What Xplor does

Xplor Education is an Australian-headquartered vertical SaaS provider of childcare and early-childhood education management software, operating as a subsidiary of TSG Education (Transaction Services Group). The company serves more than 8,700 childcare services across Australia and New Zealand, making it the largest Child Care Management System (CCMS) platform in Australia as of early 2024. Its customer base spans single-centre SMB operators through to multi-hundred-centre enterprise operators including G8 Education (470+ centres, 58,000 children daily) and Catholic Early EdCare (130+ services).

The company's core product is an all-in-one cloud platform built on AWS infrastructure, organised around three audience-specific products: Office (administrative platform handling enrolments, attendance tracking, automated Child Care Subsidy submissions, invoicing, payments, and compliance reporting), Playground (educator platform for documentation, programming, learning observations, and National Quality Standards compliance), and Home (family mobile app for real-time updates, photos, messaging, bookings, and payments). Adjacent modules extend the platform — MyWaitlist (pre-enrolment), Xplor Pay (PCI DSS Level 1 payments gateway), Xplor Academy (training), Space (listings marketplace), SSO, and state-specific kindergarten funding tools for NSW, VIC, ACT, and QLD. The company also operates the legacy QikKids and Discover by Xplor brands within the same portfolio.

Xplor's business model is subscription-based SaaS with annual billing, quote-based pricing across multiple tiers, supplemented by transaction fees on Xplor Pay processing and usage-based SMS fees. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct enterprise field sales (large multi-centre operators) and inside sales for SMB operators, with marketing support from content, webinars, the annual Xplor Horizons conference, ECEC Conversations community events, and a dedicated Xplor Academy training hub. The company employs 161 staff across Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Auckland.

Name

Xplor

Legal name

Xplor Technologies

Website

https://ourxplor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Xplor Education is an Australian-headquartered vertical SaaS platform serving 8,700+ childcare services across Australia and New Zealand with cloud-based administration (Office), educator (Playground), and family (Home) products, operating as the largest CCMS in Australia and a subsidiary of TSG Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare Management Software

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Parent-Facing Home Learning & Family Engagement Apps (EDACANAK)

Keywords

• Childcare management software
• Early childhood education platform
• Childcare administration software
• Childcare subsidy automation
• Educator documentation platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription - Office/Childcare Management Platform: Subscription-based licensing of the Office childcare management platform to childcare service administrators, with multiple pricing tiers for individual services and multi-centre providers. Three pricing options are offered to meet needs of different services.
2. SaaS Subscription - Playground Educator Platform: Subscription licensing of the Playground educator platform, integrated with the Office ecosystem.
3. Home Family App: Family-facing app provided free to families as part of the overall ecosystem, driving family engagement and platform stickiness.
4. Xplor Pay - Payment Processing: Integrated payment gateway enabling digital payments, automated reminders, and debt collection for childcare fees. PCI DSS Level 1 compliant.
5. SMS Booster: SMS messaging feature for childcare services to communicate with families, charged at 10 cents + GST per SMS (160 characters).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Xplor Education sells a cloud-based, all-in-one childcare management SaaS platform built on AWS that integrates three core products — Office (administrator platform), Playground (educator platform), and Home (family mobile app) — into a single ecosystem. The platform automates Child Care Subsidy (CCS) submissions, enrolments, attendance, invoicing, payments, NQS-compliant educator documentation, and state-specific kindergarten funding compliance for childcare services across Australia and New Zealand.

Product overview

Xplor Education is a childcare management software provider operating a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core All-in-One Childcare Platform integrates three primary products: Office (administrative platform for childcare services), Playground (educator-facing documentation and compliance tool), and Home (family mobile app). The ecosystem is extended through supplementary modules including MyWaitlist (pre-enrolment), Xplor Pay (payments), Xplor Academy (training), Booking and Occupancy Management, and Single Sign-On. Additional specialized solutions address OSHC services, multi-centre providers, and kindergarten funding. The company also operates QikKids and Discover as sub-brands. The platform is built on AWS cloud infrastructure, serves over 8,700 services across Australia and New Zealand, and was awarded '2023 Most Improved CCMS' by The Sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Office: Cloud-based admin platform for childcare service administrators - handles enrolments, CCS submissions, attendance, billing and compliance.
• Playground
• Home
• MyWaitlist
• Xplor Pay
• Xplor Academy
• Space

Products and services

• Office Cloud-based administrative platform for childcare services, designed for centre administrators and directors. Handles enrolments, CCS submissions, attendance tracking, bookings, occupancy management, invoicing, payments, and government compliance reporting. Includes Australia's first automated CCS submission engine.
• Playground Educator-facing platform for early childhood educators that supports documentation of children's learning journeys, programming and planning, health event tracking, family communication via Posts and Messenger, and National Quality Standards (NQS) compliance.
• Home Family mobile app providing real-time updates, photos, videos, learning documentation, bookings, payments, digital sign-in/out, health tracking, incident record digital signatures, and direct messaging with educators. Available on iOS and Android.
• MyWaitlist Pre-enrolment and waitlist management application that automates lead capture and enquiry handling to maximise enrolment without adding admin burden for childcare centres.
• Xplor Pay Secure digital payment gateway providing flexible payment options for families, automated reminders, debt collection, and PCI DSS Level 1 compliant transaction processing via credit card and direct debit.
• All-in-One Childcare Platform Complete integrated suite combining Office (admin), Playground (educator), Home (family), MyWaitlist, and Xplor Pay into a single ecosystem designed to work seamlessly together.
• OSHC Solutions Specialised solutions for Outside School Hours Care services, including before school, after school, and vacation care programs with attendance tracking and OSHC-specific compliance features.
• Multi-centre Providers Centralised management solution for childcare providers operating multiple services, featuring Single Sign-On (SSO), consolidated reporting, and standardised operations across all centres.
• Kindergarten and Preschool Funding Support Tools for managing state-specific kindergarten and preschool funding programs including Start Strong (NSW), Free Kinder (VIC), Free Preschool (ACT), and Free Kinder (QLD), with automated government database submissions.
• Xplor Academy Centralised hub for onboarding, training, professional growth, learning paths, knowledge checks, and certifications for childcare staff using the Xplor Education platform.
• Space Listings platform designed to help childcare centres fill empty places and to help parents find available childcare services in their area.
• QikKids Acquired childcare management software brand now operated as part of Xplor Education's portfolio alongside the Xplor Education and Discover brands.

Quantifiable outcome

• Catholic Early EdCare (130+ services) saves up to 40 hours per month in administrative overhead
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability1 record

Feature13 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• G8 EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2020Three-year renewal deal with Australia's largest publicly-listed early childhood education provider (470+ centres across 21 brands, serving 58,000 children daily). G8 Education uses Xplor Office, Playground, Home, and Space platforms as their exclusive software provider since 2017.
• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXplor Education integrates with Xero for timesheet and financial accounting integration, enabling childcare services to sync Xplor Education payroll and timesheet data with their Xero accounting software. Distributed through Xero app marketplace.
• The Smith FamilyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable partnership to address educational disparities in the Australian community, supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• St. Andrews Lutheran CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership through Xplor's Space Cadets program, providing students from St. Andrews Lutheran College hands-on entrepreneurial experience.
• Australian Government - State Departments of Education (NSW, VIC, ACT, QLD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXplor Education maintains regular meetings with state Departments of Education in VIC, NSW, ACT, and QLD for collaborative integration of kindergarten and preschool funding programs (Start Strong NSW, Free Kinder VIC, Free Preschool ACT, Free Kinder QLD) into the Office platform.
• Catholic Early Ed Care (education advisory group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulted with an education advisory group of five pedagogical leaders including Catholic Early Ed Care General Manager of Program and Practice Kirsten Holland, informing product development priorities such as in-app programming and planning features.
• First Five Early LearningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECEC sector leader consulted on Playground product development, with Director of Early Learning Dr Melinda Miller providing insights on responsive documentation features.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• QikKids: Australian childcare management software brand, now operated as a sister brand under TSG Education/Xplor following acquisition. Directly comparable as a CCMS platform for the same Australian ECEC customer base, though Xplor now leads in scale.
• HiMama: Canada-based childcare management SaaS offering parent communication, daily reports, and centre administration — closely comparable product architecture to Xplor's Office/Playground/Home triad, though focused primarily on North America.
• Kindyhub: Australian early childhood platform providing programming, documentation, and family communication for kindergartens and long day care. Direct competitor in the Australian ECEC segment with overlapping Playground/Home functionality.
• Educa: New Zealand-headquartered ECE documentation and family engagement platform used across Australia and New Zealand. Directly comparable to Playground + Home, with strong penetration among early childhood educators in Xplor's home geography.
• Kangarootime: US childcare management SaaS covering billing, parent engagement, and centre administration for single centres and multi-site operators. Comparable in core functionality and customer segment to Xplor Office and Home.

Broad incumbents

• Procare Solutions: Long-established US childcare management platform serving centres and multi-location operators with administration, billing, and family engagement. Comparable in target market and product scope, though broader in geographic footprint.

Emerging players

• Brightwheel: US-headquartered childcare and early education SaaS platform with strong mobile-first family engagement features. Comparable in product breadth (admin, educator, family) and target customer (centres and multi-site operators), and well-funded to potentially enter Australia.

Regional players

• Famly: UK/European-based childcare management platform offering admin, parent communication, and billing. Comparable product architecture and SaaS model, though primarily serving European markets rather than Australia/New Zealand.
• SkoolBag: Australian school and OSHC communication app with parent engagement features. Adjacent in geography and audience (Australian schools and OSHC), overlapping with Xplor's OSHC solutions and family communication capabilities.

Others

• Xero: Australian cloud accounting platform that Xplor integrates with for timesheet and payroll data sync. While not a direct competitor, Xero is a key ecosystem partner and a comparable Australian-headquartered SaaS success story targeting SMB customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/myxplor
• Xx.com/myxplor

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Xplor