Brightwheel: pricing, features & update activity

Overview

Brightwheel is childcare management software whose admissions tools include per-program waitlists, online enrollment forms and application fee collection, sold by quote based on enrollment capacity with no published prices.

Brightwheel is childcare management software for early education providers, listed in the childcare enrollment category. The company is DSSV, Inc., and the vendor lists childcare, preschool, in-home care, after-school and Montessori programs among its users. Admissions is one module in a wider suite that also covers billing, attendance, messaging and payroll, so it suits centers that want enrollment in the same system as daily operations.

On the waitlist side, each program has its own waitlist. New students go to the bottom by default, and an admin changes the order by choosing a position, with filters for room, age and sibling. Students can be enrolled directly from the list, and a program waitlist report can be exported or printed. The features page describes ranking by start date, program or age, while the help article describes manual reordering and no rule engine, so priority rules are not recorded. The same help article says students cannot be added automatically to a waitlist. Online enrollment forms, contracts, document requests and application fees are bundled into admissions packets, and several locations can be managed from one organization dashboard.

Pricing is by quote. The pricing page is a seven-step request form and the site offers a demo; the vendor says the price is based on enrollment capacity and covers all features. Listed integrations include KinderConnect, Gusto and My Food Program.

What the data shows

Update activity: Active. 25 iOS updates in the last 12 months; the Android app was last updated 2026-09-28.
Market presence: Established. Tranco rank 29,477, more than 1M Google Play installs, Chrome UX Report field data present, domain registered in 2015.
Buying style: Sales-led. No public pricing; book a demo for pricing.
App Store signals: the iOS app has a 4.9 rating from 150,245 ratings, and the Android app has 1M+ installs on Google Play.
The security page lists two-factor authentication, AWS storage and PCI Level 1 for payments, with no SOC 2 or HIPAA claim.
Founding year and headquarters city are not stated.

Pricing

Starting price: Book a demo for pricing
Free plan: No free plan listed
Free trial: No free trial listed
Buying style: Sales-led
Contract: Not stated

Source: vendor pricing page

Features

Feature	Supported	Source
Multi-location management	Yes	source
Analytics & reporting	Yes	source
Online enrollment forms	Yes	source
Application fee collection	Yes	source

Who it's for

Best for

Childcare centers that want admissions, waitlists and daily operations in one system source
Multi-site operators who want all locations in one organization dashboard source

Not ideal for

Centers that want only a stand-alone waitlist, since the product is a wide management platform source
Buyers who need to compare prices before a sales conversation, since pricing is quote-based source

Pros and cons

Pros

Admissions packets collect forms, contracts and documents, and can include application fees source
Each program has its own waitlist, with a report that can be exported or printed source
Students can be enrolled directly from the waitlist source
Records 25 iOS updates in the last 12 months and an Android update on 2026-09-28 source

Cons

No prices are published, and the pricing page is a request form source
Waitlist order is changed by hand through a position setting, not by rules source
Help article states students cannot be added to a waitlist automatically source
App Store reviews mention card-processing fees on parent payments source

What reviewers mention

Families value photos, updates and direct messaging with their center (positive) [1] [2]
Card-processing fees and billing disputes on parent payments (negative) [1] [2]

Update activity and company

Update activity: Active
25 iOS updates in the last 12 months
Android app last updated 2026-09-28
Last update 2026-09-28
Market presence: Established
Tranco rank 29,477
1M+ Google Play installs
Has Chrome UX Report field data
Domain registered 2015
Buying style: Sales-led
No public pricing: book a demo for pricing

App Store rating: 4.9 from 150245 ratings (Apple, checked 2026-09-30).

Google Play: 1M+ installs, last updated 2026-09-28.

How these labels are calculated

Company and platform

Website: mybrightwheel.com
Headquarters: US
Integrations: Kinderconnect, Gusto, My Food Program
Domain registered: 2015

Frequently asked questions

How much does Brightwheel cost?

No price is published. The pricing page is a request form that asks for role, enrollment capacity and number of locations, and the vendor says price is based on enrollment capacity. The site offers a demo.

Does Brightwheel have a waitlist?

Yes. Admissions includes program waitlists where new students are added at the bottom by default and an admin can set a position. A waitlist report can be exported.

Can it collect application fees?

Yes. The features page says custom admissions packets can collect application fees. Processing rates are not stated on the pricing page.

Are there mobile apps?

Yes. There is an iOS app and an Android app, plus a web app for schools.

Alternatives to Brightwheel

Kiddo From $29 per month
KinderSystems Book a demo for pricing
LineLeader Book a demo for pricing
PDX Waitlist See vendor pricing page
WaitlistCare From $20 per location / month, billed annually
WaitlistPlus From $18 per month

Brightwheel

Key facts