# Sawyer Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Sawyer the right Class Registration solution for you? Explore 318 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/163567/zooza/reviews --- Sawyer 4.5 (318) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Sawyer Ease of use 4.2 Customer Service 4.6 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews AS Angie S Executive DirectorArts and Crafts, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “It does almost everything I need for camp registration, payments, coupons, payment plans, class descriptions, etc.“ April 9, 2024 RB Rachel B CEOEntertainment, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Now we have to have difficult calls with multiple members and attempt to collect back-owed membership fees going back months.“ August 6, 2024 TL Theresa L CPR InstructorHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It saves time which in my case is very important as I have a lot of materials to cover in a very short period of time so anything that helps me in that area is a plus.“ November 10, 2024 JH Jay H School Administrative ManagerPerforming Arts, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I dislike that store credit/gift card balance is locked behind a higher subscription tier.“ November 9, 2024 JH Jay H School Administrative ManagerPerforming Arts, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I love the ability to copy classes and semesters to more easily duplicate past schedules.“ November 9, 2024 EC Emiko C Owner and EducatorArts and Crafts, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Widget is very glitchy on phones and freezes while scrolling.“ November 4, 2024 JL James L Executive DirectorEducation Management, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It gives us a more professional face forward, plus helps us manage the fee recovery of our events.“ April 23, 2024 JH Jay H School Administrative ManagerPerforming Arts, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Also no option for attendance records for adults?“ November 9, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 318 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Stephanie W. Owner and teacher Education Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Sawyer is essential!" April 17, 2024 5.0 I recommend Sawyer to anyone who is seeking a more streamlined registration software for any type of class! Pros Sawyer has been SO incredibly user friendly and has allowed me to confidently market my classes and confirm registrations so much easier than using my old method of Google forms. Cons I would love to see more email integrations! Switched from [Google Forms](https://www.capterra.com/p/176571/Google-Forms/) Too many moving parts, confusing payment submission where people had the ability to ignore that option so I had to track them down for payment! Review Source JH Jay H. School Administrative Manager Performing Arts Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "User friendly and great support, but needs some improvement in select features" November 9, 2024 4.0 Overall I enjoy Sawyer and might recommend it over other similar platforms, depending on the needs of the organization. There are some key features that could be improved upon still. Support team is friendly, helpful, and very responsive! The additional webinars and resources provided are helpful too. Pros \- Very user friendly on the customer facing side. - The interface on both the customer and admin side is clear and pretty easy to navigate. - I love the ability to copy classes and semesters to more easily duplicate past schedules. - Class widget is convenient, especially with recent updates. Cons \- Appointments can only be made with minors, not adults, and they do not support small group appointments. - Reporting features could be clearer/more accurate, we've had issues with bugs causing inaccurate financial reports. - I wish there was a way to download registration reports for select classes all at once; the semester-wide registration report includes students who already withdrew, and going class by class is tedious and time consuming. - Class attendance can only be viewed for one student at a time instead of seeing full class attendance across multiple instances. Also no option for attendance records for adults? - I dislike that store credit/gift card balance is locked behind a higher subscription tier. This seems like a basic feature that should not be paywalled. - No way to mass edit activity information currently. Switched from [SmartRec](https://www.capterra.com/p/198905/SmartRec/) Too expensive and not particularly user friendly on the customer side. Review Source WH Whitney H. Owner Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Total Betrayal of Small Businesses" March 18, 2025 1.0 ⭐ 1 Star – A Total Betrayal of Small Businesses I trusted Sawyer as a registration and billing platform for my business—what I did not expect was for them to use my client list to promote my competitors. Without my consent, Sawyer sent marketing emails directly to my customers, advertising other art studios that also use their platform. Let that sink in. I worked for years to build relationships with my clients, only for Sawyer to exploit that trust and undermine my business. This is not just a bad business practice—it’s an outright betrayal of the small businesses that keep their platform running. If you’re a business owner considering Sawyer, ask yourself this: ❌ Do you want your customers being marketed to by other studios? ❌ Do you want to build your business, only for Sawyer to redirect your clients elsewhere? ❌ Do you trust a company that treats your customer list like a free-for-all marketing database? Sawyer isn’t a neutral registration platform—they’re actively working against the businesses they claim to serve. If you value client trust, business integrity, and keeping control over your own customer relationships, look elsewhere. I know I will. Pros Excellent reporting and query capabilities Cons A Total Betrayal of Small Businesses- unethical and predatory Review Source Response from DaySmart Software March 27, 2025 Hi Whitney, I'm sorry to hear that you've had a negative experience with Sawyer. I know we were able to connect and are working together to making this right. Upon creating an account with Sawyer, customers are given an option to opt-in to receiving marketing and communications from your business as well as from Sawyer. Customers can of course opt-out of communication at any time from any of our marketing or promotional emails by clicking unsubscribe on any email they receive. Here is our help center article explaining more: https://help.hisawyer.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500008819322 We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and feedback with us. We are here to support your needs and hope you continue to find value in working with Sawyer. GM Ginny M. Owner and Operator of Art Studio and Art Instructor Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Sawyer keeps me on track! " November 5, 2024 5.0 Very impressed, they keep me organized (which is nearly impossible)! It’s been a wonderful, but expensive, experience. Definitely worth every penny, at least for the first year, in my opinion. Pros Everyone at Sawyer was super helpful when I was first getting set up. Very easy to talk to, clear & concise communication. I couldn’t have opened up my studio classes without all of their help. The reports helped me tremendously when I was doing my taxes. Cons It is expensive for a business as small as mine. Some months it’s difficult for me to be able to cover the cost of the website plus my rent. I wish I could afford to pay for the Parties option. I think a lot more people would have been booking parties this whole time if they could have done it online. Just recently, after I create an activity, unless it’s brand new, I am unable to add more images to the activity when I try to edit it. It just uploads a solid black image Alternatives considered [Wix](https://www.capterra.com/p/169007/Wix/)[Squarespace](https://www.capterra.com/p/143461/Squarespace/) Reason for choosing Sawyer It was the one I was most familiar with as I had used it as a customer before & found it very user friendly Review Source LC Lesly C. Development Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Good Software" November 7, 2024 4.0 Overall, it’s good, but a system with integrations to other trending applications would be better, though it may come with slightly higher transaction fees. Pros It is flexible in the option of weekly registrations and can be integrated with the teachers' roster. Cons It does not have CRM integrations or more complete profiles for tracking students or families. Additionally, orders processed by families must allow for late start in prorating and start date selection. Alternatives considered [NinjaOne](https://www.capterra.com/p/184229/NinjaOne/) Reason for choosing Sawyer Flexible option for day-by-day enrollment. Switched from [QuickBooks Enterprise](https://www.capterra.com/p/174984/QuickBooks-Enterprise/)[Salesforce Platform](https://www.capterra.com/p/268338/App-Cloud/) centralizing systems.............................. Review Source KS Kay S. Member Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Overpriced and Overratted (and self serving)" September 26, 2024 1.0 Extremely over rated. Definitely not worth the money. Do not drink the koolaid. Pros The interface has strengths, easy to use but plenty of idiotic limitations Cons After a month, they “informed” me yhey would be adding a $2 fee for every transaction for their R&D efforts. Which is absurd, prices already are so high and they charge a fortune for their service. Also, they marketed other similar businesses via email to MY customers for birthday and special events. Places customers had been to once, they got emails once they were back on Sawyers radar. Onboarding customers is terrible. Work for your customers. Plenty of glitches too. Sawyer is out for 1 business, and that is themselves. Not you. Alternatives considered [Capdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/179920/Capdesk/) Reason for choosing Sawyer Seemed like the cost would support the product. They said business would increase and they lost us business to nearby competitors via their “marketplace” what a joke Switched from [Jumbula](https://www.capterra.com/p/141309/Jumbula/) It was very glitchy Review Source Response from DaySmart Software October 1, 2024 Hi Kay, It is always our goal to listen and learn from our customers and we appreciate you taking the time to share this feedback. We'd love to speak with you directly to better understand your experience and make things right. Please email support@hisawyer.com so our team can properly assist. We look forward to speaking with you. The Sawyer Support Team YM Yvette M. Director Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Love Sawyer!" October 30, 2024 5.0 We love Sawyer. There's always room for improvement as things come up with registration but that's a good thing for all businesses. Pros Customer service is great. Most aspects of the portal are easy to use. I also love the fact that they know their clients. Cons It would be nice to have a way for parents to pay through their bank account so they and we are not charged a service fee. For a small business like ours and for our families, every little bit makes a difference. Switched from [iClassPro](https://www.capterra.com/p/127097/iClassPro/) Sawyer was a better fit for our program. the other platform was for gymnastics and didn't offer all the different options that we needed for our classes, summer camps etc. Review Source RB Rachel B. CEO Entertainment Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Massive Issue" August 6, 2024 1.0 Pros We currently use Sawyer but are reconsidering our options given a massive issue. Cons We are a membership-based studio, and Sawyer allowed multiple members to continue renewing their memberships for MONTHS without flagging that their card on file could not be charged. It doesn't appear that Sawyer notified the members either. We only discovered this issue when we did an audit to see why we were missing funds. Now we have to have difficult calls with multiple members and attempt to collect back-owed membership fees going back months. Sawyer should notify a business and member IMMEDIATELY if a charge on a card doesn't go through. This is ridiculous. Alternatives considered [LilYPad](https://www.capterra.com/p/132655/LilYPad/) Reason for choosing Sawyer We preferred it to Lilypad for a few reasons, namely UX Switched from [Acuity Scheduling](https://www.capterra.com/p/191978/Acuity-Scheduling/) More personalized to Children's classes / events Review Source Response from DaySmart Software August 7, 2024 Hi Rachel, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. Our membership and payment system does automatically alert the customer when automatic payments are failing and attempts to retry payment to make it easy for business owners to recover any failed amounts. We also show any past due payments in your account and in financial reporting. We'd love to speak with you to further understand the situation and make things right. Please email our support team at support@hisawyer.com so we can properly assist and resolve any problems you may be experiencing. We look forward to speaking with you! The Sawyer Support Team MR Marleny R. Creative Executive Assistant Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "User Friendly for Art Studios & Camps " February 17, 2025 4.0 I am pretty happy with using Sawyer but wish the fees they took out were less. Pros It’s pretty easy to use. I like that I can easily view my upcoming events in the calendar and quickly add new events and publish updates. Cons There is a slight learning curve with learning how to post classes and use certain features. Review Source LB Lilian B. Artist Teacher Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Sawyer has helped me better manage my business" October 29, 2024 5.0 It provides me flexibility for accepting payments online from my customers and their families to register when it is convenient for them. Pros Customer Support and help. They are always available to help and address our concerns and special requests in a manner I have not experienced elsewhere. Cons Although their software is extremely versatile and they continue to improve it, it does not offer me (a one-man operation) the precise, simple, user friendly, efficient flexibility. However, they have offered me several alternatives to customize they services to my individual needs. Review Source AS Angie S. Executive Director Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Robust platform" April 9, 2024 5.0 Customer service is PHENOMENAL. I can't say enough about it. Kind, courteous, FAST, and knowledgeable. A pleasure to work with. Pros It does almost everything I need for camp registration, payments, coupons, payment plans, class descriptions, etc. Cons Very expensive. We are a small non-profit and need the functionality, but the price tag is difficult. In addition, our clients pay $1.99 for transactions. I wasn't aware of this at first. I had some upset customers. Reason for choosing Sawyer Had to make the switch to increase our bookings and revenue. Switched from [Ninja Forms](https://www.capterra.com/p/204315/Ninja-Forms/)[Amelia](https://www.capterra.com/p/200413/Amelia/) Needed one platform to do "all the things". Sawyer does that. Review Source CG Carl G. Owner Manager Sports Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Sawyer is important to WAS." April 9, 2024 5.0 I have great confidence in Sawyer as I work to grow my business. Pros Sawyer makes what we do to keep the business moving forward much easier. They have amazing support and desire to grow their product offering. Cons The ability to connect to my google calendar is very important but not yet possible. Reason for choosing Sawyer Price, customer registration ease, ability to merge to the business website. Switched from [Wix](https://www.capterra.com/p/169007/Wix/) Lack of quality support and constant challenges. Review Source LS Lia S. owner Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy way to manage class and camp registrations " September 27, 2022 5.0 My favorite thing about Sawyer is that I trust that all my registration information is accurate and in one place. It's been incredibly helpful in running my business. In my years using this software, I've also seen how Sawyer is always changing and improving to meet the needs of clients. It has improved my experience and what I can offer my customers. Pros I like the clean look of this software, and that it is easy to add, change and adjust information on my end. The dashboard helps me see all my upcoming programming and stay in communication with registered participants. It makes billing very easy, offering flexibility for participants and automatic payments so I don't need to spend time tracking this each month or sending reminders. I like the waitlist option. Cons The cons are small things - I wish you could edit the coupon codes because I can never get them right the first time. I wish there was a printable check in/check out list as a roster setting that could fit onto one page. I would probably use a mobile app to check class registration, or be able to have different teachers use a mobile sign-in process for classes. But these are small compared to all the benefits. Reason for choosing Sawyer It had features that better matched my needs and that made processing, billing, communicating and accounting easier. Switched from [Amelia](https://www.capterra.com/p/200413/Amelia/) I needed more features, and a better interface. Review Source NP Natalie P. CEO Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best value and stupid simple! " February 4, 2022 5.0 Amazing!!! Best customer service and feature updates for the price! Pros The software is SO easy to use! When you’re setting it up and training other employees it’s easy to see that it’s hard to mess anything up! Cons No Point of sale feature available. We still pay for another 3rd party software for this part Alternatives considered [Jackrabbit Dance](https://www.capterra.com/p/93349/Jackrabbit-Dance/)[Studio Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/131996/DanceStudio-Pro/)[Akada](https://www.capterra.com/p/92427/DanceWorks/) Reason for choosing Sawyer Pricing and mix of features Switched from [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Pricing kept going up with less features that worked for us. Review Source KG Kimberly G. Founder and Managing Director Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Owner and Manading Director" April 22, 2024 4.0 Overall, my experience with this product has been great. I appreciate the quick response time from customer service when I run into any issues. I would like to capture better data from my reports. It's sometimes difficult to capture what I'm looking for. Pros I like that the system streamlines my registration process for families. It's helpful to have the attendance lists generated from the registration process. I like that I can communicate with families individually, or as a class with messaging. I like that the system sends me confirmations of new registrations. Cons The wait period of receiving payouts, and not receiving payouts on the weekends. Review Source JH Johnny H. Community Health Coordinator Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Sawyer Review From the Perspective of a Newbie" April 16, 2024 5.0 Pros Sawyer is very easy to use and has a great support team. We use sawyer for our non-profit for registration and class management and it is very useful Cons I think there are some things that can be easier to do however i can always find a workaround. Review Source RR Ruby R. Arts Education Coordinator Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Sawyer Review" April 18, 2024 5.0 My overall experience is very positive. It's obvious that Sawyer is aware of how difficult coordinating programs can be and it shows in how user friendly the platform is. I also love that we can duplicate camps now! Being able to do that was so helpful this year! Pros The ease of use and the customer support. I also appreciate the webinars. Cons The dashboard can be a little difficult to navigate. I do fine now but when I first started using sawyer it wasn't always clear where everything "lived", if that make sense. The website looks great though. Review Source JS Janine S. Owner/Director Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Wish Sawyer had the same features for adults... " January 28, 2022 4.0 Well I'm terribly frustrated I'm also very grateful because I needed something quick and I was not able to pay a web designer to develop this deep of the system. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship to it, I want more features for adults and I want more flexibility in general. Pros Because I was not a web designer and didn't have backend experience, I needed a platform that I could basically input information into, I wish however it was more customizable. I also was drawn to Sawyer because I wanted to create memberships as well as classes and this gave me the opportunity to do both. Cons There are more things I dislike them like unfortunately. Some of them small like wishing I could customize the color other than red, some of them huge in that the forms are rigid meaning I can't have a different form intake for a member from my students. I need more flexibility and options for my businesses I was hoping everything could live under one umbrella. I find it almost impossible to navigate and find things with ease, it is not user friendly and various features are buried inside other futures and I'm constantly going back and forth trying to find things. I get super frustrated with having to pull up FAQs and directives online. The window doesn't stay open when you move from one area of the website to another so I constantly have to keep it searching for the same information. Some days it's brutal and I feel like I spend way too much time on this program. Reason for choosing Sawyer I don't have a web background and I had a limited budget to get my business started rather quickly, this seemed like it had enough built out that I could use it for multiple registration needs as well that's the template for both. Review Source MK Marie K. Owner Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Excellent software for setting up classes and registration " February 8, 2022 5.0 Excellent. I am very appreciative of the software. Pros I started a new business this school year, and I am very pleased with the ease of use and tools available to me through the Sawyer system. It has been remarkable! Cons The hardest part is not having quick access to a live person when I am having an issue that is not on your training rubric. When money is involved, the anxiety gets high. So, having customer service people we may actually talk to would be my biggest hope. Or not waiting 24 hours for a response for help. Reason for choosing Sawyer I am part of the CAC children's art classes franchise and they selected Sawyer. I would like to possibly integrate my music studio into the Sawyer system, but the $199 a month is a bit high for what I do with private lessons. So, I may want to talk to \[SENSITIVE CONTENT\] or someone who may help me add my music student payments to Sawyer without Children's Art Classes franchise having access to the money or data for my music studio. (I have 2 business) Review Source JH Joshua H. Chess Teacher Entertainment Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Thankful I switched to Sawyer." April 22, 2024 5.0 Pros Very easy to enroll parents and process payments. Cons Color on the widgets should be optional. Review Source LW Laura W. Program Coordinator Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Sawyer for nonprofit event and class management" February 1, 2022 5.0 Sawyer was fantastic when we had to quickly switch all our classes online. Pros I like being able to create a calendar of all our upcoming events. Sawyer makes it easy to handle registration, create rosters, assign instructors and processes payments quickly Cons I would like it if Sawyer did more to promote events and activities in market areas. Unlike Eventbrite, Sawyer is not a name recognized by parents searching for classes for their children. In fact, it is difficult to even find Sawyer in a Google search since a clean water company with the same name comes up first. Review Source SD Scott D. Main Dude Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "This makes things easier for me" April 9, 2024 4.0 It helps to know what's going on doe all of my classes. Pros Easy to access attendance for all of my classes Cons I have nothing bad to say about this product Review Source LT Lindsay T. Owner Individual & Family Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "I've given up." January 3, 2022 3.0 Pros I initially chose this software because it's specifically made for the industry I am in; play space and child groups. I like the look of the design as well. Cons I am extraordinarily frustrated with this company. First of all, they rely on customer support people who can't solve problems, only kick them to the engineering team. I don't hear back on bugs that need fixing, or hear from anyone other than this poor guy who's getting all my issues. Second the bugs we're experiencing are completely dumb; minor things that should not be an issue by this stage of their business. Here's the issues I've encountered since starting with Sawyer in September! 1. Can't edit description of memberships because people have bought them 2. My members can't enroll themselves in what they paid for 3. There's a glitch on my website where you have to scroll down twice to get to the widget 4. There's an error in the typing of the party descriptions with characters too close together 5. Refunds cost you money because they charge you the credit card fee 6. We get random drops of income into our bank account 7. Setting up multiple groups was a MESS and needed emailing with admin many, many times (not because I'm bad at tech, but because of the system) I could go on; honestly in the span of 4 months, I've had so many encounters with their customer service email guy, it's not good. And no one else will talk to me about it, so I'm canceling. Review Source Response from DaySmart Software January 10, 2022 Hi Lindsay, I'm sorry to hear that you've had a negative experience with Sawyer. I know our head of Customer Success is already working with you directly to remedy these issues. Regarding refunds and credit card processing fees, this is unfortunately something controlled by our payment processor Stripe and not in our control. Most payment processors do not return fees on refunded payments but we do understand the frustration. At the moment our default payment option is every 2 business days, but we can adjust payouts to a variety of options that may be better for your business. We are here to support your needs and hope you give us another chance to improve your experience working with Sawyer. AIC Antoaneta Ioana C. Administrator Accounting Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Sawyer helping humanity by students" June 9, 2023 5.0 Pros "School is the factory of humanity" said Comenius. So Sawyer is a powerful brick for humanity and progress, evolution because it helps studenta, teachers and educational system. Cons Nothing like least about Sawyer because is very organized, useful for all categories. Review Source AB Aoife B. Owner Performing Arts Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Excellent service!" January 27, 2022 5.0 I received a cold-call from a Sawyer rep right at the perfect time in my business’s development. The support was excellent, so help and friendly. Pros As the \[SENSITIVE CONTENT\] of my business, I appreciate having support in the business end of things. Sawyer understands what parents/caregivers want when searching and register for programs for their children. Platform is easy for customers to use, and easy for me to learn to administer. Excellent support from Sawyer staff. Cons Sometimes I have trouble uploading photos to my account because they are in the wrong format. Reason for choosing Sawyer I liked that this company was founded by moms like me. Review Source Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.