How do you choose a school or coaching ERP in India?
Test it on your own messy data, add up the total yearly cost for your exact student count, and confirm in writing that you can export everything and leave: the 12 questions below cover those three checks.
Last reviewed: Published: 6 min read
Why does the sticker price mislead?
Many ERPs quote a low licence price and add charges later for SMS and WhatsApp, extra modules, extra users, the parent app and data export. Compare the total yearly cost for your own student count, not the headline number.
| Cost line | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Licence | Is the price per student, per branch or a flat band? What happens when you cross a band? |
| Messaging | Who pays for WhatsApp, SMS and voice, and is there a markup on top of the real cost? |
| Modules and users | Are extra staff users, parent users or modules billed separately? |
| Payments | Is there a commission on fees, or do fees settle straight to your bank account? |
| Setup and training | Is data migration free or paid? Is training on-site or only video? |
| Leaving | Is a full data export free, and in what format? |
What are the 12 questions to ask every vendor?
- Import: can you load my existing Excel sheets or registers in a day, including Hindi names? Ask for a live test with your own file.
- Fee counter: does it keep working in a power cut or when the internet drops, and with my printer and pre-printed stationery?
- Total cost: what is one year for my exact student count, with GST, messaging and every module I need?
- Messaging: how are WhatsApp and SMS priced, and can I connect my own WhatsApp Business account?
- Exit: can I export all my data, not only reports, in open formats at any time? What happens to it when I leave?
- Data use: can the vendor use my student list for its own marketing or classes? Ask for the answer in the contract.
- Location: where is my data stored, and which sub-processors (SMS, WhatsApp, AI, payments) touch it?
- Consent: are parents consent and notices recorded for children under 18, ready for the DPDP rules that start applying on 13 May 2027?
- Controls: does every receipt cancellation, marks edit and discount need an approval and leave an audit entry?
- Hindi: are Hindi screens and parent messages first-class, or a translation afterthought?
- AI: is AI optional, and does a person approve anything that changes a student record?
- Support: what is the response time on result day and in April, and is support available on WhatsApp in Hindi?
How can you run a one-week trial?
A one-week trial plan for a school or coaching ERP
Day 1: import your data
Upload one real class list or batch list, with spelling mistakes and Hindi names, and check what the importer rejects.
Day 2: collect fees
Create two fee structures, collect five receipts, cancel one with approval and check the audit trail.
Day 3: mark attendance
Ask two teachers to mark attendance on a phone, once with the internet switched off.
Day 4: message parents
Send one notice in Hindi and English and ask the vendor to show the exact messaging cost per message.
Day 5: export everything
Export all student and fee data and open it in a spreadsheet.
Day 6: read the contract
Ask for the data processing agreement and the list of sub-processors, and read the clauses on data use and exit.
Day 7: compare total cost
Put every vendor in the same table: yearly cost for your student count, including messaging and GST.
Is Acavya ready to be judged on these questions?
We say on each page what Acavya does and does not do. Ask us the same 12 questions. Our answers are on the pricing, security, data export and No-Poach pledge pages.
Is a flat-fee ERP cheaper than a per-student ERP?
It depends on your size. Flat bands can be cheaper for large schools; per-student pricing is usually cheaper for small institutes. Compare the total yearly cost for your own student count, including messaging.
Should I choose the ERP with the most modules?
Choose the one that handles your first three daily pains well: usually fee counter, attendance and parent messages. Extra modules matter only if they are included in the price and work offline where needed.
How long should data migration take?
A clean class list can load in a day. Messy registers take longer; ask the vendor to import a real sample of yours before you pay.
See what a year costs for your own student count.
30-day free trial for up to 30 students, no card needed. You set up your own institute, with an optional sample setup to explore. The Free plan is for tutors.