Start with your busiest normal month.
A gym with a quiet January and a packed summer needs to compare both months. Count signed waivers, then look at how often the total changes. An event weekend, a school visit or a new program can move the account into a different usage bracket even when the number of staff and locations stays the same.
Smartwaiver prices subscriptions by signed-waiver volume. Its entry Basic plan includes 100 per month, while Starter includes 300 for $55. If you exceed the allowance, its published policy says customers can continue signing, but access to the waiver console requires a plan upgrade. Build that account-management step into your launch checklist.
Test the offline situation you actually face.
A tablet at an indoor reception desk and a tablet at a remote meeting point are different purchasing decisions. Smartwaiver advertises offline collection through its apps. Waiver.com’s mobile draft recovery helps when a connection drops, but that should not be treated as proof of the same complete offline workflow.
Ask a staff member to try a fresh form without a connection, add a guardian and child, complete the signature and reconnect. Then check what is visible in the records system. A successful demonstration should cover both the guest’s experience and the person who needs to find the record later.
Compare the whole front-desk routine.
Both products offer several ways to send guests to a signing page. The useful question is which route fits your booking and arrival process. Try the link from a real confirmation email, a QR code printed at the desk and the tablet that staff will hand to a walk-in. Check the text size and the number of steps each guest sees.
For Waiver.com, Starter includes one location, unlimited waivers and 200 SMS per month at $9 monthly or $90 annually. Growth includes unlimited locations and 500 SMS per month at $14 monthly or $140 annually. Additional SMS costs $0.02 each. Those allowances make the number of locations and messages the main budgeting questions.
A careful switch protects the work you’ve already done.
Start with one program or location. Keep the existing service available while you check the archive and rehearse the new process with the people who will use it.
- Export and inspect.
Download original signed PDFs and available CSV data. Open a sample across different dates and document versions, then confirm where staff can find the archive. Verify historical access logs separately.
- Rebuild the approved structure.
Use your current approved wording, required fields and signer rules. Compare the published form with the source document. A new template does not change or replace an old signed record.
- Run the awkward cases.
Try a guardian with siblings, a changed participant, an expired record and an unsigned arrival. Confirm what staff should do when a record needs review.
- Change links after the check.
Update booking messages, QR signs, website embeds and kiosk instructions together. Confirm any import requirements with the provider before ending access to your previous account.
A few details worth settling.
Is Smartwaiver priced per individual waiver?
Its published model uses subscription tiers with monthly signed-waiver allowances. Its support policy describes upgrading the plan when more volume is needed, rather than a separate per-waiver overage charge.
Which price should a seasonal business compare?
Compare a quiet month, an ordinary busy month and a major event month. Smartwaiver also advertises storage and one-time event options. Check those directly if you pause collection for part of the year.
Can we bring our existing signed records?
Plan an archive first. Export the original files and available data from the existing provider, inspect the export and confirm how staff will retrieve it. Import support and preservation of historical audit details need to be verified before you cancel access.