Childcare software pricing ranges from free plans for very small programs to custom quotes for multi-site groups. Where prices are published, per-child plans run about $1 to $1.60 per child per month, and flat or per-location plans start from roughly $16 to $69 a month.
Many of the best-known platforms, including Brightwheel, Procare, Playground, and Kangarootime, do not publish their subscription prices at all. And for every platform, the subscription is only part of the bill: payment processing fees, setup fees, and add-ons often decide what you really pay.
This guide breaks down the pricing models you will see, what each major platform publishes, the costs that sit outside the subscription, and how to compare quotes fairly.
Best for
Owners and directors budgeting for childcare software
Covers
Pricing models, published prices, costs outside the subscription, three-year cost, and questions to ask
Based on
Vendor pricing pages and verified review listings
Updated
November 2026
Key takeaways
- Childcare software pricing ranges from free plans for very small programs to custom quotes for multi-site groups.
- Where prices are published, per-child plans run about $1 to $1.60 per child per month, and flat or per-location plans start from roughly $16 to $69 a month.
- Brightwheel, Procare, Playground, and Kangarootime do not publish their subscription prices.
- Payment processing, setup fees, and add-ons often decide what you really pay.
- Compare platforms on a three-year total, using renewal prices rather than introductory ones.
How much does childcare management software cost?
Among platforms that publish prices, a single 60-child center would pay roughly $50 to $100 a month in list subscription fees, depending on the pricing model. Multi-site groups and most of the largest platforms work on custom quotes.
Three things move the number more than anything else:
- How the vendor counts: per child, per location, by enrollment band, or by custom quote
- Which features are included in the base price and which are add-ons
- Payment processing rates, which grow with the tuition you collect online
That is why two platforms with similar list prices can end up hundreds of dollars a month apart once your families start paying online.
The four childcare software pricing models
Almost every platform uses one of these models. Knowing which one you are looking at tells you how your bill will change as you grow.
| Pricing model | How it works | Examples from vendor pages | Best for |
| Per child | A set price for each enrolled or active child, each month | MyKidReports at $0.99, Storypark at $1.59, Daily Connect at $1.60 after the first 10 | Small programs, as cost rises with enrollment |
| Flat or per location | One monthly price per site, regardless of enrollment | Procare's one monthly price; Jackrabbit Care's listed per-location rate | Larger single centers |
| Tiered by size | Price steps up by enrollment band or number of centers | illumine's plans by number of centers | Growing and multi-site operators |
| Custom quote | Price set in a sales conversation | Brightwheel Premium, Procare, Playground, Kangarootime | Centers that want to negotiate |
None of these is automatically cheaper. Per-child pricing suits small programs. Flat or per-location pricing suits larger centers. Custom quotes can be competitive, but you cannot compare them until you have them in writing.
Childcare software pricing comparison for 2026
Here is what each platform publishes about its pricing as of November 2026, taken from vendor pricing pages and help centers wherever possible.
| Platform | Published starting price | Pricing unit | Free option | Processing rates published |
| Brightwheel | Quote | Program size and needs | Yes, 1 staff and under 20 students | No |
| Procare | Quote | One monthly price, no per-child charges | No | No |
| Playground | Quote | Not stated | Free account | Yes |
| Kangarootime | Quote | Not stated | Not mentioned | No |
| illumine | Quote | Plans by number of centers | Live demo on request | No |
| Famly | From $49 a month | By number of children | Not stated | No |
| Storypark | $1.59 per child per month (documentation plan) | Per child | Free trial | No |
| Daily Connect | $16 a month, billed annually | 10 children included, then $1.60 per child | 14-day free trial | No |
| MyKidReports | $0.99 per child per month | Per child | Free up to 5 children | Yes |
| EZCare | Not published, setup from $195 | Base package plus add-ons | Free trial | No |
Platforms marked "quote" do not publish subscription prices. That does not mean they are more expensive, only that you need a sales conversation to compare them.
Brightwheel, Procare, Playground, and Kangarootime pricing
These four are the most common names on US shortlists, and all four quote their paid plans. We have written a full breakdown of what each one confirms:
- Brightwheel pricing: a free plan for 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students, then quote-based Premium
- Procare pricing: one monthly price, no per-child charges, no setup fees, plus Tuition Express for payments
- Playground pricing: a free account, quote-based plans, and published processing fees
- Kangarootime pricing: quote only, with strong customer support reviews
Famly pricing
Famly's US pricing page shows a starting price of $49 a month, priced by the number of children, with all features included and no tiers. It lists billing, enrollment, attendance, communication, an AI writing assistant, and simple payroll.
The page says there are no hidden fees but does not publish payment processing rates, so ask for those separately.
Storypark pricing
Storypark publishes a US price of $1.59 per child per month for its documentation and family engagement plan, with a free trial. That plan covers portfolios, observations, planning, incident reporting, and attendance.
Its all-in-one childcare management plan and its multi-site plan are not priced on the page. If you need billing and enrollment, you will need a quote.
Jackrabbit Care pricing
Listings on G2 and Software Advice show Jackrabbit Care at $69 a month per location for 1 to 5 locations, and $49 a month per location for 6 to 20 locations.
Note that Jackrabbit Care's former pricing page now redirects to Jackrabbit Technologies' main site, which lists class, dance, swim, cheer, and music products but no childcare product. Confirm directly with Jackrabbit that Care is still sold before you shortlist it.
Other platforms you may be comparing
EZCare
Its pricing page lists a one-time setup fee of $195 to $495, additional features at $25 a month each, and extra concurrent users at $50 a month each, but no base monthly price
Daily Connect
$16 a month billed annually for up to 10 children, then $1.60 per additional active child, with no setup or cancellation fees
BumbleBee
G2 lists Solo at $39.95 a month and Plus at $79.95 a month, but a Capterra reviewer reports the product shut down, so confirm it is still available
Childcare Manager by Personalized Software
SourceForge lists a one-time price of $795, but we could not confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site
Costs that sit outside the subscription
The subscription is the number vendors lead with. These are the costs that often decide your real total.
Payment processing fees
If families pay tuition online, every payment carries a fee. Only a few platforms publish their rates:
| Platform | Card payments | ACH bank payments | Source |
| Playground | 3% + $0.30 | $1.00 flat | Playground help center |
| MyKidReports | 2.79% | $0.49 flat | MyKidReports pricing page |
| Brightwheel | Not published, discounted on Premium | Not published | Brightwheel pricing content |
| Procare (Tuition Express) | Not published | Not published | Procare pricing page |
| Daily Connect, EZCare, Kangarootime | Not published | Not published | Vendor pricing pages |
On a $1,200 monthly tuition payment, a 3% plus $0.30 card fee is $36.30, while a $1.00 ACH (automated clearing house) fee is $1.00. Across a full center, the gap between card and bank payments can be larger than the software subscription itself.
Setup, onboarding, and migration
Setup fees vary widely. EZCare lists one-time setup fees of $195 to $495. Procare, Daily Connect, and MyKidReports state they charge no setup fees, and Playground lists data migration help as part of onboarding.
Ask who moves your rosters, family contacts, billing plans, and balances, and how much staff time the switch will take.
Add-ons and usage limits
Watch for features priced separately from the core plan. Common examples from vendor pages:
- Curriculum and assessments, sold as add-ons by Brightwheel and Procare
- Payroll, listed as an add-on by Brightwheel
- Extra users, at $50 a month each on EZCare
- Text messaging caps, such as the 400 messages a month listed on Procare's in-home daycare page
Staff time is a cost too, even though it never appears on a quote. Tim Seldin, President of the Montessori Foundation, has spoken with multicenter childcare organizations for decades:
"The operators who struggle aren't failing because of poor pedagogy or weak leadership, they're drowning in operational fragmentation that compounds with every new location." Tim Seldin, President, Montessori Foundation, in illumine's Scaling Smart report
In the same report, he describes networks where "directors spend 30% of their week manually compiling data that should flow automatically."
Childcare management software long-term pricing comparison
A fair comparison looks at total cost over two or three years, not the first month. Use this simple formula for each quote:
- Monthly subscription, multiplied by 12
- Plus add-ons you will need within the first year
- Plus estimated processing fees on your online tuition, if you absorb them
- Plus one-time setup or migration fees
- Repeat for years two and three, using the renewal price, not the introductory price
The last step is where many comparisons go wrong. Ask every vendor whether your price is locked, how much notice you get before an increase, and whether introductory discounts end at renewal.
What a 60-child center would pay at published list prices
To show how much the pricing model matters, here are subscription costs for one 60-child center using only publicly listed prices, before processing fees, add-ons, or discounts.
| Platform | Monthly subscription at list price | How it is calculated |
| MyKidReports | $59.40 | 60 children at $0.99 |
| Jackrabbit Care | $69 | Listed rate for 1 location, per G2 and Software Advice |
| Storypark (documentation plan) | $95.40 | 60 children at $1.59 |
| Daily Connect | $96, billed annually | $16 for the first 10 children, plus 50 at $1.60 |
| Famly | From $49 | Scales with children, exact figure not shown |
| Brightwheel, Procare, Playground, Kangarootime, illumine | Quote | Not published |
These figures are illustrations, not quotes. Plans differ in what they include, and Storypark's listed plan covers documentation only, without billing.
Free vs paid daycare management apps
Several platforms offer a free tier, including Brightwheel, Playground, and MyKidReports. Free plans work well for very small programs, but they usually come with limits on staff accounts, children, or features.
| Platform | Free option | Main limits |
| Brightwheel | Free plan | 1 staff member, fewer than 20 students, photos only, standard processing fees |
| Playground | Free account | Limits not published |
| MyKidReports | Free plan | Up to 5 children, 1 staff account, 1 room |
| Daily Connect, Storypark, EZCare | Free trial only | Paid plan after the trial |
For a licensed center with more than one teacher, the free tier is usually a way to test the product rather than a long-term option. The bigger question is what the paid plan costs once you outgrow it.
How to compare pricing for small and growing centers
The right pricing model depends on where your program is headed.
Small centers with a few classrooms
Per-child pricing is often cheapest, as long as features like billing and parent communication are included
Larger single centers
Flat or per-location pricing usually wins, because cost does not rise with every enrollment
Growing multi-site groups
Look for plans structured by number of centers, with multi-site reporting included rather than sold as an enterprise add-on
If you are a single center weighing options, our page on childcare management software for single centers covers what to prioritize.
Questions to ask before you sign
- What is the exact monthly price, and how is it calculated?
- Which features in the demo are included, and which are add-ons?
- What are the card and ACH processing rates, and who pays them?
- Are there setup, onboarding, or migration fees?
- What is the contract length, and what are the cancellation terms?
- Is the price locked at renewal, and how much notice do we get before an increase?
- Can we export all our data if we leave?
Where illumine fits
illumine is an AI-native childcare management platform used by more than 4,000 centers across 60+ countries. We quote based on your setup, and our plans are structured by the number of centers you run, so growing operators can see the next tier before they need it:
Essentials, for 1 to 2 centers
Parent communication, attendance, billing, and enrollment
Growth + AI, for 3 to 10 centers
Adds learning and assessment tools, multi-site management, and advanced CRM automations
Scale, for 10+ centers
Adds a multi-site command center, advanced reporting, API access, SSO (single sign-on), and custom onboarding and migration
See the full breakdown on our pricing page. For a feature-led comparison of the main platforms, read our roundup of the best childcare management software.
Why trust this article
This article is built from public sources only: vendor pricing pages and help centers for Brightwheel, Procare, Playground, Kangarootime, Famly, Storypark, Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and EZCare, plus listings on G2, Capterra, Software Advice, and SourceForge where vendors do not publish prices themselves. We have not used these platforms hands-on, and we have not received quotes from them.
Where a price comes from a third-party listing rather than the vendor, we have said so. Where we could not verify a figure, we left it out.
Customer and expert quotes come from illumine's published white papers and are attributed to the named speaker.
Frequently asked questions on childcare software pricing
How much does childcare software cost per month?
Among platforms that publish prices, per-child plans run about $1 to $1.60 per child per month, and flat or per-location plans start from roughly $16 to $69 a month. Many of the largest platforms, including Brightwheel, Procare, Playground, and Kangarootime, quote prices individually. Payment processing fees and add-ons come on top.
How do I compare daycare management software features and pricing for small childcare centers?
List the features you need on day one, such as billing, attendance, and parent communication, and check which plan includes all of them. Then compare total monthly cost at your enrollment, including processing fees on online tuition. Per-child pricing is often cheapest for small centers, but only if billing is included.
What is the cheapest all-in-one daycare software?
Among platforms with published prices, MyKidReports lists $0.99 per child per month with a free plan for up to 5 children, and Daily Connect lists $16 a month for up to 10 children billed annually. The cheapest list price is not always the lowest total cost, because processing fees and missing features can change the math.
What is the difference between free and paid daycare management apps?
Free plans usually limit the number of staff, children, or features. For example, Brightwheel's free plan supports 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students, and MyKidReports' free plan covers up to 5 children. Paid plans add unlimited users, deeper billing, reporting, and support, and often lower processing rates.
How much does childcare billing and attendance software cost for mid-sized centers?
For a 60-child center, published list prices range from about $59 a month on per-child plans to around $96 a month, before processing fees. Platforms that quote, such as Brightwheel and Procare, require a sales call for an exact figure.
How much does enrollment software cost for daycare centers with high applicant volumes?
Enrollment tools are usually bundled into childcare management plans rather than sold alone, so the cost depends on the platform's overall pricing. Ask whether waitlist management, online registration, and lead tracking are in your plan or sold as an add-on, and whether pricing rises with the number of applicants or enrolled children.
Do childcare software companies charge setup fees?
Some do and some do not. EZCare lists one-time setup fees of $195 to $495, while Procare, Daily Connect, and MyKidReports state they charge no setup fees. Always ask whether data migration and staff training are included.
