Pigeonhole vs Cheqdin
Cheqdin is free for up to 5 children; its paid plans are £68 to £149 a month, excluding taxes, by number of children. Pigeonhole is from £4.13 a month, and £16.50 for 40 children, with every feature included.
£454.80 a year less than Cheqdin.
| Children | Pigeonhole, a year | Cheqdin, a year | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | £49.56 | £652.80 | £603.24 |
| 30 | £99 | £652.80 | £553.80 |
| 60 | £198 | £652.80 | £454.80 |
| 90 | £297 | £950.40 | £653.40 |
| 120 | £396 | £950.40 | £554.40 |
| 150 | £495 | £950.40 | £455.40 |
| 200 | £660 | £1,430.40 | £770.40 |
Cheqdin: Its monthly prices as shown to a UK visitor (free up to 5 children, £68 up to 75, £99 up to 150, £149 up to 275, excluding taxes) with the 20% it advertises off annual plans. A limited-time 45% off for new customers isn't drawn. Source
A year is twelve months of each provider's cheapest published plan at that size. All prices exclude VAT. One-off setup or training fees are left out of the chart and listed below. Checked 10 November 2026; prices change, so please check before deciding.
Where Pigeonhole stands out against Cheqdin
Learning journals included
Observations, learning journals and termly reviews are part of Pigeonhole, with AI write-ups.
Cheqdin: Its pricing page lists registrations, bookings, billing, a funding calculator, parent communication and staff clock-in. Source
No notice period
No automatic renewal and no notice period: cancel and get every whole month left back.
Cheqdin: Plans auto-renew, with a 60-day notice period on cancellation. Source
The price, line by line
| Cheqdin | Pigeonhole | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Cheqdin: Free up to 5 children; Starter £68 (up to 75), Grow £99 (up to 150) and Pro £149 (up to 275) a month, excluding taxes, with 20% off annual plans. Source | Pigeonhole: From £4.13 a month, set by the number of children; £16.50 a month for 40 children. Every feature in every size, billed annually, ex VAT. |
| Contract | Cheqdin: Its FAQ says you can cancel at any time; its cancellation policy says plans auto-renew and sets a 60-day notice period. Source | Pigeonhole: A year at a time, and it doesn't renew automatically. Cancel within 30 days for a full refund, or later for a refund of every whole month left. |
| Setup | Cheqdin: None stated; guided onboarding and training are listed under support. Source | Pigeonhole: No setup fee for standard onboarding. |
| Free trial | Cheqdin: A free plan for up to 5 children, no card needed. Source | Pigeonhole: 30 days with every feature switched on, no card needed. |
| What's included | Cheqdin: Payments through Stripe carry a 0.5% platform fee and GoCardless 1%, on top of the payment provider's own fees. Source | Pigeonhole: Everything: registers, learning journals, invoicing, council funding forms, custom forms, safeguarding, occupancy, the parent app and more, at every size. |
Cheqdin's details are from its own website, checked on 10 November 2026. Where it doesn't publish something, we've said so rather than guess. Prices change, so please check before deciding.
What every nursery gets with Pigeonhole
Everything, at every size
No modules and no add-ons. The register, learning journals, termly reviews, invoicing, council funding forms, custom forms, safeguarding and occupancy are in the one price, so the only thing that changes it is the number of children.
Council funding forms, done for you
Parents fill in and sign their council's funding declaration online, and you get a correctly completed form every term. If your council isn't set up yet, upload its form and we'll add it.
Invoices from the sessions children attend
Invoices are worked out from each child's sessions, funded hours and extras, then synced to Xero or QuickBooks.
A parent app with nothing to set up
Families get photos, the care diary, news, invoices and forms on iPhone or Android, with a Face ID or fingerprint lock. It already works for every family at your nursery.
Learning journals written faster
Staff capture a photo and a rough note or a voice note, and AI turns it into a written observation for a manager to approve.
Built for a shared room tablet
The staff app signs people in with a PIN, so a key person can do observations and termly reviews on the room's tablet in a quiet moment.
Where Cheqdin is strong
Cheqdin has a free plan for up to 5 children, integrates with Xero, Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal and Mailchimp, and also serves after-school clubs and wraparound care. Source
Moving from Cheqdin to Pigeonhole
Cheqdin's cancellation policy sets a 60-day notice period and charges renewals that fall within it, so give notice at least 60 days before your renewal date. Source
Start a free trial
30 days with every feature switched on, and no card. Run it alongside your current system until you're happy.
Bring your children and families across
Upload a spreadsheet or an export from your current system, and AI matches each column for you to check. Children come across with their parents, carers and emergency contacts; staff and funding forms import the same way.
Or copy records straight from your old system
The Pigeonhole Chrome extension reads a child's page in your current software and adds them to Pigeonhole, with no export needed.
Switch over between terms
Most nurseries move at the start of a term or month, so invoices and funding claims start cleanly in Pigeonhole.
“Pigeonhole has been the most intuitive and useful software I have used in my career in Early Years.”
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Try Pigeonhole beside Cheqdin
30 days with every feature, no card, and no setup fee. Run it alongside your current system until you're sure.