CircleUp

CircleUp is a family-centered management platform for homeschool co-ops and community groups, combining enrollment, scheduling, communication, and collections. It is strongest for co-ops that want one system for classes and family administration; organizations with different membership structures should examine its family-based caps before committing.

Overview

CircleUp ties member records to the activities families actually join. A co-op can register students for classes, schedule events, publish announcements, track attendance, and collect online payments from the same platform. That integrated approach can replace several disconnected processes, while the emphasis on families rather than individual students may be less suitable for conventional schools or groups organized around another unit.

Key features

Classes and events

Class registration supports capacity limits, enrollment tracking, attendance, and gradebooks, giving co-ops a useful academic-administration layer rather than just a signup form. Automated waitlists and drop-dates are reserved for Pro and higher, so groups with oversubscribed classes need to budget above Starter. The calendar offers day, week, and month views, recurring events, RSVPs, attendance tracking, and automated reminders. Those controls cover both a recurring class timetable and wider community activities without requiring separate scheduling workflows.

Directory and communication

The searchable directory stores family profiles and custom fields. An opt-in family directory lets each household decide what it shares, a sensible approach for groups balancing discoverability with privacy. A home feed supports announcements, photos, updates, likes, and comments, while group and class chat provide more focused conversation. Volunteer signups with hour tracking, documents and forms, a group store, reporting, roles, and permissions extend the platform beyond basic registration.

Payments, privacy, and support

Stripe processes online payments. Stripe's standard charge is 2.9% plus 30¢, and CircleUp adds a 0.5% platform fee; cash and check payments have no CircleUp fee. That makes offline collection materially cheaper, while frequent online transactions should be priced with both fees in mind. CircleUp says it does not store card numbers, uses industry-standard security measures, does not sell personal information, and does not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13; a parent or guardian manages minor-member information. Support is available by form without an account or by email, with priority support attached to paid tiers.

Pricing

CircleUp has a free plan and paid plans from $23 per month. The Free plan costs nothing, supports up to 10 families, includes event management and class registration, charges no CircleUp fee for cash or check payments, and applies a 0.5% CircleUp LLC fee to Stripe payments. It is a practical way for a small co-op to establish basic administration, but the 10-family ceiling leaves little room for growth.

Starter costs $23 a month, billed at 276 USD per year, for up to 50 families. It adds automated class signups and rosters, a family directory, shared calendar, public-facing group website, and class grades and report cards. This is the sensible tier for a growing co-op needing a public presence and more structured enrollment, though it does not include Pro's automated waitlists and drop-dates.

Pro is $60 a month, billed at 720 USD per year, and raises the limit to 100 families. It includes Starter features plus multi-admin access, automated waitlists and drop-dates, and priority support for registration day. Choose it when registration complexity or shared administration justifies the extra cost. Enterprise costs $100 a month, billed at 1200 USD per year, for up to 200 families and adds priority support to Pro's feature set. Enterprise Plus costs $159 a month, billed annually, supports up to 400 families, includes a 0.5% fee, guided onboarding, and help migrating an existing roster. These upper tiers target larger co-ops; smaller groups are paying mainly for capacity and support.

Platforms

CircleUp runs on the web and iOS. An Android app is coming, so Android-dependent groups should plan around browser access until it arrives.

Who it's for

CircleUp is built for homeschool co-ops and says it serves hundreds of them. It fits organizations that need family profiles, class registration, event logistics, community conversation, volunteer coordination, and payment collection together. A small co-op can start free, while larger or more administratively complex groups gain capacity and controls through paid tiers. Groups that need more than 400 families, or that organize primarily around individual students rather than families, should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad co-op workflow: Classes, events, family records, communication, volunteers, documents, and payments share one system.
• Useful enrollment controls: Capacity limits, attendance, gradebooks, and higher-tier waitlists address real class-management pressure.
• Family privacy choice: The opt-in directory lets each household control shared information.
• Flexible collection: Cash and check payments avoid CircleUp's fee, while Stripe handles online payments.

Cons

• Family caps shape the budget: The free tier stops at 10 families and Enterprise Plus at 400.
• Online payments cost extra: Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ charge combines with CircleUp's 0.5% fee.
• Key registration automation is tiered: Waitlists and drop-dates require Pro or above.
• Limited native mobile reach: The listed mobile app is iOS; Android is still forthcoming.

Alternatives

For broader school-administration choices, browse School Management Software; for discussion-oriented group tools, see Community Platforms.

ThinkWave is a better fit for a free gradebook with no stated limits on students, classes, or assignments, and it runs on Android, iOS, desktop platforms, and the web. Gradelink suits schools seeking a paid school platform with broad device support and a payments plan priced at $0 before transaction arrangements. RosarioSIS is the option for teams wanting free, open-source, self-hosted school software. feKara offers a 39.50 USD monthly plan for up to 600 students and unlimited teachers. Gibbon is free, open-source, and self-hosted. Schylva is aimed at approved schools in India under its introductory offer. OpenEMIS Admissions provides free open-source admissions software without licensing fees. Rediker AdminPlus is a paid PK–12 administration product with custom pricing.

Verdict

Choose CircleUp if you run a homeschool co-op and want family records, class and event operations, communication, and payments in one place. Its main advantage is the breadth of co-op-specific workflows; its main reasons to look elsewhere are the family-based limits, cumulative online-payment fees, and iOS-only native app today.