Honest pricing.
No surprises.
Finding childcare is stressful enough. We kept the pricing simple so that's one less thing to worry about.
For Parents
Find the right fit.
Browse, apply, and get matched with the right daycare.
Stripe's payment processing fees apply on top of these amounts and are shown before you pay — see the rates.
- Browse every daycare listing — free forever
- Up to 5 active applications on the free plan
- Search filters — city, neighborhood, philosophy, price and part-time availability
- Message the daycares you have applied to — ask questions, arrange a tour
- Annual tuition receipts for families
- A $10 admin fee per child, per daycare, only when you accept an offer
- The Zukeepr service fee ($3 + 1%) on each invoice paid through the app
- Cancel anytime — no lock-in, no questions asked
For Daycares
Run your center free.
Run the day, your team and your billing — at no cost up to 20 families.
- Run the day — check-in and check-out, daily logs, report cards, incident reports with PDF export, an events calendar and printable emergency and pickup sheets
- Run the team — staff list, rooms, staff time off and certification expiry reminders
- Add staff accounts so your team can check children in and out, write daily reports and message parents.
- Get paid — automated monthly billing, part-time rates, an accounting view, receipts in your legal business name and tax receipts for families
- Talk to families — in-app messaging and replies to reviews
- Up to 20 active families on the free plan
- Grow — a verified listing that stays up, with applications from local families when you have room
Paid plans
Unlock more for your family or your daycare. Cancel anytime.
Parent Premium
- Unlimited applications beyond the 5 included on the free plan
- Opening alerts when a daycare you favorited has a place
- Track naps and sleep at home alongside your daycare's log
Keep Premium after you enroll: track naps and sleep at home alongside your daycare's log, and get alerts when a daycare you've saved has a place, for a sibling or a move.
Upgrade to Parent PremiumDaycare Premium
First month freefor first-time daycare subscribers
- More than 20 enrolled families
- Up to 5 locations
- Staff coverage planning by room
- Accounting CSV export
- Photos in messages
- Per-family year-to-date revenue
Promoted Listing
- Listed ahead of unpromoted daycares in city search results
- Among promoted daycares, the newest promotion is listed first, up to 10 per city
- Promoted badge on your listing card
- 1 city $29/mo · up to 3 cities $69/mo
- Stacks with any plan, including Free
- Cancel anytime
Priced in USD.
Our promise on payment fees
Every time money moves, a payment company takes a cut. We think families should pay the least of that possible, and never a cent extra to us.
- No markup, ever. You pay exactly what Stripe charges for your payment. A card is never more than 3%.
- We steer you to the cheapest way to pay. A US bank account costs at most $5 per payment. A credit card costs about 3%.
- The 0.55% covers what Stripe charges us to move your payment. If Stripe lowers those charges, we lower the percentage. Any fee change applies only to future invoices, with advance notice.
Transparent payment processing
When you pay tuition through Zukeepr, Stripe processes the payment. These are Stripe's rates, passed through at cost — we do not mark them up.
Your daycare receives its full amount. You pay the Zukeepr service fee ($3 + 1%) and Stripe's payment processing fee; Zukeepr pays Stripe's Connect and invoicing costs out of the service fee. The examples below use the service fee of $3 + 0.55% per monthly invoice, starting with the December 1 billing run (currently $3 + 1%).
US bank account (ACH)
For US families
e.g. $1,000 tuition + $8.50 service fee + $5.00 processing = $1,013.50 leaves your account. Best for families paying recurring monthly tuition.
Credit card
Visa, Mastercard, Amex & more
e.g. $1,000 tuition + $8.50 service fee + $30.25 processing = $1,038.75 leaves your account. Great for flexibility — pay with any major credit card.
US families: we recommend paying by bank account for monthly tuition — it's the most affordable option for your family and processes reliably every month. Paying by bank saves you $25.25 a month, about $303 a year. That money goes to card processing, not to your daycare or to Zukeepr. You can set your preferred method in your profile and change it anytime.
Questions? We've got answers.
Still on the fence? Here's everything you need to know.
Is applying really free?
Yes. Browsing every listed daycare is free, and so is applying — the free plan covers up to five active applications at a time, and declined applications do not count towards that. You are not charged anything until a daycare accepts you. No credit card is required to apply.
When exactly am I charged the $10?
Only after a daycare accepts your application and you accept their offer. The fee is charged per child, per daycare — so enrolling two children, or enrolling one child at a second daycare later, means the fee applies to each enrollment. If your application is declined or expires, or you decline the offer, you are not charged. This matches Section 5.2 of the Parent Agreement.
How does the Zukeepr service fee ($3 + 1%) work?
It's $3 plus 1% of the amount your daycare set, on each invoice, per child — rounded to the cent. It becomes $3 + 0.55% per monthly invoice, starting with the December 1 billing run (currently $3 + 1%): on $1,000 of tuition that is $8.50. Two children enrolled means one invoice, and one service fee, for each. If your daycare sends a separate charge through the platform, such as a late-pickup or supplies fee, that invoice carries its own service fee. It's never charged on the acceptance payment, which carries the one-time $10 admin fee instead. Your daycare receives its full amount, and you always see exactly what you'll owe before you pay.
What payment methods do you accept?
Credit cards, and US families can also pay from a US bank account (ACH). Canadian families pay by credit card. Both carry Stripe's processing fees, which we pass through at cost and never mark up: for a credit card, Stripe's cost of about 2.9% + $0.30, never more than 3% of the amount; for a US bank account, 0.8% capped at $5.00 per successful transaction. For US families, paying by bank account is the lower-cost option for recurring monthly tuition.
Why is there a processing fee at all?
Banks and card networks charge to move money. We don't hide that cost inside higher prices or take a cut of it. We show it to you, charge it at cost, and point you to the cheapest option.
Can I switch payment methods?
Yes, anytime. Head to Billing → Payment Method to update your payment method. The change takes effect on your next billing cycle — your existing enrollments and payment history are never affected.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. No contracts, no lock-in, no cancellation fees. Cancel whenever you need to — we'll never hold you to anything.
Do you take a cut of tuition?
Never. Daycares set their own tuition rates and receive the full amount they set, paid directly through Stripe Connect. Zukeepr charges the parent the Zukeepr service fee ($3 + 1%) on each invoice; nothing is deducted from the daycare's payout.
My daycare just joined Zukeepr — do I pay the $10 fee?
No — if your daycare is already on Zukeepr and invited you directly, that enrollment carries no admin fee. You'll be set up automatically and can start using the platform right away. The exemption is tied to the invitation itself, so a second child the daycare has not invited would be treated as a new application.
Already enrolled with a daycare? The $10 admin fee applies to enrollments you start by applying through Zukeepr. If your daycare invited you directly, that enrollment is automatically exempt — no fee to pay.