Lillio, formerly HiMama, and Brightwheel are both parent-communication-first childcare management platforms, and on review sites they are almost tied. Brightwheel rates 4.7 on Capterra and Lillio rates 4.6, with identical scores for ease of use and customer service.
The differences are in pricing model, payments, and extras. Brightwheel has a free plan for very small programs and prices Premium by enrollment, while Lillio quotes by classroom and bundles optional curriculum and staff training. Payment processing is Brightwheel's lowest-rated feature, while Lillio's billing complaints focus more on slow support for fixes.
This Lillio vs Brightwheel comparison covers ratings, parent communication, sign-in and billing, features, pricing, support, and switching, so you can see which fits your center.
Best for
Directors choosing between Lillio (formerly HiMama) and Brightwheel
Covers
Ratings, parent communication, sign-in and billing, features, pricing, support, and switching
Based on
Both vendors' websites, Capterra, G2, and the app stores
Updated
November 2026
Key takeaways
- On Capterra, Brightwheel rates 4.7 and Lillio 4.6, with identical scores for ease of use and customer service.
- Brightwheel has a free plan for very small programs and prices Premium by enrollment, while Lillio quotes by classroom.
- Lillio offers its own curriculum and staff training, while Brightwheel sells curriculum, professional development, and payroll as paid add-ons.
- Brightwheel's payment processing rating is noticeably lower, while Lillio's billing complaints focus more on slow fixes and support.
- HiMama renamed itself Lillio on November 15, 2023, so HiMama vs Brightwheel is the same comparison.
Lillio vs Brightwheel at a glance
| Lillio (formerly HiMama) | Brightwheel | |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Canada | San Francisco, California |
| Started | As HiMama; Lillio says it has supported centers since 2012 | Founded in 2014 |
| Capterra rating | 4.6 (3,623 reviews) | 4.7 (3,257 reviews) |
| G2 rating | 4.7 (79 reviews) | 4.6 (170 reviews) |
| Free plan | No, free trial only | Yes, for 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students |
| Pricing model | Custom quote, priced by classroom | Custom quote, based on enrollment capacity and locations |
| Payments | Billing and payments through a Stripe integration | Built-in billing, with one card fee and one ACH and check fee |
| Extras | Lillio Learning curriculum and Lillio Academy staff training | Paid add-ons including Experience Curriculum, Professional Development, and Payroll |
| Parent app | Free for families | Free for families |
If you are searching for HiMama vs Brightwheel, or Brightwheel vs HiMama, this is the same comparison. HiMama renamed itself Lillio on November 15, 2023, and some listings still use the old name.
What is Lillio (formerly HiMama)?
Lillio is a Toronto-based childcare management platform that started as HiMama, a parent communication app, and says it has supported childcare centers since 2012. It now covers center management, billing, attendance, registration, curriculum through Lillio Learning, and online staff training through Lillio Academy.
Owners, teachers, and parents all use the same Lillio app, and the parent app is free for families. For what users say about it, see our Lillio review.
What is Brightwheel?
Brightwheel was founded in 2014 by Dave Vasen and is based in San Francisco. It combines billing and payments, parent communication, check-in, lesson planning, staff tools, and enrollment in one app.
It offers a free plan for very small programs and a paid plan called Brightwheel Premium. For what users say about it, see our roundup of Brightwheel reviews.
Brightwheel vs Lillio ratings
Here is how the two compare on Capterra's and G2's side-by-side comparison pages, plus the app stores, as of November 2026.
| Measure | Lillio | Brightwheel | Source |
| Overall rating | 4.6 (3,623 reviews) | 4.7 (3,257 reviews) | Capterra |
| Ease of use | 4.6 | 4.6 | Capterra |
| Customer service | 4.6 | 4.6 | Capterra |
| Value for money | 4.6 | 4.5 | Capterra |
| Functionality | 4.4 | 4.5 | Capterra |
| Negative reviews | 32 | 20 | Capterra |
| Overall rating | 4.7 (79 reviews) | 4.6 (170 reviews) | G2 |
| Quality of support | 9.4 | 9.1 | G2 (out of 10) |
| Ease of setup | 9.1 | 9.1 | G2 (out of 10) |
| Product direction | 9.0 | 9.7 | G2 (out of 10) |
| Parent app on Google Play | 4.5 (about 10,500 reviews, 500,000+ downloads) | 4.8 (about 11,400 reviews, 1 million+ downloads) | Google Play |
On Capterra, the two are within a tenth of a point on every score. Lillio edges ahead on value for money and has more reviews, while Brightwheel edges ahead on functionality and its individual feature ratings.
On G2, Lillio scores higher on most measures, including quality of support, but from far fewer reviews, 79 against 170, some of them written before the rebrand. Treat the G2 gap with some caution.
Lillio vs Brightwheel for parent communication
Parent communication is where both platforms started, and it is their strongest area. Capterra rates the parent portal 4.7 for both, and communications management 4.6 for Lillio and 4.7 for Brightwheel.
Both offer daily reports, photos and videos, messaging between teachers and families, and real-time activity updates. The differences show up in what reviewers complain about:
| Lillio | Brightwheel | |
| Parent portal rating | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Communications management rating | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Daily reports rating | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| What reviewers praise | Real-time activity notifications and direct messaging with teachers | Daily activity logs, photos, and keeping families connected through the day |
| What reviewers complain about | Difficulty zooming into photos, slow video loading, the director being copied on messages, and one parent questioning a subscription to download photos | Too many notifications, and requests for read receipts, easier group messaging, and searchable message history |
For most centers, either app will keep families informed. The better question for a demo is how much control you have over notifications and what families can save or download.
Which is more reliable for sign-in and billing?
Directors often search for which of these two is more reliable for check-in and billing. Here is what the public ratings and reviews show.
| Lillio | Brightwheel | Source | |
| Attendance tracking rating | 4.6 | 4.7 | Capterra comparison |
| Attendance tracking rating | 4.2 | 4.2 | GetApp |
| Payment processing rating | 4.2 | 3.8 | GetApp |
| Sign-in complaints | 53 Capterra reviews mention login or access problems; one teacher re-entered data after losing connection | Some reviewers report unexpected logouts and occasional check-in glitches | |
| Billing complaints | One director reported billing fixes taking months; another called invoicing outdated | Fees, limited billing flexibility, and billing disputes, especially on Trustpilot |
On sign-in, both are rated well, and both draw occasional complaints about logouts or lag. On billing, Brightwheel's payment processing rating is noticeably lower, while Lillio's billing complaints focus more on slow fixes and support.
Neither platform is clearly more reliable across the board. Ask each vendor about uptime, offline check-in, and how billing errors are escalated, and talk to a reference center your size.
Lillio vs Brightwheel features
Both platforms cover the core: attendance and check-in, family communication, daily reports, billing and online payments, admissions and waitlists, lesson planning, staff scheduling, and reporting.
Each vendor publishes its own comparison page. These are marketing claims and do not cite sources for the competitor's side, so use them as a list of things to confirm in a demo.
| Vendor | What its comparison page says |
| Brightwheel, about Lillio | Lillio does not offer messaging to prospective families, student portfolios, QR code check-in, a parent directory, overtime calculations, or Spanish in the app and help center |
| Lillio, about itself | A real-time support team, learning portfolios tied to a regional learning framework, an assessment partnership with Pearson, educators on staff, plus curriculum and staff training |
Some of these claims contradict each other. Brightwheel's page marks student portfolios as not available in Lillio, while Lillio's own page describes learning portfolios that track progress against a regional learning framework. Ask to see any feature you need, live.
Lillio vs Brightwheel pricing
Neither platform publishes a price list. Both quote on request, but they price differently.
| Lillio | Brightwheel | |
| Published prices | No, quote on request | No, quote on request |
| How price is set | By classroom, per Lillio's comparison page, with flexible plans | Enrollment capacity, number of locations, and features |
| Free option | Free trial | Free plan for 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students |
| Extras | Lillio Learning and Lillio Academy, quoted separately | Experience Curriculum, Experience Assessments, Professional Development, Payroll, and Tuition Insurance, quoted separately |
| Payment processing | Stripe integration; rates not published | One card fee and one ACH and check fee, specific to each program; rates not published |
The practical difference: Brightwheel's price follows enrollment, while Lillio's follows the number of classrooms. Depending on how full your classrooms are, one model may cost noticeably less than the other, so get written quotes from both for the same setup.
For more on each, see our guides to Brightwheel pricing and Lillio (HiMama) pricing and alternatives.
Support and onboarding
Both vendors emphasize people-led onboarding:
- Lillio says new customers get onboarding specialists and a customer success manager, plus a free master class to train staff, and lists a toll-free line (1-800-905-1876) and a direct support line (1-844-975-1275)
- Brightwheel says it offers a one-to-one specialist from day one, training through Brightwheel Academy, and live chat for Premium administrators from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time
- G2 reviewers report about one month to implement either platform
In reviews, support is rated 4.6 on Capterra for both. The complaints are similar: a minority report slow responses, especially for billing and refund issues.
Switching between Lillio and Brightwheel
Each vendor courts the other's customers. Brightwheel says it imports rosters and billing rate cards in under 24 hours and has programs fully live in the first week. Lillio says many centers have switched from Brightwheel and supports the move with onboarding specialists, though it gives no numbers.
Before switching in either direction, check three things:
- Which records the new vendor imports for you, and which you re-enter
- How open balances, billing plans, and family payment methods move over
- Whether families can save photos and daily reports from the old app before you close it
Lillio or Brightwheel: which fits your center?
Based on public information and review themes, here is how the two tend to line up:
| Your situation | Tends to fit |
| A very small program with one staff member and fewer than 20 children | Brightwheel, which has a free plan |
| A center that wants curriculum, assessments, and staff training from the same vendor | Lillio, with Lillio Learning, Lillio Academy, and its Pearson assessment partnership |
| A center with many children per classroom | Worth comparing Lillio's per-classroom quote against Brightwheel's enrollment-based quote |
| A program serving Spanish-speaking families | Brightwheel, which says its app and help center are available in Spanish |
| A program that wants Tap to Pay, mobile check deposit, or QR code check-in | Brightwheel, per its own feature list |
If Procare is also on your shortlist, see our Procare vs Brightwheel comparison or our three-way Brightwheel vs Lillio vs Procare guide.
Where illumine fits
illumine is an AI-native childcare management platform used by more than 4,000 centers across 60+ countries. It is built for centers that want parent communication on par with Lillio and Brightwheel, with stronger back-office tools:
- Parent communication with AI-assisted daily reports, so teachers spend less time writing updates
- Billing with automated invoicing, autopay, and subsidy tracking, tied to attendance
- Multi-site management, with plans structured by number of centers rather than per child or per classroom
Read our direct comparisons, Lillio vs illumine and Brightwheel vs illumine.
For operators running several centers, the system also has to show what is happening across locations. As one multi-site leader put it:
"From a site or regional leadership perspective, what truly elevates day-to-day operations is visibility, being able to see how each center is performing, where support is needed, and how teams are progressing, without having to piece information together from multiple sources." Rajesh Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO, Kids Kingdom, in illumine's Childcare Enrollment Report 2026
Why trust this article
This comparison is built from public sources only: Lillio's and Brightwheel's websites and published comparison pages, side-by-side data from Capterra and G2, feature ratings from GetApp, the platforms' app store listings, and Brightwheel's public Trustpilot and BBB profiles. We have not used either platform hands-on and have not received a quote from either company.
Where a claim comes from a vendor, such as a feature the other platform supposedly lacks, we have labeled it as that vendor's claim. Where a figure is not published, such as subscription prices, we have said so.
Customer and expert quotes come from illumine's published white papers and are attributed to the named speaker.
Frequently asked questions on Lillio vs Brightwheel
Is Lillio the same as HiMama?
Yes. HiMama renamed itself Lillio on November 15, 2023, so a HiMama vs Brightwheel comparison is the same as Lillio vs Brightwheel. Some app store listings and review sites still show the name Lillio (formerly HiMama).
Is Lillio or Brightwheel better?
Neither is better for every center. On Capterra, Brightwheel rates 4.7 and Lillio 4.6, with identical scores for ease of use and customer service. Brightwheel suits very small programs with its free plan and offers more payment options, while Lillio bundles curriculum, assessments, and staff training and prices by classroom.
Which is better for parent communication, Lillio or Brightwheel?
Both are strong, since both started as parent communication apps. Capterra rates the parent portal 4.7 for each. Lillio reviewers most often praise real-time notifications and messaging, while Brightwheel reviewers praise daily logs and photos, and Brightwheel's most common complaint is too many notifications.
Which is more reliable for sign-in and billing, Lillio or Brightwheel?
Neither is clearly more reliable. Both rate 4.2 for attendance tracking on GetApp, and both draw some complaints about logouts. Brightwheel's payment processing rating is lower, at 3.8 against 4.2 for Lillio, while Lillio's billing complaints focus on slow support for billing fixes.
Is Lillio cheaper than Brightwheel?
It depends on your center. Neither publishes prices. Lillio prices by classroom, while Brightwheel prices Premium by enrollment capacity and locations and has a free plan for programs with one staff member and fewer than 20 students. Get written quotes from both for the same setup, including payment processing fees.
Does Lillio have a free plan?
No. Lillio offers a free trial, and the Lillio app is free for parents, but centers pay for the software based on a custom quote. Brightwheel is the one with a free plan, limited to one staff member and fewer than 20 students.
Can I switch from Brightwheel to Lillio, or from Lillio to Brightwheel?
Yes. Brightwheel says it imports rosters and billing rate cards in under 24 hours, and Lillio says onboarding specialists and a customer success manager support centers that switch. Confirm which records each vendor moves for you, and give families time to save photos before the old app closes.
