Comparison
WhatsApp, TeamSnap, Spond or Heja: choosing for a junior team
Teams run on a mix of group chats and team apps. This page compares four options on the two things that decide a coach's evening: how a family replies, and how attendance is kept. Every product is described from its own published help pages, and the sources are linked below.
20 coaches get 30 days free, with no card and one coach phone. The trial page checks how many places are left.
You message the bot first. It never adds anyone to a group chat.
How to read this page
- Four tools, described from their own help pages, not from a review site.
- The two things that matter: how a family replies, and how attendance is kept.
- The links under the table are the sources, and the page is dated.
The four options, side by side
Every tool here works for a team. They differ in where a parent answers, and in how much of the club has to move onto a new system.
| Tool | How a family replies | How attendance is kept | Where it fits | Accounts and apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitchside | A WhatsApp message with a yes or no. | The coach marks who actually attended after the session. | Teams that already run their week in WhatsApp. | Parents reply in WhatsApp. No parent login. |
| TeamSnap | Availability is answered in the app, a web browser or an event reminder email. | The coach reviews availability, including past availability. | Clubs that want a full team management suite. | The club and families use TeamSnap accounts. |
| Spond | An invitation can be answered in the Spond app, on the web, or from an email on a computer. | Admins record actual attendance and can download the attendance history. | Groups that want events, messaging and payments together. | An email account is needed; direct messages need the app or a web profile. |
| Heja | A scheduled event is answered going or not going, with an optional note. | Replies sit against each activity, and attendance statistics are available for the team. | Teams that want a simple parent facing app. | Members use the Heja app; desktop access comes with Pro or Pro Max. |
Descriptions are short summaries of each product's own help pages, listed under the table.
Where a dedicated team app fits
TeamSnap, Spond and Heja each do more than RSVPs. They carry schedules, availability, messaging and, for some plans, payments and desktop access. A club that wants one place for all of that gets real value from a team app, and a club running several age groups often wants exactly that.
Where WhatsApp fits
A WhatsApp bot changes nothing for a family. There is no new app to install, no second login, and no reminder to check another inbox. The coach sends the session and the yes or no comes back in the app everybody already opens. Parents and players never take a seat, and the coach runs it from a phone.
The honest difference
A team app holds a season of club admin: rosters, fees, documents and a calendar. If a club needs all of that in one system, a team app or the club's own website is the right home for it. A WhatsApp bot is narrower: it sends the session and collects the reply in a chat families already use, which saves a coach the retyping and a second place to look. It does not promise that every family answers, so a coach still follows up with the ones who have not. For a family already on WhatsApp there is nothing new to install; a family that does not use WhatsApp would need it to reply.
Sources
Reviewed 14 October 2026. Each product is described from its own published help pages.
Questions coaches ask
Is this a like for like replacement for a team app?
No. A team app holds a season's worth of club admin. The bot handles the session, the replies and the attendance record, and it can run alongside a club's existing systems.
Do coaches have to leave their current app?
No. This page compares the options, and a coach chooses. A club can keep the app it already runs and still send sessions and take replies in WhatsApp.
How current is this comparison?
It was reviewed on 14 October 2026 and it is built from the help pages linked under the table, so a reader can check every claim against the source.
Price and coverage
The price, and where it works
A$4.99 a week for one coach, paid in Australian dollars. A coach phone covers one coach however many teams they run, and parents and players never take a seat. No club listing is needed to run the bot.
WhatsApp setup is configured for Australia, the UK, New Zealand, the US, Canada and Singapore. Coaches elsewhere cannot finish setup yet.
At the Reserve Bank of Australia rates for 14 October 2026 (USD 0.7002 and GBP 0.5275 for each Australian dollar), A$4.99 is about US$3.49 or GBP2.63. Checkout is in Australian dollars, so your bank's own rate and any fees can change the amount you see. Reserve Bank of Australia exchange rates.
20 coaches get thirty days of the bot free in the founder test.