--- title: "SmartRec Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is SmartRec the right Parks and Recreation solution for you? Explore 148 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/198905/SmartRec/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- SmartRec 4.3 (148) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/198905/SmartRec/alternatives/) 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 September 16th, 2026 # Reviews of SmartRec Ease of use 4.1 Customer Service 4.6 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews HL Herschel L Manager of Enterprise SoftwareGovernment Administration, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The customer success and support teams are excellent to work with.“ July 9, 2026 HL Herschel L Manager of Enterprise SoftwareGovernment Administration, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Refunds in the system are a multistep process and can be difficult for staff to get a handle on.“ July 9, 2026 TB Tanya B Operations ManagerSports, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I like that once registered we are able to do the attendance based off of the registration. “ September 18, 2024 LC Laura C Office ManagerChild Day Care Services, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It is difficult to customize some situations, printing the children's files is difficult, and it does not provide yearly tax receipts for families, or sign children in/out multiple times per day, though this is something we were told it would do.“ April 10, 2025 TB Tanya B Operations ManagerSports, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I also like that is shows how many spots are available when registering. “ September 18, 2024 AK Amanda K Director of OperationsChild Day Care Services, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Running a child care center with multiple government funding - I am unsure with the subscriptions and our clients running into loopholes like not putting their card details in the system makes it for a longer problem solving process“ August 30, 2024 AT Astrid T Marketing SupportRecreational Facilities and Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “We've received positive feedback from customers about how simple and seamless the booking process is.“ October 3, 2024 AT Astrid T Marketing SupportRecreational Facilities and Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “The only downside we've encountered is that tickets cannot be refunded directly, only credited back.“ October 3, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 148 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Michael M. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Nothing better than Amilia" August 6, 2026 5.0 Amilia SmartRec has completely transformed the way we manage our organization. Since implementing their software, we have been able to streamline membership management, easily track different membership types, and efficiently monitor and collect revenue. The platform is incredibly user-friendly, making it easy for both our staff and members to navigate. What truly sets Amilia apart is their customer support team. They are responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in our success. They consistently check in, listen to feedback, and even make improvements to help us operate more effectively. Communication with our members and the community has also improved dramatically. The tools provided by SmartRec have helped us stay connected, organized, and professional in ways that were difficult before. Simply put, Amilia SmartRec has made our organization significantly better. I would recommend it 10 out of 10 times to any organization looking for a powerful, easy-to-use recreation and membership management solution. Thank you, Amilia, for being such a valuable partner in our success! 🙌 Cons It is more of a facility problem that we have pools that switch from long course meters to short course yards. This makes it tough to schedule the facility in smartrec but the team is working on work arounds! Alternatives considered [Daxko Operations](https://www.capterra.com/p/268006/Daxko-Operations/)[Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/) Reason for choosing SmartRec There is no one out there that can compare to the Amilia support team. Review Source LC Laura C. Office Manager Child Day Care Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Works well but could use some improvements too!" April 10, 2025 4.0 This streamlined a huge amount of work in allocating spaces available for programs and I would not want to return to any other system for that, but for other aspects of the program, improvements would be great. Pros I love how you can set a limit to the number of participants per activity and that families can see the number of spaces available or the number of participants on the waitlist. Cons It is difficult to customize some situations, printing the children's files is difficult, and it does not provide yearly tax receipts for families, or sign children in/out multiple times per day, though this is something we were told it would do. Alternatives considered [brightwheel](https://www.capterra.com/p/144060/brightwheel/) Reason for choosing SmartRec It allowed families to know immediately if they were registered in a program, as well as display the available spaces and waitlists; this is something that our families had been requesting for quite some time and they are very happy with it. Switched from [Procare Solutions](https://www.capterra.com/p/23486/Procare-Child-Care-Management/) Procare did not allow the modifications to programs that we required; we were told we could print the same type of files as the previous system we were using (not true), we were also told it provided tax receipts, which it does not, but that registration function is wonderful. Review Source MS Michael S. Managing Director Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Mostly good, but there is some bad" February 24, 2025 3.0 Been good overall, though the ability to not be able to modify is frustrating at times Pros The ability to put program registration into the customers hands Cons Limited functionality, the is not a lot of room to modify to personal needs Alternatives considered [Procare Solutions](https://www.capterra.com/p/23486/Procare-Child-Care-Management/) Reason for choosing SmartRec At the time it seemed that they would be able to best meet our needs. Canadian company which was important. The team has been great to work with Switched from [Sandbox Platform](https://www.capterra.com/p/213396/Sandbox-Platform/) Sandbox was bought out and no longer receiving updates to operate Review Source HL Herschel L. Manager of Enterprise Software Government Administration Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Solid Rec Management Solution with a Great Support Network" July 9, 2026 5.0 SmartRec has been a great solution for our Recreation Management needs. No solution that we considered would have fit 100% of our needs, but Amilia ticks most of the boxes and their team has been willing to hear us out on new feature requests and other feedback. Pros The customer success and support teams are excellent to work with. No solution is 100% perfect, so knowing that we can lean on the Amilia team to work through issues is essential for us. Cons Refunds in the system are a multistep process and can be difficult for staff to get a handle on. There is no true guest checkout for point-of-sale transactions. Review Source SM Stacey M. Senior Program Manager Child Day Care Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Registration Software" May 2, 2025 4.0 Our adjustment to SmartRec was fairly smooth with few hiccups. Our families were able to figure out registration with relative ease. Pros SmartRec allows us to automatically charge families for monthly child care costs, have immediate enrollment for programs, and generally manage our registrations. Cons In our area, we are required to have printed, physical copies of registration information for each participant. SmartRec does not quite provide an easy system for this documentation. Switched from [Procare Solutions](https://www.capterra.com/p/23486/Procare-Child-Care-Management/) The platform we had been using (sandbox) was purchased and discontinued by Procare. Review Source AA Aiden A. Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Amazing Tool but Pricey for Small Teams" December 24, 2024 4.0 Pros Very easy to integrate for developers. The API documentation is fairly robust. The recommendation system is also extremely useful. Cons The pricing model may drive away smaller businesses, and teams with limited budgets. The system is also complex especially if you're new to using smart rec. Switched from [Firebase](https://www.capterra.com/p/160941/Firebase/) My job at the time required me to use smart rec, worked well but I preferred using Firebase. Review Source TB Tanya B. Operations Manager Sports Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Good and Bad" September 18, 2024 4.0 Overall there are some things that I really like but not sure if the things we really dislike are a dealbreaker. We have 6 months left on our contract and feel a little stuck. Doubtful we will renew. Pros I like that someone can do their registration and input their own information as well as sign forms. I like that once registered we are able to do the attendance based off of the registration. I also like that is shows how many spots are available when registering. Cons The system is very difficult to use. After training and 6 months later, I still have to contact support weekly on how to do stuff because it is difficult to maneuver. Payments take a long time to get into our account (7-8 days) vs the competition (1-2 days). We stopped processing payments with Amilia. Also if you have to stop payments or make changes it is very difficult to do. It's not just cancel and done. Lastly my customers found the installments confusing. It shows the yearly payment. in my industry some people do charge monthly what we charge in a year. I would work better to have installments listed as monthly instead of annually. Also don't like you have to sign up for a yearly contract. We are just stuck with the service if we are not happy. Lastly credit card fees should be deducted when the transaction happens instead of being invoiced at the end of the month. Alternatives considered [Udemy Business](https://www.capterra.com/p/209689/Udemy-for-Business/) Reason for choosing SmartRec Don't remember them all, it was about a year ago Switched from [Zoho CRM](https://www.capterra.com/p/155928/Zoho-CRM/)[Square Payments](https://www.capterra.com/p/170278/Square-Payments-Processing/) I wanted to simplify the enrollment process for myself and for parents. It took a long time for me to enroll one student in many systems. Review Source AT Astrid T. Marketing Support Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great Software for Bookings" October 3, 2024 5.0 Our clients were seeking a software solution that could easily manage multiple locations and simplify the booking process. We discovered Amilia online and were impressed by a positive review from another client, which led us to explore it further. Pros From the initial inquiry to full implementation, the Amilia team were excellent throughout our experience. They provided excellent guidance and support at every step of the way. The software itself is user-friendly, both for our backend operations and for customers. We've received positive feedback from customers about how simple and seamless the booking process is. Additionally, Amilia offers a wide range of features that were crucial to our decision. We needed to manage multiple locations, incorporate a calendar, handle eCommerce, and more—and Amilia provided a solution for each requirement. Cons The only downside we've encountered is that tickets cannot be refunded directly, only credited back. Switched from [Omnify](https://www.capterra.com/p/149645/Omnify/) Crashed the site and bad support. Didn't meet the neeeds Review Source Shannon H. President CEO Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Customer service means everything" September 6, 2024 5.0 Our overall experience with SmartRec has been exceptional. The platform’s intuitive design and user-friendly interface have greatly improved our staff’s efficiency and productivity. By streamlining administrative tasks, SmartRec has allowed our team to spend less time on the computer and more time actively engaging with our customers. The CRM’s robust features, including easy customer data management and seamless communication tools, have helped us build stronger relationships with our clientele. It’s truly made a world of difference in how we operate, enhancing both our service quality and team morale. Pros The customer service and their willingness to adapt the product. Cons Not being able to choose your own credit card processor. Alternatives considered [ACTIVENet](https://www.capterra.com/p/115451/ACTIVE-Net/) Reason for choosing SmartRec Reclique Core ended up merging with Daxko. Switched from [Daxko Operations](https://www.capterra.com/p/268006/Daxko-Operations/) We were completely frustrated with Daxko's unwillingness to upgrade the platform and anytime they did take a change into consideration, we were charged an additional fee for its use. Review Source Zoé F. Recreation and Tourism Coordinator Sports Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Amilia, a good and user-friendly software for every employee" August 19, 2019 5.0 With Amilia, we no longer have double bookings and we are offering a better customer service. Client can easily register online and manage their activities. Our staff can easily manage rentals and contract. Pros Amilia is a user-friendly for company who has a lot of employees using the software. It is easy to understand, easy to learn and easy to find your way around. New employees don't need a big training, steps are pretty obvious once you know the basics of the software. The best thing about Amilia is their after-sale service. They are always contacting you to make you confortable to call if you have any question. They are listening to your concern and trying the best they could to add the features you asked for. They are always doing follow-ups with their client. Cons It's hard to speak to someone when you call the technical support, you can wait a lot over the phone and finish on a voicemail. If you need immediate assistance, it's hard to get in touch with someone. It seems employee of Amilia working at the technical support are new. I had to chat with them often for technical problems, and rarely they can solve my problem. They are only opening a technical ticket and getting back to me weeks after. Most of the time, I finished by solving my problem alone and find a way around. It seems sometime I know more Amilia than the customer service. Switched from [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Not user-friendly at all, a lot of bugs. After a year of use, our staff had still problems using the software. Review Source Response from Amilia February 23, 2022 Thanks so much for your review Zoe - will take your feedback to the support team! TD Taylor D. Owner Sports Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A great starting software for programs" October 7, 2024 4.0 Pros The online store was a good option and generally easy to use Cons It is not integrated into a website so you need two different platforms Review Source DD Dean D. Cashier Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Amilia Review and suggestions" October 21, 2021 4.0 Overall, I'd say Amilia has worked for me for my position. I know for some of my supervisors there seems to be a lot of features that could be improved regarding scheduling and programming. Amilia has appeared to be receptive to feedback and have continued to try to improve their product, which is good to see. I hope that the product continues to get better and better. Pros I do appreciate that Amilia is pretty straight forward in its implementation. Most features do what they say they do. While there are some kinks still to be ironed out, the customer service has been pretty responsive with any problems we run into. It's great seeing Amilia continually improve and take feedback. Cons While Amilia can be straightforward, it's not particularly streamlined. There's a lot of quality of life updates that I would like to see implemented to help us help our customers better. 1. The Client Billing and Purchases Tabs - These tabs, while functionally they work fine, are a hassle to navigate for members that have lots of purchases and cancellations. Filters can help, but with classes that all have the same name, it's difficult. - The item descriptions could be more visible in the folded state rather than just purchases/cancellations. - Discounts and other adjustments clutter the view in large multi-item purchases. E.g. A person that registered for classes for the whole month will have a full page of discounts/classes to parse, which makes cancelling a hassle. - I'm not sure if this is how my organization has set it up or Amilia, but there's a lot of extra qualifiers to names for things can be minimized to make it easier to read. Stripping some of the qualifiers (like the category it's found in, location, etc.) could make it much easier to read. 2. Account Members - Adding multiple people at once on one account could be more streamlined. As it is right now is fine, although having to wait for submission/saving in between each person can slow down the process quite a bit. - Archiving people does not appear to prevent things applying to that account. Sometimes patrons can still even see the archived person (in the italicized state). Review Source Response from Amilia February 14, 2022 Thanks so much for your thorough review Dean! We will take this feedback to the product team. NG Nicolas G. Co-Owner Sports Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to use, Great user interface, common sense features, great ROI, and amazing customer support" May 17, 2018 5.0 Great ROI, mainly from a drastic reduction in time spent taking registrations, setting up new sessions, and collecting outstanding balances from clients. Pros The number one feature by far is online registration, before switching to Amilia we had to manually register all our clients. The process was inefficient and took up a lot of time that as a small and new club we needed to be spending on focusing and improving our core business. With our old system we had to chase people down for money, and deal with bounced cheques and all sorts of nonsense that no one in the services community should have to deal with. The online registration worked exactly as promised, and with that came all sorts of additional features like class management and communication tools that worked incredibly well. Having all our clients be forced to pay upfront saved us literally thousands of dollars our first year alone. Admittedly we were terrible at chasing people down with outstanding balances, but we didn't get into the gymnastics club business to become a accountants/collections officers. The online tools were super straight forward, and the customer support was fantastic. Every time we had an issue or problem with the system the customer support would provide prompt responses and walk us through the mistakes we had made or give detailed explanations as to how we could better set up our sessions to avoid future problems. They would even log into our account and make the changes for us that were labor intensive due to the type of mistakes we made when learning the system. Overall switching to Amilia was the smartest business we ever made. Cons It is expensive... but in life I've learned you tend to get what you pay for and this system it is totally worth it. Review Source Response from Amilia February 23, 2022 Thanks so much for the review Nicolas - so glad to hear you are enjoying Amilia's features :) KP Katie P. Co-Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amilia is an Excellent Choice!" October 25, 2021 5.0 My overall experience has been great. Very useful and affordable software for our non-porfit that does family building seminars. Pros Amilia has a lot of valuable features and flexibility. The customer service is superior! Everyone is always extremely kind, patient, professional, and helpful! Cons Participants still need to insert personal information even if they are attending a class/session that is free where they do not need to insert credit card information. They do have some options on what information is required however, it is a preset setting that you as the administrator can not bypass or customize. Review Source Response from Amilia February 11, 2022 Hi Katie, thanks so much for your review! We're happy to hear you're enjoying your experience with Amilia AK Arisa K. General Manager Sports Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good software" April 1, 2020 4.0 We joined Amilia when it was in its earlier years, when the customer service was more personal. Now fast forward a few years later, with successful growth, and the customer service is not as it used to be. Also, amidst the current global pandemic of March 2020, we did not feel like they were empathetic to their main customer base's realities. Overall, the product is fine, with space to grow, but the customer service needs to step back to its roots. Pros We appreciate the website integration, and ongoing added features that help us better operate. Cons We are having a hard time with the bookkeeping aspect of it; having to go on another platform to check deposits, and not being able to automatically reconcile operations so we still have to do it by hand in 2020. Our customers are also having a hard time with the ease of use of the interface; we have gotten many calls that some were unable to register due to photo file restriction and other issues. Reason for choosing SmartRec Most of our city's sports and leisure business were using the platform so it was simply easier to offer a similar system. Review Source GL Glenna L. Front desk Cashier Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "I am not a software buyer." October 21, 2021 3.0 I'm just a front desk cashier, difficult to learn at first because so much data, but after using, I felt fairly comfortable. Pros The service we get when we email you. Filters when available. Cons Too much data to look at from previous purchases, classes. Review Source Response from Amilia February 14, 2022 Thanks so much for your review Glenna! We're glad to hear you love our customer service and will take your other feedback to the product team. MU Megan U. Program Supervisor Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "PDOP Amilia review" October 21, 2021 5.0 Pros This software is super easy to use and offers a lot of flexibility. Its so much better than our last one! I also love that I can access it from anywhere. Cons Sometimes changes don't save and the gateway times out when making mass edits. Review Source Response from Amilia February 14, 2022 Thanks so much for your review Megan! Happy to hear you're satisfied with Amilia :) MV Matt V. Director of Parks and Recreation Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "SmartRec is a great way to manage your Recreation Department" February 3, 2023 5.0 We have had very good experience with Smart Rec which we have had for one year now. Pros The customer service is first rate. Whenever we have a question or concern the Customer Service team is always available to give a quick answer to any issue we have. Cons We are very happy with the software and do not have a what we like least. Reason for choosing SmartRec Felt like it was the best option for us. Review Source MZ Mayra Z. Part Time Cashier Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Amilia Review for Thrive" October 22, 2021 4.0 I've used Amilia for over a year and have seen quite a few improvements which is great because I am constantly using it for work. Pros I most enjoy being able to see who has scanned in to our facility as well as the time and being able to know if their membership expired or if they have an account block. Cons Hearing back from the Customer service regarding a question. Most days they are gone by 5pm and I have to wait until the morning for a response. Review Source Response from Amilia February 11, 2022 Hi Mayra, thanks so much for your review! We are glad to hear your appreciation for our dedication to improvement! MK Mark K. CSR Sports Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "MNJCC - Review" September 5, 2024 5.0 Pros Registrations are easy for members and ADMINS Cons Sometimes it's hard for our business to understand how it works/ Review Source LP Lisa P. Administrator Sports Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Amilia Software review 2019" December 16, 2019 5.0 The CS team is AMAZING. I have never felt so supported with a product. The chat is very easy and quick and always helpful, if I need to call I can and there is also a forum of other users where if I have the time I will go and look for answers. They have a huge knowledge base that I can refer to as well. Pros I like how clean the pages look and how much data you can get. Anything I need is there and I can also do it from my mobile phone. It has so many capabilities. I love that I have all the control on this system to change anything I want, when I need to. Registering for a client is very easy. Refunds are very easy. Cons It has so many capabilities, I am still trying to learn it all. Sometimes I wish for a little more basic but I think once I get the hang of it, it will be easier. I am the only user Review Source JK Julie K. Clinical Assistant Professor Recreational Facilities and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Exceptional product, user friendly, fantastic tech support" March 3, 2020 5.0 Pros SmartRec is easy to use. As a higher education faculty member, I was searching for a way to introduce parks and recreation software in the classroom. SmartRec was just the tool that I was looking for. Students need to be exposed to current technology that is utilized for managing staff, programs, facilities and customers. SmartRec tech support was amazing. They helped the students understand how to use the software, explore its many functions and interact with the many features and options that are available. Students really enjoy working within the activities, facilities, staffing, registration, and merchandise modules. SmartRec helped me create a meaningful experience for my college students that will be working with similar cloud base recreation software as they begin their professional careers in parks and recreation. The next classroom project using SmartRec will expose students in our budgeting class to cost recovery modules. Cons Not sure if there is anything that I have not liked about the software. I am a different type of user, being from an academic setting. I have received positive feedback from students about the flexibility of the software and that many of the features are intuitive. Review Source KL Keri L. Gym Owner Sports Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amilia Works" April 9, 2020 4.0 Pros Set up and transition in to Amilia was good - they are helpful and always available over the phone for help when you need it. I own a cheerleading gym and the product is so customizable which is exactly what I was looking for. My clients can go through the Amilia portal and select which class and time they want to register for - they know how long it lasts and can even set up a payment plan without me touching the registration. Cons Financial integration is not great - I wish there was a more seamless way to see your batches of bank deposits. It is also quite expensive. Reason for choosing SmartRec quality customizable product that was easy for our clients to use Review Source DJ Danielle J. Administrative Assistant Sports Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Registration made easy " October 21, 2021 5.0 Overall, I’m really liking the experience. For the most part, things are running really smoothly! Pros I like being able to help clients sign up for the class with ease and even set up payment plans for them so they don’t feel financially burdened. Cons Some of our clients have registered for classes but they didn’t see how to pay for the class so it took some instruction on how to pay. Review Source Response from Amilia February 14, 2022 Thanks so much for the review Danielle - happy to hear you're enjoying your Amilia experience! KO K O. Partner Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Amilia has terrible functionality issues and even worse customer service." May 5, 2018 1.0 Pros There is nothing good about this software -- use at your own risk. On the plus side, it's easy to find better options. Cons Amilia has terrible run-time issues and unresponsive, downright hostile customer service. The company only has 65 employees after years in business and their only investor is their CEO -- that should be telling. Amilia is no longer in Beta; they should be working to resolve their substantial SaaS platform functionality issues by now. I raised valid concerns on Amilia message boards and via their social media accounts for one of our clients for DAYS, trying to get resolutions to their platform functionality issues and was personally accosted on Linkedin by their company CMO. Shocking! Amilia doesn't understand the very basic tenets of customer service and their event registration platform -- to quote the hundreds of complaints our client has received in the past few days -- "stinks." Try EventBrite, Attendify, even a WordPress plug-in. Avoid Amilia at all costs, unless you are willing to anger and lose your user base. Review Source Response from Amilia May 11, 2018 Hi Kirsten, We could not find you in our database. When we tried to ask you who you claim to represent, we were shut down. Understanding who we're trying to help is our 1st step when clients have an issue with the platform. We're very happy to report we are on track to grow to 80 employees by June 2018! We're also not sure where you got your misinformation about our CEO and equity structure. We're a private company and those details aren't publicly available. While using social media and message boards to get help may seem like a great idea, we recommend using our support line, email or chat to get issues resolved in a timely manner. We monitor calls, including yours, to ensure the level of service meets our client expectations. We help 900 organizations, 5,000 admins and 600,000 users simplify their day-to-day with registration, memberships and management needs. We have maintained a Customer Satisfaction score of 95%, which is one of the key metrics we track and improve. Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.