WorkshopFolio vs SignUpGenius
SignUpGenius is built for volunteer coordination and free sign-up sheets. WorkshopFolio is built for instructors who charge per seat. Here's the honest difference.
Is SignUpGenius good for paid classes?
SignUpGenius can collect payments, but it charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction on top of its plan cost — and is designed for volunteer coordination, not a paid-class business. On a $30 yoga class, that's $2.00 per booking going to SignUpGenius (versus WorkshopFolio's zero commission at standard Stripe rates).
What SignUpGenius is actually built for
SignUpGenius is excellent for what it is: organizing school events, volunteer shifts, potlucks, parent-teacher conferences, and donations. It has tens of millions of users for good reason. It's just not a class-booking platform.
What WorkshopFolio adds
WorkshopFolio adds the things a paid-class business actually needs: deposits, waitlists, recurring series, digital liability waivers, attendee re-marketing, and Stripe-direct payouts with no 5% markup. The booking page is also designed to look professional to a paying student, not a volunteer sign-up sheet.
The pricing difference over time
If you run 10 classes per month with an average of 8 students at $30 each, SignUpGenius's 5% + $0.50 fee costs approximately $160/month in transaction fees alone. WorkshopFolio at Pro ($29/month) with zero commission costs $29/month plus standard Stripe fees.