An honest comparison
Chess academy software vs Excel and WhatsApp.
Most academies start with a spreadsheet and a WhatsApp group, and that is a sensible start. Here is where it holds up, and where it starts to cost you evenings.
Stay with Excel and WhatsApp if…
- You have fewer than about 15 students and one batch.
- You are the only person who touches the records.
- You enjoy the personal messages and do not find the chasing stressful.
They are free, you already know them, and they bend to whatever you need. Our free tools are there for exactly this stage.
…and look at software when these start to hurt
| The job | Excel and WhatsApp | ChesSync |
|---|---|---|
| Knowing who has paid | You scroll bank messages and screenshots, then update a cell. | The parent taps “I’ve paid” with the UPI reference. You check your bank and tap Confirm. The receipt is numbered and sent. |
| Asking for fees | You write each message yourself and remember who to nudge. | Reminders go out 2 days before, on the day, 2 days after, then weekly, and stop when a payment is claimed. |
| Attendance | A column per class that someone fills in later, if at all. | A list of today’s classes on your phone. Everyone starts present; you tap the exceptions. |
| Make-up classes | Remembered, or argued about. | An absent student gets a make-up credit that you approve and that expires. |
| Telling parents how their child is doing | A message when you have time, or a call when they ask. | A monthly report in the family app. You can see which families opened it. |
| Chess ratings | Someone checks Chess.com and Lichess by hand. | Ratings and puzzle activity sync from each child’s public username. |
| Who sees whose data | A shared file, or a WhatsApp group where every parent can see every other parent’s number. | Each family sees only its own children. Coaches see only their own batches, and only what you switch on. |
| Handing over to a new coach | Forward a file and explain the columns. | Add them as a coach with access to their batches. |
What it costs, and what it does not do
Free for 40 days with up to 5 students. A paid plan starts with 10 free days and costs from ₹499 a month, priced by active students, with every feature included.
It does not collect fees for you: parents pay your own UPI ID or payment link, so the money never passes through us. It does not replace WhatsApp for chatting with parents. It sends the reminders, receipts and reports, and leaves the conversations to you.
You can move over in an afternoon. Your spreadsheet imports as it is, with a preview before anything is saved. Our fee tracker uses the same columns.
Get your evenings back.
Start free with up to 5 students for 40 days, or try a full-size academy for 10 days. Every feature is included, and nothing is charged automatically.