Bloomily vs. Cognito Forms

Cognito Forms in its own words

Cognito Forms says it helps you build online forms, "collect data, and automate your business workflow," with "docs, file uploads, signatures, and approvals" (Cognito Forms). Its summer camp template lets you "register multiple students on the same form using repeating sections, offer earlybird discounts and more" (camp template). Its field trip template collects signed permission slips and routes notifications "to the appropriate teachers and staff" (field trip template). Its education templates include a summer school registration form (education templates).

Payments get their own product page. Cognito Forms says it lets you "collect unlimited payments on every plan level." It names card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, Stripe, PayPal, Square and more. You can "capture a card on file and set up subscriptions with the payment provider." It now offers its own card processing, too, called Cognito Pay (Cognito Forms payments). Its pricing page lists a free Individual plan with 100 entries a month, and electronic signatures on the Pro plan (Cognito Forms pricing).

Where Bloomily fits a camp, preschool or aftercare program better

Cognito Forms collects payments through its forms. In Bloomily, each family also has one autopay, one statement and one history, however many children it has (Bloomily billing).

Places that fill, and the next family in line. For camps, families register from your camp's own page and pay a deposit. Each week has its own capacity, and the next family on the waiting list gets any place that opens (Bloomily for camps). A family picks exactly the weeks it wants (Bloomily camp registration). For preschools and aftercare, one enrollment pipeline holds offers, forms and waitlists, and waitlists promote the next family (Bloomily enrollment).

Money that comes in on schedule. Families pay by card or bank transfer, and the money goes to your own Stripe account (Bloomily payments). For camps, deposits come in at registration and the balance bill is made for you (Bloomily for camps). For preschools and aftercare, tuition bills on your charge day (Bloomily for preschools). When a payment fails, the family is asked to update their card and the payment retries (Bloomily billing features).

Check-in, pickups and who went home. Families check in at a tablet by the door with the last 4 digits of their phone, then a PIN (Bloomily check-in). Parents add pickup people, each with their own PIN, and the office sees each one and can remove them. In aftercare, attendance shows who arrived, who went home and who picked them up (Bloomily for aftercare). For camps, counselors check campers in and out from the staff app on iPhone (Bloomily camp registration).

Families who hear from you. Messages arrive translated into each parent's language, and broadcasts go out by push and email (Bloomily communication). Families get a notice when their child is checked in or out. In the parent app, they view invoices, pay and set up autopay (Bloomily parent app).

When Cognito Forms is enough

Cognito Forms fits well when the job is a form with a signature or a fee. Field trip permission slips, a staff form, a one-off event or a short summer school sign-up are good examples. If your camp runs one short session for a few families, a template with repeating sections and a payment may cover it.

You may have outgrown it when:

• You build a new form for every week or session, then add up entries to see who is in.
• Deposits arrive with the entry, and balances are chased by email later.
• The morning roster is printed from entries and updated by hand.
• Families ask where to see what they owe and what they signed.

If you stay on Cognito Forms, check your plan's monthly entries against your busiest registration month. Its pricing page also offers discounted rates to tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations that are non-educational and non-governmental. That may matter to a nonprofit camp (Cognito Forms pricing).

Moving from Cognito Forms to Bloomily

Bring the list you keep today, as it is. AI help does the reading. That can be a spreadsheet, another system's export, a PDF or a photo of a paper list. Nothing saves until you approve it.

When you are ready, send each family one invite. Their child is already on their account. Keep your old system running beside Bloomily as long as you like (Switching to Bloomily).

Questions to ask before you choose

• How does a camp week close at capacity, and how is the place offered to the next family?
• How does a deposit taken at registration lead to automatic charges for the balance?
• How does a counselor or teacher check children in and out, and record who picked them up?
• How does the office see a roster by week, age group or classroom across many entries?
• How do staff send messages to the families of one group or room?
• What does a family see after registering: balance, upcoming charges and signed forms?

Which one fits your program

Keep Cognito Forms for permission slips, staff forms and one-off sign-ups. Choose Bloomily when places, balances, check-in and family messages need to stay tied to each child across a season or a school year. See Bloomily for camps, preschools and aftercare, with pricing for camps, preschools and aftercare.