The best software for a baseball or softball facility should handle tunnel rentals, lessons tied to a specific coach and cage, memberships, credits, camps and payments, all in one place. Bonus points if it can manage things like retail and pro shops, access control, etc.
For most training facilities, that means Swift, Upper Hand, Baseline, EZFacility or eSoft Planner, and the right pick depends on your budget, your volume and how much setup you want to do.
As the team behind Swift, we obviously have a position on what we think is the best tool for the job. But we understand that every business is unique and there are some genuine cases where we might not be the best fit.
So we’ll try our best to be as unbiased and objective as possible in this assessment.
Having said that, let’s take a look!
TLDR; Key takeaways
- Rentals take most of the cage time: Across 342 facilities, 64% of booked cage hours last winter (2025-2026) were rentals. Customers need to be able to book a specific cage online.
- Revenue comes from several places at once: At the average baseball facility on Swift, memberships brought in 33%, rentals 24%, lessons 17%, camps 8%, packages 6% and classes 5% (285 facilities). Pick software that handles all of them.
- Try the tool out without committing: No matter how much research you do, sometimes you just need to try the tool out. This is why contract terms matter just as much (if not more) than the price of the software. For example, Upper Hand lists its prices as "paid annually" and Baseline's Plus and Pro plans need a 12-month commitment. In contrast, most of Swift’s customers are on month-to-month subscriptions with no contracts whatsoever. You’ll also get a 30-day money back guarantee - we want to earn every penny of your business!
- Pick the right pricing model: Finally, pricing will of course be a deciding factor. Be careful about “free” models - Baseline's “free” plan charges per transaction, but this can very quickly run the cost of software into the hundreds or thousands per month as you do better. Even if you pass it on to your customer, that’s extra margin that you should be capturing - not your software provider. Swift and most of the others charge a flat monthly fee, so every extra dollar you earn is yours to keep.
What Baseball and Softball Facilities Need From Their Software
A booking at a training facility usually involves a space, often a coach, sometimes equipment, and a payment or a credit. That's where general schedulers like Acuity fall short.
We’ve run the data on the hundreds of baseball facilities that use Swift to power their business. Here’s what matters most:
Rentals take most of your cage time. At the average facility, 64% of booked cage hours were rentals, 18% lessons, 12% classes and 6% camps (342 facilities, Nov 2025 to Feb 2026). Customers should be able to see and book a specific cage online, without calling your front desk.
A big thing here is handling the nesting of cages! If you have 3 cages on a stretch of turf, your software should be able to handle “full turf rentals” and “individual cage rentals” at the same time - intelligently blocking out turf when cages are booked and vice versa. It goes without saying that we do this out-of-the box at Swift 😊
Pro tip
An underrated (but super important) thing to look for is how the software handles equipment! Things like Hittrax machines, Rapsodo radars, etc are all in limited quantity, so if you’re upselling them to your customers via add-ons or including it in their rental, you need to be able to track their availability just like your cages!
Your busy hours are after school. At the average facility, 61% of booked cage hours started after 3pm on a weekday, and only 10% before 3pm. Self-serve booking and automatic reminders let the evening rush run without someone at the desk, and off-peak pricing helps fill the quiet hours.
Pro tip
The easier it is for your customers to self-serve, the more time you’ll have to spend on the things you love - whether that’s being in the cage coaching, spending time with your family, or figuring out new creative ways to grow your business. It’s a big reason why facilities that switch to Swift experience such massive success.
Lessons have to block the cage. When a coach books a lesson in cage 3, that cage shouldn't still show as open for rentals. Look for software that treats spaces, coaches and equipment as separate resources, with parent and child spaces if you have retractable or combinable cages.
Pro tip
Another thing to verify is how the software handles staff availability! It should be able to manage the availability and booking of multiple “resources” (aka instructors and cages/space) at the same time. We’ve heard two related issues - folks coming from Acuity have complained about having to create staff members as “fake rooms” to get it working, and folks coming from EZFacility have told us that adding staff availability automatically blocks the cage pre-emptively (which is lost revenue if that instructor doesn’t end up getting booked!). Swift handles both of these things for you - instructors are first class citizens in Swift, and their availability doesn’t automatically block the cage unless you want it to. Your business, your choice.
Memberships carry the business. Memberships were the largest share of revenue at baseball facilities on Swift (33% on average, 285 facilities, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026). Check how each tool handles credits, auto-billing and failed payments before you sign. Our indoor baseball facility cost guide has more on what facilities earn.
Pro tip
Build a sense of scarcity, community, and exclusivity around your memberships and you will thrive! Unlimited access isn’t always best, so software that handles credits and their renewals + restrictions (i.e 2 credits/week for lessons) is super important. Our membership retention guide goes through it all.
The 6 Options at a Glance
| Software | Best for | Starting Price | Billing and contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swift | Training facilities that want the easiest-to-use software - both for them and their customers. | $179/mo month-to-month, or $149/mo billed yearly No setup fees, and no extra transaction fees. Every dollar you earn is yours to keep! | No contract, 30-day money-back |
| Upper Hand | Coaches growing into a facility | $79/mo (Start), $199/mo (Grow) | Listed as "monthly cost paid annually" |
| Baseline | Low-volume facilities or businesses with a heavy team focus. | $0/mo + 3.9% + $2.79 per transaction + $250 setup. Other plans are $99 and $199 plans but have the exact same transaction costs | 12-month commitment on Plus and Pro |
| EZFacility | Large multi-sport and campus recreation operations | Not published | Not published |
| eSoft Planner | Facilities that are okay with older or difficult software for the cheapest price | From $39/mo, a la carte, plus a one-time setup and training fee | Billed monthly |
| Mindbody | Businesses with a fitness or studio side | From $79/mo per location | Not stated |
Prices and terms from each company's public website, checked Oct 25, 2026 (eSoft Planner Oct 27, 2026). Card processing fees are extra on every option.
1. Swift
Best for: baseball and softball training facilities that want the easiest-to-use software - for their staff, coaches and their customers/parents.
We built Swift specifically for baseball-softball facilities. Cage and tunnel rentals, lessons, classes, camps, memberships, packages and credits, waivers and payments all live in one place. Spaces, coaches and equipment are separate resources, and customers book and pay online from your branded booking page or your own app. Most facilities are set up after a one-hour onboarding call with our team.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
- Pricing: Essentials $179/mo month-to-month ($159 billed annually), Growth $329 ($263/mo billed annually), Scale $599 ($479/mo billed annually). No Swift transaction fee on top of regular card processing rates.
- Contract: none, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Switching: Free migration of your customers and memberships. If you need to transfer bookings and other data, talk to us and we can figure it out! Every week, we bring over facilities from the companies in this list, so we have a pretty established playbook on how to make the migration process painless.
- Add-ons: Branded app, AI Front Desk, Access control, and more!
Where another tool may suit you better: If your business relies heavily on leagues, teams, and tournaments - Swift may not be the best fit for you. Also if you’re super strapped on budget (under $100/mo), a free or transaction-fee plan will cost less to run in the short term.
Be super careful of what you’re giving up (your margin/cash flow) though, often it’s better to invest in a better solution upfront to avoid the scaling costs that come later. If anything, you can start by using a free tool like Calendly or a small subscription tool like Acuity before investing in the right baseball-specific solution.
If you’re a new facility and aren’t sure of your upcoming revenue, be sure to ask about Swift’s new business discount!
2. Upper Hand
Best for: coaches and trainers who want to start small and grow into a facility.
Upper Hand serves coaches, facilities and franchises, and says it's "trusted by 1,000+ sports business owners." Start ($79/mo) covers scheduling, registration and email for independent coaches. Grow ($199/mo) adds facility and resource management, retail, and staff and payroll features. Scale (contact sales) adds multi-location controls and a branded app.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
- Pricing: $79 and $199 per month, listed as "monthly cost paid annually." Add-ons include a website builder ($50/mo) and Advanced Insights ($50/mo).
- Consider: the low entry price makes it easy to start as a solo coach. Ask how billing works if you need to change plans mid-year.
Source: upperhand.com/pricing, as of Oct 25, 2026. See also Swift vs Upper Hand and Upper Hand review
3. Baseline
Best for: low-volume baseball and softball facilities, and businesses that are heavily team focused
Baseline is another popular solution, built for baseball and softball facilities and all-star cheer gyms. It covers scheduling, memberships, payments, athlete profiles, messaging, a point of sale, keyless entry and a website builder.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
- Pricing: Base is $0/mo with a $250 setup fee and no commitment. Plus ($99/mo) and Pro ($199/mo) need a 12-month commitment. Card processing on all plans is 3.9% + $2.79 per transaction (ACH 1.8% + $2.49). A branded app is +$149/mo on Plus and Pro.
- Consider: on Base you pay “nothing” monthly, but the transaction fees are killer. This means, your cost rises with your sales. Compare the per-transaction rate with a flat monthly fee plus standard card processing at your own volume. And if you’re unsure, it’s best to go with a solution whose costs don’t scale with your business.
Source: baselinepro.com/pricing, as of Oct 25, 2026. See also Swift vs Baseline.
4. EZFacility
Best for: large or multi-sport operations, such as campus recreation, parks and recreation, and complexes running many sports.
EZFacility has been around for 20+ years and says it's "trusted by 3,000+ facilities." It serves a wide range of sports plus gyms, YMCAs, parks and campus recreation. Features include drag-and-drop scheduling, rentals with deposits, online registration with a Smartwaiver integration, a branded mobile app, QuickBooks Online sync and card, ACH and POS processing.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
- Pricing: not published. You request a quote.
- Consider: its breadth suits big multi-sport operations. A single-location training facility should ask for a demo of the parent booking flow and a full written quote.
Source: ezfacility.com, as of Oct 25, 2026. See also Swift vs EZFacility and EZFacility review
5. eSoft Planner
Best for: facilities that want hands-on, consultative customer service.
eSoft Planner describes itself as "the flexible and customizable online solution to power your facility." It covers rentals, classes, camps, teams, instructors and memberships, serves baseball and softball alongside many other sports, swim clubs, schools and municipalities, and promotes "unlimited, consultative customer service."
Here’s the quick breakdown:
- Pricing: "Starting at $39/Month," a la carte across Lite, Pro and Enterprise plans, billed monthly, plus a one-time setup and training fee (amount not published). Standard processing fees apply, charged by its payment partners.
- Consider: with a la carte pricing, your cost depends on the modules you add. Get a written quote for everything you need, including setup and card processing.
Source: esoftplanner.com and esoftplanner.com/pricing, as of Oct 27, 2026. See also Swift vs eSoft Planner and eSoft Planner review
6. Mindbody
Best for: businesses with a sizable fitness, yoga or studio side alongside their training space.
Mindbody describes itself as business software for fitness and wellness. Plans start at $79 per month per location. Room and resource management starts on the Accelerate plan, and the Ultimate plan adds automated email and text campaigns and what Mindbody calls "a 24/7 AI front desk."
Here’s the quick breakdown:
- Pricing: from $79/mo per location. Payment processing is a rate plus $0.10 to $0.30 per transaction (rate not published).
- Consider: ask to see a cage or tunnel set up as a bookable space, and how a lesson in that space shows on the calendar.
Source: mindbodyonline.com/business/pricing, as of Oct 25, 2026. See also Swift vs Mindbody.
How to Choose
- List your revenue streams. If memberships, rentals and lessons each bring in real money, rule out anything that only handles one of them well.
- Book a cage on your phone as a parent would. Do it in every tool you're considering. Count the taps, and check whether you can pick the cage.
- Do the fee math at your volume. Add the monthly fee, the card processing and any per-transaction platform fee for a typical month.
- Read the contract. Ask about annual billing, commitment length and what happens if you leave.
- Ask what migrates. Ask each provider which data comes across (customers, memberships, bookings, credits) and whether it costs extra.
FAQ
What is the best software for a baseball training facility?
For most baseball and softball training facilities, something like Swift is the best choice - an easy-to-use software that handles cage rentals, lessons, memberships and payments together, and lets customers book online both via a website and an app. Other options include Upper Hand, Baseline, EZFacility and eSoft Planner and they all differ on ease of use, contract terms and fees.
How much does baseball facility software cost?
Entry plans for a single facility run from $0 a month on a transaction-fee plan (Baseline Base, with 3.9% + $2.79 per card payment) to about $200 a month (Upper Hand Grow at $199 paid annually, Swift Essentials at $199 month-to-month). EZFacility doesn't publish prices. Card processing is extra everywhere.
Do I need software that lets customers book a specific cage?
If you rent cages, it makes a big difference. At the average facility on Swift last winter, rentals made up 64% of booked cage hours. When customers can't pick a cage online, those bookings end up on the phone. Check this in a live demo, not just on a feature list.
Can I switch to Swift without losing my customers?
Yes! Swift offers free migration so all your customer and membership data is automatically moved over from your previous software. As scary as it might be for you, we migrate facilities every week from tools like Baseline, EZFacility, eSoft Planner, Mindbody and others. As a result, we’ve built an established playbook on running these migrations seamlessly.
Final Thoughts
Choosing software is mostly about fit. If you run a baseball or softball training facility and want software your staff and parents can use on day one, with no contract, book a free demo of Swift and try it against the others. It’s purpose-built for baseball facilities.
Other tools may make sense in other cases. For example: Upper Hand suits coaches growing into a space, Baseline suits low-volume or development-focused programs, EZFacility suits big multi-sport operations, eSoft Planner suits teams that want hands-on service, and Mindbody suits a fitness-led business.
Some caveats: Figures describe facilities on Swift, not every facility, and count the payments facilities record in Swift, cash included. Booking and revenue mixes are the average share per facility. No figure comes from fewer than 5 facilities.
