Software · head to head
Care.com vs Brightwheel
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Care.com the App Store listing states Care.com Premium Membership auto renews for the same duration and price unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.; Brightwheel pricing is quote-only, driven by enrolment capacity and number of locations, and requires filling in a multi-step form to obtain
- They diverge on capability: Care.com covers Caregiver search, Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Care.com and Brightwheel actually diverge.
| Attribute | Care.com | Brightwheel |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 | 2015 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), 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 Care.com
- Caregiver search
- Background checks
- Secure messaging
- Job posting
- Payroll services
- Tax assistance
- Reviews and ratings
- Identity verification
Only in Brightwheel
- Daily activity reports
- Parent messaging
- Photo and video sharing
- Attendance tracking
- Billing & invoicing
- Staff time tracking
- Learning assessments
- Check-in/check-out
Both cover
- Secure payments
- 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.
Care.com
- Finding babysittersnot Brightwheel
- Hiring nanniesnot Brightwheel
- Senior carenot Brightwheel
- Pet sittingnot Brightwheel
- Housekeepingnot Brightwheel
Brightwheel
- Childcare centre attendance and check-innot Care.com
- Parent communication with photos and daily reportsnot Care.com
- Billing and tuition collection from familiesnot Care.com
- Staff scheduling and ratio trackingnot Care.com
- Learning assessments and developmental recordsnot Care.com
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Care.com
- The App Store listing states Care.com Premium Membership auto renews for the same duration and price unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Care.com
Free- BasicFree
- Create profile
- Browse caregivers
- Post jobs
- Premium$39/month
- Unlimited messaging
- Background checks
- Priority listing
Brightwheel
Free- FreeFree
- Messaging
- Daily reports
- Photo sharing
- Plus$100/month
- All Free features
- Billing & payments
- Staff management
Which should you pick?
Choose Care.com if
- You need caregiver search.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want background checks.
Choose Brightwheel if
- You need daily activity reports.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want parent messaging.
Questions people ask
- Is Care.com or Brightwheel better?
- Neither clearly leads. Care.com starts at Free and Brightwheel at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Care.com or Brightwheel?
- Care.com starts at Free and Brightwheel at Free.
- Does Care.com or Brightwheel run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Care.com for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Care.com best used for?
- Care.com is most often used for finding babysitters, hiring nannies, senior care, pet sitting. Of those, finding babysitters and hiring nannies are not what Brightwheel is typically brought in for.
- What can Care.com do that Brightwheel cannot?
- Care.com covers Caregiver search, Background checks, Secure messaging, Job posting. Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports, Parent messaging, Photo and video sharing, Attendance tracking. Both handle Secure payments, Cloud deployment, Web support, Ios support.