Softwr

Software · head to head

Life360 vs Brightwheel

Life360 logo

Life360

Software

Family safety and location sharing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Brightwheel logo

Brightwheel

Software

The all-in-one childcare app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Life360 the Silver membership stores only 2 days of location history and allows only 2 Places with alerts; 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: Life360 covers Real-time location sharing, Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Life360 and Brightwheel actually diverge.

Attributes where Life360 and Brightwheel differ
AttributeLife360Brightwheel
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsIos, Android, WebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20082015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Life360

  • Real-time location sharing
  • Place alerts
  • Location history
  • Crash detection
  • Emergency SOS
  • Driving safety reports
  • Roadside assistance
  • Family messaging

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

  • Cloud deployment
  • Ios support
  • Android support
  • Web support
  • English language support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Life360

  • Sharing family member locations on a shared mapnot Brightwheel
  • Alerting parents when a child arrives at or leaves school, home or worknot Brightwheel
  • Crash detection and roadside assistance for family driversnot Brightwheel

Brightwheel

  • Childcare centre attendance and check-innot Life360
  • Parent communication with photos and daily reportsnot Life360
  • Billing and tuition collection from familiesnot Life360
  • Staff scheduling and ratio trackingnot Life360
  • Learning assessments and developmental recordsnot Life360

Where each one falls short

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

Life360

  • The Silver membership stores only 2 days of location history and allows only 2 Places with alerts
  • 30 days of location history and unlimited Place alerts require the Gold membership
  • Crash detection with emergency dispatch and live agent support, 24/7 roadside assistance and individual driver reports are Gold membership features
  • Stolen phone protection is capped at $250 on Gold and $500 on Platinum
  • Stolen fund reimbursement is capped at $25,000 on Gold, with $1 million only on Platinum
  • Free towing is limited to 50 miles and only on the Platinum membership
  • Travel support with disaster assistance and medical support are Platinum only
  • The Android app contains ads and in-app purchases

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

Life360

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Location sharing
    • Place alerts
    • 2 days location history
  • Silver$7.99/month
    • Everything in Free
    • 30 days location history
    • Unlimited place alerts
  • Gold$19.99/month
    • Everything in Silver
    • 24/7 emergency dispatch
    • Roadside assistance
  • Platinum$39.99/month
    • Everything in Gold
    • SOS emergency response
    • Medical assistance

Brightwheel

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Life360 if

  • You need real-time location sharing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want place alerts.
Life360 review

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.
Brightwheel review

Questions people ask

Is Life360 or Brightwheel better?
Neither clearly leads. Life360 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, Life360 or Brightwheel?
Life360 starts at Free and Brightwheel at Free.
Does Life360 or Brightwheel run on more platforms?
Life360 runs on Ios, Android, Web. Brightwheel runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Life360 for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Life360 best used for?
Life360 is most often used for sharing family member locations on a shared map, alerting parents when a child arrives at or leaves school, home or work, crash detection and roadside assistance for family drivers. Of those, sharing family member locations on a shared map and alerting parents when a child arrives at or leaves school, home or work are not what Brightwheel is typically brought in for.
What can Life360 do that Brightwheel cannot?
Life360 covers Real-time location sharing, Place alerts, Location history, Crash detection. Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports, Parent messaging, Photo and video sharing, Attendance tracking. Both handle Cloud deployment, Ios support, Android support, Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Life360

More on Brightwheel

Keep looking

Other head to heads