CIRCLETIME vs HiMama
HiMama (recently rebranded as Lillio) is a polished daily-report and messaging app. But it stops there — no billing, no compliance, no marketing. Most centers end up paying HiMama plus a separate billing tool plus a marketing tool. CIRCLETIME is one platform for all of it.
CIRCLETIME from $89 flat/mo · HiMama $159 – $349/mo
Feature by feature.
HiMama nails parent updates. CIRCLETIME runs your whole center — including the parent updates.
Where HiMama is fine
- Beautifully designed daily-report flow — teachers like using it.
- Strong photo and milestone tracking.
- Generous free tier for very small in-home programs.
Why centers leave HiMama
- No real billing — you'll still need QuickBooks or a separate processor.
- No compliance, ratio, or state-reporting tools.
- No marketing, lead capture, or tour scheduling.
- Premium tiers add up fast once you need photos + billing + reports.
- Rebrand to Lillio created confusion — old links and integrations broke.
Switching from HiMama takes about a week.
Our migration importer reads HiMama CSV exports directly. No re-keying.
- 1Export HiMama children, parents, classrooms, and attendance (CSV).
- 2Run the CIRCLETIME Migration Importer — one upload, all fields mapped.
- 3Connect Stripe and import any active tuition plans.
- 4Send the parent invite — CIRCLETIME's daily report layout is intentionally familiar to ex-HiMama families.
- 5Run both for a week, then cancel HiMama.
"We loved HiMama for parent updates but were running QuickBooks, Mailchimp, and a website tool on the side. CIRCLETIME replaced all four and our parents didn't notice the daily reports got better."
Common questions about switching
Will the daily reports look as good as HiMama?+
Yes — and they're AI-assisted by default. Teachers tap a few tags and CIRCLETIME writes the parent-friendly summary in seconds.
Can I import HiMama / Lillio data?+
Yes. HiMama's web export covers children, families, and attendance. We import all three in one step.
What about photos and milestones I've already shared?+
Historical photos can be bulk-exported from HiMama and uploaded into the child timeline. Milestone tags re-map automatically.
Does CIRCLETIME do billing — for real?+
Yes. Stripe-powered autopay, invoicing, late fees, subsidy reconciliation, and parent payment portals are core features.
Is HiMama really called Lillio now?+
Yes, the company rebranded in 2024. We still call it HiMama in conversations with directors since it's the name they know.