The short answer
Looking for a free alternative to e-maktab? Labbaik's Safar plan is $0 a month, with published pricing, no setup fee, no student limit and no ads, while e-maktab's prices aren't shown publicly. It's a modern, phone-first platform you can set up yourself in minutes, and Hijrah moves your e-maktab records across for free.
Disclosure: This comparison is published by Labbaik. We've tried to represent e-maktab 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 If you spot something outdated, let us know.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 e-maktab
e-maktab 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:
- No published price — e-maktab describes its pricing as affordable but doesn't show it publicly, so you book a demo or email to find out the cost.
- No permanent free plan — none is publicly documented, so a small maktab can't start without committing to a subscription.
- A demo before you start — getting going means booking a call rather than signing up yourself.
- A resized desktop dashboard — e-maktab calls itself fully responsive, but on a phone it's the desktop dashboard on a smaller screen, with no app.
- WhatsApp, payroll and more — e-maktab messages by email and SMS, and committees that want WhatsApp, payroll, Alimiyyah, donations or events look for one system that covers them.
e-maktab vs Labbaik Safar: the cost at a glance
| Labbaik Safar | e-maktab | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | £0 | Not publicly displayed |
| Pricing published | Yes, on the pricing page | No — contact or demo required |
| Free plan | Safar, no card, no expiry | No permanent free plan publicly documented |
| Student limit | Unlimited | Not publicly displayed |
| Card payments | Labbaik fee from 1.5% + Stripe's fee | Stripe & Direct Debit; fees not publicly displayed |
| Getting started | Self-serve in about 10 minutes | Book a free demo or call |
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 e-maktab 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 e-maktab 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 e-maktab may still be the better fit
e-maktab is a mature administration system with a strong communications hub, digital consent, policies and a detailed audit trail, strong reporting and multi-branch controls, backed by years of strong Trustpilot reviews. If those matter more than a free plan, a phone-first app and WhatsApp, and you're happy to book a demo to get a price, e-maktab is a credible choice.
For a fuller picture, read the detailed Labbaik vs e-maktab comparison or our round-up of the best e-maktab alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to e-maktab?
Yes. Labbaik's Safar plan is a free alternative to e-maktab 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 e-maktab free?
e-maktab doesn't show its prices publicly, and no permanent free plan is publicly documented; you book a free demo or email to find out the cost. Labbaik publishes its pricing, and its Safar plan is free to use.
What is the best modern alternative to e-maktab?
Labbaik is a modern, phone-first alternative to e-maktab. It covers the same everyday madrasah needs (attendance, fees, parent portal, policies, audit trail, consent, multi-branch) and adds WhatsApp workflows, UK payroll, dedicated Hifz and Alimiyyah tracking, and donations, events and certificates in a modular workspace that only shows the tools you use.
Can I move my data from e-maktab to Labbaik?
Yes, and it's free. Hijrah by Labbaik reads e-maktab 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 e-maktab to Labbaik?
You can set up your organisation yourself in about ten minutes, with no demo or sales call, then bring your e-maktab 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.
Does e-maktab have an app?
e-maktab says it's fully responsive across desktop, tablet and phone; in practice it's the desktop dashboard resized for smaller screens, with no app. Labbaik is designed phone-first as an installable app for teachers and parents.
How do I get help switching from e-maktab?
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
e-maktab details are taken from its own public pages as of October 2026: homepage, reports, help centre. Features and pricing can change, so check with e-maktab directly if something is a dealbreaker.