The software is free — all of it, for every school, forever. If your school accepts online payments, each one costs a flat five cents. That is the entire price list.
The software. Every feature. Every student. Forever.
Your fees are your call. Owl Train includes an optional, school-controlled tech platform fee: a disclosed amount your school may add to card payments, at whatever level you choose — family-balance payments are always exempt, parents see the exact amount before paying, and reporting keeps it separate from program revenue. Whether and how to use it is entirely your decision; the platform just makes it clean.
Platform and program fees only — your card processing lives with your own merchant account either way, so it appears on neither side of this math.
| Owl Train | Typical school-payments platforms | |
|---|---|---|
| Software fee | $0 — forever | $50 – $300 / month, or “free” with the fees below |
| Program fee on each payment | 5¢ flat | $2.50 – $3.25 charged to your families, every payment |
| Per-student or per-feature charges | None | Per-student annual fees; forms and check-in as paid add-ons |
| Permission slips, forms & readiness | Included | Separate product or higher tier |
| After-care check-in with drop-in billing | Included | Rarely offered |
| Who controls fees to families | Your school — disclosed, balance always exempt | The platform — fixed, unavoidable |
| Contract | None — leave anytime with a full export | Annual agreements common |
Incumbent figures reflect published program-fee and list pricing across leading school-payments platforms as of 2026. Your numbers may differ — which is exactly what the calculator above is for.