Tadpoles alternative
BackPR vs Tadpoles
Tadpoles, from Teaching Strategies, is childcare center software for daily reports, family messaging, attendance and tuition billing. Its pricing page lists $2.25 per active child per month and no nonprofit pricing; Family Billing costs 2.8% + $0.30 per US card payment. BackPR is free for nonprofits and lets families register in English or Spanish.
At a glance
BackPR and Tadpoles, side by side
| Term | BackPR | Tadpoles |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Youth and community programs: camps, after-school, childcare, classes, sports, schools and churches. | Child care centers and early childhood programs: daily reports, family messaging, attendance and classroom ratios, enrollment tracking and tuition billing, connected to Teaching Strategies' GOLD assessment. |
| Cost for nonprofits | $0 to BackPR: no subscription and no BackPR fees. Stripe's processing fees still apply. | No published nonprofit pricing. |
| Pricing | Nonprofits: $0. Other organizations: custom quote. | $2.25 per active child per month, with no per-user fees, on its pricing page. New accounts are set up through Teaching Strategies' sales team. |
| Fees added to what families pay | None from BackPR. | No Tadpoles fees for families are published. Processing fees can't be passed to families automatically; programs that want families to cover them add a fee to each billing plan by hand. |
| Payment fees | Stripe's standard processing rates. For nonprofits, BackPR adds nothing on top. | Family Billing adds nothing to the subscription. Payments run through BlueSnap: 2.8% + $0.30 per US card payment (debit included), 3.9% + $0.30 for international cards and 0.5% + $0.30 per ACH payment, plus $2 per payout and $15 per chargeback or ACH reversal, taken out before deposit. |
| Contract | No long-term contract. Cancel anytime with no exit fees. | Set in each order. Teaching Strategies' subscription agreement, which covers Tadpoles, bills fees yearly in advance unless the order says otherwise. Fees are nonrefundable, and renewal needs written agreement from both sides. The older Tadpoles terms on tadpoles.com let you cancel anytime, with fees owed through the current period. |
| Onboarding and data import | Free, including data import. | Fees not published. Admins can import child profiles from a spreadsheet, including exports from Procare, CCM or SchoolLeader, and training videos cover the teacher app and director dashboard. |
| Spanish for families | Yes. | The Tadpoles Parent app has a preferred-language setting for the app and its activity playlist; the help center doesn't list which languages. Some family help guides are offered in Spanish. |
Tadpoles details are from Tadpoles's public website and terms, checked October 19, 2026. Products and prices change, so check Tadpoles pricing, Tadpoles at Teaching Strategies, Tadpoles help: Family Billing fees, Teaching Strategies subscription agreement, Tadpoles terms of service, Tadpoles help: Parent app and Tadpoles help: importing child profiles for current details.
The difference
Where BackPR is different
Free for nonprofits
Nonprofits pay nothing to BackPR. Tadpoles' pricing page lists $2.25 per active child per month, and it publishes no nonprofit pricing.
Pass on processing with one setting
With BackPR, you choose whether to absorb card processing fees or pass them on to families as a clearly labeled convenience fee. Tadpoles says its processing fees can't be passed on automatically; programs add a fee to each billing plan by hand.
No yearly prepayment
BackPR has no long-term contract, so you can cancel anytime. Teaching Strategies' subscription agreement, which covers Tadpoles, bills fees yearly in advance unless the order says otherwise, and fees are nonrefundable.
Registration in English and Spanish
Families can register in English or Spanish. Tadpoles' parent app has a preferred-language setting, but its help center doesn't list the languages.
In fairness
What Tadpoles does well
Tadpoles is built around the classroom day: teachers send daily reports with photos and videos from an app that works offline, directors see classroom counts and ratios in real time, and families leave drop-off notes, complete health screenings and message teachers in the parent app. It connects to Teaching Strategies' GOLD assessment, and Family Billing adds nothing to the subscription.
Switching
Moving from Tadpoles is free
Send us an export of your families, participants and programs and we'll set up your BackPR account with them. There's no setup fee and no long-term contract.
How switching worksFAQ
Questions, answered
Can BackPR import our data from Tadpoles?
Yes, for free. Send us an export from Tadpoles or any spreadsheet, and we'll set up your families, participants and programs in BackPR.
Can BackPR pass card processing fees on to families?
Yes, if you choose. You can absorb card processing fees or pass them on to families as a clearly labeled convenience fee. BackPR never adds its own fee to what families pay.
Other comparisons
Tadpoles is a trademark of its owner. BackPR is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tadpoles.
Open registration
with BackPR
Free for nonprofits. No long-term contract. We set you up and import your data at no cost.