Family child care, compared, September 2026
Best home daycare software in 2026
A home daycare needs software that runs from a phone, does not charge per child, and includes billing without a sales call. Four of the seven options below are free at least up to a cap: NestliCare with no cap, Bloomily up to 18 children for licensed home programs, MyKidReports up to 5, and brightwheel's free plan for 1 staff member and under 20 students with messaging and forms left out. Daily Connect publishes small-program prices from $8.99. Procare and KidKare are built for in-home providers but do not publish a price on the pages we checked.
· Prices re-checked against each vendor's own pricing page.
Seven options, by cap and price
| Software | Child cap | Price, as published | What you get | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NestliCare | No cap. Unlimited children and staff. | $0. No paid plan exists. Online payments: 2.9% + $0.50 card, 1% capped at $6 bank (US), parent covers by default. | Everything: check-in, daily reports and photos, parent messaging and app, billing with autopay, enrollment, forms, meal tracking and CACFP, staff scheduling. Set up entirely from the iOS or Android app. | Yes |
| Bloomily | Free up to 18 children for "licensed home daycares and small in-home programs." | $0 under the cap; $99 per month per location above it. Payments 3.5% cards, 1% bank; program chooses who covers. | Every feature on both tiers, per its pricing page. | Yes |
| MyKidReports | Free up to 5 children with 1 staff account. | $0.99 per child per month above the cap, in tiers of 10 (6 to 10 children = $9.90). Processing via Stripe and Deluxe. | Enrollment, billing, attendance, parent communication, reports. | Yes |
| brightwheel (free plan) | "1 staff member, less than 20 students & unlimited family members." | $0 for the free plan; Premium is quoted per program. Payment service fee "specific to your program." | Daily reports and photos, invoicing, check-in, CACFP meal planning. Excludes family messaging, video, online forms, waitlist, lesson planning, staff messaging, contactless check-in. | Yes |
| Daily Connect | 3 children ($8.99) or 6 children ($12.99) on the small family daycare plans; 10 included on Professional. | $8.99 or $12.99 per month for the small plans; $16 per month billed annually for 10 children, then $1.60 per child. 14-day trial. | Daily activity tracking, sign-in and out, basic invoicing. | Trial or paid |
| Procare (in-home edition) | "Up to 15 children." | Not published. "Zero contracts, set-up fees, per-child charges." Text messaging limited to 400 per month. | Billing, payments, attendance, family engagement, dedicated account manager. | Trial or paid |
| KidKare (Parachute) | Built for in-home family child care; cap not stated on the page we checked. | 30-day trial. Price not shown on the product page we checked. | Financial management and food-program tracking for in-home providers. | Trial or paid |
Quotation marks are the vendor's exact wording. We make NestliCare; the sources are listed below so you can check every line.
What to look for when it is just you
- Set up and run everything from your phone, because you do not have a front desk
- A child cap you will not hit at your licensed capacity
- Billing, autopay, and year-end statements in the tier you can afford, not a paid add-on
- CACFP meal tracking if you are on the food program
- Digital sign-in and out with parent signatures your licensor will accept
- A published payment processing rate, and the choice of who covers it
Home daycare software, answered plainly
- What is the best free software for a home daycare?
- NestliCare is free with no child cap and every feature, including billing, messaging, and CACFP meal tracking, and can be set up entirely from the phone app. Bloomily is free for licensed home daycares up to 18 children. MyKidReports is free up to 5 children. Brightwheel's free plan covers 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students but leaves out family messaging and online forms.
- Is there home daycare software with no child limit that is free?
- NestliCare. It has no paid plan, so there is no cap to grow past. The business is funded by a share of the processing fee when parents pay tuition online, which parents cover by default.
- What does home daycare software cost per month?
- As published in September 2026: $0 for NestliCare; $0 for Bloomily under 18 children, then $99; $0 for MyKidReports under 5 children, then $0.99 per child; $8.99 to $16 for Daily Connect depending on plan; brightwheel Premium and Procare in-home are quoted, not published.
- Can I run a home daycare entirely from my phone?
- With NestliCare, yes. Create the account, add children and families, set up billing, and check children in and out from the iOS or Android app. The web dashboard is there if you want it, not required.
- Which home daycare software handles CACFP?
- NestliCare includes meal tracking and integrates with My Food Program for claims. KidKare is built around food-program tracking. Brightwheel lists CACFP meal planning in its free plan but not meal reports.
- What should a home daycare avoid in software?
- A child cap near your licensed capacity, billing held in a paid tier, an unpublished payment processing fee, and any plan that expires. If the price page has a countdown or a quote form, expect the real cost to appear after your families are set up.
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.