Wren
Wren: Free self-hosted nursery tools, with £44 monthly managed hosting available. Ranked #71 of 86 in Early Childhood Education Software by our editors (3.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for nurseries wanting free self-hosted observation tools.
At a glance
- Editor score3.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forNurseries wanting free self-hosted observation tools
- Free planYes
- Family communicationYes
- Facts checked24 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free self-hosted plan includes all features and portals
- Covers EYFS tracking, observations, funding, ratios and attendance
- Offline operation and local AI-assisted drafts and reports
Where it doesn't
- Self-hosting requires installing the Docker image
- Managed hosting costs £44 per month
- Wider beta availability is planned for 2027
Our verdict on Wren
Wren is a nursery and school management system, with an EYFS edition for settings that need observations, diaries, tracking, attendance and parent communication. Its free self-hosted software is aimed at nurseries able to install and manage a Docker image themselves. The vendor says the software is in production at pilot settings and that wider beta availability is planned for 2027, so it may not suit teams seeking a broadly available, established service today.
The free self-hosted plan is listed as free forever, with all features and portals included. For settings that prefer a managed service, the vendor lists a dedicated UK-hosted instance for £44 per month, including backups, updates and monitoring. A separate hardware install option covers hardware, setup, migration and staff training; its price is not specified here. This gives technically capable nurseries a no-software-cost route, while settings that need someone else to host and maintain it should account for the monthly fee.
Wren combines nursery records with family communication: features include EYFS tracking, funding and ratios, attendance and registers, CSV import, and parent communication. It is designed to work offline, and includes local AI-assisted observation drafts and parent reports. Integrations include EYLog, Tapestry, BrightHR and SIMS; portals are progressive web apps that can be installed on mobile home screens. Choose Wren if self-hosting and offline access matter more than a polished, widely available rollout. Nurseries that need confirmed enrollment or billing workflows, or want a broadly available hosted product without managing deployment, should consider alternatives.
Your product? Our editors can test Wren in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Wren pricing
Wren fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Enrollment management | Not verified |
| Family communication | Yes |
| Attendance and check-in | Yes |
| Billing and payments | Not verified |
| Lesson planning | Not verified |
| Mobile apps | Both |
| Child capacity | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Support | Email, Community |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 4 integrations: EYLog, Tapestry, BrightHR, SIMS |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | getwren.co.uk |
| Facts checked | 24 Sep 2026 |
Wren integrations
Wren lists 4 integrations on its own site.
- EYLog
- Tapestry
- BrightHR
- SIMS
Alternatives to Wren
- ProcareA mature all-in-one system for established centers managing operations, learning, and billing.8.9
- BrightwheelA broad web and mobile platform for managing multi-site early education operations.8.8
- ParentA connected childcare platform for enrollment, family workflows, staffing, and reporting.8.7
Used Wren? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Wren for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
Wren is listed in our Early Childhood Education Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/wren-early-childhood-education-software/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/wren-early-childhood-education-software.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update