# Facebook Groups Alternative for Sports Teams (Free)

Running your team through a Facebook group or Messenger? BenchApp is a free alternative built for teams: schedules, RSVPs with automatic reminders, lineups, fee tracking and team chat.

Source: https://preview-pr-1543.benchapp.com/alternative/benchapp-vs-facebook
Markdown: https://preview-pr-1543.benchapp.com/alternative/benchapp-vs-facebook.md

## The free Facebook Groups alternative for sports teams

A Facebook group is easy to start, but posts get buried, not everyone is on Facebook, and no one knows who's coming. BenchApp is built to run the team.

BenchApp: BenchApp Free gives every team a season schedule, RSVPs with automatic reminders, lineups, fee tracking, player stats and team, group and private chat. PRO adds text-message RSVPs, so players can reply Yes or No without opening any app, for $9 per month per team.

Facebook: Facebook groups and Messenger are easy places to start a team, and they're free. But they weren't built to run one: the schedule, the headcount for each game, the lineup and who still owes all get lost in the feed.

- [Create your free team](https://preview-pr-1543.benchapp.com/create-team)

## BenchApp vs. Facebook, feature by feature

- Cost: BenchApp: Free. PRO is $9/month per team. Facebook: Free.
- Who can join: BenchApp: Anyone with an email address. With PRO, players can RSVP by text with no account at all. Facebook: Members need a Facebook account.
- Season schedule: BenchApp: Every game and practice in one schedule, with locations. Subscribe in Google or Apple Calendar. Facebook: Events posted in the group.
- Who's coming: BenchApp: An RSVP on every game, with a live In / Out / Unknown count and automatic reminders before each one. Facebook: Event responses like Going or Interested.
- Lineups: BenchApp: Lines, positions and batting orders from the players who said yes. Facebook: Not built in.
- Team fees: BenchApp: Track who's paid and who owes. Automatic payment reminders with PRO. Facebook: Not built in.
- Player stats: BenchApp: Free player stats that fit your sport. Facebook: Not built in.
- Chat: BenchApp: Team, group and private messaging with photos and GIFs. Polls and bulletins with PRO. Facebook: Group posts and comments, plus Messenger chats.

## Why teams move off Facebook

Team posts compete with everything else in the feed, so the game-time change gets missed. Some players aren't on Facebook at all. And counting Going and Interested on an event never tells you if you actually have enough players.

- [See how RSVPs work](https://preview-pr-1543.benchapp.com/features/rsvp-attendance)

## Everything about the team, in one place

Schedule, RSVPs, lineups, fees and chat live together in BenchApp, so players check one place and you stop reposting the same details.

## Switching takes a few minutes

Create your team, post the team code in the Facebook group and players join themselves. Add the schedule and RSVPs and reminders start on their own.

- [See how the roster works](https://preview-pr-1543.benchapp.com/features/team-roster)

## Frequently asked questions

- Is BenchApp free like a Facebook group? Yes. Scheduling, RSVPs, lineups, chat, player stats and fee tracking are free. BenchApp PRO is $9/month per team and adds text-message RSVPs and more. Players never pay.
- Do players need a Facebook account to use BenchApp? No. Players join with an email address, and with PRO they can RSVP by replying to a text without any account.
- Can we still post updates and photos? Yes. BenchApp has team chat with photos and GIFs, and PRO adds bulletins and polls for announcements.

## Supported sports

- Hockey
- Soccer
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Ultimate
- Volleyball
- Golf
- Roller Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Ball Hockey
- Pickleball