Gertrude review
A broad, free open-source system for French early childhood operations.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Gertrude is an open-source management system for French early childhood facilities, including municipal, company, parent-run, associative and micro-crèches. Its scope centers on administration and daily operations: child registration, enrollment, attendance planning, capacity management, family-fee calculation, contracts, invoicing, payments, employee scheduling and leave management. It also supports multi-site and network operation, with statistical and CAF reporting for organizations that need structured oversight across facilities.
The downloadable Gertrude software is free and unlimited under GPL. Gertrude en ligne is a separate SaaS service with annual pricing determined by configuration, number of sites and optional services. The online offering can add services such as remote check-in and a family portal. Integrations include TIPI, Filoué, LibreOffice and OpenOffice, giving the product a practical fit for organizations working with those tools and French administrative processes. Platform coverage includes web, Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
Gertrude’s strongest case is breadth: it combines enrollment, attendance check-in for children and staff, capacity alerts, fee rules using CAF, PSU and PAJE, financial documents, payment settlement, staffing and reporting in one system. That makes it a suitable choice for French-speaking organizations seeking open-source control across one or multiple sites. Organizations wanting AI-supported workflows or a product centered on learning activities should consider whether Gertrude’s operational focus matches their needs. The choice between the free downloadable edition and the configurable online service will also depend on whether optional hosted services are important.
Gertrude pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free and unlimited downloadable software under GPL
- Covers enrollment, attendance, capacity, fees, billing and staffing
- Supports multi-site operations, reporting and several platforms
- Where it doesn't
- Gertrude en ligne pricing varies by configuration, sites and services
- Family portal and remote check-in are optional online services
- No AI features are included
Gertrude fact sheet, pricing and score →
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