OWNA

OWNA is childcare management software for daycare centres and before- and after-school programs. It is best for services that want family communication, learning records and staff operations connected in one product. Its free tier handles curriculum and attendance, while centres needing bookings, payments or rostering will need Premium.

Overview

OWNA spans parent-facing updates and centre administration, from learning documentation to staff scheduling. That scope can reduce the need to stitch together separate tools, but it makes plan choice consequential: the free offer is focused, not a full operational suite.

Key features

The family app gives parents access to daily routines, programs, forms, bookings and re-enrolments. Families can also receive photos and videos, message educators, comment on centre posts and provide feedback. This is a useful mix of updates and two-way contact; however, bookings and enrolments are reserved for Premium, even though the parent app itself is included in the free plan.

Educators can plan curriculum, document learning and connect posts to a child’s learning journey. Free also includes sign-in and sign-out attendance and compliance tools, making it a credible starting point for centres whose immediate priorities are learning records and attendance rather than administration of fees or staff shifts.

Premium adds invoicing, payments, financial reporting, rostering, timesheets and CRM. Families can review invoices and account details, update ACH information or make one-off payments through the app. Processing fees are 2.75% for Visa/Mastercard and 50 cents per ACH transaction, so payment volume affects the total cost beyond the subscription.

Staff management covers rostering, timesheets, payroll, staff communication and team performance management. Rostering tools include weekly forecasting, cost analysis, AI predictions, ratio and compliance support, and vacant-shift bidding. These tools are relevant to centres managing coverage and staffing costs; they are part of the paid tier rather than the free attendance offer.

OWNA says user-to-server traffic is encrypted and child-related posts are restricted to the associated family and centre. Its privacy policy says children’s personal information is hosted in Australia, while limited personal information may be processed by US-based SaaS providers. Support is available through helpdesk tickets or online chat for urgent assistance. OWNA recommends four to six weeks for onboarding, though it says implementation can take as little as five days; it requires no contract or notice period.

Pricing

OWNA uses a freemium model, offers a free trial, and has three named plans:

• FREE — free: curriculum planning, attendance sign-in/out, parent app and compliance. This suits a centre that needs learning and attendance tools but can do without bookings, finance and rostering.
• Premium — $39 a month: bookings and enrolments, invoicing and payments, financial reporting, rostering and timesheets, and CRM. It is the practical choice for centres that need those administrative functions in the same system. Transaction charges apply to payments in addition to the subscription.
• Enterprise — custom pricing: everything in Premium plus custom API integration. Enterprise CRM and analytics are marked as coming soon, so they should not be treated as current capabilities.

The free plan has no published seat or child cap. For centres needing custom integration, Enterprise is the relevant tier, but its price is custom rather than a published monthly rate.

Platforms

OWNA supports Android, iOS and the web, giving families and staff access across mobile and browser platforms.

Who it's for

OWNA is aimed at daycare centres and before- and after-school programs. It is a strong fit for services that value a connected parent app, curriculum records and attendance, and want a path to add billing and staff operations. A centre seeking only a lightweight free attendance tool may find the free plan sufficient; one that needs a full suite should budget for Premium and payment processing fees.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free includes curriculum planning, attendance, compliance and the parent app, covering meaningful daily needs without subscription cost.
• Pros: Premium combines family bookings and payments with staff rostering, timesheets and financial reporting, reducing fragmentation for centres wanting both sides of operations.
• Pros: No contract or notice period, and onboarding may be completed in as little as five days.
• Cons: Bookings, invoicing, payments and rostering are not in the free plan, so centres needing these core administrative tasks must move to Premium.
• Cons: Card and ACH processing fees add costs that can rise with payment activity.
• Cons: OWNA recommends four to six weeks for onboarding, which may require planning ahead even though a shorter rollout is possible.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, browse Childcare Management Software.

AfterSchool HQ is another freemium option with a free plan, free trial and Android, iOS and web support; its free-plan description notes transaction fees for activities processed through the service.

Cheqdin may suit a smaller service prioritizing a defined free cohort: its Rise plan is free for up to five students, with email support only and no personalized training or record archiving at the limit; Starter costs $68 a month.

Kangarootime offers a free plan capped at one program, one school and five staff members, making that stated limit central to evaluating it.

Neztio has a free Starter plan for up to 15 children and a Standard plan at $79 a month with unlimited children, a useful contrast for services comparing child-count limits and flat monthly pricing.

6crickets has a free marketplace-listing plan with commission or referral fees depending on how registrations are made.

QikKids uses Playground plan bands based on place capacity, including 0–39, 40–69 and 70–99 places.

Brightwheel uses custom pricing based on program information, rather than a published fixed plan price.

Procare offers a $25 a month home version for smaller centres and in-home daycare providers; classroom management is unavailable for in-home users.

Verdict

Choose OWNA if your daycare or before- and after-school program wants curriculum, attendance and family communication together, with the option to add billing and staff operations as needs grow. Its clearest advantage is the useful free core and broad Premium coverage; look elsewhere if you need those paid administrative features without the added subscription and transaction costs.