Crews vs Spond
Spond is built for organizing sports teams, clubs and groups: scheduling events, tracking attendance and messaging members, with club admin tools on top. It's widely used by team organizers, coaches and parents.
Crews is built for the social side of group life. It has a shared calendar and RSVPs too, but puts equal weight on real-time chat, a memory wall and friendly leagues between crews.
Who should pick Spond, who should pick Crews
Pick Spond if…
- You manage a sports team or club, especially youth sports
- You need availability tracking across many teams and squads
- You need club admin features like collecting payments
- Parents and guardians are part of your group’s setup
- You want free core features for your team
Pick Crews if…
- You run an adult club or program where the social side matters
- You want lively chat around every event
- You want photos turned into shared memories
- You like the idea of your crew competing with others in a league
At a glance
Shared calendar
- Crews
- Shared crew calendar, plus a personal calendar across all your crews
- Spond
- Team and group event scheduling
Event RSVPs
- Crews
- Going / maybe / not going, capacity limits, invite-only events
- Spond
- Attendance and availability responses
Event chat
- Crews
- Every event gets its own chat
- Spond
- Messaging around events and groups
Group chat
- Crews
- Real-time crew chat with threads, reactions, @mentions and pinned messages
- Spond
- Group messaging
Polls
- Crews
- Polls right in crew and event chat
- Spond
- Check their site
Photo memories
- Crews
- Memory wall; turn any chat photo into a memory
- Spond
- Not the focus of the app
Leagues & challenges
- Crews
- Social leagues by crew size; challenges judged by votes
- Spond
- Built for real teams’ schedules, not social leagues
Attendance
- Crews
- Check-in on the event page, show rate and per-member history
- Spond
- Attendance tracking for training and matches
Payments
- Crews
- Not available
- Spond
- Payment collection for clubs and teams
Push notifications
- Crews
- In-app and web push notifications
- Spond
- Mobile notifications
Invite links
- Crews
- Expiring, role-based invite links and join requests
- Spond
- Group invitations
Price
- Crews
- 14-day free trial, then $59/mo per crew
- Spond
- Free core features; see their site
Key differences
- 1
Team logistics vs group life
Spond is focused on the logistics of running a team or club: who can make training, who’s playing Saturday, who’s paid. Crews focuses on the group’s social life: plans, chat, memories and some friendly rivalry.
- 2
Club admin
Spond includes club administration features such as payments. Crews doesn’t handle payments (they’re on the roadmap, not available yet), memberships or rosters beyond member roles.
- 3
Chat and memories
Crews has real-time chat with threads, reactions, polls, pinned messages and photos, plus a memory wall where any chat photo can become a memory post.
- 4
Leagues that aren’t your sport
Crews “leagues” aren’t fixtures. Crews are grouped by size and earn points by winning challenges against other crews, judged by votes. It’s a social layer, not sports management.
When Spond is the better choice
For actual team management, Spond is the stronger tool.
- Youth sports teams and clubs with parents and guardians
- Clubs tracking availability for many teams, squads and matches
- Clubs that collect fees or manage memberships
- Organizations with multiple teams and admins
Moving your group from Spond
Many teams keep a team-management app for logistics and use Crews for the social side. If you’re moving fully, start with events.
- 1.Create your crew and choose public or private. Private crews are joined by invite link or approved join request.
- 2.Make one or two trusted members moderators so organizing isn’t all on you.
- 3.Add the next few upcoming plans to the crew calendar, so there is something to RSVP to on day one.
- 4.Send personal invite links to the team and set capacity limits on events with limited spots.
- 5.Post a few favorite photos to the memory wall to make the new space feel like yours from the start.
- 6.Ask members to install Crews to their home screen and turn on push notifications, so they don’t miss new events.
The verdict
Spond is built for running sports teams and clubs, its core features are free, and it’s the better choice for that job. Crews is a paid tool ($59/month per crew after a 14-day trial) for organizers who want the social side done well: plans, chat, memories and crew-vs-crew fun.
Start 14-day free trialFrequently asked questions
Can Crews replace Spond for my sports team?
For an adult club that mainly needs plans, RSVPs and chat, it can, but Crews is paid and Spond’s core features are free. For youth sports, payments or club administration, Spond is the better tool.
Does Crews handle payments?
Not today. Payments and membership dues are on the roadmap, not available yet.
Does Crews support recurring training sessions?
Yes. Training can repeat weekly, every 2 weeks or monthly, and each session is its own event with its own RSVPs, chat and attendance check-in. Spond goes deeper on team logistics like availability across squads.
What are Crews leagues?
Crews are placed in leagues by size and earn points by winning challenges against other crews. Weekly points reset, and a challenge win is worth 100 points.
How much does Crews cost?
Every crew starts with a 14-day free trial, no card needed. After that it’s $59/month per crew, paid by the organizer, and members join free. That includes up to 100 members; each extra 100 members is +$18/month. Billing is monthly and you can cancel anytime. Full details are on the pricing page (/pricing).
Other comparisons
Comparison based on publicly available information as of September 2026; features change — check each product's site. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.