The short answer
Looking for a free alternative to IBEAMS? Labbaik's Safar plan is £0 a month, with no setup fee, no student limit and no ads, compared with IBEAMS' £15, £30 or £60 a month. It's a modern, phone-first platform you can set up yourself in minutes, and Hijrah moves your IBEAMS records across for free.
Disclosure: This comparison is published by Labbaik. We've tried to represent IBEAMS fairly using publicly available information, but we naturally know Labbaik in greater depth. If you spot something outdated, let us know.
Why maktabs and madrasahs look for an alternative to IBEAMS
IBEAMS is a capable, established system, and plenty of organisations are happy on it. These are the reasons we hear most often from committees looking for something free or more modern:
- A monthly bill, collections or not — IBEAMS is £15, £30 or £60 a month depending on student numbers, whether or not fees come in that month.
- Add-ons on top — the Student Diary is £10 a month, phone and Telegram support £10 a month, and removing ads £5 a month.
- Ads unless you pay — IBEAMS shows ads unless you pay to remove them, on top of the plan.
- A desktop dashboard on a phone — IBEAMS calls itself responsive, but on a phone it's the desktop dashboard layout on a smaller screen, with no app.
- More than the madrasah — committees that also run a masjid, donations, events or payroll want it in one system.
IBEAMS vs Labbaik Safar: the cost at a glance
| Labbaik Safar | IBEAMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | £0 | £15 (≤50 students), £30 (≤150), £60 (unlimited) |
| Setup fee | None | None |
| Student limit | Unlimited | 50 or 150 on the lower plans |
| Student Diary | Progress and parent comments included | Optional add-on, £10/month |
| Support | WhatsApp and email, included | Email included; phone & Telegram £10/month |
| Ads | None, on any plan | Shown unless you pay £5/month to remove them |
| Card payments | Labbaik fee from 1.5% + Stripe's fee | Gateway fee only (e.g. Stripe), no IBEAMS fee |
| Cash & bank transfers | Never charged | Never charged |
| Getting started | Self-serve in about 10 minutes | Free demo |
What's free on the Safar plan
Safar is £0 a month, with no setup fee, no card needed to start and no time limit. It isn't a trial or a cut-down tier: it includes
- Unlimited students and class sections
- Attendance, progress and Hifz tracking
- Fee collection with Stripe, including Direct Debit and smart retries
- A phone-first parent portal with no app to download
- WhatsApp reminders, payment alerts and admin
- Exams, merits, registrations and safeguarding
- Donations, events and certificates, if your organisation needs them
- No ads, ever
Labbaik is modular, so your workspace only shows the tools a maktab or madrasah uses, and you can add or remove tools whenever you need them. See how Labbaik adapts to your organisation →
What "free" means, honestly
Using Labbaik costs nothing. Labbaik only earns a platform fee on card payments you collect through it, from 1.5% and falling as your collections grow, and Stripe's standard card fee applies on top, as it would with any card provider. Cash and bank transfers you record are never charged.
If you'd rather your organisation paid nothing at all, you can pass the fee on to parents: Labbaik works out the adjusted fee for you. And if you collect a lot by card, a fixed monthly subscription can work out cheaper, so it's worth weighing up. See Labbaik's pricing in full →
Modern, not just free
- Phone-first — teachers take the register and log Hifz from the classroom floor, and the parent portal installs to the home screen like an app.
- WhatsApp at the core — fee reminders, payment alerts, attendance and admin on the channel parents actually open.
- No passwords to remember — parents and students sign in with a magic link, Google or a code on WhatsApp; admins and teachers with a magic link, Google or a passkey.
- Built around your organisation — a masjid, madrasah, small maktab or charity each gets a focused workspace, with payroll, donations, events and certificates there when you need them.
Switch from IBEAMS in minutes, not weeks
- Sign up yourself. Create your organisation in about ten minutes. No demo to book, no sales call and no card.
- Bring your records with Hijrah, free. Upload your IBEAMS export as it is. Hijrah moves your students, families, classes and payment history across, keeping them linked, and flags anything unclear for you to check. Nothing is imported until you approve it. See how Hijrah works →
- Invite your team and parents. Teachers sign in with a magic link, Google or a passkey, and parents with a magic link, Google or WhatsApp. No passwords, and no app store for parents.
Want a hand? Message the Labbaik team on WhatsApp at @labbaik and you'll be talking to the people who build the platform. We can do the migration for you, also free.
When IBEAMS may still be the better fit
If you want one fixed, predictable software bill and collect most fees by card, IBEAMS' subscription can cost less than Labbaik's percentage. It also has more than a decade in the sector, 200+ Islamic schools and maktabs, strong reporting and a comprehensive parent portal. If that matters more than a free plan, a phone-first app and tools beyond the madrasah, IBEAMS is a credible choice.
For a fuller picture, read the detailed Labbaik vs IBEAMS comparison or our round-up of the best IBEAMS alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to IBEAMS?
Yes. Labbaik's Safar plan is a free alternative to IBEAMS for maktabs and madrasahs: £0 a month, with no setup fee, no student limit, no ads and no card needed to start. Labbaik only earns a platform fee on card payments you collect through it, from 1.5%, and cash and bank transfers are never charged.
Is IBEAMS free?
No. IBEAMS publishes three paid plans: Basic at £15 a month for up to 50 students, Standard at £30 a month for up to 150, and Enterprise at £60 a month for unlimited students. Optional add-ons include a £10 a month Student Diary, £10 a month phone and Telegram support, and £5 a month to remove ads.
What is the best modern alternative to IBEAMS?
Labbaik is a modern, phone-first alternative to IBEAMS. It covers the same everyday madrasah needs (attendance, fees, Hifz and progress, exams, parent portal) and adds WhatsApp reminders and payment alerts, UK payroll, and donations, events and certificates in a modular workspace that only shows the tools you use. It's free to start on the Safar plan.
Can I move my data from IBEAMS to Labbaik?
Yes, and it's free. Hijrah by Labbaik reads IBEAMS exports and moves your students, families, classes and payment history across, keeping them linked. Anything unclear is flagged for you to check, and nothing is imported until you approve it. The Labbaik team can also do the migration for you at no cost.
How long does it take to switch from IBEAMS to Labbaik?
You can set up your organisation yourself in about ten minutes, with no demo or sales call, then bring your IBEAMS records across with Hijrah. Most of the time goes on checking your data, not waiting for onboarding.
Is Labbaik really free, or are there hidden costs?
Using Labbaik is free on the Safar plan. Labbaik earns a platform fee only on card payments collected through it, from 1.5% and falling as collections grow, and Stripe's standard card fee applies too. Cash and bank transfers are never charged, and you can pass the fee on to parents. There are no ads, add-ons or setup fees.
Is IBEAMS or Labbaik cheaper?
It depends on how you collect fees. If you record cash and bank transfers, Labbaik costs nothing while IBEAMS is £15 to £60 a month. If you collect a lot by card, IBEAMS' fixed subscription can work out cheaper than Labbaik's percentage, unless you pass Labbaik's fee on to parents.
How do I get help switching from IBEAMS?
Message the Labbaik team on WhatsApp at @labbaik, or email [email protected]. You'll be talking to the team that builds and runs the platform, and migration help is free.
Our research
IBEAMS details are taken from its own public pages as of October 2026: pricing, features, about. Features and pricing can change, so check with IBEAMS directly if something is a dealbreaker.