There’s a LOT of options out there when it comes to choosing a program to manage your dance studio. You don’t want to waste money or get stuck with the wrong program.
We’ve tested a lot of different programs, learned various interfaces, and used the software actively when managing a studio.
It will ultimately be up to you when choosing a dance studio software program, so you want to make sure you pick the right option as it’s crucial to connecting with your students. Use this page to get tips on what to look out for and our recommendation.
Set your budget
If you’re running a dance studio, you’re going to need software to assist you along the way. That includes budgeting for such an expense.
You should consider dance studio software a necessary cost as it will save you a lot of time while also streamlining many of your processes. The software today can do a lot for you and consolidate many other programs you may currently be using.
Many software options offer either monthly or annual options. Annual subscriptions usually save you money in the long run, but if you prefer to avoid a larger out of pocket cost, the monthly option is for you.
Some developers offer Pro and Standard versions of a program. The price will always be higher for the pro version, but if you start with Standard, you can always upgrade to Pro down the road.
Compare software features to your requirements
A lot will depend on what you need the software to do for your studio. Ask yourself the following questions if you’re uncertain of where to get started. Check off the items that meet your requirements:
- Am I using too many programs today? You might be using various program for email, classes, recital, push notifications, and more.
- Do I need to manage tuition? Your goal would be to streamline your income and maximize your profits with simple payment and dance tuition processing, point of sale, and online ticket sales.
- Do I want to manage classes and registration? You may want to offer simple online registration and manage your students, teachers, and events online.
- How can I communicate with my entire studio? Some software allows you to keep all of your communications within one system, including emails, texts, and push notifications from either a website or mobile app.
- Do I need to combine dance families because they have multiple kids? You can easily manage and combine billing if parents have more than one child at a dance studio.
Software learning curve
With all the different programs out there, you might be worried about learning yet ANOTHER new piece of software.
Some programs are easy and sync with other programs, like Gmail, YouTube, and Facebook. Others don’t offer any connection options and you might need to be managing even more than before.
Then there’s the ease of using the program itself to perform required studio actions, such as billing, communication, and class setup. Some programs offer a free trial and you should absolutely try it out before spending money.
Some programs are straightforward and easier to use than Twitter. Others are overly complex and make even the most basic actions – like sending an email – seem complex.
Software recommendation after trial and error
We’ve downloaded, installed, and tested a lot of different versions of dance studio software. A lot of them have many pluses and minuses. But for our purposes and what we needed it for – ie budget, class registration, and most importantly – ease of use – we landed on one program and haven’t looked back. That program is:
Dance Studio Pro
This isn’t an ad for the software either. We have been using this software for multiple years and could not be happier with the decision.
We did try other software and liked various aspects of them, but factoring in our requirements, Dance Studio Pro – available at https://dancestudio-pro.com/ – was the best choice for us.
While this was the best choice for us, there may be other software out there for you. We recommend trying out multiple options before choosing an option. That’s the best way to figure out what’s going to work out for YOU.