illumine
8.6#2 in early childhood education softwareAndroidiOSWebAPI
Visitillumine vs Smartcare
What both publish
| Fact | illumine | Smartcare |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance and check-in | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | The platform automates invoices, credit and debit notes, discounts, subsidies, taxes, reminders, late fees and financial reports. | Centers can set custom tuition schedules, automate billing, support split households or third-party payments, and let families manage payments online. |
| Billing and payments | Yes | Yes |
| Enrollment | Enrollment tools capture inquiries, schedule tours, manage waitlists, run marketing campaigns and digitize registration. | The software supports online enrollment, student waitlists, and lead tracking. |
| Enrollment management | Yes | Yes |
| Family communication | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Wilmington, Delaware, United States | Glastonbury, CT, United States |
| Integrations | Illumine advertises more than 50 accounting and payment integrations, including Gusto, Stripe, PayPal, Tally, QuickBooks, NetSuite and Paychex. | Smartcare lists integrations with QuickBooks for accounting, ChildcareCRM for customer and prospect management, and PDK for entrance security. |
| Lesson planning | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile apps | both | Smartcare offers iOS and Android apps for parents and teachers with communications, automatic payments, photo sharing, electronic check-in, and in-app messaging. |
| Support | Official support includes email at [email protected] and in-app live chat, with training videos and onboarding guidance. | A dedicated Smartcare client adoption specialist helps with startup, and Client Success and Client Services teams provide ongoing support. |
illumine plans
- Business—
- Enterprise—
- Standard$0.99 a month
- EssentialsPriced on request
- Growth + AIPriced on request
- ScalePriced on request
Smartcare plans
- Preschool2mePriced on request
- SmartcarePriced on request
- Smartcare + Preschool2mePriced on request
Pick illumine if…
illumine may suit childcare providers looking to manage enrollment, family communication, attendance, billing, and lesson planning. Centers considering it should review the plan capabilities and request pricing.
Pick Smartcare if…
You want what its maker publishes above — check its page for the details.