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PikMyKid Alternatives: How School Dismissal Tools Compare in 2026
PickupRoster publishes this page, and our product is one of the options below. We describe every tool from its own public pages or a cited third-party listing, and we note what each one does well.
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What changed with PikMyKid
- April 7, 2026: school-safety company CENTEGIX announced it had acquired PikMyKid (styled "Pikmykid") and said it would begin integrating PikMyKid's capabilities into the CENTEGIX Safety Platform right away.
- October 7, 2026: CENTEGIX brought PikMyKid under the CENTEGIX brand, with dismissal offered as part of its expanded Safety Platform alongside visitor management, attendance, digital hall passes, school messaging, wearable staff alerts and reunification. The dismissal product now appears on CENTEGIX's site as CENTEGIX Dismissal.
- For current customers: PikMyKid's FAQ says there will be "no immediate changes" to pricing or contract terms during the transition.
A change like this is a natural time to review your options. This page sets out what PikMyKid offers and how the alternatives compare, so you can pick what fits your school.
What PikMyKid offers
- Three dismissal packages. PikMyKid's comparison page lists Free Car Line, Dismissal Lite and Dismissal Full.
- Free Car Line: a web-based school portal, manual student entry, 5 free staff users, a daily dismissal report by email, and ongoing staff support.
- Dismissal Lite: adds roster upload or SIS integration, unlimited staff users, customized reports with an audit trail, car line queueing, car tag management and printing, and bus, after-school and walker/bike check-in and release.
- Dismissal Full: adds the parent app, car line queue automation, unlimited parent messaging, real-time parent pickup changes, dismissal notifications, a carpool module and emergency parent/child reunification.
- Free for parents. The parent app is free for families.
- A wider safety suite. PikMyKid also offers a digital hall pass and visitor management.
- Pricing. Paid packages are quoted: PikMyKid sends a cost estimate after a consultation. GetApp lists a starting price of $3,750 per year and notes a free version. That figure comes from GetApp, not from a PikMyKid price list.
Who PikMyKid suits best: schools and districts that want dismissal, reunification, visitor management and emergency response from one safety vendor.
Why schools look at alternatives
- They want to see the price before a demo.
- They want a focused dismissal tool rather than a full safety suite.
- They're reviewing vendors after the acquisition.
- They want a live board that classrooms and hallways can see, not only a staff app.
Comparison table
| PickupRoster | PikMyKid (CENTEGIX) | QManager | Schoolhouse Driveline | Carline Hound | PickUp Patrol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published price | Car Line $150/mo or $1,440/yr; Campus $500/mo or $4,800/yr; District custom (per school) | Free Car Line tier; paid tiers by quote (GetApp lists from $3,750/yr) | From $995 for year 1, usually $1,295 | $748 year 1 (includes trial), then $935/yr per campus | $33/mo or $299/yr per school | Quote ("tailored to your school size") |
| Free trial | 30 days, no credit card | Free tier | 30 days, no credit card | 60 days, no payment info | 30 days | 60 days |
| Live display for classrooms/halls | Yes, any browser screen | — | Staff view on iPad or browser | Yes, classroom smartboards, projectors or any browser | Yes, a large display monitor in the assembly area | Car line dispatcher notifies classrooms |
| Parent/family access | Staff viewer via PIN or magic link on all plans; parent & family viewer app on Campus and District | Parent app (Dismissal Full) | Parent app (geofence check-in) | None, by design | None (staff only) | Parent portal and free parent app |
| Hardware required | No. Optional RFID vehicle-tag auto-arrival add-on (Campus/District) | — | No (parents' phones) | No | No | — |
| Drills / emergencies | 12 starter drill templates, live roll, after-action report; drill replay on Campus | Emergency parent/child reunification; CENTEGIX emergency tools | — | — | — | — |
| Languages | English and Spanish | — | — | — | — | — |
| Roster / SIS | CSV/XLSX import, with guides for PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward, Blackbaud | Roster upload or SIS integration (Lite/Full) | Family import or SIS sync (Veracross, Blackbaud, GG4L) | — | — | SIS integration |
— means we couldn't confirm it on the vendor's public pages on October 18, 2026. Prices and terms change, so check each vendor before you buy.
The alternatives, briefly
- PickupRoster: a live, browser-based pickup board with published pricing.
- Each school gets its own address (yourslug.pickuproster.com). Staff call cars from a phone or tablet, and every classroom, hallway and staff screen updates at the same moment.
- Viewer PINs and magic links are limited to your school and lock after failed attempts. English and Spanish come with every plan.
- Drill tools sit on the same system: 12 starter templates (fire evacuation, lockdown, severe weather and more) with a live roll and an after-action report.
- 30-day free trial with no credit card, plus two free 30-minute intro calls to set up the system.
- Consider another option if you need one vendor for visitor management, hall passes and emergency alerting.
- QManager: automatic parent check-in by geofence.
- Parents' phones share their arrival when they enter the school's geofence, and staff see cars in order on an iPad or browser.
- Plans start at $995 for the first year (usually $1,295), with a 30-day trial and no credit card. Serving schools since 2011.
- Works best when families use the parent app.
- Schoolhouse Driveline: a simple, staff-only classroom display.
- Staff enter Family ID numbers from car placards, and student names show on classroom smartboards, projectors or any browser, with up to nine color-coded pickup locations.
- $748 for the first year (including a 60-day free trial), then $935 a year per campus. No parent app, by design.
- Carline Hound: a low-cost staff queue.
- A line walker enters hang-tag numbers on a phone app, and a large display shows the list for the assembly area.
- $33 a month or $299 a year per school, with a 30-day free trial. Not intended for parents.
- PickUp Patrol: dismissal-plan changes that flow to the front office.
- Parents change dismissal plans in a parent portal on a phone, tablet or computer, and a car line dispatcher notifies classrooms.
- Pricing is tailored to school size, with no setup fees and a 60-day free trial.
- SchoolPass (Raptor Technologies): a full campus-operations suite. Raptor acquired SchoolPass in April 2023. It covers carline automation, attendance, visitor management and emergency tools, with optional license-plate recognition and RFID. See our SchoolPass vs PickupRoster comparison.
- Ruvna Dismissal: for independent schools.
- Weekly plans per student and multi-step plans (for example, an activity followed by car pickup), with an audit trail.
- Pricing is quoted (flat rate for smaller schools, per student for larger ones), and Ruvna does not offer trials.
For the wider field, see The Best School Dismissal Software in 2026.
Switching from PikMyKid to PickupRoster
- Export your roster from your SIS as CSV or XLSX, then import it. Re-importing updates existing students. → Importing student rosters from your SIS
- Set up pickup zones and lanes to match your current car line (by grade, exit or last name). → Configuring pickup zones and lane assignments
- Invite staff and assign roles. → Inviting staff and setting admin roles
- Use your two free intro calls to set up the system and flag anything you need built.
- Consider running the trial alongside your current process for a week before you switch over.
- On the Campus plan, dedicated migration and onboarding support is included.
In use today: a K-12 school in Maryland has used PickupRoster for over two years.
Frequently asked questions
Is PikMyKid still available after the CENTEGIX acquisition?
Yes. CENTEGIX acquired PikMyKid in April 2026 and, in October 2026, brought it under the CENTEGIX brand as part of its Safety Platform. PikMyKid's FAQ says there are no immediate changes to existing pricing or contract terms. Contact CENTEGIX for current details.
Does PikMyKid publish its prices?
PikMyKid offers a Free Car Line tier, and its paid packages are quoted after a consultation. GetApp lists a starting price of $3,750 per year; that's a third-party figure, not an official price list.
What does PickupRoster cost?
Per school: Car Line is $150 a month or $1,440 a year, and Campus is $500 a month or $4,800 a year. District pricing is custom. Paying annually saves 20%.
What's the difference between the Car Line and Campus plans?
Car Line covers up to 150 families, 400 students and 35 classrooms, with a teacher and staff viewer. Campus covers up to 300 families, 900 students and 80 classrooms, and adds the parent and family viewer app, reports and call history, drill replay, logo upload and a custom domain, dedicated migration and onboarding support, and priority support.
Do we need hardware for PickupRoster?
No. It runs in a web browser on the screens, tablets and phones you already have. RFID vehicle-tag auto-arrival is an optional add-on for Campus and District plans, priced per deployment.
Can we try PickupRoster first?
Yes. The free trial lasts 30 calendar days from signup, with no credit card. Every new school also gets two free 30-minute intro calls. If you don't add a payment method by the end of the trial, the site is suspended and you aren't charged.
See your dismissal on one live board
Book a short walkthrough of the live board, or compare plans.