Subbey vs. Swing Education: Manage Your Own Sub Pool or Rent One?
Subbey and Swing Education solve the same problem, empty classrooms, in fundamentally different ways. One is software that supercharges your own substitute pool; the other is a marketplace that supplies subs for a per-day fee. Here is how to decide which fits your school.
Book a demo with SheaSubbey is substitute teacher management software: your school keeps its own trusted sub pool, posts jobs in seconds, and subs claim them with one tap, all for one flat annual subscription. Swing Education is a substitute staffing marketplace: it recruits and vets its own network of subs and fills your requests for a service fee on each filled day. If you have (or want to build) your own subs and want to keep control and costs predictable, choose Subbey. If you have no sub pool at all and are willing to pay per-day fees for an external one, a marketplace like Swing may fit, and some schools use both.
What Are Subbey and Swing Education?
This is not a feature-by-feature rivalry. It is two different models for covering absences. Understanding the difference is the whole decision.
Subbey: the simple substitute teacher app
Subbey was founded by Shea McGee, a teacher who was tired of the texting, calling, and emailing it took to find a sub. With Subbey, teachers and administrators post a job in a few clicks, every sub in your school's pool gets an instant notification, and the first available sub claims the job with one tap. You can also hand-pick which subs a job goes to.
Subbey includes in-app chat, lesson plan sharing, real-time confirmations, and a full calendar on iOS and Android, and it is trusted by 2,000+ teachers.
Swing Education: a substitute staffing marketplace
Swing Education is a technology-driven staffing marketplace founded in 2015. Swing recruits, screens, and manages its own network of substitutes ("SwingSubs"), and schools submit requests that are filled from that network. Swing handles sub payroll and compliance, and charges a service fee on each filled day.
That model shines when a school has no sub pool and needs bodies fast. The tradeoffs: per-day fees add up quickly across a school year, the subs work across many schools rather than being yours, and coverage depends on Swing's network density in your region.
Subbey vs. Swing Education: Side-by-Side Comparison
Because Subbey and Swing use different models, the most important comparisons are about control, cost structure, and whose subs are in your classrooms.
Substitute teacher software comparison: Subbey vs. Swing Education (2026)
| Feature | Subbey | Swing Education |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Software for managing your school's own substitute pool | Staffing marketplace that supplies subs from its network |
| Whose subs are in your classrooms | Yours: people your teachers know and trust | Swing's vetted network, shared across schools in your area |
| Cost structure | One flat annual subscription with unlimited jobs, staff & subs | Service fee charged on each filled substitute day |
| Cost predictability | Same price whether you post 50 jobs or 500 | Costs scale with every absence you fill |
| Keep your sub relationships | Your pool, your favorites, your school culture | Favorites lists within Swing's network |
| Post a job | A few clicks; your subs notified instantly, first to tap claims it | Submit a request; Swing subs review and accept |
| Choose which subs see a job | Teachers and admins can self-select subs | Preferred-sub requests within the network |
| In-app chat with subs | Built in | Communication handled through the platform |
| Geographic availability | Works anywhere because it is your pool | Depends on Swing's network coverage in your region |
| Helps you grow your own pool | Yes, optional sub-sourcing to add to your pool | Subs remain part of Swing's marketplace |
| Sub payroll & screening handled for you | You employ and pay your subs as you do today | Swing screens and pays its subs |
| Best for | Schools that have, or want to build, their own trusted sub pool | Schools with no sub pool that need external coverage |
Swing Education and SwingSubs are trademarks of Swing Education, Inc. Feature and model information is based on publicly available materials and may change; verify details, fees, and regional availability with each vendor.
3 Key Differences Between Subbey and Swing Education
Your subs vs. someone else's
With Subbey, the people covering your classrooms are your subs: folks your teachers know, your students recognize, and your school has vetted. With a marketplace, you are drawing from a shared regional network. Great subs exist in both, but only one model builds lasting relationships with your school.
Flat subscription vs. pay-per-day
A service fee on every filled day sounds small until you multiply it by a school year of absences. Subbey's flat annual subscription costs the same whether you fill 50 jobs or 500, and you pay your subs exactly what you pay them today, with no markup.
Control vs. convenience
A marketplace is convenient when you have zero subs. But most schools already have a pool. The real problem is the phone tag it takes to reach them. Subbey fixes that exact problem: instant notifications, one-tap claiming, and your school stays in control of who teaches your students.
How Much Time Is Your Sub Process Costing You?
Drag the sliders to match your school. Whether you are working the phones or clicking through an enterprise system, see how many hours Subbey gives back to your front office every year.
With Subbey, posting a job takes about a minute. Then your subs are notified instantly and the first to tap claims it. No phone tag, no follow-up.
Which Schools Should Choose Subbey Over Swing Education?
Subbey is substitute teacher software for every kind of school, here is how each one benefits.
Private & independent schools
Most enterprise absence systems are priced and built for big districts. Subbey gives private and independent schools a modern sub management app sized and priced for a single school, with the personal support smaller teams expect.
Public schools
Public schools use Subbey to cut the daily scramble of covering absences. Front-office staff post jobs in seconds instead of working the phones, and principals see coverage confirmed in real time.
Charter schools
Charter schools and networks love that Subbey is fast to roll out, easy for every campus to adopt, and does not require an enterprise IT project to launch. Add campuses and administrators as you grow.
Preschools & early learning centers
Coverage matters even more when ratios are on the line. Subbey helps preschools and early childhood programs alert their subs instantly, so classrooms stay covered and compliant.
Book a live demo with Shea, Subbey's founder and a former teacher. He will show you exactly how your school would post jobs, notify subs, and fill absences in minutes, and answer every question about whether managing your own pool beats paying per-day staffing fees.
Frequently Asked Questions: Subbey vs. Swing Education
Join the schools that traded phone trees and enterprise logins for a substitute teacher app people love.