Best Tutoring Management Software in 2026: Complete Comparison

Choosing tutoring management software is one of the most important operational decisions for your business. The right platform streamlines scheduling, automates billing, and improves the parent experience. The wrong one creates friction, wastes time, and costs you clients.

This guide compares the leading tutoring software platforms in 2026 to help you make an informed decision.

Quick Comparison Table

The Platforms Compared

We'll evaluate seven platforms across pricing, features, ease of use, and ideal customer:

1. Gigpie - Modern, percentage-based pricing
2. TutorCruncher - Enterprise-focused, complex
3. Teachworks - Mid-market standard
4. Calendly - Basic scheduling (not tutoring-specific)
5. Acuity Scheduling - General appointment software
6. Mindbody - Fitness-focused, repurposed for tutoring
7. TutorBird - Simple, budget-friendly

Platform-by-Platform Analysis

1. Gigpie

Best for: Growing tutoring businesses, test prep companies, music schools, coaching agencies

Pricing:

• Starter: 5% platform fee (up to 5 coaches)
• Growth: 2.5% platform fee (unlimited coaches)

Strengths:

• ✅ Modern, intuitive interface
• ✅ Family-first architecture
• ✅ Percentage pricing (scales with revenue)
• ✅ Excellent parent portal
• ✅ Fast setup (hours, not weeks)
• ✅ Built-in Stripe integration
• ✅ Progress tracking and session notes

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Relatively new (less established than TutorCruncher)
• ⚠️ No marketplace/lead generation
• ⚠️ Percentage pricing can be expensive at high volume

Ideal customer: Tutoring businesses doing $5k-50k/month who value modern UX and want to avoid fixed costs during slow months.

2. TutorCruncher

Best for: Large tutoring agencies with complex needs

Pricing:

• Starter: ~$149/month
• Professional: ~$349/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Strengths:

• ✅ Mature, established platform
• ✅ Handles complex organizational structures
• ✅ Extensive customization options
• ✅ Strong reporting capabilities
• ✅ API for custom integrations

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Steep learning curve (weeks to master)
• ⚠️ Interface feels dated
• ⚠️ Expensive for small businesses
• ⚠️ Setup complexity (often requires consultant)
• ⚠️ Overkill for simple operations

Ideal customer: Large tutoring agencies (100+ students) with dedicated admin staff and complex operational needs.

See full comparison: Gigpie vs TutorCruncher

3. Teachworks

Best for: Mid-sized tutoring centers (20-100 students)

Pricing:

• Basic: ~$48/month
• Professional: ~$102/month
• Premium: ~$169/month

Strengths:

• ✅ Solid core features
• ✅ Reasonable pricing for mid-market
• ✅ Active user community
• ✅ Regular updates

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Dated interface
• ⚠️ Limited mobile experience
• ⚠️ Clunky parent portal
• ⚠️ Reporting could be better

Ideal customer: Established tutoring centers comfortable with older-style software who want predictable monthly costs.

See full comparison: Gigpie vs Teachworks

4. Calendly

Best for: Solo tutors with very simple needs

Pricing:

• Free: 1 event type
• Standard: $12/seat/month
• Teams: $20/seat/month

Strengths:

• ✅ Simple, fast setup
• ✅ Excellent user experience
• ✅ Low cost for small teams

Limitations:

• ⚠️ No package hour tracking
• ⚠️ No family management
• ⚠️ Basic payment collection
• ⚠️ Not tutoring-specific
• ⚠️ Missing progress notes

Ideal customer: Solo tutors charging strictly hourly with fewer than 5 students.

See full comparison: Gigpie vs Calendly

5. Acuity Scheduling

Best for: Service businesses needing appointment scheduling

Pricing:

• Emerging: $20/month
• Growing: $34/month
• Powerhouse: $61/month

Strengths:

• ✅ Clean interface
• ✅ Squarespace integration
• ✅ Reasonable pricing
• ✅ Reliable scheduling

Limitations:

• ⚠️ No package hour tracking
• ⚠️ No family management
• ⚠️ General-purpose (not tutoring-focused)
• ⚠️ Limited coach management

Ideal customer: Solo tutors or very small operations with simple hourly billing.

See full comparison: Gigpie vs Acuity Scheduling

6. Mindbody

Best for: Fitness studios, spas (not really tutoring)

Pricing:

• Starter: ~$159/month
• Accelerate: ~$319/month
• Ultimate: ~$559/month

Strengths:

• ✅ Powerful for class-based businesses
• ✅ Retail POS integration
• ✅ Marketing tools
• ✅ Large ecosystem

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Built for group classes, not 1-on-1
• ⚠️ Expensive
• ⚠️ Complex setup
• ⚠️ Poor fit for tutoring workflows
• ⚠️ Membership-focused, not package-focused

Ideal customer: Hybrid businesses (e.g., yoga studio offering private sessions), not pure tutoring operations.

See full comparison: Gigpie vs Mindbody

7. TutorBird

Best for: Very small, budget-conscious operations

Pricing:

• Free tier available
• Pro: ~$29/month
• Business: ~$79/month

Strengths:

• ✅ Affordable
• ✅ Easy to learn
• ✅ Basic features work well
• ✅ Good for side hustles

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Limited scalability
• ⚠️ Fewer advanced features
• ⚠️ Smaller user community
• ⚠️ Less polished UX

Ideal customer: Part-time tutors or new businesses testing the market before committing to premium software.

Decision Framework

By Business Size

Solo tutor (1-10 students):

• Best: Calendly, Acuity, TutorBird
• Upgrade to: Gigpie when you hit 10+ students or sell packages

Small tutoring center (10-30 students):

• Best: Gigpie, Teachworks
• Avoid: TutorCruncher (overkill), Mindbody (wrong model)

Growing business (30-100 students):

• Best: Gigpie, Teachworks, TutorCruncher
• Avoid: Generic scheduling tools (Calendly, Acuity)

Large agency (100+ students):

• Best: TutorCruncher, Gigpie (Growth plan)
• Consider: Custom development if needs are very specific

By Business Model

Package-based pricing (10-hour, 20-hour packages):

• Must have: Gigpie, TutorCruncher, Teachworks
• Avoid: Calendly, Acuity (no package tracking)

Hourly billing:

• Works well: All platforms
• Simplest: Calendly, Acuity

Family-focused (serving multiple children per household):

• Best: Gigpie (family-first design)
• Adequate: TutorCruncher, Teachworks
• Poor fit: Calendly, Acuity, Mindbody

Music schools / multi-instrument:

• Best: Gigpie (handles variable lesson lengths)
• Adequate: Teachworks
• Possible: Mindbody (if you have group classes too)

Test prep (SAT, ACT, GRE):

• Best: Gigpie (goal tracking, score progress)
• Adequate: TutorCruncher, Teachworks

By Budget

Minimal budget (<$100/month):

• TutorBird, Calendly, Acuity
• Risk: You'll outgrow them quickly

Mid-range ($100-500/month):

• Gigpie (at ~$5k-20k revenue)
• Teachworks
• TutorCruncher Starter

High-volume ($500+/month):

• Gigpie (at $20k+ revenue on Growth plan)
• TutorCruncher Professional/Enterprise
• Custom solutions

By Technical Comfort

Low technical skills:

• Easiest: Calendly, Gigpie
• Manageable: Acuity, TutorBird
• Challenging: TutorCruncher, Teachworks

Moderate technical skills:

• All platforms work
• You'll get most value from: Gigpie, Teachworks

High technical skills:

• You can handle anything
• Consider: TutorCruncher (powerful but complex)
• Or: Gigpie (powerful AND simple)

Feature Deep-Dive

Family Management

Winner: Gigpie

• One parent account per household
• Multiple students linked
• Shared or individual packages
• Family scheduling view

Runner-up: TutorCruncher (complex but capable)

Weak: Calendly, Acuity (no family concept)

Package Hour Tracking

Winner: Gigpie

• Real-time balance visibility
• Automatic deduction
• Low-balance alerts
• Prevents overbooking

Strong: TutorCruncher, Teachworks (both handle this well)

Missing: Calendly, Acuity (not designed for this)

Parent Portal Experience

Winner: Gigpie

• Modern, mobile-responsive
• Self-service booking
• Progress notes visible
• Balance transparency

Adequate: TutorCruncher, Teachworks (functional but dated)

Minimal: Calendly, Acuity (just booking links)

Coach/Tutor Management

Winner (tie): Gigpie, TutorCruncher

• Specialization matching
• Earnings dashboards
• Availability management
• Performance analytics

Adequate: Teachworks, Mindbody

Basic: Calendly, Acuity

Ease of Setup

Winner: Calendly (minutes) Runner-up: Gigpie (hours) Moderate: Teachworks, Acuity (days) Complex: TutorCruncher, Mindbody (weeks)

Mobile Experience

Winner: Gigpie (fully responsive) Strong: Calendly, Acuity (mobile-optimized) Adequate: Teachworks (functional) Dated: TutorCruncher (works but not optimized) App-focused: Mindbody (native apps)

Real-World Recommendations

"I'm a solo SAT tutor just starting out"

→ Start with Calendly (simple, cheap) → Upgrade to Gigpie when you have 5+ students or want to sell packages

"I run a music school with 3 teachers and 40 students"

→ Gigpie (handles multi-instrument, variable lesson lengths, families)

"I have a tutoring center with 80 students and 6 tutors"

→ Gigpie or Teachworks (both handle this scale well) → Choose Gigpie if you value modern UX; Teachworks if you want fixed monthly costs

"I manage a large tutoring agency with 200+ students"

→ TutorCruncher or Gigpie Growth (both enterprise-capable) → TutorCruncher if you have complex custom needs; Gigpie if you value simplicity at scale

"I offer both group classes and private lessons"

→ Mindbody if group classes dominate → Gigpie if private lessons are primary (can handle occasional groups)

"Budget is my #1 concern"

→ TutorBird (cheapest full-featured option) → Risk: May need to migrate later as you grow

"I want software that will grow with me for 10 years"

→ Gigpie (modern, actively developed, scalable pricing) → TutorCruncher (mature, established, handles enterprise)

Migration Considerations

Switching FROM generic tools (Calendly, Acuity)

• Easy migration - minimal data to transfer
• Most businesses switch in 1-2 weeks
• Main challenge: training parents on new portal

Switching FROM Teachworks

• Moderate migration - export client/session data
• Typical timeline: 2-3 weeks
• Focus on preserving package balances

Switching FROM TutorCruncher

• Complex migration - lots of data and customization
• Timeline: 4-6 weeks
• Consider: Is it worth it? (Only if TutorCruncher truly not working)

Switching TO Gigpie (from any platform)

• Gigpie provides:
  • CSV import tools
  • Launch success manager (Growth plan)
  • Migration guides
  • Parallel running support

Cost Analysis Example

Scenario: Tutoring center with 50 active families, $15,000/month revenue, 4 tutors

Conclusion for this scenario: Gigpie and Teachworks are cost-competitive, with Gigpie offering better UX.

The Bottom Line

Best overall: Gigpie - Modern platform with family-first design, intuitive UX, and scalable pricing

Best for enterprise: TutorCruncher - Handles very complex operations, extensive customization

Best for budget: TutorBird - Cheapest option with core features

Best for simple needs: Calendly - If you don't need tutoring-specific features

Avoid for tutoring: Mindbody - Built for fitness, awkward for 1-on-1 education

How to Decide

Answer these questions:

1. How many students do I have?

   • <10: Consider simple tools (Calendly, TutorBird)
   • 10-100: Gigpie, Teachworks
   • 100+: Gigpie Growth, TutorCruncher

2. Do I sell packages or bill hourly?

   • Packages: MUST have Gigpie, TutorCruncher, or Teachworks
   • Hourly: Any platform works

3. Do I serve families (multiple children)?

   • Yes: Gigpie (best), TutorCruncher, Teachworks
   • No: More options available

4. What's my budget priority?

   • Minimize fixed costs: Gigpie (% model)
   • Predictable monthly: Teachworks, TutorCruncher
   • Absolute minimum: TutorBird

5. How technical am I?

   • Not technical: Gigpie, Calendly
   • Moderate: Any platform
   • Very technical: TutorCruncher (unlock advanced features)

Frequently Asked Questions