Nurseries leave Famly when they want features that start lower than its top package, a different country's rules, or a tool that stresses learning journals over administration. Alternatives range from learning-story apps to full billing systems for the Australian or US markets.
Short answer: The first three alternatives to Famly in our childcare management software ranking are Tapestry, Kinderpedia and Storypark. Where a category has smaller vendors worth recommending, they occupy the first three places and the big brands come below them. Choose Tapestry if your priority is the learning journal and you prefer an annual price by child count. Every one of the 10 products below comes from Best Childcare Management Software in 2026, with a note on how it departs from Famly.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Pricing: Three monthly packages and a custom tier for ten or more sites, prices published for the UK and Ireland; 2-week trial
Established in: Denmark
Built for: Single nurseries and small UK or Irish groups wanting a monthly price
Not for: Settings outside the UK and Ireland, or groups needing a bespoke contract
01
Why buyers look past Famly
01
Key admin features sit on the top package
Famly lists Foundation at 79 pounds a month, Premium at 159 and Professional at 209, all excluding VAT. Registration forms, staff rotas, automatic invoicing and safeguarding disclosure reporting appear in the Professional column, so a setting that wants them pays for the top tier.
02
Group features require a quote
API access, white-label branding, cross-site analytics, Azure AD single sign-on and an SLA belong to the Custom package for groups with 10 or more sites. Smaller groups wanting an API or single sign-on will need to ask Famly what is possible.
03
Prices apply to the UK and Ireland only
The pricing page states that it applies to nurseries and providers in the UK and Ireland. Settings elsewhere work from another regional page, and the figures here may not match. The page also showed a 240 pound saving for annual billing on two packages without stating the annual amounts.
you are in North America and want payroll and CACFP menus in the app
#10
03
What each one does differently
1
Tapestry
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Tapestry bills once a year by the number of children, in steps from six to four hundred, with each step shown excluding VAT. Its core is an EYFS and Key Stage 1 and 2 learning journal, with nursery management as a further product. Funding and billing needs should be checked against that add-on.
Switch from Famly if your priority is the learning journal and you prefer an annual price by child count.
Kinderpedia comes from Romania and prices each centre monthly plus a rate per student, in Starter, Essentials and Professional. Incident reports, development modules and multi-location management move up the plans, and some Business Plus modules are marked coming soon. It leans toward schools as well as daycare.
Switch from Famly if you run a combined nursery and school and want a per-student rate.
Storypark starts with documentation and family sharing at a per-child monthly price and has an all-in-one tier for management. Families pay nothing. Its terms name Storypark Limited and the Xap subsidiary, which handles Australian billing. Single sign-on begins in the upper tier and the AI story assistant costs extra.
Switch from Famly if parents sharing in children's stories drives your choice and billing can follow.
Educa Limited of New Zealand charges per child per month on Basic and Advanced, with a 15-child minimum and quotes above 200 children. Learning stories, family engagement and planning are covered, but the pages describe no invoicing, so fees will probably live in another system. Student log-in is a per-child add-on.
Switch from Famly if you only need documentation and already bill fees elsewhere.
illumine Technology Inc. sells Standard for up to 50 students, then Business and Enterprise, with no amounts on the pricing page. Translation into 15-plus languages starts at Standard, invoicing and subsidy management at Business, and registration forms and CRM at Enterprise. The AI agents cost extra.
Switch from Famly if families speak many languages and you will take a quote.
Kindertales.com Inc. bundles attendance, recurring family billing, online registration, CRM and waitlists for multi-location providers, with phone and chat support. The pages we read show no prices. Terms renew subscriptions automatically each billing cycle, and disputes go to American Arbitration Association proceedings under Delaware law.
Switch from Famly if waitlists and a CRM for enquiries matter more than a published price.
OWNA is Australian and built around Child Care Subsidy billing and compliance. Lite and Premium prices have a monthly or annual toggle, and the site states there is no contract or notice period. CCS billing and multi-centre control are Premium features, and the vendor estimates four to six weeks to onboard.
Switch from Famly if you operate in Australia and subsidy billing is central.
Xplor Education is part of a group that also sells software for fitness, golf and field services. The education line covers enrolment, attendance, rosters, payments and child health tracking, with separate Australian and UK sites. The pages we read show no prices, so cost depends on a demo.
Switch from Famly if you want a group-owned vendor with a UK site and a large customer base.
Kangarootime, Inc., from Buffalo, New York, sells childcare management, a before and after school product and an Education Hub for lesson plans. Billing and enrollment are described as one system. Its pricing URL returned a not-found page, and the home page offers a scheduled call only.
Switch from Famly if you run after-school programmes in the United States.
DSSV, Inc. makes brightwheel and asks seven questions about enrollment capacity and locations before it shows a quote. Its feature list runs past a hundred items, including payroll, staff scheduling, CACFP menu tracking and an AI assistant. The location form lists US states and Canadian provinces.
Switch from Famly if you are in North America and want payroll and CACFP menus in the app.
You want a learning journal priced by number of children
Tapestry: Prices are annual by package size from six to four hundred children, shown excluding VAT.
02
You work under Australian subsidy rules
OWNA: Child Care Subsidy billing is in Premium, and the site states there is no contract or notice period.
03
You run a school beside the nursery
Kinderpedia: Pricing is per centre plus a rate per student, from a Romanian vendor.
04
Parents are the main audience for children's stories
Storypark: Families use it without charge, and the documentation package has a per-child starting price.
05
Your families speak many languages
illumine: Translation into 15-plus languages is listed from the Standard tier, though amounts are quoted.
04
When Famly is still the right choice
Famly stays a good choice for a UK or Irish nursery that wants one product for child development, invoicing, messaging and daily sign-in, with setup free, support and training included, and a month's notice to leave. The two-week trial covers the full platform. Compare the Professional package against alternatives before moving, since that is where the admin tools sit.
05
What moving off Famly involves
01
Children's records and journals need a plan
Learning observations, photos and medical details live in Famly, and the pages we read described no export route. Ask in writing what can be exported, and for which formats, before you give notice.
02
Parents must install something new
Families will need to sign in to a new app and re-enter payment details. Run the old and new systems in parallel for a full billing cycle so that invoices and attendance records match.
06
Questions about replacing Famly
6 answers
How much does Famly cost?
For the UK and Ireland the page lists Foundation at 79 pounds, Premium at 159 and Professional at 209 per month excluding VAT, with Custom by quote for 10 or more sites.
Does Famly charge a setup fee?
The page says none, and states that onboarding, support and training are included. Monthly contracts end with one month's notice.
Which alternatives publish prices?
Tapestry, Kinderpedia, Educa, OWNA and Storypark publish prices or starting prices. illumine, Kindertales, Brightwheel, Kangarootime and Xplor sell by quote or demo.
Is there a free trial?
Famly offers two weeks of the full platform. Tapestry, Educa and Storypark list trials too, while Kangarootime offers a scheduled call.
Which tool suits settings outside the UK?
OWNA follows Australian Child Care Subsidy rules, Educa serves New Zealand and Australia, Brightwheel and Kangarootime target North America, and Kinderpedia comes from Romania.
Where is Famly based?
Its about page lists offices in Copenhagen, Berlin, Leicester and Arlington without naming a headquarters, and says it works with 10,000 early years settings.
—
Sources
Checked 8 November 2026
Famly pricing: Foundation 79, Premium 159, Professional 209 pounds, Custom for 10+ sites, no setup fee, one month notice, 2-week trial, UK and Ireland only.
Famly about: Founded 2013, offices in Copenhagen, Berlin, Leicester, Arlington, 10,000 settings.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Author and fact-checker: Sebastiaan Smits. This page was last reviewed on 8 November 2026; our review process is public.
