Hallmaster vs SpaceHelm
Both platforms serve UK venues — but they're built for different stages of growth. Here's an honest comparison to help you choose the right fit.
Hallmaster is best for…
- Village halls and community centres
- Simple single-room hire with basic invoicing
- Venues with very low booking volumes
- Organisations on a tight budget with minimal requirements
SpaceHelm is best for…
- Sports clubs managing pitches, courts, and function rooms
- Pubs and bars taking private hire bookings
- Function venues running events with catering
- Venues needing meetings, parking, and backup tools built in
Feature Comparison
Pricing Comparison
Hallmaster's entry tier at £10/month is hard to beat on price alone. However, the platform's limited feature set means most growing venues quickly need additional tools — a separate payment processor, a spreadsheet for staff rotas, and manual reconciliation of invoices. SpaceHelm at £29/month includes all of these in one platform, making the total cost of ownership comparable or lower for venues with moderate booking volumes.
Interface & Usability
Hallmaster has a functional but dated interface that can feel cumbersome on mobile devices. SpaceHelm was built with a modern, mobile-first design — staff can manage bookings, check assignments, and process payments from any device without needing to be at a desktop.
Payments & Financial Management
Hallmaster provides invoicing but does not collect payments directly. Venue managers must chase customers for payment separately and manually reconcile income. SpaceHelm handles the full payment lifecycle — from deposit collection at booking to balance payment reminders and refund processing — all within the platform.
Meetings Management
Hallmaster has no dedicated meetings feature. SpaceHelm includes a full meetings module that lets you schedule ad hoc and recurring meetings with suppliers, customers, bar delivery reps, maintenance contractors, and any other stakeholder — all linked to your venue calendar so nothing clashes with live bookings.
Parking Bay Management
Hallmaster offers no parking management. SpaceHelm lets you define and allocate individual parking bays to bookings, preventing double-allocation and giving customers clear parking instructions at the point of booking. This is particularly valuable for sports clubs and function venues where parking is limited and high demand.
Data Backups & Local Export
Hallmaster does not offer configurable backup controls or local data export. SpaceHelm performs automatic scheduled backups of all your venue data and lets you trigger a manual backup at any time. You can also export and save your data locally — giving you full ownership of your records and peace of mind in the event of any service disruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SpaceHelm more expensive than Hallmaster?
SpaceHelm starts at £29/month compared to Hallmaster's £10/month entry tier. However, SpaceHelm includes integrated payments, catering management, staff tools, meetings scheduling, parking bay management, and automatic backups that Hallmaster does not offer — features that would otherwise require additional software and manual reconciliation.
Can I migrate from Hallmaster to SpaceHelm?
Yes. SpaceHelm supports importing existing booking data, so you can migrate from Hallmaster without losing your booking history or customer records. Our onboarding team can assist with the migration process.
Does Hallmaster handle payments?
Hallmaster provides invoicing tools but does not include built-in payment collection. You'll need to manage payment receipt and reconciliation separately. SpaceHelm handles deposits, balance payments, and refunds directly within the platform.
Which is better for a sports club?
SpaceHelm is the stronger choice for sports clubs that need to manage pitch bookings, function room hire, bar events, meetings with suppliers, parking allocation, and staff assignments in one place. Hallmaster is better suited to simple hall hire with basic invoicing needs.
Does SpaceHelm back up my data automatically?
Yes. SpaceHelm performs automatic scheduled backups of all your venue data. You can also trigger a manual backup at any time and export your data locally — giving you full control and peace of mind.
Can I manage parking with SpaceHelm?
Yes. SpaceHelm includes parking bay management so you can allocate specific bays to bookings, prevent double-allocation, and give customers clear parking instructions — particularly useful for sports clubs and function venues with limited parking.
Ready to upgrade from Hallmaster?
Start your free 14-day trial of SpaceHelm — no credit card required. We'll help you migrate your existing bookings.