brightwheel vs. Dripos

Any preschool can benefit from brightwheel, no matter the size. Brightwheel is also excellent for billing, which is especially helpful for schools that do not have other databases and billing systems. Because our school is a PS-12, it is a little cumbersome to have brightwheel along with another management system that we use school-wide. It would be nice to have a separate price point that does not include the things that another database system does for schools that are required to use what the older grades also use.

Incentivized

Dripos is a great alternative to Square POS in most use cases. Although the monthly fee is higher than Square's "free," the fact that so many other features are included in that price — loyalty, online ordering, scheduling, team messaging, even payroll — makes it a much better value than paying for those add-ons within Square. It is best suited for quick-serve places with limited menus (I wouldn't yet suggest running a full-service, waiters-at-tables restaurant with it) and employee teams with no more than 20 per location (updates to scheduler may change this assessment soon enough).

Incentivized

• Recording data for students.
• Connecting to parents with photos, videos, and messages.
• Signing in and out electronically and saving paper daily.

Incentivized

• Connectivity across terminals
• Reliability
• Ease of use
• A+ customer service and tech support

Incentivized

• Offering a price point that does not include billing.
• Allowing more freedom of uploading own documents.

Incentivized

• Needs more user customization options
• Scheduler piece is clunky (but software is being updated regularly)

Incentivized

Brightwheel does much more for the preschool level than FACTS does. The creators of this app know early childhood. The company also provides helpful webinars that are unrelated to their software, such as staff retention or ways to market. They understand the business of early childhood and exist to make the lives of providers easier.

Incentivized

Dripos is an affordable upgrade from Square POS, but still less costly than alternatives like Toast or Upserve, and does not require purchase of any specialized equipment outside of card readers (main software works on any iOS or Android devices, and you can mix and match these). Their customer service and tech support are both top-notch and more responsive than any others I've experienced.

Incentivized

• Value add for parents
• Saves paper
• Benefits for teachers who fully utilize

Incentivized

• Stellar tech support has greatly eliminated problems, and my employees can handle those calls themselves
• Company is very receptive to product development ideas, and implements changes quickly
• Cost savings vs Square has been positive

Incentivized