Pricing — what NestliCare costs (and doesn't)
NestliCare is 100% free daycare management software. No subscriptions, no per-staff or per-child charges. The only cost is a standard online-payment convenience fee, the same kind every payment processor charges.
NestliCare is free. No subscriptions, no tiers, no credit card required to sign up. Unlimited children, unlimited staff, every feature included, whether you have 3 kids or 300.
What you actually pay
| Cost | |
|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $0 |
| Per-staff or per-child charge | $0 |
| Cash and check payments collected outside the app | $0 |
| Online payments (cards) | Convenience fee, 2.9% + $0.50 |
| Online payments (bank transfers / ACH) | Convenience fee, 1%, capped at $6 |
The convenience fee is the standard online-payment processing rate, the same kind every payment processor charges anywhere online. By default, the parent covers it at checkout (the same way they pay a service fee on most online checkouts), so the daycare's payout equals the invoice amount.
If your daycare doesn't collect tuition online through NestliCare (you use cash, check, or a separate tool), the platform genuinely costs $0. There's nothing else to charge for.
How the convenience fee shows up
When a parent pays online, the convenience fee is added to the tuition total at checkout and shown on a separate line. The parent sees, for example:
- Tuition: $200.00
- Convenience fee (bank transfer): $2.02
- Total: $202.02
Stripe processes the payment and the daycare receives $200.00 in their bank account.
Who pays the convenience fee
Each daycare picks in their finance settings:
| Default | Alternative | |
|---|---|---|
| Convenience fee | Parent pays at checkout | Daycare absorbs from settlement |
Most daycares leave parents on the default. A few states encourage absorbing card processing instead, and the absorption setting handles that with one toggle. Either way the rate is the same. Change it in Billing & Payments → Finances → Settings any time. New payments use the new setting; payments already in flight keep the split they were created with.
Common questions
Is NestliCare really free? Yes, 100%. Sign up, run your daycare, never pay us a subscription. The convenience fee only applies when a parent makes an online payment, and the rate is the same as any online payment processor.
Is there a free trial? No trial because there's no paid plan to trial. Every feature is on every account from day one.
Will you add paid plans later? We won't gate core features behind a subscription, and we'll never charge per child, per staff member, or per location. If we ever build optional premium add-ons, they'll be transparently priced and clearly marked.
Are there setup fees, cancellation fees, or minimums? None. Sign up, set up, stop using it any time. Your data stays available for export if you want to leave.
What about transaction limits? No limit on number of transactions, invoices, or total dollars processed.
What payment methods are supported? Online payments are processed by Stripe. We support every Stripe payment method in your country: cards, ACH bank transfers, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link. See Stripe's payment methods page for the full list.
Do you accept checks or cash? Yes. Record them as manual payments inside the invoice. No convenience fee applies because no money flows through online processing.
How we compare
Most daycare platforms stack two separate charges:
- A monthly subscription, typically $100 to $300/month for a 50-child center, with extras for messaging, payroll, or advanced reports.
- A per-transaction processing fee, separate from the subscription.
NestliCare removes the subscription entirely. The convenience fee on online payments is the only platform cost, and it's the same standard online-processing rate parents see on most checkouts.
Side-by-side math (50-child center, weekly $200 ACH tuition)
200 transactions/month, parents covering processing at checkout (the default on both platforms):
| Platform | Subscription | Convenience fee to daycare | Daycare's monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical competitor | $200/mo | $0 (parents cover) | $200/mo |
| NestliCare | $0/mo | $0 (parents cover) | $0/mo |
If the daycare absorbs the convenience fee instead
200 transactions/month at $200 ACH (1%, $2.00 per charge):
- Competitor: $200/mo subscription + $400/mo processing = $600/mo
- NestliCare: $0 subscription + $400/mo convenience fee absorbed = $400/mo
Even when the daycare absorbs processing, NestliCare wins because there's no subscription stacked on top.
If you don't collect tuition through the app
A growing number of daycares run hybrid: some families on direct deposit, others on check. NestliCare's convenience fee only applies to online payments. Record check or cash payments as manual entries: no fee, ever.
Competitors charge their monthly subscription whether or not payments flow. NestliCare only charges when a real online payment happens.
Ready to get started?
Sign up at nestlicare.com, takes about 5 minutes. Then work through the Getting Started checklist to go from empty account to running your day.
Questions about pricing that aren't covered here? Email [email protected].