Quick answer: most clubs use CrewLAB for free. The coaching and team software — training, communication, roster, lineups, analytics — costs nothing to use. When your club does collect payments, CrewLAB keeps the cost down — including low-cost options like ACH / bank transfer that many club platforms don’t even offer — so more of your money stays with the club. There is no required subscription; an optional Pro upgrade is there if you want more. For current plan details, see crewlab.io/pricing.
Is CrewLAB really free?
Yes — genuinely free, not a 14-day trial. A club can sign up, add its teams, and run training, communication, and roster management without paying anything. Free is not the teaser version; for most clubs it is the whole thing. There is a paid upgrade for clubs that want more, but it is an option, not a toll gate.
Then how does CrewLAB make money?
Two ways, and neither one is a subscription you are forced into:
- Club Management (payments). When your club collects registration fees, dues, or other payments through CrewLAB, there is a standard payment-processing fee at checkout — the same kind of fee every payment platform charges. Your club keeps its revenue. If you do not collect money through CrewLAB, there is no fee. (For current details, see crewlab.io/pricing.)
- Pro (optional upgrade). Some clubs choose to pay for CrewLAB Pro, an upgrade with advanced features — but it is opt-in. If a club is paying a subscription, it is because they wanted Pro; if they are not, they are on the free version. Most clubs stay free.
How does that compare to the other options?
The honest way to compare is not sticker-price to sticker-price — it is what it actually costs to run your club.
Most club software puts real registration and admin behind a subscription. SportsEngine is the clearest example: it has a free tier, but it is limited and carries their highest per-transaction fees — to actually run online registration you are on a paid plan that starts around $800 a year, and you still pay transaction fees on top of that. With CrewLAB, the software is free, and payments carry a standard processing fee with no subscription stacked on top.
So the real question is not “how much cheaper is CrewLAB.” It is “why am I paying an annual subscription just to collect my club’s own money?”
A cheaper way to collect: ACH and bank transfer
Here is a difference most club platforms will not tell you about: how your members pay changes what it costs. Card payments carry the highest fees. CrewLAB lets clubs collect by low-cost ACH / bank transfer as well as by card — a cheaper path that many club platforms do not offer at all. On the money your club is already collecting, that is one of the simplest ways to keep more of it.
What about payment fees — aren’t those a cost?
They are, and it is worth being straight about it: any time money moves online, there is a processing fee. That is true of CrewLAB, SportsEngine, TeamSnap, PayPal, your bank’s card reader — everywhere. No club software can make it disappear.
What matters is what sits on top of that fee — and how far you can bring it down. With CrewLAB there is no required subscription, no separate registration tool, comms tool, and payment tool to pay for, and lower-cost ACH options for collecting — it is one system, and your club keeps its money.
FAQ
Is CrewLAB free?
Yes. The coaching and team-management software is free for clubs to use. You only pay if you collect payments through CrewLAB (a standard processing fee at checkout) or choose the optional Pro upgrade. See crewlab.io/pricing for current details.
Does CrewLAB require a subscription?
No. Unlike most club platforms, there is no required subscription to get started or to run your team. Many club tools charge an annual subscription before you can collect a cent — SportsEngine’s paid plans, for example, start around $800/year.
Can clubs save on payment fees?
Yes — CrewLAB supports low-cost ACH / bank transfer alongside card payments, which is cheaper than cards and something many platforms do not offer. Your club keeps more of what it collects.
Are there payment processing fees?
When your club collects money through CrewLAB, a standard payment-processing fee applies at checkout — the same kind every payment platform charges. Your club keeps its revenue.
Do I have to pay for Pro?
No. Pro is an optional upgrade some clubs opt into for advanced features. Most clubs use CrewLAB for free.
How does CrewLAB’s cost compare to SportsEngine or TeamSnap?
The core difference is that CrewLAB has no required subscription to run your club, while platforms like SportsEngine put online registration behind a paid plan (starting around $800/year) with transaction fees on top. Compare the total annual cost — subscription plus fees — and the separate tools an all-in-one lets you stop paying for.
From the numbers side — David Kerns, CrewLAB (ex-Deloitte, and treasurer of four clubs for four years): The mistake I see clubs make is comparing sticker prices. Compare total cost — subscription plus transaction fees, minus the separate registration, comms, and payment tools you would stop paying for — and look at how members pay, because low-cost ACH keeps more in the club. Ask us to run your real numbers before you decide, and we will show you the math.
Next step
Want to see what your club would actually pay? Audit your club / book a discovery call → and we will walk through your real numbers — no subscription pitch.
See what free actually gets you → The whole club in one app.
