Pricing · EEAT guide
How much should a school ERP cost in India in 2026?
Principals get quotes from ₹15,000 a year to several lakhs. Here is a practical way to read those numbers — without brochure maths — from a team that prices a school ERP in public at ₹5 per student per month.
We build Acadovia, a mobile-first school ERP for Indian private schools. Our Standard price is public: ₹5 per active student per month (ex-GST), first month free with no student limit. That bias is declared up front. The market ranges below still help even if you never buy from us.
What Indian schools actually pay
Independent buyer write-ups put typical school ERP spend roughly between ₹20,000 and ₹4,00,000 a year, depending on strength, modules and whether mobile messaging is metered (eduTinker on school ERP pricing in India).
| School strength | Ballpark all-in / year | What usually drives the number |
|---|---|---|
| 200–400 students | ₹25,000–₹80,000 | Flat annual floor, setup, limited modules |
| 500–1,000 students | ₹60,000–₹1.8 lakh | Per-student tiers, SMS packs, multi-branch |
| 1,500–3,000 students | ₹1.5–4+ lakh | Enterprise sales, custom modules |
These are planning ranges, not guarantees. A lean cloud product with transparent per-student pricing can sit under the low end.
The costs vendors bury
- GST (usually 18%) — Confirm whether brochure prices are ex-GST. Ours are. Demand a GST invoice.
- Setup / implementation — We charge ₹0 for standard import.
- SMS / WhatsApp packs — Often where “cheap ERP” becomes expensive. Acadovia today: in-app + email live; WhatsApp/SMS delivery is roadmap.
- Payment gateway commissions — Our live fee path is UPI QR + UTR, cash and cheque — no gateway cut on that path.
- “Premium” modules — Ask for live vs paid vs roadmap.
- Renewal jumps — Get year-2 pricing in writing.
Per-student vs flat annual
Per active student / month tracks strength honestly if “active” is defined tightly. On Acadovia Standard, strength can change without re-negotiation theatre. Custom flat plans exist for multi-campus chains.
Rule of thumb: monthly price × 12 × strength, then add GST + messaging + setup. Compare that single number — not the brochure “from” price.
Worked example (illustrative)
School of 600 students, full modules, no SMS pack in year 1:
- Acadovia Standard: 600 × ₹5 × 12 = ₹36,000 ex-GST → ~₹42,480 with 18% GST. Setup ₹0. First month free lowers year-1 further.
- A flat “₹1.2 lakh + GST + setup + SMS” quote can still be fair for heavy custom work — but compare all-in, not headlines.
On discovery calls, the fee desk usually cares less about “AI analytics” and more about whether UPI, cash and cheque land on one ledger without double entry — on a mid-range Android phone.
How to run a fair comparison in one week
- Write strength, board, and must-have modules on one page.
- Ask every vendor for an all-in first-year number.
- Watch a teacher mark attendance on a phone — not a sales laptop.
- Ask which features are live today vs roadmap.
- Confirm data residency (India), export rights, and who answers support.
Deeper checklist: How to choose a school ERP in 2026. Public pricing: Acadovia pricing.
Try Acadovia free for a month
No student limit, no card, every module unlocked. Standard plan is ₹5 per active student per month after the free month (ex-GST).