SignUpGenius vs. EduSignup: Why I Wanted an Alternative

If you've been teaching for any length of time, chances are you've used SignUpGenius. I certainly have.

For years, it was one of the tools I turned to for classroom parties, field trips, volunteers, and parent-teacher conferences. It was familiar, I could use the free version, and it got the job done.

But over time, I started getting frustrated with the experience. The advertisements were distracting, and creating a signup sometimes felt like more work than it should have been.

I've even had my computer freeze while I was using SignUpGenius. I can't say what caused it, but I can tell you it wasn't how I wanted to spend the few minutes I had to get something done!

And apparently, I wasn't the only teacher who had a frustrating experience.

The Conversation That Stuck With Me

Recently, during a professional development session, some teacher friends started talking about their experiences using SignUpGenius. They mentioned computers freezing, pages becoming unresponsive, and advertisements getting in the way. I recognized those frustrations immediately.

Now, I know every teacher's experience is different, and plenty of people use SignUpGenius successfully. I'm not suggesting the platform caused every technical problem we experienced. But it was interesting to hear other teachers describe some of the same challenges I'd had.

What meant even more to me was that some of those teachers were interested enough to give EduSignup a try. After all the time my husband and I had spent building it, that was encouraging to hear.

The Problem with Distractions When You're Short on Time

Anyone who works in a school knows that our computers aren't always the fastest or newest devices. We're often running multiple programs, switching between tabs, and trying to accomplish a dozen things at once. Okay, let's be real. More like three dozen!

If I have ten minutes to create a volunteer signup, I don't want to spend those minutes navigating distractions or wondering whether my browser is going to cooperate.

SignUpGenius offers a free service supported by advertising, as well as paid options. That model works for many organizations, and I understand why a company would use it.

I just knew that if we created our own signup tool, I wanted it to be ad-free. No advertisements for teachers. No advertisements for parents. Just a straightforward place to organize what needs to get done.

What I Wanted to Do Differently with EduSignup

My husband and I didn't create EduSignup because other signup tools don't work. They do. I've used them for years. We created it because I kept wishing certain parts of the process were simpler.

For starters, I wanted a way to create a signup without building every detail from scratch.

That's why we added Quill, our built-in AI assistant. Instead of figuring out how to set up each slot, I can describe what I need in plain English. For example:

“I need four parent volunteers for our field trip on Friday from 9:00 to 2:00, plus three families to send in snacks.”

Quill helps create the signup, and I can review it and make any changes before sharing it.

I also wanted EduSignup to handle more than one type of school activity. Teachers need help with volunteer opportunities, classroom supplies, school events, and conferences. Those needs change throughout the year.

And because I'm a parent of two boys myself, I wanted the signup experience to be simple for families, too.

Parents can sign up for basic opportunities without creating an EduSignup account. That's not unique to EduSignup, other platforms also offer account-free signups, but it's something I felt strongly about keeping easy.

Conferences Need a Little More Flexibility

Parent-teacher conferences were another big reason we built EduSignup.

Sometimes a conference involves more than one educator. A special educator, specialist, or another teacher may need to join the conversation. With EduSignup, teachers can invite additional educators to participate and receive scheduling notifications.

We also built smart scheduling to help families avoid booking overlapping conference appointments across different teachers.

Those features were important to me because I've seen conference scheduling from both sides: as the teacher organizing appointments and as the parent trying to fit them into a busy family calendar.

So, Is EduSignup Better Than SignUpGenius?

I don't think there's one answer for every teacher.

SignUpGenius is an established platform with features that work well for many people. EduSignup is the tool my husband and I created around the particular needs and frustrations I'd experienced in schools.

For me, the priorities were clear: an ad-free experience, a faster way to build signups, simple participation for families, and conference scheduling that recognizes how schools actually work. That's what we focused on.

If you're happy with the tool you're using, that's great. But if you've ever found yourself spending too much time creating a signup or navigating a page full of distractions, I hope you'll take a look at EduSignup.

After more than 25 years in education, I know teachers have enough on their plates. Creating a signup shouldn't be another thing that takes up your evening.

My husband and I built EduSignup to give teachers one less thing to worry about, and a little more of their time back.

Check out EduSignup →

Co-created by a teacher, for teachers.