Software · head to head
Tiny Beans vs Brightwheel
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Tiny Beans the free Tinybeans plan is capped at 20 uploads per month and 5GB of storage; 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: Tiny Beans covers Private photo sharing, Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Tiny Beans and Brightwheel actually diverge.
| Attribute | Tiny Beans | Brightwheel |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Platforms | Ios, Android, Web | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2012 | 2015 |
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 Tiny Beans
- Private photo sharing
- Video sharing
- Milestone tracking
- Daily email digests
- Child timelines
- Comments & reactions
- Print products
- Memory search
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
- Data encryption
- 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.
Tiny Beans
- Keeping a private family photo and video journal organised by datenot Brightwheel
- Sharing baby photos with invited grandparents and relatives onlynot Brightwheel
- Turning saved moments into printed photo booksnot Brightwheel
Brightwheel
- Childcare centre attendance and check-innot Tiny Beans
- Parent communication with photos and daily reportsnot Tiny Beans
- Billing and tuition collection from familiesnot Tiny Beans
- Staff scheduling and ratio trackingnot Tiny Beans
- Learning assessments and developmental recordsnot Tiny Beans
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Tiny Beans
- The free Tinybeans plan is capped at 20 uploads per month and 5GB of storage
- The free plan shows ads; an ad-free experience requires Tinybeans+
- A second user account to share the journal is a Tinybeans+ feature
- High-quality video uploads are limited to 5 minutes and require Tinybeans+
- Tinybeans+ storage is capped at 200GB rather than unlimited
- Priority support is restricted to Tinybeans+
- Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is switched off at least 24 hours before the period ends
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
Tiny Beans
Free- FreeFree
- Photo & video sharing
- Daily email updates
- Milestone tracking
- Premium$4.99/month
- Everything in Free
- Unlimited storage
- Video longer than 1 min
Brightwheel
Free- FreeFree
- Messaging
- Daily reports
- Photo sharing
- Plus$100/month
- All Free features
- Billing & payments
- Staff management
Which should you pick?
Choose Tiny Beans if
- You need private photo sharing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Ios, Android, Web.
- You also want video sharing.
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 Tiny Beans or Brightwheel better?
- Neither clearly leads. Tiny Beans 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, Tiny Beans or Brightwheel?
- Tiny Beans starts at Free and Brightwheel at Free.
- Does Tiny Beans or Brightwheel run on more platforms?
- Tiny Beans runs on Ios, Android, Web. Brightwheel runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Tiny Beans for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Tiny Beans best used for?
- Tiny Beans is most often used for keeping a private family photo and video journal organised by date, sharing baby photos with invited grandparents and relatives only, turning saved moments into printed photo books. Of those, keeping a private family photo and video journal organised by date and sharing baby photos with invited grandparents and relatives only are not what Brightwheel is typically brought in for.
- What can Tiny Beans do that Brightwheel cannot?
- Tiny Beans covers Private photo sharing, Video sharing, Milestone tracking, Daily email digests. Brightwheel covers Daily activity reports, Parent messaging, Photo and video sharing, Attendance tracking. Both handle Data encryption, Cloud deployment, Ios support, Android support.