Kananas

Kananas combines membership CRM, a communication website, and a member portal for organizations, with a dance-school offering for managing classes and studio activities. Studios can schedule recurring classes or private lessons, assign teachers, and track student progress. The dance-school tools also cover tuition billing, student and parent access, and event or recital ticketing. Studios can import data from spreadsheets or systems such as Mindbody and Jackrabbit. Kananas supports USD billing, and its FAQ names Stripe as a local payment gateway for US studios. A REST API, webhooks, and sandbox are available; Kananas says Zapier or Make can connect it to over 2,000 applications. The dance-school page describes a built-in AI assistant for automating tasks and producing studio reports and insights. Members and administrators can use the iOS and Android app. The Free plan supports up to 50 contacts; paid plans start at $99 per year for 250 contacts. A free 30-day trial has no commitment and converts to the Free version afterward.

Kananas brings membership management and a communication site together with tools for running dance-school activities. Its free plan and trial offer a way to start, while paid pricing begins at $99 per year.

Kananas suits dance studios that need scheduling, tuition billing, student or parent access, and event ticketing. It may also fit membership organizations seeking CRM and member-portal tools alongside studio management.

Kananas combines membership records, a communication website and a member portal with tools for dance-school operations. It is best suited to studios that want administration and member access in one service, rather than a standalone class scheduler. A free tier and a 30-day trial lower the barrier to starting, but contact limits and payment fees deserve a close look.

Overview

Kananas is an association-management CRM founded in 2009, also presented for clubs, schools, nonprofits and other membership-based organizations. For dance studios, it extends that membership focus into scheduling, tuition billing, student and parent access, and event or recital ticketing. The broad remit is an advantage when a studio wants operational and member-facing tools together; it may be more than needed for one that only wants to organize classes.

Key features

Studios can schedule recurring classes and private lessons, assign teachers and track student progress. Attendance tracking, instructor scheduling, tuition billing and recital management support the practical cycle of running classes and events. Kananas also describes a built-in AI assistant for automating tasks and generating studio reports and insights.

Studios can import data from spreadsheets or systems such as Mindbody and Jackrabbit, which can help move existing records into the service. For further connections, Kananas offers a REST API, webhooks and a sandbox, and says Zapier or Make can connect it to over 2,000 applications. That breadth is useful for studios with established workflows, though the value depends on whether they need those connections.

The dance-school service supports USD billing and names Stripe as a local payment gateway for US studios. If the suggested tip intended to cover payment fees is declined, transaction fees are 2.4% plus $0.25. This is a material cost for studios processing frequent payments, so it belongs in any comparison with subscription pricing.

Kananas says its iOS and Android apps serve members and administrators. Its terms describe security measures including access controls, secure communications, logging, backups, infrastructure security and incident procedures, and include a GDPR data-processing agreement. Users can export databases or lists. A free account unused for at least six months may be deleted; after a subscription is not renewed, data is destroyed three months after the term ends.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing and supports up to 50 contacts. It offers a way for a small studio to begin without a subscription, but the contact cap may constrain a growing school. Paid plans start at $99 per year and start at 250 contacts, a substantial step up in capacity for studios that outgrow the free tier.

The M plan costs $366 per year and includes 1,000 members with all features included. It is the clearest published fit for a larger studio that needs more room and the full feature set. The 30-day trial is free, has no commitment and converts to the Free version afterward, giving studios time to evaluate the service without an immediate paid renewal.

Kananas says customer support is available in US time zones, but its terms do not guarantee a response or resolution time unless agreed in a plan or quotation. Studios that need firm support commitments should settle those terms in advance.

Platforms

Kananas is available on the web, Android and iOS, and provides an API. Mobile apps are intended for both parents and staff, while the broader platform mix gives studios a route to connect other systems.

Who it's for

Kananas is a strong candidate for dance schools that combine class administration with membership management, parent or student access, billing and recitals. Its import and integration options may also suit studios moving from another system or connecting existing workflows. A studio seeking only a simple scheduling tool, or one sensitive to per-transaction costs, should compare alternatives carefully.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Scheduling, billing, attendance and recital management sit alongside member and parent access, reducing the need to split those tasks across separate tools.
• Pros: Spreadsheet and named-system imports, plus API, webhooks, Zapier and Make connections, give studios several paths for migration and integration.
• Pros: The free tier and no-commitment 30-day trial let studios start and assess the service before choosing a paid plan.
• Cons: The free plan stops at 50 contacts, and the stated paid starting plan begins at $99 per year and 250 contacts; a studio's costs rise as its needs exceed the free cap.
• Cons: Declining the suggested fee-covering tip leaves transaction charges of 2.4% plus $0.25, which can add up with payment volume.
• Cons: Support has no guaranteed response or resolution time unless a plan or quotation establishes one.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, browse Dance Studio Management Software.

Stepsi is another freemium option, with Android, iOS and web support; its Plus plan is €30 a year for up to 100 active members, while Grow is €60 a year for up to 250. Consider it if those stated member tiers better match your scale.

Class Manager has a free plan and describes a flat service charge for online payments, with tailored pricing for high volumes. It may suit a studio prioritizing a free starting point and a payment-charge model over a published subscription.

StudioPartner offers a free plan capped at 30 students, four membership plans, 90 days of attendance history, current-month reports and one open gig listing. Consider it if those limits fit a smaller studio's needs.

OttoDance has an organization-funded option with custom pricing based on transaction volume, where the organization absorbs fees and card processing is listed at 2.9% + 29¢. It may fit organizations that prefer that fee structure.

The Studio Director offers paid software-only and software-plus-payments options, each described for studios with 0–100 students, as well as a free trial. Compare it if that student range or combined software-and-payments approach is a closer fit.

DanceBiz is a paid option with a Biz50 plan at $24.95 a month for up to 50 active customers. It may suit a studio that prefers a monthly plan sized to that customer count.

YourFee offers a seven-day free trial for up to 10 active students, with attendance tracking and online fee collection, but no staff seats or WhatsApp reminders in that trial plan. Consider it for a very small trial run centered on those functions.

Akada is a paid option at $60 a month, with all features and no tiers or locked features. It may suit a studio that prefers a single-feature-set subscription.

Verdict

Choose Kananas if your dance school wants membership CRM, class operations, billing and parent or student access under one roof, with a free way to start and room to connect other systems. Look elsewhere if a 50-contact free cap, transaction charges or the breadth of association-management tools do not match your studio; those are the clearest reasons to favor a more narrowly scoped option.