and more.
Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Klarna.

For whom Pembee is the better choice

Pembee suits organizers of clubs, camps, and courses who want a simple and cheap booking system without swim-specific progress, and who already work with Stripe and the transaction fee.

For whom Swimmigo is the better choice

Swimmigo suits swim schools and instructors who want everything in one app for pure swimming lessons, with their own teaching method, a fixed low monthly fee, and self-practice for parent and child.

Pembee alternative: honest comparison with Swimmigo [2026]

Summary

The main difference

What is Pembee?

Price with transaction fee

Generic booking, no swim-specific progress

What is Swimmigo?

Fixed monthly rate

Any lesson type, own teaching method, and self-practice

Comparison table

Where Swimmigo wins

Where Pembee wins

For whom Pembee is the better choice

For whom Swimmigo is the better choice

More comparisons

Sources

Bob van Soest

Frequently Asked Questions

General

Parents

Swim Schools

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