Community and event software for organizers of clubs, groups and leagues
Meetup helps people find your group. Organizers use Gametime Hero to keep them coming back, and spend less time on admin.
For organizers of clubs, groups and leagues who run a group on Meetup. An honest comparison: Meetup wins on discovery, with a big network of people looking for new groups. Gametime Hero is built so the people who find you stay, with a Free plan and your events, payments and website in one place.
Run your community and free events on our Free plan — $0 a month.
Lakeside Run Club
- Members
- 86
- Next run
- Tuesday, 6:30 pm
- Group chat
- 6 new messages
Tuesday run, 6:30 pm
- Going
- 14 of 20
- Entry fee
- Free
- Waiver
- To sign at sign-up
Being found is the start. Keeping people is the work.
Meetup is built to help new people discover your group. These are the jobs that begin after they do.
No-shows who said yes
Twenty RSVPs, eleven people. You learn the real headcount when you are standing at the venue.
Chasing the regulars one by one
The people who make the group what it is get the same message as everyone else, so you write to them yourself.
A spreadsheet beside the group page
Waivers, shirt sizes, who has paid for the trip: it does not fit on an event listing, so it lives in a sheet.
A group chat that is somewhere else
The real conversation moved to a messaging app months ago, and new members never find it.
Drop-ins who never come back
A first-timer turns up once, and you have no easy way to bring them into the group for good.
Belonging takes more than a listing
People stay for the group, not the page. Building that takes a home of your own.
What changes when you run it on Gametime Hero
Today, with Meetup
- A subscription from $29.99 a month once your group outgrows the free Starter plan.
- Your members’ email addresses are available to you only on Meetup Pro.
- A group page inside Meetup, not a website of your own.
- Your group is one of many on a marketplace built for discovery.
With Gametime Hero
- Run your community and free events on the Free plan — $0 a month.
- Your data is always yours to export.
- A real, branded website you control, built in.
- Sell tickets and collect payments when you want, free events free.
- Meetup (Standard)
- $174.99/yr
- From $29.99/month, or from $174.99 billed yearly
- Gametime Hero (Free)
- $0/yr
- Run your community and free events free — pay only a % on paid tickets
That's at least $174.99 you keep every year — before you sell a single ticket.
Based on Meetup's published Standard organizer prices (from $29.99/month or $174.99/year, checked October 2026); Meetup notes rates vary by location. On Gametime Hero, recurring events and announcements are part of Organizer Pro ($19.99/mo), and paid registrations carry a platform fee (3.5% on Free, 2.1% on Organizer Pro) plus card processing.
- $174.99/yr the lowest yearly Standard subscription you stop paying
- Your site a website of your own, not a group page inside another site
- Your members your data is always yours to export
Meetup and Gametime Hero, side by side
The rows we lose are in the table too. A comparison that wins every line tells you nothing.
| Feature | Meetup | Gametime Hero |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Cost to run a group | Free Starter plan (1 group, 2 events a month, 10 attendees each); Standard from $29.99/month | Gametime Hero is stronger here $0 — the Free plan runs your community and free events |
| Selling paid tickets | Event fees on Standard and Pro, paid directly or by PayPal, with a service fee for the buyer | Gametime Hero is stronger here Card payments through Stripe, a platform fee of 3.5% (Free) or 2.1% (Pro), free events free |
| Who owns the community | ||
| Discovery — being found by new people | Meetup is stronger here Strong. People search Meetup to discover new groups | We bring your existing community, not a stranger marketplace |
| Your member list & data | You can download a member list; members’ email addresses only on Meetup Pro | Gametime Hero is stronger here Your data is always yours to export |
| Your own branded website | A Meetup group page | Gametime Hero is stronger here A real website you control, built in |
| One platform, not five | ||
| Rosters, forms & waivers | An event registration form on Meetup Pro; rosters and waivers are not listed in its help center | Gametime Hero is stronger here Built in: member rosters, a form builder and signed waivers |
| Tournaments & standings | Not listed in its help center | Gametime Hero is stronger here Tournaments built in; season leagues on Enterprise |
| Talk to the people who built it | A help center and a support team | Gametime Hero is stronger here Direct access to the founders, who answer support themselves |
One account does the rest of the work too.
Each of these is part of the same Gametime Hero account, so nothing has to be copied from one tool to the next.
Built for organizers like you.
- $1.5M+ Processed through Gametime Hero
- 11,500+ Members & players
- 11,000+ Registrations & RSVPs
Organizers who run on Gametime Hero
These organizers are talking about Gametime Hero as a whole, which they run their communities on.
“When my events stopped working on Wix, Gametime Hero had me up and running in less than 48 hours.”
Juliana MasciFounder, Tool School Co. ChicagoSwitched from WixSwitched in less than 48 hours
Read the case study“We used to spend more time managing tools than managing our community. Now we spend that time on what actually matters: getting women outside and building something they want to come back to.”
Donna Kent & Mindi JensonShe Ascends Visit sheascends.org“I'm a bar owner, not a software person, and I shouldn't have to be. What's changed with Gametime Hero in such a short time is worth celebrating. They even added our Watch Me! theme song to our site. Now I spend my time on what we're building: a room where women's sports fans feel like they belong.”
Jax DienerOwner, Watch Me! Sports Bar Visit watchmesportsbar.com“I believe our integration of Gametime Hero will make it significantly easier and less time-consuming for our logistics volunteers, while providing a far better experience for our players. After all… WE JUST WANT TO PLAY!”
Pat WalkerSecretary, Bigfoot Walk Soccer Club Visit bigfootwalksoccer.com
What Gametime Hero costs: $0 to start.
Running your community and your free events is free on the Free plan. When you sell tickets or charge dues, a platform fee applies to paid registrations (3.5% on the Free plan, 2.1% on Organizer Pro) on top of Stripe’s card processing.
The Free plan costs $0, needs no payment card and never expires. Organizer Pro is $19.99/mo.
Every paid plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. There are no contracts: cancel anytime with one click. Your data is always yours to export.
See Gametime Hero pricingQuestions organizers ask before switching
Is Gametime Hero cheaper than Meetup?
Once a group outgrows Meetup’s free Starter plan (one group, two events a month, ten attendees each), yes. Meetup’s Standard plan starts at $29.99/month, whether or not you make money. On Gametime Hero you can run your community and free events on the Free plan for $0, and pay a platform fee only on paid tickets. Recurring events and announcements are part of Organizer Pro at $19.99/month.
Will people still be able to find my group like they do on Meetup?
This is the honest trade-off. Meetup has a discovery network — strangers browse it to find new groups, and that reach is real. Gametime Hero is built to organize and grow the community you already have, not to surface you to passers-by. Many organizers use both: Meetup to be found, Gametime Hero to run everything once people join.
Can I move my group over from Meetup?
Yes, though there is no one-click import yet. You recreate your group, invite your members by email or with a join link, and run your events, payments and website in one place. Because we are a small team, a real person helps you make the switch on a free setup call.
You are a startup — why should I trust you?
We are a small team in Oakland, built by organizers who lived the pain of juggling five tools to run one community. Because we are small, you can actually reach the founders, and support is our number-one priority.
How do I move my existing group over?
There is no one-click import yet, but moving over is quick: recreate your community, bulk-invite your members by email or share a join link, and post your events. We help groups make the switch all the time.
Get free setup helpDo I need to download an app?
No. Gametime Hero runs in the browser on a phone or a computer, and the people you invite open your link the same way. There is no mobile app to install yet; one is in the works.
Is there a contract?
No contracts. The Free plan never expires, and a paid plan can be cancelled anytime with one click, with no penalties.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes. Every paid plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it is not the right fit, we will refund you, no questions asked.
Can I export my data and take it with me?
Yes. Your data is always yours to export, and if you cancel we will help you export all of it first.
Built by community people, for community people
We built Gametime Hero because we needed it too.
We’ve seen the problem from both sides — as participants looking for places to belong, and as organizers doing the work to bring people together.
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