cradleOS
cradleOS: A broad daycare operations system with a $0 Free tier and paid plans priced through sales. Ranked #5 of 32 in Daycare Management Software by our editors (8.9/10); pricing: Free plan; best for centers prioritizing a free, feature-rich system.
At a glance
- Editor score8.9 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forCenters prioritizing a free, feature-rich system
- Free planYes
- Billing modelCustom
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free plan covers check-in, billing, messaging, scheduling, and meal tracking
- Tracks ratios, staffing, licensing, meals, incidents, milestones, and family updates
- Supports classroom kiosks, a parent mobile app, and native macOS software
Where it doesn't
- Pro and Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
- Only Stripe is listed as an integration
- Multi-site management, API access, and custom reporting require Enterprise
Our verdict on cradleOS
cradleOS is childcare center management software for home daycares, childcare centers, and multi-site operators. Its scope covers digital check-in and check-out, live headcounts, ratio tracking, billing, enrollment, staff scheduling, compliance records, daily reports, meal tracking, photo sharing, and two-way family messaging. Centers can work through the web application, classroom kiosk, parent mobile app, or native macOS desktop app, while families receive communication and daily activity updates.
The pricing structure makes cradleOS accessible for smaller operations. The Free plan costs $0 and includes digital check-in and check-out, parent messaging, daily activity logs, invoicing and online payments, staff scheduling, and CACFP meal tracking. Pro adds everything in Free, along with unlimited children and classrooms, kiosk video recording, and priority support. Enterprise adds multi-site management, custom reporting and analytics, API access and integrations, dedicated onboarding, and custom branding. Pro and Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales, so organizations evaluating paid tiers will need a sales conversation before budgeting.
Operational coverage is the product’s defining strength. Alongside attendance and payments, cradleOS includes certification management, ratio alerts, enrollment lead tracking, tour scheduling, waitlist management, nutrition and allergy-related meal tracking, nap and milestone records, licensing checklists, immunization tracking, and incident logs. Stripe is the listed integration, while Enterprise extends the platform with role-based multi-site management and API access. Centers seeking a broad system with a substantial free starting point should consider cradleOS; organizations that depend on a wider prebuilt integration ecosystem or need advanced capabilities without an Enterprise plan may prefer an alternative.
Questions about cradleOS
Does cradleOS have a free plan? Yes, there is a free plan.
What does cradleOS run on? Web and macOS. It runs in the cloud, as a desktop app and as a mobile app.
What does cradleOS integrate with? 1 integration: Stripe.
Who is cradleOS built for? Solo users, small businesses, mid-market companies and enterprises (our editorial estimate).
Your product? Our editors can test cradleOS in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
cradleOS pricing
All 3 cradleOS plans and prices →
cradleOS fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Billing model | Custom |
| Attendance methods | kiosk, web app, mobile device, QR code |
| Family communication | Yes |
| Staff scheduling | Yes |
| Parent mobile app | Yes |
| Meal/allergy tracking | Yes |
| Included children | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud, Desktop, Mobile |
| Platforms | Web, macOS |
| Compliance & security | 2FA |
| Support | Email, Live chat |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 1 integrations: Stripe |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | cradleos.com |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
cradleOS integrations
cradleOS lists 1 integrations on its own site.
- Stripe
Alternatives to cradleOS
- BrightwheelBroad daycare operations coverage for multi-site centers, with pricing by personalized quote.9.3
- ProcareA broad child care operations platform for established providers managing multiple centers.9.2
- illumineA full-featured platform for centers managing enrollment, operations, learning, and payments.9.1
See all cradleOS alternatives →
cradleOS vs the competition
- cradleOS vs Brightwheel
- cradleOS vs Procare
- cradleOS vs illumine
- cradleOS vs Kangarootime
- cradleOS vs QikKids
- cradleOS vs Kinderly
Compare cradleOS with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026
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