MyLittleWorld vs Brightwheel
Brightwheel is the best-known name in childcare software — and it's priced for centres with a director and a software budget. MyLittleWorld covers the same daily work for a single independent centre at a flat monthly price, with no cut of your tuition.
Why independent centres look past Brightwheel
Brightwheel's cost is a base fee plus a per-child charge plus a billing add-on. As you fill spots, the price you pay goes up — even though your admin work barely changes.
There's no public price. You book a demo, get a quote for your size, and negotiate. Small centres consistently report landing somewhere between $150 and $400+ a month.
When families pay through Brightwheel, card-processing fees (roughly 2.5–2.9%) come out of money that used to be yours. On $20,000/month of tuition that's $500–$580 every month.
Brightwheel's depth is aimed at multi-room centres and chains. A 20-child room ends up paying for — and navigating — features it will never use.
MyLittleWorld vs Brightwheel, line by line
| MyLittleWorld | Brightwheel | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | From $29.99/mo, flat by centre size | ~$150–$400+/mo (quote-based) |
| Pricing model | Flat, by active-child count | Base fee + per child + billing add-on |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | Demo / sales call |
| Contract | Month-to-month | Annual terms common |
| Fee on tuition payments | Standard card processing only | Card processing on every tuition payment |
| Check-in, reports, billing, staff, enrollment | All included | Core included; some gated to higher tiers |
| Parent access | Included, free for every family | Included |
| Languages | English + French | English (Spanish for families) |
| Built in | Montréal, Canada | United States |
| Time to go live | Self-serve, about a day | Guided onboarding over days to weeks |
Brightwheel figures reflect commonly reported 2026 costs for a 30–60 child centre; your quote depends on enrollment and tier. MyLittleWorld's flat price is the whole bill — card processing is billed by the processor at standard rates, never marked up.
Switching from Brightwheel: common questions
Can I move my child and family records off Brightwheel?
Yes. Export your roster, guardians, and enrollment data from Brightwheel, send us the files, and we set them up in MyLittleWorld for you. Most single-location centres are running within a day or two.
Will parents have to do anything?
They install your new parent app (or use the web version) and, if you collect tuition online, re-enter a payment method once. We give you an announcement template that explains the change.
What does Brightwheel do that MyLittleWorld doesn't?
Brightwheel has a larger ecosystem — more third-party integrations, a bigger template library, and depth aimed at multi-site operators. If you run several locations with dedicated admin staff, that may matter. For one independent centre, MyLittleWorld covers the daily work at a fraction of the cost.
Is my centre's data private?
Every centre's data is isolated at the database level with row-level security, so one centre can never see another's records. You can export everything at any time.
So which should you pick?
Choose Brightwheel if you run multiple locations with admin staff and rely on its integrations. Choose MyLittleWorld if you run one independent centre and want the daily tools to work at a flat, predictable price with none of your tuition skimmed.
MyLittleWorld is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the companies named here. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners, used for identification and comparison.