Getting started
What is needl?+
needl brings your family’s clubs, school and home life into one place: find and book clubs, follow your school class, share a family calendar and lists, and ask needl questions in plain English.
Is it free?+
Yes. Families, clubs and coaches can all use needl free. Paid plans add more; see pricing.
Do I need the app?+
No. needl works in any web browser on your phone or computer. The app adds phone notifications.
How do I sign up?+
Create an account with your email, confirm it from the email we send, then tell us what brings you to needl and we’ll set up the right things.
For families
How do I book a club?+
Find it in Browse clubs, pick a session or a time, choose which child, and pay. You’ll get a confirmation email and it appears in your calendar.
How do I add my children?+
In Settings, under Household, add each child with their date of birth, medical notes, emergency contact and photo consent. Clubs see these when you book, so you don’t fill in forms again.
What does needl Family add?+
Unlimited reading of class WhatsApp messages and school letters, finance (budgets, spending and forecasts), Google Calendar and calendar feeds, forwarding other bookings into your calendar, progress analytics, and needl School Premium for class reps. It comes with a 14-day free trial.
My class rep only uses WhatsApp. Can I still use needl for school?+
Yes. Use Paste from WhatsApp on your Family Dashboard: paste the rep’s message, or add a photo of a school letter, and needl pulls out the dates, to-dos and things to bring for you to check and save. You can try it free; it’s unlimited with needl Family. Better still, invite your rep: needl is free for reps, and then everything arrives without pasting.
Does my partner need to pay too?+
No. Invite them from Settings, under Household: they get their own login and share your children, bookings, calendar and lists. needl Family is one plan for the whole household (up to 4 adults), so if either of you has it, you both do.
How do I cancel or move a booking?+
Open it under Upcoming club bookings on your dashboard to cancel it or ask the club to move it. Each club sets its own cancellation and refund terms.
For clubs & coaches
How do I list my club or lessons?+
Sign up, choose “I run a club” or “I’m a coach”, and the set-up takes you through your details, plan, first activity and payments. You can save and publish later.
How do I get paid?+
Use needl Payments (card payments straight to your bank), connect your own Stripe account, or take bank transfers. You can mix them per activity.
Can families book a time with me, like Calendly?+
Yes. Set your weekly bookable hours for 1:1 lessons; families pick any free time. Connect Google Calendar on Basic or Premium and busy times are kept out automatically.
What are coach seats?+
Clubs on Basic and Premium can give their coaches a seat, so each coach’s own 1:1 lessons get Basic features free.
Can I move from another booking platform?+
Yes. Import your customers and bookings from a spreadsheet export, or ask us and we’ll set your listing up for you to claim.
For school reps
How do parents join my class?+
Create your class and share its join code. Parents join free from the web or the app; nobody needs to share a phone number.
What can I post?+
Notices, reminders, polls, sign-up lists, class dates and documents. Parents are notified and everything stays in one feed.
Is it free for reps?+
Yes. needl School Free has everything you need to run your class. needl School Premium (£2.99 a month or £29 a year) adds AI that drafts your weekly notice from your plan for the week. It’s included with needl Family.
Account & privacy
I can’t log in. What do I do?+
If you signed up with Google, use “Continue with Google”. Otherwise use Forgot password on the log-in page, and we’ll email you a link to set a new one.
How is my data used?+
Only to run needl for you. We don’t sell personal data. Read our privacy notice.
How do I delete my account?+
Go to Settings, then Security, and choose Delete account. If you own a club, delete it or hand it over first. Stuck? Email hello@needlstack.co.uk.