What is the best free daycare app?

NestliCare is free for providers and parents alike, with unlimited children, on iOS and Android, and includes billing and messaging. MyKidReports is free up to 5 children. Bloomily is free for licensed home daycares up to 18 children. Brightwheel's free plan covers 1 staff member and under 20 students but leaves out family messaging.

Is there a daycare app that is free for parents?

Almost every vendor's parent app is free to parents; the provider pays. The difference is what the provider pays: $0 with NestliCare, per-child or flat monthly fees with Daily Connect, MyKidReports, myKidzDay, and Bloomily, and a quote with brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, and Playground.

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. Procare and MyKidReports also offer full mobile workflows; several others treat the app as a parent-facing companion to a web dashboard.

Do daycare apps charge per child?

Some do. Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay publish per-child rates. Brightwheel prices Premium by enrollment capacity. NestliCare and Bloomily have no per-child charge.

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.

Daycare apps, compared, September 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's apps are free for everyone: owners, staff, and parents, on iOS and Android, with no per-child fee.

Updated September 7, 2026 · Every claim about another vendor was checked against that vendor's own site on that date.

Create your free account See every NestliCare feature

App	Who uses it	What parents get	Provider price, as published	Free option
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 every feature, unlimited children and staff. Online payments: 2.9% + $0.50 card, 1% capped at $6 bank (US), parent pays by default.	Yes
brightwheel	Staff, administrators, and families.	"Centralize messaging, newsletters, and alerts. Share milestones, photos, and videos."	Free plan: 1 staff, under 20 students, no family messaging or video. Premium quoted per program.	Paid or quote
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 or GPS curbside.	"One price" per program, not published. In-home edition up to 15 children.	Paid or quote
MyKidReports	Admins, teachers, and parents; iOS and Android.	"Real-time chat, photos, videos, beautiful email newsletters," daily activity feed.	Free up to 5 children with 1 staff account; then $0.99 per child per month.	Yes
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.	Paid or quote
Daily Connect	Providers and parents; "iOS & Android apps" in every tier.	Updates "including photos, videos, activities, meals, and more."	$8.99 per month (3 children), $12.99 (6), or $16 per month billed annually for 10, then $1.60 per child.	Paid or quote
Bloomily	Staff and parents; parent app plus web.	"Threads, announcements, and broadcasts — translated both ways, with read receipts."	Free for licensed home daycares up to 18 children; $99 per month per location above that.	Yes
Playground	Staff and parents; "daily parent app."	Daily activities and communication; details not itemized on the public site.	Quote-based; free to providers in Arizona, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, and New York under state programs.	Paid or quote
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."	Pricing by demo; not published.	Paid or quote

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 providers and parents alike, with unlimited children, on iOS and Android, and includes billing and messaging. MyKidReports is free up to 5 children. Bloomily is free for licensed home daycares up to 18 children. Brightwheel's free plan covers 1 staff member and under 20 students but leaves out family messaging.
Is there a daycare app that is free for parents?: Almost every vendor's parent app is free to parents; the provider pays. The difference is what the provider pays: $0 with NestliCare, per-child or flat monthly fees with Daily Connect, MyKidReports, myKidzDay, and Bloomily, and a quote with brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, and Playground.
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. Procare and MyKidReports also offer full mobile workflows; several others treat the app as a parent-facing companion to a web dashboard.
Do daycare apps charge per child?: Some do. Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay publish per-child rates. Brightwheel prices Premium by enrollment capacity. NestliCare and Bloomily have no per-child charge.
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.

Start free today

Sources, checked September 7, 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.

Keep reading