Spond vs Heja: which team app works for a volleyball team?
The short answer
Spond and Heja mostly do the same job: they schedule practices, ask who is coming and send messages, and both are free to download. Spond does more, with payments and 24 languages; Heja is built around messaging and sells Heja Pro in the app. Neither mentions rotations or the libero; that is where Koach comes in.
Spond vs Heja: two free team apps that seem to do the same thing at first glance. Both schedule practices, track who is coming and keep the team in the loop. Below you will see where they differ, with a source for every point, and what else you need when you coach a volleyball team.
We make Koach, an app for volleyball coaches, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison. Everything below about Spond, Heja, SportEasy and TeamSnap comes from their own listings in the App Store and on Google Play, and for Heja also from its pricing page, checked in October 2026.
Spond vs Heja: the differences at a glance
Both apps cover every sport, so neither was built for volleyball. Both are free to download, and each has at least a million downloads on Google Play. The core is the same: you schedule practices and matches, players and parents say whether they are coming, and the app keeps track of the replies for you. The differences are in everything around that.
| What you need | Spond | Heja |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling practices and matches | Yes, including a whole season in one go | Yes, in a team schedule |
| Seeing who is coming | Yes, replies are tracked automatically | Yes, with automatic reminders |
| Messaging | Group chats, messages and polls | To one person, a group or the whole team, with read receipts; polls with Heja Pro |
| Dues and payments | Collected in the app | Tracked with Heja Pro |
| Languages, per the App Store | 24, including English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian and Polish | English |
| In-app purchases | Not listed | Heja Plus and Heja Pro |
| Ads | App Store: yes. Google Play: not listed | Yes; not for coaches and admins on Heja Pro |
Where Spond does more than Heja
Spond is the broader organizer. According to its App Store listing, you can collect dues and other payments in the app and see who still owes. You can manage several teams with subgroups and roles, import members from Excel and export attendance lists back to Excel. Everything syncs with your own calendar. For a club with lots of teams, or several sports under one roof, that is a solid package.
Two things stand out. Spond lists 24 languages in the App Store, which helps in a club where not every player or parent is comfortable in English. And neither the App Store nor Google Play lists any in-app purchases for Spond: its description presents it as a free app. Spond also mentions starting lineups for matches, tracking goals and voting for player of the match. Rotations and a libero are nowhere in the description.
Where Heja does more than Spond
Heja is built around messaging. According to its App Store listing, you can message one team member, a group or the whole team, and see who has read it. An announcement reaches the entire team at once. Heja also tracks who is coming in a team schedule, with automatic reminders. For youth teams, Heja describes safeguards meant to prevent contact between an adult and a minor without a parent knowing. Spond mentions something similar: a parent manages their child's account and can see the communication with the coaches.
By its own description, Heja is free for everyone on the team, with no limit on the number of players and parents. Heja's pricing page adds that Heja shows ads if you do not have a subscription. If you want more, you buy Heja Pro in the app (called Team Pro on the pricing page). Among other things it adds attendance stats, payment tracking, access from a computer, polls and, for coaches and admins, no more ads. One thing to check if your squad speaks more than one language: the App Store lists English as the app's only language.
Spond or SportEasy?
Besides Heja, Spond often gets compared with SportEasy. What sets SportEasy apart from Spond and Heja: it names volleyball in its App Store listing, alongside soccer, basketball and rugby, and promises a calendar, team selection and stats. According to the App Store it works in seven languages, including Dutch, German, Italian and Spanish, but not Polish. The Spanish App Store lists a monthly plan for one team at €9.99, and Google Play reports ads and in-app purchases.
In short: if you want an app with no in-app purchases and more languages, Spond is the better fit. If you want one multi-sport app that at least mentions volleyball, look at SportEasy. How SportEasy stacks up against an app made for volleyball is covered in the SportEasy alternative for volleyball.
What if you coach a volleyball team?
Spond and Heja answer one question: who is coming to practice or to the match? The questions you have next as a volleyball coach, they leave open. Who is in the front row in which rotation, when does the libero come in, and who scored the points tonight? Neither description mentions rotations or the libero, and the stats they do mention (goals in Spond, attendance in Heja Pro) say nothing about attacks, blocks or serves. That is what Koach is built for, and only for volleyball.
- Lineup with rotations. Pick a 5-1, 4-2 or 6-2, put your six players in position and assign your setter and libero. Tap View all 6 rotations to see who stands where in each rotation and who is serving.
- The libero. With Swap libero automatically, the libero comes in for the middle in the back row on its own and comes off as soon as that spot rotates to the front row or to serve.
- Live scoring per player. On every point you tap who won it and how: with an attack, a block or a serve. If the point came from a mistake by the other team, you tap Opponent error. After the match, points and errors per player are ready to go.
14 days free, no credit card. Set up your lineup, score your next match and see whether it adds something your team app does not.
Try Koach with your volleyball team
Can Koach replace Spond or Heja?
For a volleyball team, mostly, but not for everything. The organizing side is covered: a calendar with practices and matches, recurring practices you schedule in one go, and players and parents who reply with I'm coming, Can't make it or, for a match, I'm coming to watch. Anyone who always shows up taps Sign up for all sessions once. With Sync calendar you subscribe your phone calendar to practices and matches, and you can share that link with your team. In the iPhone and Android app, everyone can get a push notification when something in the calendar changes. Players and parents have their own account and pay nothing.
For team communication, Koach has announcements, polls and tasks: an Announcement for the whole team, a Poll to vote on and a Task that someone claims by tapping I’ll do it. Koach has no chat or private messages, and it does not collect dues or other payments either. If you want all of that in one app, Spond or Heja remain the better choice, and you can simply keep them alongside Koach.
Which app fits your team?
- Choose Spond if your club runs several teams with subgroups and roles, if you want to collect dues or fees through the app, and if you are looking for an app in more languages with no in-app purchases. How Spond compares with a volleyball app is covered in the Spond alternative for volleyball.
- Choose Heja if messaging matters most, if you want to see who has read what, and if an English-only app works for everyone on your team. See also the Heja alternative for volleyball.
- Choose Koach if you coach a volleyball team and want your lineup, your rotations and your match stats in the app as well as attendance. What else to look for is in the checklist for choosing a volleyball coaching app.
- Use both if your club already runs its communication through Spond or Heja. The messages stay there and you do the coaching in Koach.
Also weighing up TeamSnap, the American team app that the App Store lists in English, French and Spanish? Read Spond vs TeamSnap.
Free or paid: Spond, Heja and Koach
Spond and Heja are both free to download. Neither the App Store nor Google Play lists in-app purchases for Spond. Heja Pro is an in-app purchase; in the US App Store it costs $13.49 a month or $99.99 a year (checked in October 2026). What else is free in Spond and other team apps, and what is not, is covered in what Spond and other team apps cost.
You can try Koach free for 14 days, with no credit card and every feature included. After that you choose Coach for €2.99 a month (one team, two coaches) or Club for €9.99 a month (unlimited teams and coaches). On a yearly plan you pay €2.49 or €8.33 a month. Players and parents pay nothing. The prices are on the pricing page; in the App Store and on Google Play you see the price in your own currency.
Test the app with three parents, not just yourself. During your trial, send the invite to three parents and ask them to mark their child as not coming to one practice. If they manage without any help from you, the app works for your team. If they do not, that work stays on your plate for the rest of the season.
Sources: Spond in the App Store and on Google Play, Heja in the App Store, on Google Play and on its own pricing page, SportEasy in the App Store and on Google Play, and TeamSnap in the App Store, checked in October 2026. Prices and features can change, so check them yourself before you choose.
Frequently asked questions
Are Spond and Heja free?
Both are free to download. Neither the App Store nor Google Play lists in-app purchases for Spond. By its own description Heja is free for the whole team; Heja Pro, which adds attendance stats and payment tracking among other things, is an in-app purchase (checked in October 2026). You can try Koach free for 14 days with no credit card, after which Coach costs €2.99 a month. Players and parents never pay anything in Koach.
What languages are Spond and Heja available in?
Spond lists 24 languages in the App Store, including English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian and Polish. Heja lists only English (both checked in October 2026). Koach works in six languages: English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian and Polish. If some of your players or parents prefer another language, test that in Heja before you commit.
Can you make a volleyball lineup in Spond or Heja?
Spond mentions starting lineups for matches in its description; Heja does not. Neither lists rotations or the libero (checked in October 2026). In Koach you pick a 5-1, 4-2 or 6-2, assign your setter and libero, view all six rotations and take the lineup straight into live scoring on match day.
Can I use Spond or Heja alongside Koach?
Yes. Spond or Heja can keep handling club and team messages while you track your lineup, live scoring and player development in Koach. Do keep sign-ups in one place, ideally Koach, so attendance per player stays accurate. Players and parents get their own Koach account and pay nothing.
Do Spond and Heja have ads?
For Heja, both the App Store and Google Play report ads, and according to its own pricing page Heja shows ads without a subscription. With Heja Pro, coaches and admins no longer see ads. For Spond, the App Store reports ads and Google Play does not. That was checked in October 2026. Look in the store yourself for the current status, because these labels change.
Try Koach alongside Spond or Heja
14 days free, no credit card. After one match you will know whether it makes match day easier.
Get started with KoachOr read first what the volleyball coaching app does.