How Cana Crew compares.
Most small museums and lighthouses schedule with some mix of a volunteer sign-up tool, a staff scheduling app and a spreadsheet. Here's how they compare for a seasonal site with paid staff and volunteers.
Five founding sites: 5 of 5 still open.The first five places to sign up get a full year free and $150 a year locked in for good.See the offer| Cana Crew | SignUpGenius | When I Work | A spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Seasonal sites with paid staff and volunteers | Volunteer and group sign-ups | Scheduling hourly employees | Anything, by hand |
| How it's priced | $150 a year, everyone included | Free basic plan; paid plans from $11.99 a month, billed yearly | Per person, per month, from $2.50 | Free |
| A crew of 12 staff and 30 volunteers, per year | $150 | $0 for volunteer sheets, with staff scheduled somewhere else | About $1,260 if all 42 people are users, at the lowest rate | $0, plus the hours of keeping it |
| Staff and volunteers on one calendar | Yes, in everyone's own Google Calendar | Volunteers only | Built for employees | If you type it in |
| Weather closures, Panic Button, tower counter | Built in | No | No | No |
Prices as listed on Capterra for SignUpGenius and Capterra for When I Work, October 2026.
When SignUpGenius is enough
If you only need volunteers to sign up for events, its free plan may be all you need. Cana Crew is for when paid staff and volunteers share the same days, and someone has to make sure every day is covered.
When a staff app is enough
If you have no volunteers and a year-round staff, an employee scheduling app does the job. Per-person pricing adds up when 30 volunteers each count as a user, and those apps don't know about docents, tours or a tower that closes for lightning.
When a spreadsheet is enough
A spreadsheet costs nothing until someone calls in sick. Then it's the phone, the texts, and a new copy for everyone. Cana Crew asks the next person by itself and updates everyone's calendar.
What only Cana Crew does
- Seniority picks. Senior staff pick their regular days first; full days gray out.
- Docent and tour badges. Only certified people can fill those slots.
- A Weather Safety Protocol. Lightning, wind, heat and cold rules that close the site and tell everyone working.
- Opening and closing week checks. Nobody is scheduled on a day you're closed.
- Nothing worth stealing. No Social Security numbers, bank details, pay rates, birthdays or home addresses.