Home/Volunteer Shift Manager vs Track It Forward
Track It Forward comparison

Volunteer Shift Manager
vs. Track It Forward

Track It Forward is laser-focused on hour tracking — it's the simplest, cheapest option if your job is mostly logging and verifying volunteer hours for funders or schools. Volunteer Shift Manager covers hour tracking too, but starts from the scheduling side: a signup link, reminders, a weekly view of who's coming.

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At a glance

The short answer

Volunteer Shift ManagerTrack It Forward
Pricing entry point$0/month$0 free tier
Free planYes — up to 50 volunteersYes — limited
Best for org sizeUnder 150 volunteersAll sizes; hour-tracking focus
Setup timeUnder 10 minutesUnder 30 minutes
Volunteers sign up without account✓✗
SMS reminders included✓✗
Hour tracking✓✓

Feature by feature

What each tool actually does

FeatureVSMTrack It Forward
Setup
Self-serve signup✓✓
Time to first shift liveUnder 10 minN/A — different model
Importing existing volunteersCSV importCSV import
Custom branding✓Engage plan~
Volunteer experience
Sign up without an account✓✗
Single signup link to share✓~
Hour-logging by volunteers✗✓Core feature
Self-service shift cancellation✓✗
Communication
Email reminders✓~(Limited)
SMS reminders✓✗
Bulk messaging✓~
Reminders to log hours✗✓
Reporting
Hour tracking✓✓Deep
CSV export✓✓
Hour verification by coordinators~✓
Funder-ready hour reports~✓
Pricing
Free plan✓✓Limited
Public pricing✓✓
Annual contract required✗✗

Honest take

Which one is right for your nonprofit?

Pick Track It Forward if

Track It Forward is the better fit when…

  • Your job is primarily verifying and reporting volunteer hours — for school service requirements, court-ordered service, or funder reporting.
  • You don't really need to schedule shifts; volunteers come on their own time and just need to log hours when done.
  • You want a low-cost tool that does one thing well rather than a broader platform.
  • You're managing student community-service programs where each student's hour total matters more than coordinated shifts.
  • Your volunteers are comfortable creating an account specifically to log hours.

Pick VSM if

You're a small nonprofit that needs to start fast and stay cheap

  • You need to schedule shifts and remind volunteers, not just track hours after the fact.
  • Your volunteers should be able to sign up in 30 seconds without making an account.
  • You want SMS reminders, which Track It Forward doesn't include.
  • You need a 'who's coming Saturday' view, not just a year-end hour total.
  • You want a single tool that does scheduling and tracking, not two.

What it costs

Pricing breakdown

Pricing last verified May 7, 2026.

Volunteer Shift Manager

Volunteer Shift Manager has two tiers, both publicly listed.

  • Starter$0/month

    Up to 50 volunteers, 30 upcoming shifts, 250 emails and 50 SMS per month

  • Engage$19/month

    Unlimited volunteers, unlimited shifts, 5,000 emails and 500 SMS per month

Track It Forward

Track It Forward has a publicly listed free tier and inexpensive paid tiers, scaled by feature set rather than volunteer count. It's one of the cheapest options on the market for hour tracking specifically.

  • Free$0/month

    Limited; suitable for smallest orgs and personal use

  • Standard / PremiumFrom low double digits/month

    Verify current pricing on trackitforward.com

Track It Forward's pricing is honest, public, and inexpensive. We respect it.

Switching

Moving from Track It Forward

If you're switching from Track It Forward to Volunteer Shift Manager, you're probably also changing what the tool is for — from after-the-fact hour logging to forward-looking shift scheduling. Export your volunteer list as CSV. Recreate the shifts you actually want to schedule (you may not need every recurring activity). Past hour totals don't carry over, but you can keep the Track It Forward export. Many orgs run both for a transition period: VSM for scheduling, Track It Forward for historical records.

Common questions

Frequently asked

Is Track It Forward free?+
Yes, Track It Forward has a free tier with limited features, intended for small orgs and personal hour tracking. They also have inexpensive paid tiers. Volunteer Shift Manager also has a free plan, oriented around shift scheduling rather than hour logging.
What's the cheapest alternative to Track It Forward?+
If you only need hour tracking, Track It Forward's free tier is hard to beat. If you need scheduling plus tracking, Volunteer Shift Manager has a free Starter plan and a $19 per month Engage plan that covers both, plus SMS reminders Track It Forward doesn't include.
Can I import my Track It Forward data into Volunteer Shift Manager?+
Yes for the basic volunteer list. Export name, email, and phone as a CSV. Hour history doesn't migrate automatically — keep the Track It Forward export as a record.
How is Volunteer Shift Manager different from Track It Forward?+
Track It Forward is a focused hour-tracking tool — volunteers log hours and coordinators verify them. Volunteer Shift Manager is a scheduling tool first: a signup link, reminders, a weekly view, and hour tracking as a built-in part of that flow. Different starting points.
Does Track It Forward send SMS reminders?+
No, Track It Forward does not include SMS reminders. Volunteer Shift Manager includes SMS reminders on both the free and paid plans, capped at 50 SMS per month on Starter and 500 on Engage.
When is Track It Forward the better choice?+
When your primary job is logging and verifying hours — for student service requirements, funder hour reports, or court-ordered service. Track It Forward is purpose-built for that and is one of the cheapest options for it.

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