Free Tuition Management Software (2026): What's Really Free
· 6 min read · By the TuitionCRM team
Search for “free tuition software” and almost everything you find is a free trial — 14 to 30 days, then a monthly bill, often in US dollars. That's fine if you know what you're getting. Here's what's genuinely free in 2026 for a tutor or small centre in Singapore, and what each option leaves out. Prices are from each product's own website, checked in October 2026.
Free plan or free trial? The quick answer
| Option | Free? | After that | PayNow on invoices |
|---|---|---|---|
| TuitionCRM | Free plan — up to 5 students, no time limit | Pro S$59/month (30 students) | Yes, your own QR |
| Spreadsheet + WhatsApp | Free | — | No |
| TutorBird | 30-day trial | From $16.95/month + $4.95 per extra tutor | Not listed |
| Teachworks | 21-day trial | From about US$15/month + a fee per student-lesson | Not listed |
| Skooly | 14-day free pilot | From US$124/month billed yearly | Yes |
| SchoolTracs | 14-day trial | From S$55 per branch per month | Not on its pricing page |
TuitionCRM — free for up to 5 students
TuitionCRM's Free plan has no time limit and no card. With up to 5 active students you get repeating lessons and group classes, make-up tracking, invoices worked out from the lessons you taught with your own PayNow QR, a private page for every parent, Singapore holidays and exam dates, and a free tutor website. When you grow past 5, Pro adds automatic reminders, monthly fees and packages, calendar sync and income reports for up to 30 students. See pricing.
What it leaves out on Free: automatic reminder emails, Bill everyone, monthly fees and packages, and income reports — those are Pro.
A spreadsheet and WhatsApp — free, but you're the software
Google Sheets or Excel plus WhatsApp costs nothing and works for a handful of students. The cost is your time: typing invoices, working out who missed what, remembering make-ups and chasing payments by hand. We compared it honestly in TuitionCRM vs Excel and TuitionCRM vs WhatsApp and a notebook.
Free trials: TutorBird, Teachworks, Skooly and SchoolTracs
- TutorBird — a 30-day trial, then from $16.95 a month plus $4.95 per extra tutor (pricing). Solid all-rounder with SMS reminders; PayNow isn't listed. See TuitionCRM vs TutorBird.
- Teachworks — a 21-day trial, then a monthly fee plus a fee per student-lesson (pricing). Built for larger tutoring businesses. See TuitionCRM vs Teachworks.
- Skooly — a 14-day free pilot, then from US$124 a month billed yearly for up to 100 students (pricing). Singapore-made with PayNow, aimed at established centres. See TuitionCRM vs Skooly.
- SchoolTracs — a 14-day trial, then from S$55 per branch per month (pricing). For multi-branch centres. See TuitionCRM vs SchoolTracs.
Free tools that cover one job
- Google Calendar for booking lessons — free, but no invoices or make-ups.
- Our free [PayNow invoice generator](/tools/paynow-invoice-generator/) — make one invoice with a PayNow QR, no sign-up.
- Our free [tuition fee calculator](/tools/tuition-fee-calculator/) — a month's fee that skips Singapore public holidays.
- Our free [tuition rates guide](/tools/tuition-rates-singapore/) — what tutors charge by level in 2026.
- Our free [tuition tracker spreadsheet](/tools/tuition-tracker-template/) — students, attendance, fees owed and make-ups in Excel or Google Sheets.
How to choose
- Under 5 students? Start on a free plan rather than a trial — you won't be rushed to decide in 14 days.
- Parents pay by PayNow? Make sure the app puts a PayNow QR with the amount on the invoice. Most overseas apps only take cards.
- Check the real monthly cost at your size — per-tutor, per-student and per-lesson fees add up.
- Try it with real students for a week. Book their lessons, cancel one, make one invoice. You'll know quickly.
For a fuller comparison across paid options too, see the best tuition management software in Singapore.
Common questions
Is there free tuition management software?
Yes. TuitionCRM is free for up to 5 students with no time limit and no card — scheduling, make-ups, PayNow invoices and parent pages included. A spreadsheet and WhatsApp are free too, but you do the work yourself. Most other tuition apps offer a free trial, not a free plan.
What's the difference between a free plan and a free trial?
A free plan stays free for as long as you stay within its limits (for TuitionCRM, 5 active students). A free trial gives you everything for 14 to 30 days, then you pay or lose access.
What happens when I have more than 5 students on TuitionCRM's free plan?
You can keep everything you've entered. To add a sixth active student, you move to Pro (S$59 a month, up to 30 students). Students who've stopped don't count towards the limit.
Is Google Calendar enough for tuition?
For booking lessons, often yes. It won't work out invoices from the lessons you taught, track make-ups, show a PayNow QR or remind parents to pay — which is where most of a tutor's admin time goes.
Are free invoice generators enough?
For a one-off invoice, yes — our PayNow invoice generator is free with no sign-up. For monthly billing of several students, you want invoices worked out from your lesson record so nothing is missed or billed twice.