Last updated: November 11, 2026 · By Ben Gorski, founder of Swum
I make the Swum app (swum.ai), and it's on this list. I've tried to be fair: MarketBox is a good product, and for some mobile businesses another tool below is a better fit than mine. Prices and features are what each company published on November 11, 2026, so check them before you switch.
The short answer
If you teach swim lessons at families' homes and want to leave MarketBox, these are the alternatives worth a look:
- The Swum app (swum.ai): for swim-only businesses that want family records, waivers and instructor pay next to mobile booking.
- Jobber: for teams that think in routes and crews.
- Vagaro: for businesses that also want forms, commissions and a branded client app.
- Square Appointments: for a solo instructor already taking payments on Square.
- Acuity Scheduling: for a solo instructor who wants packages and intake forms and can handle travel by hand.
- TimeTap: for teams that need real drive time worked out from addresses.
What MarketBox does well
Credit where it's due. MarketBox was built for in-home and mobile services and has a page just for mobile swim schools. It shows travel time on the calendar, and its "Smart Clusters" feature offers families times near lessons you already have. It lets you draw travel zones for each instructor, auto-assign instructors by skill, and sell packages and recurring lessons.
MarketBox has 5.0 stars from 19 reviews on Capterra, and those reviews don't show a pattern of complaints.
Why people look for an alternative
From MarketBox's own pages, as of November 11, 2026:
- The map tools cost more. The map view and location-based pricing are on the Professional plan, at $159 a month. Starter is $39 a month.
- Some route features aren't out yet. Route optimization, time windows and subscriptions are marked "coming soon".
- It isn't swim-specific. I couldn't find waivers, family accounts with several swimmers, or swim skill tracking on its feature pages. It runs payroll from exported reports.
If those don't matter to you, MarketBox may still be the right call.
Side by side
| Book at the family's address | Drive time between lessons | Limit where people can book | Packages | Recurring lessons | Waivers or intake forms | Instructor pay | Starting price (Nov 11, 2026) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MarketBox | Yes | Yes (travel time, Smart Clusters) | Yes (zones per instructor) | Yes | Yes | Not found | Reports to export | $39/mo Starter; $159/mo for map tools |
| The Swum app (swum.ai) | Yes | Yes (checks the drive before and after each slot) | Yes (radius or zones) | Yes | Yes | Yes (required, signed) | Yes (contractor payouts, payroll view) | $0/mo Standard, or $98/mo Pro |
| Jobber | Yes | Yes (drive-time limit) | Yes (radius) | Not found | Yes | Not found | Timesheets, Gusto sync | $29/mo yearly or $49/mo monthly, +$29 per extra user |
| Vagaro | Yes | Yes (driving time blocked) | Yes (radius and cities) | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes (Forms add-on) | Yes (commissions, payroll add-on) | $23.99/mo intro, then $30/mo, +$10 per extra calendar |
| Square Appointments | Yes | Not automatic | No | Yes (paid plans) | Yes | Contracts at booking | Separate product | Free plan; paid plans per location |
| Acuity Scheduling | Yes (address from intake form) | Fixed padding only | No | Yes (Standard and up) | Yes | Yes | Not found | $16/mo yearly or $20/mo monthly (1 calendar) |
| TimeTap | Yes | Yes (from Google Maps) | Not confirmed | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not found | $22.45/mo; drive time on the $40.45/mo plan |
"Not found" means I couldn't find it on the company's own pages. It doesn't prove the feature is missing.
The alternatives
The Swum app (swum.ai)
Best for: swim-only businesses, solo or with a team, that want mobile booking and the swim parts in one app.
What works for mobile lessons:
- Teach at your own pool, a family's pool or an HOA. A home pool's exact address stays hidden until the family books.
- Set a max travel radius or draw service zones. Families outside them get a notice, and you get a location request.
- With Intelligent Routes on, a time is only offered if the estimated drive from your lesson before it and to your lesson after it fits, plus a travel cushion you set. You can also add a travel surcharge for far addresses.
- Family accounts with several swimmers. Siblings can share a lesson or book back to back.
- Packages, prepaid time credits, and plans with several lessons a week.
- Required, signed waivers (your own PDF or text) and custom intake questions.
- Contractor payouts, a payroll view of what each instructor earned and is owed, and instructor specialties so swimmers only see instructors who fit their needs.
Watch out for:
- Swum is newer and smaller: 3 reviews on Capterra, against MarketBox's 19.
- It's built only for swim lessons. If you also run tutoring or other home services, a general tool fits better.
- On the free Standard plan, Swum takes a larger cut of each booking (the pricing page says "23% total fees per transaction"). Pro is $98 a month with 5% total fees.
Switching: send us your MarketBox export and we'll run the import. No family gets an email until you're ready.
Jobber
Best for: teams that run routes and think in crews and jobs.
What works: online booking at the customer's address with a drive-time limit between bookings, a service radius, recurring jobs, a Client Hub web portal, timesheets and a Gusto payroll sync.
Watch out for: it's built around jobs and invoices, not lessons, swimmers or prepaid credits, and I found no lesson packages. Jobber's help center says online booking is on "select plans". Saved cards and autopay need Jobber Payments, and only one payment processor can be active at a time. It has 4.6 stars from about 1,500 reviews on Capterra, where some reviewers mention glitches and rigid reports.
Price: Core is $29 a month billed yearly, or $49 month to month, plus $29 a month per extra user.
Vagaro
Best for: businesses that want forms, staff commissions and a branded client app in one place.
What works: a Mobile Services mode with a mile radius plus a list of cities, one-way driving time blocked before and after each visit, packages that families can share, a Forms add-on, and commissions and payroll.
Watch out for: it's made for salons, spas and fitness, and add-ons add up: extra calendars, forms, payroll and the branded app. In-app card payments need Vagaro's own merchant services, according to a third-party review. Capterra reviewers call its processing costly and confusing (4.7 stars from about 3,500 reviews).
Price: $23.99 a month for the first 6 months, then $30, plus $10 for each extra calendar.
Square Appointments
Best for: a solo instructor already taking payments on Square.
What works: appointments "at the customer's location", recurring appointments, packages on paid plans, contracts at booking, and a free plan to start.
Watch out for: there's no service area. Square sellers report that anyone can book from anywhere, and turning on manual approval is the usual workaround. I found no automatic drive time between appointments. You have to use Square's processing: 3.3% + 30¢ online, and 3.5% + 15¢ for a card on file.
Price: a free plan, with paid plans priced per location.
Acuity Scheduling
Best for: a solo instructor who wants packages and intake forms and can plan travel by hand.
What works: packages (Standard plan and up), recurring appointments, intake forms that can collect the family's address, and your choice of Stripe, Square or PayPal for payments. It has 4.8 stars from about 5,700 reviews on Capterra.
Watch out for: travel time is fixed "padding" minutes, not real drive time, and there's no service area. It has no family or swimmer records and no instructor pay.
Price: $16 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly) for one calendar, or $27 ($34) for up to six.
TimeTap
Best for: teams that want drive time worked out from real addresses.
What works: it calculates travel time between appointment addresses using Google Maps, and it has pre-booking forms, packages, and payments through Stripe or Square.
Watch out for: the drive-time calculator is on the Team Business plan. Capterra reviewers say setup is "a little complicated" (4.5 stars from about 260 reviews). It has no swim-specific records.
Price: Team Professional is $22.45 a month, and Team Business with travel time is $40.45 a month.
Left off this list
Setmore only blocks travel time by hand. Bookeo is built for tours and classes. Pike13, Upper Hand and TeamUp are built for facilities and studios. I couldn't find booking at the family's address in any of them.
How to choose
- Only swim lessons, and you want waivers, families and instructor pay handled: try the Swum app (swum.ai) next to MarketBox.
- Several instructors driving routes, and lessons are just "jobs" to you: Jobber or TimeTap.
- You want a branded app and sell other services too: Vagaro.
- It's just you, with a few families: Square Appointments or Acuity, and keep your service area in your head.
- MarketBox already works and you mainly want the map tools: price out MarketBox Professional before you switch anything.
Whatever you pick, test it on one real week first: your zones, a sibling booking, a weather cancel, and a payday.
More comparisons: Swum vs MarketBox, Swum for mobile swim instructors, the best swim software for mobile instructors, and Jackrabbit alternatives for swim schools.
FAQ
What's the best MarketBox alternative for mobile swim lessons?
It depends on what you need beyond booking. The Swum app (swum.ai) fits swim-only businesses that want waivers, family records and instructor pay. Jobber and TimeTap fit teams focused on routes and drive time. Square Appointments and Acuity fit simple solo setups.
Which alternatives limit bookings to my service area?
Of the six, the Swum app (radius or zones), Jobber (radius) and Vagaro (radius and cities) do. Square Appointments and Acuity don't.
Which ones handle drive time between lessons?
MarketBox, the Swum app, Jobber, Vagaro and TimeTap all account for drive time. Acuity only adds fixed padding minutes, and Square needs a manual workaround.
Can I move my families and packages off MarketBox?
Most tools import a client list from a spreadsheet. With the Swum app (swum.ai), you send your MarketBox export and Swum runs the import for you, and no family is emailed until you're ready.
Sources (seen November 11, 2026)
- MarketBox: gomarketbox.com/pricing, /industries/mobile-swim-school-software/, /solutions/all-in-one-platform, /features/online-payments, and the help article on payroll reports. Capterra and G2 review pages (search snippets).
- Jobber: getjobber.com/pricing, /features; help center articles on Online Booking, Recurring Jobs and payment providers; Capterra (snippet).
- Vagaro: vagaro.com/pro/pricing, /pro/forms; support articles on Mobile Services and shared packages (snippets); cardfellow.com Vagaro review; Capterra (snippet).
- Square Appointments: squareup.com appointments pricing, payments fees, help articles 5353 and 8268, the recurring appointments page, and a Square community thread on customer locations; Capterra (snippet).
- Acuity Scheduling: acuityscheduling.com/pricing, and help center articles on padding and appointment locations; Capterra (snippet).
- TimeTap: timetap.com/pricing, support article on travel time (snippet), the payments page; Capterra (snippet).
