Straight answers for camp leads
What the camp portal covers, how payments work, which tools are free for burners, and where PlayaOS fits alongside your camp's other tools.
PlayaOS is free camp management software for Burning Man theme camps. Each camp gets a branded portal for its members and leads, with tools for applications, rosters, dues, shelters, shifts, and kitchen operations. Individual burners also get free packing, discovery, and marketplace tools.
The camp portal covers custom applications and onboarding, member profiles and rosters, online dues, shelter and site planning, shifts and check-ins, kitchen meal planning, camp tasks, meetings and RSVPs, bike fleet tracking, packing lists, and member notifications. The full inventory is on the Features page.
Yes. Every camp feature is included at no cost, with no member cap, per-person charge, or paid tier. A small camp can use the same portal as a larger one.
Yes. Camps can configure dues tiers, discounts, early-bird pricing, and scholarships, then collect payments online through Givebutter and track payment status in PlayaOS. Givebutter processes the payment.
No. PlayaOS manages camp dues and their payment status; it does not calculate personal balances or track Venmo or Zelle repayments between friends. Groups that need peer-to-peer expense splitting should keep using a separate tool for that.
PlayaOS is built around camp operations: shifts, tasks, meetings, member records, and camp updates. It does not include general-purpose group chat or a Kanban board, so camps can keep the chat and board tools their members already use.
Yes. Camp leads can map a footprint, assign shelters, track capacity and RV power, schedule shifts, monitor coverage and attendance, plan meals around dietary needs, and prepare kitchen shopping lists and briefings.
The public packing list, marketplace, Burning Man events, art listings, and camp directory are free to use. A camp membership is not required to browse those tools.
Yes. A camp can use its branded PlayaOS portal on a custom domain, or keep its existing website and connect camp features through the REST API, SDK, and embeddable components.
Yes. Supported assistants can connect over MCP to search Burning Man information, use packing tools, and reach camp data allowed by the member's account. PlayaOS does not give an assistant broader access than that account has.
Give your camp a free portal, or take the free playa tools into ChatGPT and Claude. Either way, it costs nothing.
Building your camp's site yourself? The API, SDKs, and UI kit are part of the gift too.
