Post it. Chat about it. Log the hours. Free.
Zelos includes shift signup, a chat channel on every task, hour tracking and unlimited admin accounts on the free plan, for unlimited members.
Recruitment, opportunity brokerage, DBS checks, and social value reporting
Fits volunteer centres brokering opportunities.
Open shifts, task dispatch, notice board, and team chat
Fits teams coordinating their own crew.
No credit card · Unlimited members on every plan · Set up in under 5 minutes
How signup works in each app
Opportunities volunteers find and join
You publish opportunities that volunteers discover and register for, with eligibility restrictions by role, age, group or DBS status on the top tier. Volunteer centres can broker opportunities on behalf of other organisations through provider accounts.
A private team space with shift signup and chats
Members join your workspace once, fill in their own profile, then browse and claim what fits their skills and schedule, with a chat channel attached to every task.
What TeamKinetic is better at
If your workflow depends on the things below, TeamKinetic is the right pick.
Brokering opportunities for other organisations
Provider accounts, multi-organisation and branch structures, LinkWide, and connectors to GOVO and Volunteer Scotland, plus a dedicated edition for volunteer centres. If you're a CVS, a council or a brokerage matching volunteers to opportunities across many organisations, that's the model they're built for and Zelos has nothing like it.
DBS checks built in
Criminal record checks run inside the platform, and their top tier restricts opportunities by DBS status alongside role, age and group. Zelos has no screening at all and assumes people arrive cleared.
Recognition that travels
Tempo Time Credits and OpenBadge awards alongside progress milestones. Recognition that means something outside your own system, which matters in the UK volunteering ecosystem. Zelos points and badges live inside your workspace.
Social value reporting
Real-time data and custom reports built around demonstrating volunteering's social value, which is what councils and funders ask for. Zelos reports hours and task completion and exports CSV.
If these bullet points are non-negotiable, you're a TeamKinetic customer.
What Zelos is sharper at
If you want the free plan to run your actual programme, Zelos is a better fit.
Chat and hour tracking, free
Zelos includes a chat channel on every task, group chats, direct messages and hour tracking on the free plan. On TeamKinetic, instant chat and logging volunteer hours both start on Essentials at £29 a month.
Every coordinator an admin, free
Zelos gives you unlimited admin accounts on every plan. TeamKinetic's free Community edition allows one administrator; extra admin accounts come with Essentials, and multiple admin levels with Growth at £79 a month.
Twenty-five live tasks, not three
The Zelos free plan runs 25 concurrent active tasks with a 100-task archive behind them. TeamKinetic's Community edition allows three live opportunities, which they describe as intentionally simple and best suited to straightforward needs.
Any team, not just charities and councils
Zelos doesn't ask what kind of organisation you are, and is used by events agencies, contractor pools and unincorporated groups alongside charities. TeamKinetic's signup asks you to pick from charity, council, sporting body, volunteer centre, third sector or corporate.
If you're drawn to this kind of simplicity, you should spin up a free project in Zelos right away.
live tasks on the free plan
TeamKinetic's Community edition allows three live opportunities and one admin. Zelos's free plan allows 25 active tasks and unlimited admins.
What the free plans actually cover
Both companies refuse to charge by volunteer count, so this comes down to what you get before paying.
| Zelos free | TeamKinetic Community* | |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteers | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Admin accounts | Unlimited | 1 |
| Live tasks | 25 concurrent | 3 |
| Team chat | Included | Essentials, £29/mo |
| Hour logging | Included | Essentials, £29/mo |
| Getting started | Sign up online | Apply, or book a demo |
* TeamKinetic pricing from teamkinetic.co.uk/plans, August 2026.
Nonprofits and education teams get additional discounts on Zelos Pro and Enterprise.
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Teams that pick Zelos over TeamKinetic
Small charities that need chat from day one
If your coordination happens in conversation, a free plan without messaging isn't a free plan you can use. Zelos includes a chat channel on every task, group chats and direct messages at no cost.
Grassroots and mutual aid groups
Organising shared between whoever is available that week doesn't survive a single admin account. Zelos gives every organiser their own, free, however many there are.
Churches running weekly rotas
Sunday service, coffee, kids' ministry and the food bank each need their own lead posting their own shifts, and three live opportunities won't cover a single month.
Event staffing and festival crews
Event crews mix volunteers with paid staff and contractors and need dispatch and a chat channel per shift. Zelos treats everyone as a member who claims work, paid or not.
Contractor pools and gig dispatch
Contractors are paid for the work and aren't volunteers at all. Post the job, let the right people claim it, coordinate in the task chat.
Brand ambassadors and street teams
Ambassador programmes are marketing rather than charitable work, and don't fit an organisation-type dropdown built around charities, councils and volunteer centres.
From teams who picked Zelos
What teams who picked Zelos say
"It helped us a lot reducing the planning overhead. It is way more motivating for staff to pick their task than just getting assigned!"
Manuel W.
Coordinator, Events Services
"We were looking for a system to handle our concert staff. Zelos is really easy to access both for the administrator and the users!"
Niels Peter H.
Board member, Music
"The overall experience has been great, the customer service is amazing and I can't wait for all the new changes coming up in the app!"
Celia D.
Coordinator, Motion Pictures and Film
Free for teams of any size
No credit card, no trial expiration.
Pro starts at $99/month, never per person.
Nonprofit and education discounts on Pro and Enterprise.
Frequently asked questions
How much does TeamKinetic cost?
Community is free, Essentials is £29/month, Growth is £79/month and Enterprise is priced on application, with a separate edition for volunteer centres. Like Zelos, they don't charge by volunteer count. Their pricing page says so explicitly. Zelos Pro is $99/month and the free plan costs nothing.
What does TeamKinetic's free plan include?
Unlimited volunteers, one admin account, three live opportunities and basic reporting. They describe it as intentionally simple and point organisations needing DBS checks, rota scheduling, unlimited opportunities, multiple admins, provider accounts or detailed reporting towards Growth or Enterprise. The Zelos free plan has unlimited admins, 25 concurrent active tasks, chat and hour tracking.
Which free plan is bigger?
Zelos, on every axis except volunteer count, where both are unlimited. The differences that matter day to day are admin accounts (unlimited against one), live tasks (25 against three), and whether chat and hour logging are included at all.
Is TeamKinetic cheaper than Zelos?
At the paid tiers, yes. Essentials at £29/month is well under Zelos Pro, and Growth at £79 is close to it. If you know you'll pay for software and want DBS checks or brokerage features, they're good value and this page won't pretend otherwise.
Can my volunteers chat in Zelos?
Yes, on every plan including free: a chat channel per task, group chats and direct messages with push notifications, all with admin oversight. TeamKinetic has instant chat from Essentials at £29/month.
Does Zelos do DBS checks?
No. TeamKinetic has criminal record checks built in and can restrict opportunities by DBS status on Enterprise. Zelos has custom profile fields you can record a clearance in and target tasks on, but no checking, no expiry tracking and no enforcement.
Can Zelos work as a volunteer centre or brokerage?
No. TeamKinetic has provider accounts, multi-organisation and branch structures, connectors to GOVO and Volunteer Scotland, and a dedicated volunteer centre edition. If you're matching volunteers to opportunities across many organisations, that's their core market and Zelos isn't built for it.
Do both have mobile apps?
Yes. TeamKinetic's app is free for all users on iOS and Android, with white-labelled versions on Enterprise. Zelos has native iOS and Android apps on every plan, with a branded app on Enterprise.
Do I have to be a charity?
Not for Zelos. TeamKinetic's signup asks you to select an organisation type from charity, council, sporting body, volunteer centre, third sector or corporate. Workable for most, but the product is shaped around the UK voluntary sector.
What's the catch with the Zelos free plan?
There isn't one, but there are limits. The free plan includes unlimited members, unlimited admins, unlimited custom profile fields, full self-signup, built-in messaging, push notifications, gamification, smart targeting and CSV export. The caps are 25 concurrent active tasks, a 100-task archive and 10,000 chat messages.
Can I use both?
Occasionally sensible. A charity listed through a volunteer centre running TeamKinetic might still coordinate its own crew's shifts and chat in Zelos. Otherwise they overlap enough that you'd pick one.
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