Software · head to head
Brightwheel vs HiMama
The short version
- Only Brightwheel has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Brightwheel pricing is quote-only, driven by enrolment capacity and number of locations, and requires filling in a multi-step form to obtain; HiMama the Internet Archive's capture of HiMama's homepage on 23 December 2020 named four feature bundles (Contactless Check-in, Parent Communication, Cashless Payments, Remote Learning) sold via 'Get a Quote' with no price figure published; the product later rebranded to Lillio.
- They diverge on capability: Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports, HiMama covers Daily activity updates.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Brightwheel and HiMama actually diverge.
| Attribute | Brightwheel | HiMama |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $2/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2015 | 2012 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Brightwheel
- Daily activity reports
- Billing & invoicing
- Staff time tracking
- Learning assessments
- Check-in/check-out
- Stripe
- COPPA compliant
- Secure payments
Only in HiMama
- Daily activity updates
- Curriculum planning
- Developmental assessments
- Digital check-in
- Progress reports
- Privacy controls
- French language support
Both cover
- Parent messaging
- Photo and video sharing
- Attendance tracking
- QuickBooks
- Data encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
- English language support
- Spanish language support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Brightwheel
- Childcare centre attendance and check-innot HiMama
- Parent communication with photos and daily reportsnot HiMama
- Billing and tuition collection from familiesnot HiMama
- Staff scheduling and ratio trackingnot HiMama
- Learning assessments and developmental recordsnot HiMama
HiMama
- Parent engagementnot Brightwheel
- Daily documentationnot Brightwheel
- Curriculum trackingnot Brightwheel
- Staff managementnot Brightwheel
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Brightwheel
- Pricing is quote-only, driven by enrolment capacity and number of locations, and requires filling in a multi-step form to obtain
- No transaction or payment processing fees are disclosed anywhere on the pricing page
HiMama
- The Internet Archive's capture of HiMama's homepage on 23 December 2020 named four feature bundles (Contactless Check-in, Parent Communication, Cashless Payments, Remote Learning) sold via 'Get a Quote' with no price figure published; the product later rebranded to Lillio.
Pricing, plan by plan
Brightwheel
Free- FreeFree
- Messaging
- Daily reports
- Photo sharing
- Plus$100/month
- All Free features
- Billing & payments
- Staff management
HiMama
$2/month- Basic$2/month
- Daily reports
- Photo sharing
- Messaging
- Plus$4/month
- All Basic features
- Curriculum planning
- Assessments
Which should you pick?
Choose Brightwheel if
- You need daily activity reports.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want billing & invoicing.
Choose HiMama if
- You need daily activity updates.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want curriculum planning.
Questions people ask
- Is Brightwheel or HiMama better?
- Neither clearly leads. Brightwheel starts at Free and HiMama at $2/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Brightwheel or HiMama?
- Brightwheel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Brightwheel and $2/month for HiMama.
- Does Brightwheel or HiMama run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Brightwheel for free?
- Yes. Brightwheel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HiMama starts at $2/month.
- What is Brightwheel best used for?
- Brightwheel is most often used for childcare centre attendance and check-in, parent communication with photos and daily reports, billing and tuition collection from families, staff scheduling and ratio tracking. Of those, childcare centre attendance and check-in and parent communication with photos and daily reports are not what HiMama is typically brought in for.
- What can Brightwheel do that HiMama cannot?
- Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports, Billing & invoicing, Staff time tracking, Learning assessments. HiMama covers Daily activity updates, Curriculum planning, Developmental assessments, Digital check-in. Both handle Parent messaging, Photo and video sharing, Attendance tracking, QuickBooks.