Kid Pickup vs Pikmykid vs FetchKids
Pikmykid and FetchKids are school dismissal systems: the school uses them to run the car line and release children safely. Kid Pickup is the family layer on top: which of your people is going.
Last checked
Pikmykid
A school dismissal system. The school licenses it; it’s free for parents.
What it does well
- Parents announce their arrival so the car line moves quickly.
- Verifies pickup permissions, so children go to the right adult.
- Free for parents, and your child doesn’t need to carry a device.
Where it stops
- It only works if your school uses it.
- The App Store listing says it may use your location even when the app isn’t open.
- It covers school dismissal, not swim, hockey or a friend’s house, and not which of your people is going.
FetchKids
A school dismissal system that an organization signs up for.
What it does well
- Builds an ordered list of arriving vehicles for dismissal.
- Collects electronic signatures of the adults picking up, with a history of each pickup.
- GPS arrival alerts are opt-in: parents choose to turn them on.
Where it stops
- It’s set up by the school, for the school’s dismissal.
- It doesn’t decide which of your people is going, or cover pickups away from school.
What Kid Pickup does instead
- Kid Pickup is not a school dismissal system. It doesn’t run a car line or check anyone in.
- It never asks for your location.
- It works anywhere you add, with no school sign-up.
- It settles who from your circle is going, and warns you when nobody has said yes.
Who should pick which
Use Pikmykid or FetchKids if your school uses them. That’s the school’s process at the gate.
Use Kid Pickup alongside them for the family side: who’s going to school, the rink and the studio.
Pricing side by side
| App | Price | App Store rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pikmykid | Free for parents; schools pay a licensing fee. | 3.8 on 897 ratings |
| FetchKids | Signed up for by the school or organization. | — |
| Kid Pickup | Family $59.99/yr or $5.99/mo. Premium $109.99/yr or $11.99/mo. US dollars. One price per family. Two-week free trial for new subscribers; Apple charges when it ends unless you cancel 24 hours before. | No US ratings yet; 5.0 on 4 ratings in Canada |
Prices in US dollars, as of September 2026. App Store prices are shown in your local currency.
Sources
Every fact about another app on this page comes from these pages, checked September 2026. If something’s changed, tell us through the contact form and we’ll fix it.
If you were looking for your school’s app
Kids Pick Up, KidsPickup, Pikmykid, FetchKids and PickUp Patrol are all apps a school signs up for. If your school sent you a QR code, a hang tag number or a dismissal login, that’s theirs, and your school office can help with it. Kid Pickup has no QR codes and no school login.
The gate and the car
A dismissal system answers the school’s question: is this adult allowed to take this child? Kid Pickup answers the family’s question before that: which adult is going today? The two fit together. Decide in Kid Pickup that Grandma has Thursday; make sure Grandma is on the school’s pickup list, with whatever tag or app the school uses.
Making someone allowed to pick up
Schools release children only to adults on their list. Our guide to who can pick up your child from school explains how that usually works, and our free pickup authorization letter writes the note for a one-off.
A school day with both
Your school runs Pikmykid. On Sunday you put the week’s pickups in Kid Pickup: Monday and Wednesday you, Tuesday the other parent, Thursday Grandma, Friday open. Grandma is already on the school’s list. Friday’s pickup is still open on Thursday, so the app sends a nudge; the sitter takes it. At 3:10 on Friday the sitter checks in through the school’s system at the gate, and taps Picked up in Kid Pickup so the family knows.
When the school day changes
Early dismissals, snow days and PD days are where school systems and families both get caught out. The school’s app tells you dismissal moved; Kid Pickup is where you move the pickup and see who can take the new time. Our snow day plan and sick kid plan cover the rest.
Location
The Pikmykid Parent listing says it may use your location even when the app isn’t open. FetchKids makes GPS arrival alerts opt-in. Kid Pickup never asks for location: “I’m here” is a tap.
Questions parents ask
Is Kid Pickup a school dismissal system like Pikmykid?
No. Dismissal systems are chosen by schools to run the car line and release children to authorized adults. Kid Pickup is for your family: it settles which of your people is going.
Does Kid Pickup track my location?
No. The app never asks for location permission.
Is Kid Pickup the same as Kids Pick Up or KidsPickup?
No. Kids Pick Up and KidsPickup are dismissal systems that schools sign up for, with their own apps and logins. If your school sent you a QR code or a dismissal login, that’s your school’s system. Kid Pickup is a family app for deciding which of your people is going.