Google Meet plus a spreadsheet suits solo teaching at no software cost within Google’s personal-account limits, as of 21 October 2026. Halqora replaces manual scheduling, invoicing and payment matching for academies running one-to-one classes, while letting you keep Google Meet.
Halqora is our product. We’ve tried to keep this comparison fair: competitor details come from their public pages, checked on the date shown. Tell us if anything is out of date at support@halqora.com.
Google Meet + spreadsheets vs Halqora: the short answer
Google Meet handles the call. Your spreadsheet handles whatever administration you build around the call. That division works when you can keep the timetable, lesson notes and payment records accurate without repeated checking.
Halqora is management software for online academies. Halqora schedules, bills and calculates teacher pay for one-to-one classes. Siblings can share a family invoice, but each sibling still has a separate class.
The decision is about administrative work, rather than whether you need a different video tool. A solo teacher with a clear spreadsheet may gain little from moving. An owner coordinating teachers, family invoices and class outcomes has more reason to consider a shared system.
Comparison checked on 21 October 2026
The comparison above separates product facts from the work people do around Google Meet. A spreadsheet can contain formulas, checks and reports. A manual workflow is a choice about who maintains those parts, rather than proof that a spreadsheet cannot do them.
Google’s published limits apply here to a personal Google account hosting on a computer. As of 21 October 2026, Google says one-on-one calls can last up to 24 hours. Calls with 3 or more participants have a 60-minute limit, with a maximum of 100 participants. Those limits should not be applied to every paid account.
The forum sources describe individual workflows. They show how administration can work in practice; they do not establish how much time your academy will save. Features marked as not found refer to the named page checked, rather than an exhaustive review of Google’s products.
Where the spreadsheet breaks: clock changes, invoices and payments
Spreadsheet pressure usually appears between tasks. A changed class affects a timetable, a family invoice and a teacher’s earnings. If those records live apart, you must carry the decision into each record yourself.
Clock changes expose a fixed-time timetable. GOV.UK publishes the UK clock-change dates, checked 21 October 2026. When families and teachers follow different clock-change calendars, the difference between their local times can change. A copied time needs checking against the relevant date and location.
Halqora uses scheduling rules in each IANA time zone. An IANA time zone is a named location whose calendar rules include local clock changes. You still need to decide which local time the recurring lesson should follow; the system cannot make that agreement for you.
Invoice work has a similar dependency. In a Mac Power Users discussion about lesson invoicing, checked 21 October 2026, a teacher describes building invoices by hand for each student and lesson type. The repeated work is turning lesson records into the right charge.
Halqora’s monthly billing run creates draft invoices from class records. An admin reviews and sends the invoices. Classes without a final outcome can need attention before billing is ready. The review remains your responsibility, with the invoice preparation gathered into a shared process.
Payment tracking continues after sending. A tutor in a Mumsnet discussion about unpaid lessons, checked 21 October 2026, describes requesting payment and following up manually. That account illustrates the task; it is not a measured nonpayment rate.
Halqora reads payment updates from connected providers. Mercury sync is USD only. Wise (wise.com) payments are matched, never created, by Halqora. Unclear transfers go to an unmatched queue for review. Matching reduces repeated checking without turning every bank description into a certain match.
Use these signs your academy has outgrown spreadsheets as a practical checklist:
- You correct a class outcome in several places before billing is accurate.
- You repeatedly check whether a family’s payment belongs to an outstanding invoice.
- You calculate teacher earnings separately from the class records teachers can see.
- You need to ask who last changed the timetable before answering a family.
Keeping Google Meet: use it per schedule in Halqora
Google Meet can stay in your teaching workflow. Each Halqora schedule can use a Google Meet link or the built-in classroom. Moving the administrative records does not require moving every class to a different call tool.
Families receive a permanent private class link that shows the next class. Families also get a private invoice page and PDF without needing a login. Class and invoice links do not expire; replacing a link stops the old link from working.
Teachers record completed classes with a report, student no-shows or student cancellations. Admins resolve other outcomes and record late minutes, wait minutes and emergency exceptions. Lesson reports are internal: admins see the rating and written feedback, while families do not.
For a move, check the roster, recurring schedules, rates, currencies and unpaid invoices against your current records. Free data import does not replace your review of the imported information. The guide to moving an academy from spreadsheets to software gives that review a clear sequence.
What it costs to switch: 25 and 60 students
Halqora’s published pricing, as of 21 October 2026, is Starter USD 39/mo up to 25 active students; Academy USD 2.50 per active student per month, USD 99 minimum; and Scale custom for 300+ students. Annual billing gives 2 months free. A 14-day pilot, free onboarding and data import are included.
The examples below use monthly billing. The Academy minimum matters when the per-student calculation falls below USD 99.
| Example: active students (count) | Starter cost (USD/month) | Academy calculation (USD/month) | Academy charge (USD/month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 39 | 25 x USD 2.50 = USD 62.50 | 99 minimum |
| 60 | Outside the 25-student limit | 60 x USD 2.50 = USD 150 | 150 |
These are subscription comparisons, not claims about money saved. Meet plus a spreadsheet can remain the less expensive choice in software charges. To judge the paid option, identify the repeated administrative tasks you want to replace and check whether Halqora actually covers those tasks.
Choose Meet + spreadsheets if…
Google Meet plus spreadsheets is a sensible choice when you teach alone, want no software subscription and know your records well. Free one-on-one calls have room for ordinary lessons within Google’s stated limit. A separate academy system may add work before it removes work.
A DIY system also suits you when you enjoy shaping your own records. A Hacker News discussion of tutoring administration, checked 21 October 2026, describes a DIY Airtable CRM. That approach gives you control over the fields and process you maintain.
Keep the family’s experience in view. A Hacker News discussion of tutoring client communication, checked 21 October 2026, describes clients preferring text messages to tools. A system change should solve your administrative problem without assuming every family wants another account.
Choose Halqora if…
Halqora fits an academy of one-to-one classes when the same class outcome needs to inform scheduling, billing and teacher earnings. Shared records become useful when you are repeatedly checking whether each part reflects the same decision.
Teacher pay follows fixed outcome rules. Rules such as the half-class wait requirement determine whether a teacher receives full pay for a student no-show. Admins enter the wait minutes. Payroll for a period waits until completed-class reports are in, and Halqora calculates pay rather than transferring money to teachers.
Unpaid invoices receive automatic email reminders before and after the due date. You can set invoice due days, the reminder schedule and email wording. The class and payroll rules remain fixed in this version.
See how scheduling with Google Meet links works in Halqora.