# Free Montessori school software, and the cheapest paid options

Source: https://www.futurenerds.dev/compare/free-montessori-school-software
Last updated: 2026-10-14

FutureNerds is free Montessori school software for your first 10 students, with no time limit and no credit card to sign up. Montessori Compass offers a 30-day free trial. Transparent Classroom and Storypark offer trials with no stated length. Storypark is free for families.

## Free tiers and free trials

A free tier lets you use the product for as long as you stay under its limit. A free trial ends after a set time, and then you pay or leave.

| Product | Free tier | Free trial |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FutureNerds | Yes, first 10 children, no time limit | Not needed |
| Montessori Compass | No | 30 days, no credit card |
| Transparent Classroom | No | "Request Trial" link, length not stated |
| Storypark | Free for families only | Trial link, length not stated |
| MRX | No | A 3-month money-back guarantee instead |
| brightwheel | Not shown | Not shown, pricing is a quote form |
| Procare | Not shown | Procare does not show a price we could check |

Sources for each row: [Montessori Compass pricing](https://www.montessoricompass.com/pricing), [Transparent Classroom pricing](https://www.transparentclassroom.com/pricing), [Storypark pricing](https://www.storypark.com/pricing), [MRX home page](https://www.montessorirecordsxpress.com/), [brightwheel pricing](https://mybrightwheel.com/pricing/).

## What FutureNerds includes for free

FutureNerds charges by the number of active children. A school with 10 or fewer pays nothing, and that includes:

- Montessori curriculum seeded from AMS or AMI, with four mastery levels (not yet presented, presented, practicing, mastered)
- Observations, lesson planning by morning and afternoon work period, and the progress grid
- Attendance, toddler daily records and an end-of-day summary for parents
- Messages, posts and announcements, with apps for iPhone, iPad and Android
- Invoices and online payments through your own Stripe account
- An online application form with a waitlist

Signing up asks for your email address and no credit card. If families pay invoices online through FutureNerds, standard Stripe fees plus 1% apply to those payments, even on the free tier.

## What "free" usually leaves out

When you compare free and cheap options, check these five things:

1. **Billing.** Some record keepers send billing to a separate product. Transparent Classroom handles tuition through a [partnership with Onespot](https://transparent-classroom.helpscoutdocs.com/article/452-onespot-transparent-classroom-partnership). Montessori Compass puts tuition and payments in the [Growth Suite, which is not part of a standard subscription](https://help.montessoricompass.com/support/solutions/articles/68000007978-does-the-growth-suite-handle-tuition-and-payment-collection-).
2. **Admissions.** Montessori Compass [admissions are also in the Growth Suite](https://help.montessoricompass.com/support/solutions/articles/68000007968-does-the-growth-suite-handle-admissions-).
3. **Add-ons.** Storypark's AI writing tool, Storypark Assist, is [an add-on bought on top of the per-child price](http://help.storypark.com/en/articles/10137042-educators-storypark-assist).
4. **Onboarding.** Montessori Compass offers [do-it-yourself onboarding for $0, or done-for-you onboarding for $995 or $2,995](https://www.montessoricompass.com/pricing).
5. **Payment fees.** Every product that takes card or bank payments charges processing fees. brightwheel says it has [two service fees, one for cards and one for ACH](https://mybrightwheel.com/billing), without listing the amounts.

## Cost table at 25, 40 and 80 children

Prices below were checked October 14, 2026. Each figure is a month, at the published per-child price. MRX assumes one classroom at 25 children, two at 40 and three at 80, divided over 12 months. Payment processing fees are separate for everyone.

| Product | 25 children | 40 children | 80 children |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FutureNerds | $7.50 | $15.00 | $35.00 |
| Storypark documentation plan | $39.75 | $63.60 | $127.20 |
| Montessori Compass, annual ($18 per year) | $37.50 | $60.00 | $120.00 |
| Montessori Compass, monthly ($2.00) | $50.00 | $80.00 | $160.00 |
| Transparent Classroom ($2.50) | $62.50 | $100.00 | $200.00 |
| MRX ($325 per classroom per year) | $27.08 | $54.17 | $81.25 |

How the FutureNerds column works: the first 10 children are free, so 25 children is (25 - 10) x $0.50 = $7.50, 40 children is (40 - 10) x $0.50 = $15, and 80 children is (80 - 10) x $0.50 = $35. The others multiply the child count by the price: 40 x $2.50 = $100 for Transparent Classroom, and 40 x $1.59 = $63.60 for Storypark.

The products cover different things. Billing and admissions are included in FutureNerds. In Montessori Compass they need the Growth Suite at [$6.00 per student per month or $48 per year](https://www.montessoricompass.com/pricing). Transparent Classroom [charges only for children enrolled the previous month](https://www.transparentclassroom.com/pricing), so a summer with no children costs nothing there.

## How to pick a free or low-cost option

1. Count your active children today and at your busiest month.
2. If you have 10 or fewer, start on the FutureNerds free tier and use it for real records.
3. If you have more, price each option at your real count with the table above.
4. Add the cost of any add-on you need for billing, admissions or onboarding.
5. Start the trial you are most likely to keep, and enter one week of real observations.
6. Before you commit, export your data once to see what you get back.

## Related pages

- [Best Montessori school software](/compare/best-montessori-school-software)
- [Montessori school software pricing](/compare/montessori-school-software-pricing)
- [Is FutureNerds worth it?](/compare/is-futurenerds-worth-it)
- [Pricing](/pricing)
- [Starting a Montessori school](/guides/start-a-montessori-school)
- [Setting next year's tuition at a small school](/blog/setting-tuition)

## Questions and answers

### Is there free Montessori school software?

Yes. FutureNerds is free for your first 10 students with no time limit. Montessori Compass, Transparent Classroom and Storypark offer trials instead of a free tier.

### Does the FutureNerds free tier include billing?

Yes. FutureNerds charges by the number of children, so a school with 10 or fewer children can send invoices and take payments at no monthly cost. Standard Stripe fees plus 1% apply to payments families make through it.

### Do I need a credit card to try FutureNerds?

No. Signing up for FutureNerds asks for your email address and no card.

### What is the cheapest Montessori school software?

Of the products with published prices, FutureNerds costs the least at every size in the table above. At 40 children it is $15 a month.

### Is Storypark free?

Storypark is free for families. Schools pay from $1.59 USD per child per month for the documentation plan.

## Sources

All pages checked October 14, 2026.

- https://www.montessoricompass.com/pricing
- https://help.montessoricompass.com/support/solutions/articles/68000007978-does-the-growth-suite-handle-tuition-and-payment-collection-
- https://help.montessoricompass.com/support/solutions/articles/68000007968-does-the-growth-suite-handle-admissions-
- https://www.transparentclassroom.com/pricing
- https://transparent-classroom.helpscoutdocs.com/article/452-onespot-transparent-classroom-partnership
- https://www.storypark.com/pricing
- http://help.storypark.com/en/articles/10137042-educators-storypark-assist
- https://www.montessorirecordsxpress.com/
- https://mybrightwheel.com/pricing/
- https://mybrightwheel.com/billing