What is the best daycare software?

There is no single best. Ranked by what you can verify without a sales call, NestliCare is the only platform that is free at every size with every feature; Bloomily, Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay publish prices with child caps or per-child scaling; brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, Playground, and Kangarootime price by quote. Pick by your size and by whether billing and messaging are included in the tier you can afford.

What is the best free daycare software?

NestliCare is free with unlimited children and every feature, funded by a share of the online payment processing fee. Bloomily is free for licensed home daycares up to 18 children. MyKidReports is free up to 5 children with 1 staff account. Brightwheel's free plan covers 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students but leaves out family messaging, online forms, and waitlists.

What is the best daycare software for a small center?

For a center of 20 to 80 children, NestliCare costs $0 in software; Daily Connect and MyKidReports publish per-child prices in the tens of dollars per month at that size; brightwheel, Procare, and Lillio require a quote. Compare the payment processing fee at your tuition volume as well as the subscription.

Which daycare software publishes its pricing?

NestliCare, Bloomily, Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay publish prices on their websites as of September 2026. Brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, Playground, and Kangarootime do not.

What is the best daycare software for CACFP?

NestliCare includes meal tracking and integrates with My Food Program for CACFP claims at no cost. Brightwheel lists CACFP meal planning in its free plan but not meal reports. Ask any vendor whether their CACFP features sit in the tier you are buying.

How did you rank these?

By published facts only: software price, free-plan limits, and payment fee, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or help center on the date shown at the top of this page. We did not use review-site scores or our own opinions of other products, and we sell one of the products listed, so read the picks with that in mind.

Ranked by published price, September 2026

Best daycare software in 2026, compared by what it actually costs

Most "best daycare software" lists rank on feel. This one ranks on the one thing you can check: what each platform says it costs on its own website. Ten platforms fall into three groups. One is free at any size and funded by payment processing (NestliCare). Four publish a flat or per-child price (Bloomily, Daily Connect, MyKidReports, myKidzDay). Five price by quote (brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, Playground, Kangarootime). The picks below follow from that, by the size and shape of your program.

Updated September 3, 2026 · Prices re-checked September 12, 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page.

Create your free account See NestliCare's pricing page What NestliCare's daycare software includes

Free software funded by payment processing

No subscription at any size. Revenue comes from a share of the fee on online tuition payments.

NestliCare
$0 software with every feature and no cap on children, staff, or locations. Attendance and check-in, daily reports, parent messaging and app, billing with autopay, enrollment and waitlists, forms, meal tracking with CACFP support through My Food Program, staff scheduling and timesheets. Online payments: 2.9% + $0.50 on cards, 1% capped at $6 on bank debits in the US, covered by the parent at checkout by default. Cash and check: $0. Pricing is public.

Published price, flat or per child

You can read the price without a sales call. Most have a child cap or per-child scaling.

Bloomily
$99 per month per location with every feature. Free for licensed home daycares and small in-home programs up to 18 children. Payments: 3.5% on cards, 1% on bank transfers; the program chooses who covers it.
Daily Connect
$16 per month billed annually with 10 children included, then $1.60 per child. Nannies and small family daycares: $8.99 per month for up to 3 children or $12.99 for up to 6. 14-day trial. Standard processing fees on parent billing.
MyKidReports
Free up to 5 children with 1 staff account. Paid plan $0.99 per child per month in tiers of 10 (6 to 10 children = $9.90). Standard processing fees via Stripe and Deluxe.
myKidzDay
$1.00 per child per month, or $10.00 per room per month. Parent and staff apps free. Setup and training included.

Price by quote only

Established platforms whose price depends on your enrollment and a sales conversation. Ask for the payment fee in writing along with the quote.

brightwheel
Premium pricing is "customized for each program rather than published as a price list" and "based on enrollment capacity." Free plan: "1 staff member, less than 20 students & unlimited family members," without family messaging, online forms, waitlist management, lesson planning, staff messaging, or contactless check-in. Payment service fee is "specific to your program."
Procare
"One low monthly price," not published. In-home edition for up to 15 children with "zero contracts, set-up fees, per-child charges." Text messaging limited to 400 per month on that edition.
Lillio (formerly HiMama)
Pricing requires booking a call or demo; no published price.
Playground
The pricing page schedules a demo; no published price.
Kangarootime
Quote-based; no published price.

Picks by program

Home daycare or family child care, any size

NestliCare, then Bloomily if you are licensed and under 18 children

Both are free for you today. NestliCare stays free past 18 children and includes billing and messaging; Bloomily moves to $99 per month above its cap.

Small center, 20 to 80 children

NestliCare, then Daily Connect

At 40 children Daily Connect is about $64 per month on the annual plan; MyKidReports is about $39.60; NestliCare is $0. Quote-based platforms will not tell you a number before a call.

Multi-site program

NestliCare, then Bloomily

NestliCare has no per-location charge; Bloomily is $99 per location. Procare and brightwheel are built for this size too, but you will be comparing a quote you cannot see against prices you can.

On the CACFP food program

NestliCare with My Food Program

Meal tracking is included, and the My Food Program integration handles claims. Brightwheel's free plan includes CACFP meal planning but not meal reports.

We make NestliCare, so weigh our picks accordingly. The facts above are the vendors' own words and numbers; the sources are listed below so you can check them.

Best daycare software, answered plainly

What is the best daycare software?: There is no single best. Ranked by what you can verify without a sales call, NestliCare is the only platform that is free at every size with every feature; Bloomily, Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay publish prices with child caps or per-child scaling; brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, Playground, and Kangarootime price by quote. Pick by your size and by whether billing and messaging are included in the tier you can afford.
What is the best free daycare software?: NestliCare is free with unlimited children and every feature, funded by a share of the online payment processing fee. Bloomily is free for licensed home daycares up to 18 children. MyKidReports is free up to 5 children with 1 staff account. Brightwheel's free plan covers 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students but leaves out family messaging, online forms, and waitlists.
What is the best daycare software for a small center?: For a center of 20 to 80 children, NestliCare costs $0 in software; Daily Connect and MyKidReports publish per-child prices in the tens of dollars per month at that size; brightwheel, Procare, and Lillio require a quote. Compare the payment processing fee at your tuition volume as well as the subscription.
Which daycare software publishes its pricing?: NestliCare, Bloomily, Daily Connect, MyKidReports, and myKidzDay publish prices on their websites as of September 2026. Brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, Playground, and Kangarootime do not.
What is the best daycare software for CACFP?: NestliCare includes meal tracking and integrates with My Food Program for CACFP claims at no cost. Brightwheel lists CACFP meal planning in its free plan but not meal reports. Ask any vendor whether their CACFP features sit in the tier you are buying.
How did you rank these?: By published facts only: software price, free-plan limits, and payment fee, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or help center on the date shown at the top of this page. We did not use review-site scores or our own opinions of other products, and we sell one of the products listed, so read the picks with that in mind.

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Sources, checked September 3, 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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