TLDR
Lillio does not publish pricing for US customers: you have to contact sales to get a number. Their platform was designed for Canadian childcare reporting requirements; US subsidy billing (CCDF, DHS vouchers) and state licensing audit trails are not the design center. For directors who need transparent pricing and US compliance workflows, that's a meaningful gap before you even get to cost.
Lillio
Contact sales (US); CAD pricing published for Canadian marketper month
PebbleDesk
Center Starter from $99/mo, subsidy reconciliation includedper month, no setup fee
Lillio Pricing Tiers
| Tier | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Contact sales (US market) | Child and family profiles, Daily reports (photos, meals, naps), Parent communication app, Basic attendance tracking |
| Professional | Contact sales (US market) | Everything in Starter, Staff scheduling, Billing and invoicing, Curriculum planning, Reporting (parent-facing) |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Everything in Professional, Multi-site management, API access, Dedicated support |
Hidden Costs You Won't See on the Pricing Page
- ⚠ US pricing is not published: requires a sales call to get any number
- ⚠ Implementation fees vary by center size and are negotiated during the sales process
- ⚠ Canadian-market reporting format may require manual reformatting for US state licensing auditors
- ⚠ CCDF subsidy billing is not a native workflow: directors report handling it outside the platform
- ⚠ Per-child pricing model means costs scale up with enrollment, with no published cap
What Lillio charges US customers (and why you can’t find out without calling)
Lillio does not publish pricing for the US market. Visit their website and you’ll find a “Contact Sales” button where a pricing page would normally be. Their Canadian pricing is visible with per-child per-month tiers, but US centers go through a negotiated sales process.
That opacity has real costs beyond the inconvenience of a sales call. You can’t compare Lillio’s cost to alternatives without committing time to their funnel. Pricing varies based on your negotiating position and center size. There’s no published number to hold them accountable to at renewal.
What’s publicly known about their tier structure
Lillio offers multiple tiers, from basic parent communication to fuller center management. Based on Canadian market pricing and product documentation, the structure follows a pattern common to parent-engagement platforms.
An entry tier covers child profiles, daily reports, photos, and parent messaging. A higher tier adds billing, staff scheduling, and curriculum planning. An enterprise tier covers multi-site operators with API access and dedicated support.
The product is built around parent communication. The daily report, the photo feed, the parent app: these are the core features that Lillio (then HiMama) was founded to deliver.
The US compliance gap
Lillio started in Canada in 2012. The Canadian childcare licensing environment differs from US state-by-state regulations, and the platform’s reporting layer reflects its origins. Reports are formatted for parents, not for licensing officers.
US directors running licensed programs face inspections where the documentation requirements are specific: attendance logs with timestamps, staff-to-child ratio records tied to specific time periods, incident reports in a state-prescribed format, subsidy billing records for CCDF or DHS vouchers. Lillio’s parent-facing daily sheets don’t map to those requirements without manual work.
CCDF subsidy reconciliation, tracking which children have vouchers, what the agency pays versus what parents owe, and producing the documentation for reimbursement, is not a documented Lillio feature. For US programs where subsidy revenue is 30–50% of total income, managing that process outside the platform means spreadsheets, manual entry, and significant director time.
Hidden costs to factor in
The per-child pricing model scales with enrollment. A center with 40 children pays more than one with 20. Without a published US rate, you won’t know how much more until you’ve completed the sales call. Implementation fees may also apply: onboarding support is typically negotiated as part of the contract.
Annual contracts are standard for US customers. If you sign in January and the platform doesn’t work for your audit in March, you’re still paying through December.
How PebbleDesk compares
PebbleDesk publishes pricing: Home at $20/month for in-home daycares and small programs up to 15 children, Center at $50/month for licensed centers up to 75 children that need subsidy reconciliation and audit-ready reports. No sales call required to know if it fits your budget.
The reporting layer is built for US state licensing auditors, not parents. Attendance records export in the format inspectors look for. Staff-to-child ratio tracking is automated with alerts, not a manual log you maintain alongside the software. CCDF and DHS voucher billing is a workflow inside the platform, not a spreadsheet you run separately.
Both platforms handle parent communication. The difference is what gets prioritized when the two conflict: and for a director whose license depends on clean audit documentation, that priority matters.
If you’re evaluating Lillio, ask their sales team specifically: what does a state licensing audit report look like from your system, and how does CCDF subsidy reconciliation work? The answers will tell you whether the platform was designed for your compliance environment or for something adjacent to it.
| Feature | Lillio | PebbleDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Published US pricing | No, contact sales | Yes, $20/$50/month |
| CCDF subsidy billing | Not a native feature | Included in Center plan |
| State audit trail export | Parent-report format | Licensing-officer format |
| Staff-to-child ratio alerts | Manual tracking | Automated alerts |
| US state compliance updates | Not documented | Built for US licensing |
| Contract required | Typically yes | Month-to-month |
Source: Lillio company history
Source: Office of Child Care, HHS
Q&A
How much does Lillio cost for a US childcare center?
Lillio does not publish US pricing. You must contact their sales team to get a quote. Pricing is typically per-child per-month, but the exact rate depends on center size and the features negotiated. Canadian centers can find published pricing on the Lillio website; US customers go through a sales process.
Q&A
Does Lillio support CCDF subsidy billing?
CCDF subsidy reconciliation is not a documented native feature in Lillio. Directors billing subsidy agencies for CCDF vouchers typically handle that process outside the platform: tracking attendance separately and manually submitting to state agencies. This is a significant gap for US programs that rely on subsidy reimbursements for a substantial share of their revenue.
Q&A
Is Lillio built for US state licensing compliance?
Lillio was designed for the Canadian childcare reporting environment. Its reporting output is formatted for parent communication, not for US state licensing auditors. US directors who face licensing inspections may need to reformat or supplement Lillio's reports to meet state documentation requirements.
Q&A
What is Lillio's contract structure?
Lillio typically requires an annual contract for US customers, negotiated during the sales process. Month-to-month arrangements are not standard. Implementation fees may also apply depending on center size and the onboarding scope agreed during the sales conversation.
| Lillio | PebbleDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost (small center) | Contact sales (US); CAD pricing published for Canadian market | Center Starter from $99/mo, subsidy reconciliation included |
| Setup fee | Varies | $0 |
| Contract | Varies | Month-to-month |
| Subsidy reporting included | Add-on/Limited | Yes |
Frequently asked
Common questions before you try it
Why doesn't Lillio publish US pricing?
Can Lillio generate reports for a state licensing inspection?
How does Lillio compare to Brightwheel for US compliance?
What's the minimum Lillio plan for a licensed US daycare?
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