Short answer: For a Qawmi or Alia madrasa, the “best” software is the one that treats madrasha-specific work — Hifz sabaq/sabqi/manzil records, Kitab (Dars-e-Nizami) syllabus, and Zakat/Waqf funds — as first-class features, not afterthoughts. This guide compares 7 real options (iilmaa, Sabaq, School360, Edufy, Qmmsoft, JamiaSoft, Elmisoft) honestly: who each one fits, and where each falls short.
Transparency: this guide is published by the iilmaa team. Competitor descriptions reflect their own public claims; verify everything in a demo before buying — accuracy is the point of this page.
7 criteria for choosing madrasa software
Generic school-software reviews lead madrasas to the wrong tools. Before buying anything, answer:
- Is the Hifz tracking real? — Per-Juz/Surah sabaq, sabqi, manzil, daur recorded separately? Tajweed scoring? Or just a “Quran” field?
- Kitab syllabus (Dars-e-Nizami) — book-by-book progression and Salla (annual evaluation) tracked?
- Both boards — Qawmi AND Alia report formats built in?
- Hijri calendar — can the academic year run on Hijri dates?
- Offline use — do attendance and fee collection survive no internet?
- Fee collection — guardians pay a bKash/Nagad link and receipts generate automatically?
- Language & training — is the whole interface in Bangla, learnable by new staff in a day?
Quick comparison
| Criterion | iilmaa | Sabaq | School360 | Edufy | Qmmsoft | Elmisoft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hifz (sabaq/sabqi/manzil + Tajweed) | ✔ per Juz/Surah, Tajweed 1–5, Ijazah | ✖ general school ERP | ||||
| Dars-e-Nizami + Salla | ✔ | ✖ | ||||
| Zakat/Lillah/Waqf funds | ✔ separate funds + donor database | ✖ | ||||
| Hijri calendar | ✔ | ✖ | ||||
| Qawmi + Alia both | ✔ | ✖ (school/college) | ||||
| Offline mobile app | ✔ | |||||
| bKash/Nagad auto-receipts | ✔ built-in gateway | |||||
| Starting price | ৳1,500/month | |||||
| Free trial | 14 days, no card |
Honest reviews of each option
1. iilmaa — madrasa-first, made in Dhaka
A cloud platform built around madrasha workflows: per-Juz/Surah Hifz tracking (Tajweed scored 1–5 with mistake classification, Khatm-e-Quran record → one-click Ijazah certificate), Dars-e-Nizami and Takhassus book progression, Zakat/Lillah/Sadaqah/Waqf as separate funds with a donor database, Hijri calendar and Akhlaq evaluation — all built in — plus the full school side (admission, QR attendance, SSC/HSC board formats, payroll, library, hostel) across 25+ modules. Fully Bangla interface, offline mobile app, automatic bKash/Nagad receipts. Pricing: Gold ৳1,500/month (up to 500 students), Diamond ৳4,000/month (unlimited, multi-branch). 2 months free annually. Best for: any Qawmi/Alia madrasa with a Hifz department or Kitab syllabus that also wants school-side management in one system. Honest weakness: the brand is new (2026) — its reference list is still growing. Verify with a demo: 14-day free trial.
2. Sabaq — the widest claimed reach
By its own claim, Sabaq calls itself the most popular in Bangladesh, used by 700+ institutions across 61 districts . It is Qawmi-madrasa focused and says it works on mobile . Best for: institutions that value a large user base and a familiar name. Verify: pricing transparency, depth of offline support, and whether they can demo your Hifz department’s actual workflow live.
3. School360 — general school/college ERP
School360 (Spate Initiative) is a cloud-based school and college management platform . A mature option for general academic management. Best for: schools and colleges that don’t need Hifz or Kitab syllabus. Weakness: madrasha-specific features (Hijri, Kitab, Zakat funds) are generally absent .
4. Edufy — Bangladeshi school ERP
Edufy (edufy.com.bd) provides school management software and publishes selection guides on its blog . Best for: school-centric institutions. Verify: whether a madrasha module exists.
5. Qmmsoft — a Qawmi-focused alternative
Qmmsoft (qmmsoft.com) describes online admission, attendance, hostel and library for Qawmi madrasas . Best for: basic Qawmi needs. Verify: depth of Hifz tracking, payment gateway, offline support.
6. JamiaSoft — Hifz-department-focused tracker
According to their website, JamiaSoft lets Hifz-department ustadz record sabaq-sabqi-manzil in seconds from a phone or tablet, sends regular Hifz progress cards to guardians on WhatsApp, and raises an automatic alert when a student’s manzil falls behind. Dhaka-based; a 15-day free trial (their claim: no card needed). Verify pricing on their pricing page — no price claims here. Best for: when the core need is only Hifz tracking plus guardian reporting. Verify: how complete fees-attendance-exams are beyond Hifz, and whether both board formats exist — run the same demo tasks.
7. Elmisoft — another local option
Elmisoft (elmisoft.net) describes digital solutions for madrasas and educational institutions . Evaluate against the 7 criteria in a demo.
Which one is for you — one line each
- Hifz department or Dars-e-Nizami + full management in one system → iilmaa
- Plain school/college (no madrasha features needed) → School360 or Edufy
- Want the biggest known name, after verification → Sabaq
- Only Hifz tracking + WhatsApp reporting → JamiaSoft (per their claims)
- Basic Qawmi needs on a budget → Qmmsoft or Elmisoft
Comparison FAQ
What should I check first in madrasa software? The Hifz tracking. Ask the vendor to demo per-Juz sabaq-sabqi-manzil recording with Tajweed scoring live. Brochure features and working features are different things.
How much does it cost? iilmaa starts at Gold ৳1,500/month (500 students, all modules included). Other vendors’ pricing: . For one-time-license models, add hosting, updates and app costs when comparing 3-year totals.
Will it work offline? Our area has weak internet. iilmaa’s mobile app takes attendance, fees and marks offline and syncs automatically. For others, test in the demo with the connection disabled.
Can we export our data? iilmaa: free Excel/PDF export anytime, and full data handover when ending the service. Any vendor who is vague about export — be careful.
See the madrasha-specific features on Madrasa Management, or start a 14-day free trial — no credit card, 30-minute setup.