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In brief:
The fundamental difference: bundles vs. building blocks
- eyworks is the only modern, all-in-one nursery management software that lets you adopt individual modules like finance, observations, recruitment, and HR, as you need them. While available independently, each module is deeply integrated with other components in the eyworks ecosystem, making growth seamless if you decide to adopt another module later.
- Every other solution, including Famly, requires you to buy bundled packages that often include features you don’t need.
- This isn’t just about cost (though eyworks is very competently priced). It’s about implementation friction. With a traditional all-in-one software, you’re forced to replace your entire tech stack at once. With eyworks, you can adopt each module individually to shorten the learning curve and minimise disruption.
A quick note on this comparison
Our intent with this comparison is simple: clarity. We understand that researching software can be overwhelming, and marketing-speak can sometimes muddy the nuances of how a system actually impacts your daily operations.
This Famly vs. eyworks comparison guide is written as accurately as possible to help you choose the right nursery management software for your setting. All information is drawn from verifiable, publicly available sources. We have avoided subjective elements such as UI design preferences, personal user testimonials, and unverified claims to keep this as unbiased as possible.
The core difference in all-in-one software
A common misconception in the market is that “all-in-one” always means the same thing. That’s not true. There are two ways to approach the all-in-one offering.
- The traditional bundled approach,where you pay for everything, regardless of what you need.
- The grow-with-you approach, where you can adopt individual software modules (such as invoices, HR, and observations) within the all-in-one offering.
Famly follows the traditional all-in-one model
eyworks follows the grow‑with‑you model
If you need all features, you can sign up for all modules at once. You get the power of an all-in-one nursery management software, without the unnecessary extras or the pressure of a forced upgrade. You can read more about our product philosophy here.
The core difference in all-in-one software
Now let’s move from theory into practice by exploring how each platform’s approach supports you or restricts you.
1. True cost of pricing tiers
When comparing costs, you can’t just look at the starting price. You have to look at where the essential features you need are tucked away. A lower starting price is often a “cliff edge” that forces you to upgrade later. Here are two scenarios where differences in pricing architecture affect your budget.
Scenario one: Need accident forms or medication forms
You run a small setting. You want digital accident forms to track bumps and scrapes and to inform the parents about the incident, and for Ofsted compliance.
- With Famly: Digital accident and medication forms are excluded from their entry-level Foundation plan (£79 monthly and annually). To get them, you must upgrade to the Premium tier (£169 monthly or £149 annually).
- With eyworks: We believe safeguarding is a right, not a luxury. Digital accident reporting is included as standard in our eylog module. As with all our products, you get access to all the features. You don’t pay extra to keep children safe.
| Feature | Famly | eyworks |
|---|---|---|
| Digital accident forms | ✖ Gated behind Premium tier | ✔ Standard in eylog module |
| Digital medication forms | ✖ Gated behind Premium tier | ✔ Standard in eylog module |
| Minimum tier required | Premium – £169 / month | ✔ Included in standard price |
| The result | Upgrade required for safeguarding | ✔ No upgrade needed |
Scenario two: Need Rota management
You need to digitally manage staff rotas to ensure you are meeting ratios efficiently.
- With Famly: Staff rotas and ratio management tools are often gated behind their highest “Professional” tier (£219/mo). If you’re on a lower tier, you’re still doing your rotas in a spreadsheet despite paying a monthly fee.
- With eyworks: Full rota functionality and ratio management are included within our eymanage module. We don’t ask you to upgrade your entire contract just to know who is working next Tuesday.
| Feature | Famly | eyworks |
|---|---|---|
| Staff rotas | ✖ Gated behind Professional tier | ✔ Standard in eymanage module |
| Ratio management | ✖ Gated behind Professional tier | ✔ Standard in eymanage module |
| Minimum tier required | Professional – £219 / month | ✔ Included in standard price |
| The result | Upgrade required for scheduling | No upgrade needed |
2. Recruitment: managing staff vs. finding staff
Recruitment is currently the sector’s biggest challenge. Most nursery management software focuses on managing the staff you have and completely ignores finding them. We focus on finding the right staff you need.
- The Famly approach: Famly doesn’t have a recruitment solution. You’ll need to rely on an external ATS to fill this gap. The disadvantage is that most recruitment solutions are expensive and not built for the early years sector.
- The eyworks approach: We know you can’t manage staff you haven’t hired yet. That is why we built eyrecruit, the dedicated applicant tracking system for the early years sector. It automates job postings across multiple job boards, including Indeed, GOV.UK, and more. It gives you a clear pipeline view of candidates, email automation, robust analytics, and a streamlined onboarding workflow, to name a few features.
| Feature | Famly | eyworks |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in recruitment solution | ✖ Requires an external ATS | ✔ eyrecruit is custom built for early years |
| Suitability for early years | Generic recruitment tools | Designed specifically for the early years sector |
| Job posting automation | ✖ Not available | ✔ Posts to multiple boards (Indeed, GOV.UK & more) |
| Candidate pipeline visibility | ✖ Depends on third-party tools | ✔ Clear, visual pipeline |
| Email and communication automation | ✖ External system required | ✔ Built-in automation |
| Recruitment analytics | ✖ External reporting | ✔ Integrated analytics |
| Onboarding workflow | Disconnected from hiring | Seamless transition from hire to onboarding |
| Primary focus | Managing existing staff | Finding and building the right team |
| Overall impact |
Recruitment handled separately Additional cost & complexity | Recruitment fully integrated into nursery operations |
The Result: You don’t just manage your team; you build it.
3. Hr features: basic profiles vs. proactive people management
HR in the early years sector is complex and very different from other sectors. Most generic HR software doesn’t have early years-specific features like DBS management, certificate uploads, and compliance and audit reports for Ofsted or internal checks.
The Famly approach: Famly offers basic HR tools, such as staff profiles and simple flags for whether staff have first aid training, but lacks advanced features like certificate uploads and robust reporting on this data. It primarily functions as a staff directory, often forcing you to use manual spreadsheets to report on critical information.
The eyworks approach: eypeople is built to handle the complex realities of nursery HR. It allows you to upload certificates and report on them. Since eyworks was built for the early years, it includes most of the features you’d want from nursery HR software. To name a few, you can:
- Store and report on certificates and qualifications in one secure place.
- Automatically handle complex contract entitlements, such as pro rata calculations for new starters, length of service holiday increases, and seamless updates when contracts change (for example, from full-time to part-time).
- Easily manage TOIL and overtime.
- Tag staff as in ratio, in training or agency to make it easier to reconcile agency invoices with actual hours worked.
The result: You move from basic people profiles to proactive people management.
| Aspect | Famly | eyworks |
|---|---|---|
| Core HR focus | Basic staff records | Proactive people management |
| Designed for early years HR | ✖ Generic HR features | ✔ Built specifically for early years |
| Staff profiles | Basic profiles | Comprehensive people records |
| DBS & compliance tracking | Limited flags only | ✔ Full tracking and reporting |
| Certificate & qualification uploads | ✖ Not supported | ✔ Secure uploads and reporting |
| Advanced reporting on staff development | ✖ Basic reporting | ✔ Advanced built-in reporting |
| Staff status tagging (in ratio / training / agency) | ✖ Not available | ✔ Easy tagging for accurate reconciliation |
| Operational impact | Acts as a staff directory | Full HR system designed for nursery operations |
Real-world scenarios as examples
Scenario A: the boutique setting (20 Children)
| Feature need | Famly (Foundation) | Famly (Premium) | eyworks (Modular) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance & invoicing | Included | Included | Included (eymanage) |
| Observations | Included | Included | Included (eylog) |
| Accident forms |
✖ Excluded (Paper required) | ✔ Included | ✔ Included (eylog) |
| Estimated annual cost | £948.00 | £1,788.00 |
~£484.00 (eymanage + eylog) |
| The result | You pay a higher flat rate and still miss out on digital accident and medication forms. | You pay £1,788.00 to access all features. | You save 73% compared to Famly Premium and still get access to all the features you need. |
Scenario B: the growing setting (60 Children)
| Feature need | Famly (Premium) | eyworks (Modular) |
|---|---|---|
| Reason for choice | Must choose Premium to unlock accident forms. | No features are gated in the relevant modules. |
| Safeguarding | Included | Included |
| Recruitment |
✖ None (Manual process) |
✔ Available (Add eyrecruit) |
| Enquiries | ✔ Available |
✔ Available (Add eyenquiries) |
| Estimated annual cost | £1,788 |
£1,332 (eyenquiries + eymanage + eylog + eyrecruit) |
| The result | You are forced to double your spending just to access accident forms. | You save 25% and only pay for the active children in your setting. |
Note: eyworks pricing is dynamic based on your specific numbers. These figures are estimates intended to illustrate the architectural differences.
Scenario C: the busy manager (staffing focus)
| Component | Famly (Professional) | eyworks (Full Suite) |
|---|---|---|
| Base software | £2,388 annually |
£2,292 annually (Full suite) |
| Reason for tier | Must pick Professional to get staff rotas. | Rotas are standard in eymanage. |
| Recruitment |
✖ £0 (Requires external spend) |
✔ Included (eyrecruit) |
| External ATS cost |
+£250 annually (Estimated third-party ATS) | Included above |
| 12-month total |
£2,638.00 (Software + external ATS) | ~£2,292.00 |
| Outcome | Disjointed & expensive | 13% savings with a fully integrated workflow |
At a glance: the full comparison
| Feature | Famly | eyworks |
|---|---|---|
| Platform architecture |
Traditional all-in-one approach Good if you need all features and fit a specific tier. You either use everything or pay for features you don’t. |
Modern grow-with-you all-in-one Adopt only the modules you need, when you need them. No paying for unused features. |
| Recruitment |
Basic HR Manages existing staff files only. |
Early years–specific solution Full ATS to find, track, hire staff and manage profiles (eyrecruit + eypeople). |
| Rotas & staffing |
Gated Requires upgrade to Professional tier (£2,388 annually). |
Included Full rota functionality included in eymanage (£264–£880 annually). |
| Implementation |
Rip-and-replace High disruption; everything changes at once. |
Phased Low friction rollout — migrate one department at a time (e.g. Recruitment first, Finance later). |
| Finance |
Integrated Standard invoicing included. Advanced debt reporting gated to Premium (£1,788 annually). |
Robust Built for complex funding models and deep reporting. Full functionality included with eymanage. |
The final verdict: which is right for you?
Famly is a good choice if:
eyworks is the better choice if:
- You want minimal disruption and learning curve: You want a system that fits around how your team already works, so you’re not asking staff to unlearn familiar processes. You can introduce new modules when you’re ready, keep what’s working, and get everyone up to speed quickly without weeks of retraining or a painful switch-over.
- You refuse to pay for what you don’t use: You want the power of an all-in-one nursery management solution, but don’t want to be forced into an expensive tier just to access basic functionalities like accident forms or rota features.
- You want a recruitment solution custom-made for early years: eyrecruit is (at the time of writing this buying guide) the only dedicated early years recruitment solution.
- You want a modern, flexible solution: You want a nursery management software that adapts to your setting, not the other way around.
Read other nursery management software comparisons.
Curious if eyworks can work for your setting?
Let us show you exactly what a grow-with-you package looks like for your specific numbers.