CircleUp

CircleUp is a group-management platform for homeschool co-ops and community groups, organizing families, classes, events, communication, and payments in one system. It is strongest for co-ops that need those workflows together; family caps and Stripe charges are the key constraints to check before committing.

Overview

CircleUp is built around family-based administration rather than a generic discussion forum or a conventional school information system. Members can register for classes, RSVP to events, follow announcements, and pay online while administrators manage records, schedules, forms, documents, volunteers, and reports. That unified approach can replace several separate processes for a co-op, but organizations structured around individual student records may find the family model less natural.

Key features

Classes and events

Class registration supports capacity limits, enrollment and attendance tracking, automated waitlists, and gradebook features. Waitlists and drop-date automation are reserved for Pro and higher, so Starter suits predictable enrollment better than classes that routinely overflow. The calendar offers day, week, and month views, recurring events, RSVP and attendance tracking, and automated reminders, covering both weekly lessons and occasional group activities.

Family records and communication

A searchable directory holds family profiles and custom fields. The opt-in family directory lets each household control what it shares, a useful privacy choice for mixed-age community groups. A home feed supports announcements, photos, updates, likes, and comments, while group and class chat keeps conversations tied to the relevant activity.

Administration and payments

Volunteer signups and hour tracking, documents and forms, a group store, reporting, roles, and permissions extend CircleUp beyond scheduling. 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. CircleUp says it does not store card numbers, uses industry-standard security measures, does not sell personal information, and handles information about minors through a parent or guardian.

Pricing

The free plan costs $0.00 and supports up to 10 families, event management, and class registration. Cash and check payments carry a $0 CircleUp fee, while Stripe payments incur the 0.5% CircleUp fee in addition to Stripe's charge. It is a sensible starting point for a small co-op, but the family ceiling is low.

Starter costs $23.00 per month, billed at $276/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 practical tier for established co-ops that need structured enrollment and a public web presence without multiple administrators.

Pro costs $60.00 per month, billed at $720/year, and raises capacity to 100 families. It includes Starter features, multi-admin access, automated waitlists and drop-dates, and priority support for registration day. Choose it when enrollment complexity or shared administration justifies the higher annual commitment.

Enterprise costs $100.00 per month, billed at $1200/year, for up to 200 families and includes everything in Pro plus priority support. Enterprise Plus costs $159.00 per month when billed annually, supports up to 400 families, and adds guided onboarding and help migrating an existing roster. Those tiers target larger co-ops; smaller groups are paying mainly for additional capacity and administration.

Platforms

CircleUp is available on iOS and the web. The App Store app is available; an Android app is described as coming. Groups that require Android access today should account for that platform gap.

Who it's for

CircleUp is a strong fit for homeschool co-ops managing classes, family directories, recurring events, volunteer work, and payments together. It also suits community groups whose membership is organized by family and whose administrators can stay within the plan's family limit. It is less suitable for groups needing Android immediately, student-centric records, or a payment model dominated by online transactions where the recurring percentage fees materially affect costs.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Class registration, capacity controls, attendance, grades, and event scheduling share one family-oriented system.
• Pro: Opt-in directory controls, roles, permissions, and parent-managed minor information support responsible community administration.
• Pro: Cash and check payments avoid CircleUp's platform fee.
• Con: The free plan stops at 10 families, so even small co-ops may need a paid tier as membership grows.
• Con: Stripe payments add 2.9% plus 30¢ from Stripe and a 0.5% CircleUp fee.
• Con: Automated waitlists, drop-dates, and multi-admin access begin at Pro rather than Starter.
• Con: Android support is not yet available.

Alternatives

For broader school-administration coverage, compare the School Management Software directory. For discussion- and membership-first products, see Community Platforms.

ThinkWave is a better choice when you want a free gradebook with no stated limits on students, classes, or assignments and broad platform support, including Android, iOS, desktop systems, and web.

RosarioSIS suits organizations wanting free, open-source, self-hosted school software and willing to manage PHP, a SQL database, and updates themselves.

Gradelink is worth considering for a paid school platform with Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows support and a payments option where transaction fees may be covered by the school or passed to families.

feKara fits groups seeking a monthly plan for up to 600 students with unlimited teachers and broader modules.

Gibbon is the free, open-source alternative when self-managed hosting is acceptable.

Schylva may suit approved schools in India that qualify for its introductory offer.

OpenEMIS Admissions is a free, self-hosted admissions option with no licensing fees.

Infinite Campus is an alternative paid platform with Android, iOS, web, and API support.

Verdict

Choose CircleUp if you run a homeschool co-op that wants family records, class enrollment, events, communication, and payments coordinated in one place. Its main advantage is the fit between those workflows; look elsewhere if your group exceeds its family limits, needs Android now, or wants to avoid percentage fees on online payments.