AMES vs Swimdesk
A swim school administration platform providing online bookings, level tracking, and parent communication for swimming lesson providers.
Swim school operators choose AMES over Swimdesk for its modern UI, multi-activity capability, revenue-share pricing model, and deeper teaching and compliance tooling.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
A detailed look at how AMES and Swimdeskcompare across the features that matter most to children's activity providers.
Booking & Scheduling
Payment Processing
Communication
Teaching & Progression
Compliance & Safety
Why Operators Switch to AMES
Activity providers across the UK are moving from Swimdesk to AMES. Here is what makes the difference.
Modern platform with no legacy baggage
Swimdesk has the hallmarks of an older platform — functional but not built for growth. AMES is built on a modern stack with continuous deployment, a mobile-first parent app, and an interface that operators and parents actually enjoy using.
No monthly subscription fee
Swimdesk charges per swimmer, which penalises growth. AMES uses revenue-share — you pay nothing until you earn. As your programme grows, your per-swimmer cost falls rather than rising.
Beyond swim school administration
Swimdesk is swim-only. AMES supports 12 activity types in one platform, making it the right choice for swim schools that also run holiday camps, gymnastics sessions, or multi-sport programmes.
Instructor compliance built in
AMES tracks DBS checks, Swim England qualifications, and NRASTC renewals across your team with automated reminders and an audit-ready export. Swimdesk has no instructor compliance tooling.
Pricing at a Glance
Transparent pricing so you can make an informed decision.
AMES
No monthly fee. AMES earns a small % of payments processed. No per-booking charges.
Swimdesk
Monthly fee scales with the number of active swimmers. Additional costs for SMS and some integrations.
Switching Is Easier Than You Think
Moving from Swimdesk to AMES does not mean starting from scratch. We handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on running your business.
Book a demo
See AMES in action with a personalised walkthrough tailored to your activity type and business size.
Free data migration
Our team migrates your existing customer data, class schedules, and booking history from Swimdesk at no extra cost.
Go live with confidence
We provide onboarding support, staff training, and a dedicated contact to ensure a smooth transition.
See AMES in Action
Ready to see how AMES can replace Swimdesk and transform the way you run your activity business? Book a free demo today.
