If you’re doing a barn management software comparison, you’ve probably looked at Stables.co, EC Pro, Stable Secretary, or Equine Office. Here’s exactly how Stables Systems compares, feature by feature, along with the honest tradeoffs of each.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Stables Systems | Stables.co | EC Pro | Stable Secretary | Equine Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client-Facing | |||||
| Client lesson booking | Yes | Limited (boarding only) | Yes + eligibility checks | No | Scheduling only |
| Client self-registration | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Branded owner / client portal | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Records & Care | |||||
| Health / care records | Yes | Yes — care logs | Yes | Yes — deepest | No |
| File management (horse + client) | Yes | Yes — docs | Yes | Yes — uploads | No |
| Billing & Payments | |||||
| Billing / invoicing | Yes | Yes — care-to-cash | Yes | Yes (top tier only) | No |
| QuickBooks sync | Yes — cash & accrual | Export only | Yes + Xero | Export only | No |
| Per-horse margin analysis | Yes | No | Limited | No | No |
| ACH payments | Yes | Yes | No — card only | Card only | No |
| Security deposit tracking | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Operations | |||||
| Digital whiteboard | Yes | No | Reception display | No | No |
| Stall management | Yes | Yes — drag & drop | Stall booking | No | No |
| Volunteer management | Yes | No | Limited | No | No |
| SMS / texting | Yes | No | Not confirmed | Email only | Change alerts only |
| Live, human customer support | Yes — phone & chat | Self-serve | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Platform | |||||
| Native mobile app | Responsive web | Responsive web | Yes — native | Yes — native | Web only |
| Website builder included | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Commercial | |||||
| Pricing model | Flat subscription, $75–429/mo | Free + transaction fee | Per-booking fee + subscription | Per-horse tiers | $42.50–50/mo |
| Customer service rating (Capterra) | 5.0 / 5 | Not confirmed | 4.8 / 5 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Why Barns Choose Stables Systems
You keep 100% of what your clients pay you. Stables Systems runs on a flat monthly subscription, no per-booking fee, no cut of your transactions. EC Pro charges a booking fee on every basket plus card processing fees. Stables.co is free to start, but takes a percentage of every payment you collect. Those costs grow as your barn grows; a flat rate doesn’t.
Know your real margins, per horse. Stables Systems syncs live with QuickBooks Online (cash or accrual) and tracks each horse’s expenses against what you’re charging, so you see monthly margins by horse, not just a bank balance. Most competitors export a file and leave the math to your accountant.
Bank-to-bank ACH keeps processing costs down on monthly board, and every account gets real, live-person support, phone and chat with an actual human, not a bot or a ticket queue. Stables Systems holds a perfect 5.0 customer service rating on Capterra, and reviewers have specifically called out switching from EC Pro and BarnManager because of it.
Here’s a closer barn management software comparison against each competitor, one at a time.
Stables Systems vs. Stables.co
Stables.co takes a percentage of every payment you process, a cost that grows with your barn instead of staying flat. Stables Systems charges one flat monthly rate no matter how much you collect, and goes further into lesson programs and training with space management, volunteer management, and client self-registration, tools a boarding-only platform doesn’t offer. Both platforms handle stall management, security deposits, e-signatures, and ACH. Worth noting: Stables.co and Stables Systems are two different companies, so double-check which one you’re looking at.
Stables Systems vs. EC Pro
EC Pro charges a per-booking fee on top of card processing fees, on every basket, every time, so your costs climb as you grow. Stables Systems runs on one flat monthly rate with ACH support built in, so your costs stay flat. EC Pro also started as a UK riding-school platform and is still building out US-specific functionality; Stables Systems was built for US barns from day one, with native QuickBooks sync and Coggins tracking already in place. EC Pro does offer a native mobile app and a website builder, but most barns tell us the fee structure and US-specific features matter more day to day, and Stables Systems runs fully from the browser with no app to install or update.
Stables Systems vs. Stable Secretary
Stable Secretary is a records tool first: there’s no client-facing lesson booking and no branded owner portal, so clients still can’t book or pay on their own, and it exports to QuickBooks rather than syncing live. Stables Systems runs the full business in one connected platform, bookings, billing, payments, health records, and the client experience, with QuickBooks sync built in. Stable Secretary does offer deep health-record customization and a track record dating back to 2013, which some rescues and nonprofits value, but for barns that need clients to self-serve and finances to sync automatically, Stables Systems is built to do both.
Stables Systems vs. Equine Office
Equine Office handles lesson scheduling and not much else: no billing, health records, QuickBooks sync, payments, or owner portal, so most barns using it are still running two or three other tools to cover what it misses. Stables Systems replaces that whole stack with one subscription.
Common Questions
Isn’t Stables.co free?
It’s free until you actually collect payments, then it takes a percentage of everything that comes through. A flat monthly rate is predictable, and for barns collecting real board volume, it’s often cheaper over a year.
Does EC Pro’s native app matter?
Stables Systems is a fully responsive web app, everything works from your phone in the aisle, with no app to download and no update to manage.
How does pricing compare to cheaper tools?
It depends what’s included. If you’re paying per-booking fees or a percentage of transactions elsewhere, or stitching together a scheduler, an invoicing tool, and QuickBooks separately, add it all up. A flat rate that replaces the whole stack, and shows you margins per horse, usually wins on total cost.
Pricing
Stables Systems starts at $75/month for boarding facilities, up to $429/month for full-featured lesson and training operations, no per-booking fees, no percentage of what you collect. Book a 30-minute demo and we’ll help you find the right plan for your operation.
Still weighing your options? This barn management software comparison should make the choice clear. If you want to see how barns are managing the switch, read about how monthly tuition billing can save a lesson barn, or find out why so many barns still run on whiteboards.