CubbyFront vs Brightwheel
Brightwheel is a leading US childcare app, with tuition billing, learning assessments and a large parent app. Premium is priced by quote; a free plan covers very small programs.
Where Brightwheel is better
- Tuition billing and autopay inside the app
- A free plan for very small programs (one staff member, fewer than 20 students)
- Curriculum and assessment tools
- Scale: multi-site chains, franchises
- Established brand parents may already know
Where CubbyFront is better
- Published flat prices, no per-child fees
- An open sandbox: no account, no call
- Ratio presets for TX, CA, FL, NY and OH (under review), immunizations, incident acknowledgments and signed intake packets on every plan, including the smallest
- Built for one center with up to 50 children
| CubbyFront | Brightwheel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $33 / $89 / $149 per month, published | Premium by quote; free plan for very small programs |
| Per-child fees | None | Premium is quoted on enrollment size |
| Team seats | 8 / 20 / 40 included; extra seats on request | Unlimited on Premium; 1 on the free plan |
| Tuition billing | No: keep your current billing | Yes |
| Enrollment pipeline | Yes, with tours and waitlist | Yes on Premium |
| Daily reports and photos | Yes | Yes |
| Kiosk check-in with signature | Yes, works offline | Yes |
| State ratio checks | Ratio presets for TX, CA, FL, NY and OH (under review), or your own bands in any state | Yes on Premium; you enter your state's ratios yourself |
| Inspection report pack | PDF on the Center and Academy plans | Build it yourself from reports |
| Try it | Open sandbox, no signup | Free plan for very small programs; demo and quote for Premium |
Competitor details as of October 3, 2026. Sources: Brightwheel pricing; How much is Brightwheel Premium (updated Aug 18, 2026); Brightwheel licensing requirements; Brightwheel ratio report. Something out of date? Tell us at hello@cubbyfront.com.
On Brightwheel's free plan?
What you gain
- An enrollment pipeline and e-signed intake packets
- Incident reports parents acknowledge
- Immunization tracking
- Ratio presets for TX, CA, FL, NY and OH (under review), or your own bands in any state
- 8 team seats on Home, 20 on Center
What changes
- No tuition invoicing: keep your current billing
- From $0 to a flat $33 or $89 a month
- No parent-app push notifications yet
Run both for a month: keep Brightwheel for invoicing while your records move.