As of September 2026
Saplyn vs Brightwheel
Plain text, sourced, and dated. Every statement about Brightwheel below is quoted from its own public site on the date shown; the source number links to the page. If something is out of date, email us and we'll fix it.
| Saplyn | Brightwheel | |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | $99 per center per month or $990 a year, on this site. | Not published. The pricing page asks you to "Request pricing" with your enrollment and locations; Brightwheel describes Premium pricing as "customized for each program rather than published as a price list".[1][2] |
| Contract and renewal | Month to month; cancel any time, effective at the end of the period (Terms §2.3). | Automatic renewal each subscription period; to stop it you "must notify brightwheel within thirty (30) days prior to the auto renewal date" (Terms, updated May 12, 2026).[3] |
| Refunds | Fees are non-refundable for the current period; there is no term to buy out (Terms §2.3). | "Your purchase is final and you will not be able to cancel the purchase and/or receive a refund of your subscription fee at any time."[3] |
| Parent app cost | Free for families, unlimited household members. | "Family access to the brightwheel app is always free."[2] |
| Split households | Each parent is billed for their own share and sees only their own statement. | A charge can be split between payers, but "payers will be able to see each other's invoices and payments within their student's profile", and "any unpaid balances become the primary payer's responsibility".[4][5] |
| Subsidy agencies | An agency is a payer with its own invoice and its own balance. | Agencies can be payers, but "agencies are not able to pay directly through brightwheel"; remittances are logged by hand.[6] |
| Ledger corrections | Append-only: a correction is a new line, the original is never edited. | "If you assign a new primary payer, all past invoices will be assigned to the new primary payer."[5] |
| Getting your data out | Settings → Export, any time, and for 30 days after cancelling (Terms §12.3). | Students list → "Export Roster", with the fields you choose, emailed or downloaded.[7] |
| Migration help | Self-serve importer for roster and opening balances; a person by email when a file won't go. | "We migrate your data in under 24 hours for you", with a dedicated onboarding specialist.[8] |
Brightwheel is a trademark of its owner. Saplyn is not affiliated with or endorsed by Brightwheel; the name is used only to identify the product being compared.
Sources
- brightwheel — Pricing — retrieved September 2026
- brightwheel — Brightwheel Premium Pricing: What's Included vs. the Free Plan — retrieved September 2026
- brightwheel — Terms of Service (updated May 12, 2026) — retrieved September 2026
- brightwheel Help Center — Can I split a charge between multiple payers? — retrieved September 2026
- brightwheel Help Center — Understanding the primary payer — retrieved September 2026
- brightwheel Help Center — Get started with tracking subsidies — retrieved September 2026
- brightwheel Help Center — Export your student roster — retrieved September 2026
- brightwheel — Switch to Brightwheel — retrieved September 2026
No card. $99 per center per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime, export everything.