Short answer: judge by the 3-year total, not the sticker. In Bangladesh you’ll meet two models — a one-time license (typically ৳5,000–50,000 ) that silently adds hosting, backup, update and app costs, and a monthly subscription (e.g., iilmaa: Gold ৳1,500/month up to 500 students, Diamond ৳4,000/month unlimited) that bundles hosting, backups, updates, the mobile app and support. Over 3 years, one-time models usually end up more expensive — and riskier.
The two models, itemized
| Cost item | One-time license | Subscription (iilmaa example) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial purchase | ৳5,000–50,000 | ৳0 |
| Monthly fee | ৳0 | ৳1,500–4,000 |
| Server & hosting | on you (৳1,000–3,000/mo ) | included |
| Backups & updates | on you / pay per version | included, automatic |
| Mobile app | usually a separate project/bill | included (Android & iOS) |
| SMS gateway | separate contract | 500–3,000 SMS/mo included in plan |
| Support | often paid annually | included |
| Data export | ask explicitly | free, Excel/PDF anytime |
A worked 3-year example (500 students)
- One-time route: ৳25,000 license + hosting ৳2,000×36 = ৳72,000 + one major “upgrade” purchase + a mobile-app project (৳50,000+ ) → ৳1,50,000+ over 3 years, with you carrying the risk.
- iilmaa route: Gold ৳1,500 × 36 = ৳54,000 (annual payment: 2 months free → ৳45,000) → everything included, no infrastructure risk.
- The subscription is cheaper and the vendor — not your office staff — owns uptime, backups and updates.
The 5 questions that expose hidden costs
- What is the 3-year total — hosting, updates, app, support included?
- What does SMS cost, and are credits in the plan?
- Is the mobile app extra?
- Is data export free — and what happens when I leave?
- How does cost scale as student count grows?
If a vendor can’t answer these in one page, the price list is hiding something. iilmaa’s full price list is public.
Fees beyond the software
- Payment gateway charges on bKash/Nagad collections — compare against office hours spent matching manual transactions.
- SMS credits beyond plan allowances (~৳0.30/SMS ).
- Training/setup — iilmaa includes setup help (30-minute first-day target).
Costs FAQ
What does school management software cost per student in Bangladesh? With iilmaa Gold: ৳1,500/mo ÷ 500 students = ৳3 per student per month. Diamond: unlimited students for ৳4,000 — the per-student cost falls as you grow.
Is there a free option? Free/open-source tools exist, but you self-host, self-backup and self-support — the hidden costs are the staff hours. The fairer comparison is a 14-day full-feature trial, no credit card.
Do we pay for the payment gateway separately? The bKash/Nagad gateway is included in both plans; gateway transaction charges themselves follow the provider’s rates .
Which plan should a 1,000-student school take? Diamond (৳4,000/mo): unlimited students, multi-branch, accounting, custom reports, API. The comparison table is on the pricing page.