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Software · head to head

HiMama vs Brightwheel

HiMama logo

HiMama

Software

Childcare made simpler for everyone

From
$2/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Brightwheel logo

Brightwheel

Software

The all-in-one childcare app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Brightwheel has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; 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: HiMama covers Daily activity updates, Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HiMama and Brightwheel actually diverge.

Attributes where HiMama and Brightwheel differ
AttributeHiMamaBrightwheel
Starting price$2/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20122015

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 HiMama

  • Daily activity updates
  • Curriculum planning
  • Developmental assessments
  • Digital check-in
  • Progress reports
  • Privacy controls
  • French language support

Only in Brightwheel

  • Daily activity reports
  • Billing & invoicing
  • Staff time tracking
  • Learning assessments
  • Check-in/check-out
  • Stripe
  • COPPA compliant
  • Secure payments

Both cover

  • Photo and video sharing
  • Parent messaging
  • 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.

HiMama

  • Parent engagementnot Brightwheel
  • Daily documentationnot Brightwheel
  • Curriculum trackingnot Brightwheel
  • Staff managementnot Brightwheel

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

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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.

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

HiMama

$2/month
  • Basic$2/month
    • Daily reports
    • Photo sharing
    • Messaging
  • Plus$4/month
    • All Basic features
    • Curriculum planning
    • Assessments

Brightwheel

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Messaging
    • Daily reports
    • Photo sharing
  • Plus$100/month
    • All Free features
    • Billing & payments
    • Staff management

Which should you pick?

Choose HiMama if

  • You need daily activity updates.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want curriculum planning.
HiMama review

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.
Brightwheel review

Questions people ask

Is HiMama or Brightwheel better?
Neither clearly leads. HiMama starts at $2/month and Brightwheel at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HiMama or Brightwheel?
Brightwheel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2/month for HiMama and Free for Brightwheel.
Does HiMama 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 Brightwheel for free?
Yes. Brightwheel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HiMama starts at $2/month.
What is HiMama best used for?
HiMama is most often used for parent engagement, daily documentation, curriculum tracking, staff management. Of those, parent engagement and daily documentation are not what Brightwheel is typically brought in for.
What can HiMama do that Brightwheel cannot?
HiMama covers Daily activity updates, Curriculum planning, Developmental assessments, Digital check-in. Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports, Billing & invoicing, Staff time tracking, Learning assessments. Both handle Photo and video sharing, Parent messaging, Attendance tracking, QuickBooks.
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