What is the best free daycare app?

NestliCare is free for daycares, with unlimited children and staff, and free for parents to use, on iOS and Android, with billing and messaging included. Online payments carry a card or bank fee that parents cover by default. Several vendors have a limited free plan: MyKidReports up to 5 children, Bloomily for home daycares up to 18 children, and brightwheel for 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students, without family messaging. Playground says it is free to providers in five states.

Is there a daycare app that is free for parents?

Almost every vendor's parent app is free for parents to use; the provider pays for the software. What differs is what the provider pays: $0 with NestliCare, a per-child or per-room price with Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay, a monthly or yearly price per location with Bloomily (free for home daycares up to 18 children), and a quote with brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, and Playground. If parents pay tuition online, expect a processing fee on each payment; NestliCare, brightwheel, Bloomily, Daily Connect, and MyKidReports all say so on their own sites.

What should a daycare app do for parents?

Show the day as it happens (photos, meals, naps, check-in and check-out), carry two-way messaging, deliver invoices with a way to pay and set autopay, and handle the paperwork: documents to sign, pickup authorizations, and emergency updates.

Can I run my whole daycare from the app?

With NestliCare, yes: create the account, add families and children, set up billing, and check children in and out from the phone app. For other vendors, check how each one describes its mobile app on its own site; the pages are linked below.

Do daycare apps charge per child?

Some do. Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay publish per-child rates (myKidzDay also offers a per-room rate). Brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, and Playground do not publish prices. NestliCare has no per-child charge, and Bloomily's pricing page says there is "No fee per child."

How did you compile this?

From each vendor's own website on the date shown at the top of the page. Quotation marks mark the vendor's exact wording. We make NestliCare, so read the comparison with that in mind; sources are linked below. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it the same day.

Daycare apps, compared, October 2026

Best daycare apps for providers and parents in 2026

A daycare app has two audiences: the provider who runs the day from a phone and the parents who want to see it. Most vendors ship one app with role-based views, and most charge the provider for it. Below are nine, compared on what each vendor says about its apps and what the provider pays. NestliCare is free for daycares and free for parents to use, on iOS and Android, with no per-child fee.

Updated October 12, 2026 · Prices re-checked October 26, 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page.

Create your free account See every NestliCare feature

App	Who uses it	What parents get	Provider price, as published	Free plan for the provider
NestliCare	Owners, staff, and parents on one iOS and Android app; kiosk mode for the door; web dashboard for admins.	Daily feed with photos, messaging, invoices with autopay, check-in notifications, pickup codes, documents to sign.	$0 for daycares: every feature, unlimited children and staff. Online payments: 2.9% + $0.50 card, 1% capped at $6 bank (US). Parents cover that fee by default; the daycare covers it in CT, MA, ME, NY, NJ, CO, LA, and Puerto Rico.	Yes: the whole product
brightwheel	Staff, administrators, and families.	"Centralize messaging, newsletters, and alerts" and "Share milestones, photos, and videos."	Premium "is customized for each program"; not published.	Yes: 1 staff member, fewer than 20 students; no family messaging or video
Procare	Parents and staff; "available across North America on both Apple iOS and Android devices."	Photos and videos, milestones, "two-way communication," contactless check-in via QR codes or GPS curbside.	"One low monthly price," not published. In-home edition for "up to 15 children."	No
MyKidReports	Directors, owners, teachers, and parents; parent app on iOS and Android.	"Real-time chat, photos, videos, beautiful email newsletters," daily activity feed.	$0.99 per child per month, in tiers of 10 children.	Yes: up to 5 children, 1 staff account
myKidzDay	Staff and parents; "FREE & Secure day care app on iOs & Android."	"Receive realtime daily updates, pictures & videos," emergency notifications, parent and staff chat.	$1.00 per child per month or $10.00 per room per month.	No: free trial; app "Free for parents and staff"
Daily Connect	Providers and parents; "iOS & Android apps" in the Professional and Enterprise plans.	Updates "including photos, videos, activities, meals, and more."	$16 per month billed annually for 10 children, then $1.60 per child. Family plans: $8.99 per month (3 children) or $12.99 (6).	No: 14-day free trial
Bloomily	Staff and families; parent app and staff app included.	Daily reports and photos "by email and in the app"; "Messages, translated."	$249 a month per location, or $2,388 a year.	Yes: licensed home daycares and small in-home programs, up to 18 children
Playground	"Only one app admins, teachers, and families use."	"Streamline communication, and track daily activities"; parent features not itemized on the public site.	Not published; the site offers a demo.	In 5 states: no cost to providers in AZ, IA, ID, KS, and NY, per the site
Lillio (formerly HiMama)	Staff and parents; app on the App Store and Google Play.	"Connect with parents and keep them informed about their child's day."	Not published; pricing by demo.	No

Quotation marks are the vendor's exact wording. "Not itemized on the public site" means the vendor's pages describe the feature only in general terms. We make NestliCare; sources are listed below.

Answered plainly

What is the best free daycare app?: NestliCare is free for daycares, with unlimited children and staff, and free for parents to use, on iOS and Android, with billing and messaging included. Online payments carry a card or bank fee that parents cover by default. Several vendors have a limited free plan: MyKidReports up to 5 children, Bloomily for home daycares up to 18 children, and brightwheel for 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students, without family messaging. Playground says it is free to providers in five states.
Is there a daycare app that is free for parents?: Almost every vendor's parent app is free for parents to use; the provider pays for the software. What differs is what the provider pays: $0 with NestliCare, a per-child or per-room price with Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay, a monthly or yearly price per location with Bloomily (free for home daycares up to 18 children), and a quote with brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, and Playground. If parents pay tuition online, expect a processing fee on each payment; NestliCare, brightwheel, Bloomily, Daily Connect, and MyKidReports all say so on their own sites.
What should a daycare app do for parents?: Show the day as it happens (photos, meals, naps, check-in and check-out), carry two-way messaging, deliver invoices with a way to pay and set autopay, and handle the paperwork: documents to sign, pickup authorizations, and emergency updates.
Can I run my whole daycare from the app?: With NestliCare, yes: create the account, add families and children, set up billing, and check children in and out from the phone app. For other vendors, check how each one describes its mobile app on its own site; the pages are linked below.
Do daycare apps charge per child?: Some do. Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay publish per-child rates (myKidzDay also offers a per-room rate). Brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, and Playground do not publish prices. NestliCare has no per-child charge, and Bloomily's pricing page says there is "No fee per child."
How did you compile this?: From each vendor's own website on the date shown at the top of the page. Quotation marks mark the vendor's exact wording. We make NestliCare, so read the comparison with that in mind; sources are linked below. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it the same day.

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Sources, checked October 12, 2026

The other products named on this page are trademarks of their respective owners. NestliCare is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any of them. Their prices, plan limits, and fees are quoted from their own websites as of the date shown at the top of this page and may have changed since; we correct errors the same day they are reported.

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