Lazarus vs. Sycamore
Sycamore is a full school system with a price you can read.We're a sharper tool with one you can read too.
Sycamore deserves credit: it publishes its pricing, which most of this market doesn't, so this is the easiest comparison to do with real numbers. The difference is scope. Sycamore is a full SIS. Lazarus is enrollment, households, events, and tuition billing, built with a specialist's attention and priced to match.
Details checked October 2026, from each company's own pages.
Sycamore School lists $4 per student per month with every module included: SIS, attendance, gradebook, admissions and enrollment, tuition, payments, a parent app, and communications. Onboarding starts at $2,500, and the contract has an 18-month minimum.
Pick Sycamore if
- You need a real SIS: gradebook, attendance, a parent app.
- You want one flat per-student price covering everything.
- You're fine with an 18-month commitment and a one-time onboarding fee.
Pick Lazarus if
- You want to start with enrollment for free and add billing later.
- You'd like lower card and bank payment fees.
- You'd rather not sign a long contract.
Side by side
Lazarus and Sycamore, line by line
| Feature | Lazarus | Sycamore |
|---|---|---|
| Student information system | No. No gradebook, attendance, or transcripts. | Yes: SIS, attendance, gradebook, parent app. |
| Online enrollment applications | Yes. Free to use. One application per household. | Yes, included. |
| Tuition billing and payment plans | Yes, from the Basic plan. Autopay, invoices, refunds. | Yes, included: schedules, balances, automated billing. |
| Price | Free, $3, or $6 per active student per month. | $4 per student per month, all modules. |
| Setup fee | None. Free onboarding on every plan. | $2,500 minimum onboarding. |
| Contract | Cancel any time. | 18-month minimum. |
| Card payment fee | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe). | 3.9%. |
| Bank (ACH) payment fee | 0.8%, capped at $5 (Stripe). | 1.8%, with the banking portion capped at $5 and a 1% Sycamore fee uncapped. |
On a $500 tuition payment, the published rates work out to about $14.80 by card and $4.00 by bank transfer with Lazarus, against $19.50 and $9.00 with Sycamore. That's our arithmetic from both companies' published rates, before any pass-through to families. A 100-student school pays $3,600 a year on Lazarus Basic and $4,800 plus onboarding on Sycamore, but Sycamore's price includes the SIS.
Where Sycamore wins
It's a complete system at a flat, public price. If you need grades and attendance, Sycamore gives you all of it in one place, and for a school that needs the whole thing, $4 a student is a fair deal.
Where we pull ahead
If enrollment and tuition are what you're fixing, you'd be paying for modules you won't use, plus an onboarding fee and an 18-month commitment. Lazarus starts free, has no setup fee, lets you leave, and costs less on every payment your families make. Add up a year for your school (subscription, onboarding, and processing on your tuition). Our numbers are above. Ask Sycamore for theirs.
Why Lazarus
A small team with a lot of road behind it
We're small by choice. It's why we move the way we do, and why you get a partner who's done this kind of thing before instead of a vendor with a queue.
Systems, not features
Anyone can bolt on a button. We design how applications, households, billing, and events work together, so a family's information is entered once and every part of your school uses it.
Nimble on purpose
No committee and no quarterly roadmap to wait for. Dozens of changes ship every month, and when a school tells us what's missing, it gets built instead of logged.
Experience from outside the industry
We've spent our careers building products in fintech and search at scale, and running service businesses. We brought that know-how to an underserved industry to make software that's beautiful, functional, affordable, and intentional.
For the teacher who became a founder
Starting a school means wearing hats you've never worn: admissions director, billing clerk, webmaster. We know that feeling, and we built Lazarus so the move from teacher to school leader is as smooth and rewarding as it can be.
Need grades or attendance? Much of what the bigger systems offer is on our roadmap, and being small means we can build it fast, alongside the schools that need it first. Tell us what matters most.
Your questions, answered
Get quick answers to the most common questions about our platform and services.
See all questionsIs Lazarus cheaper than Sycamore?
For enrollment and tuition billing, usually. Lazarus costs $3 per active student per month for billing, with free applications, no setup fee, and no contract. Sycamore costs $4 per student per month with a $2,500 minimum onboarding fee, but includes a full SIS.
Does Sycamore include tuition billing?
Yes. Sycamore lists tuition schedules, balances, and automated billing among its included modules, along with admissions, SIS, attendance, and a parent app.
What are Sycamore's payment processing fees?
Sycamore lists 3.9% for cards and 1.8% for ACH (the banking portion capped at $5), plus a 1% Sycamore fee that isn't capped. Lazarus uses Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ for cards and 0.8% for ACH, capped at $5.
Sources, checked October 2026
We make Lazarus, so weigh this accordingly. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
Also compare: Lazarus vs. FACTS, Lazarus vs. Blackbaud, Lazarus vs. Brightwheel, Lazarus vs. Procare, Lazarus vs. Spark, or see how we compare feature by feature.
See if it fits your school
Start free, collect applications today, and add billing when you're ready. Bring your spreadsheets and we'll help you move.