Disclosure: This comparison is published by Labbaik. We've tried to represent MaktabMate and the other platforms named on this page fairly using publicly available information, but we naturally know Labbaik in greater depth. If you spot something outdated, let us know.
Quick comparison
| Platform | Free plan | Student cap | UK payroll | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MaktabMate (the platform you're comparing against) | No — 30-day trial | 10 on Lite, 100 on Pro, unlimited on Max | Not offered | From ~$6/month (early bird), capped by plan |
| Labbaik | Yes — Safar, no card, no expiry | Unlimited from day one | Yes — HMRC-compatible, dynamic per-staff | Free; costs built into the class price by default (inclusive pricing) |
| IlmFlow | No — 30-day trial | Uncapped, priced per student | Yes | 32¢/student/month, $19 minimum |
| e-maktab | Up to 20 students | 20 Free, 100 Standard, unlimited from £60 | Not published | Subscription, $64 to $126 a month |
| IBEAMS | No — from $19/month | Unlimited on Enterprise (£60/month) | Not publicly advertised | 3 tiers + optional add-ons |
| Raziil | Unclear / limited | Not published | Not published | Quote on request |
The alternatives, one by one
Labbaik — the free, uncapped alternative with payroll included
Labbaik covers the same ground MaktabMate does well — attendance, Hifz tracking, house points, parent messaging — then removes the constraints that come with MaktabMate's plan tiers. Safar is free forever with no student or teacher cap, so a growing maktab never has to upgrade off a trial or past a 10-student ceiling. Add HMRC-compatible payroll, built-in Stripe fee collection (not just tracking), full two-way WhatsApp messaging, and a public page with an embeddable SDK and API. See the full Labbaik vs MaktabMate comparison.
IlmFlow — for a flat monthly bill and UK payroll
IlmFlow publishes its pricing openly (32¢/student/month, $19 minimum) and includes its own HMRC-compatible payroll module — a genuine strength MaktabMate doesn't offer. It doesn't have a free plan, and the bill applies whether or not fee collection is active that month. See the full Labbaik vs IlmFlow comparison.
e-maktab — for a proven, admin-first track record
e-maktab has a strong Trustpilot history and a broad admin feature set (incident logging, governor reports), built around a desktop-first workflow. Pricing isn't published, so you'll need to email or book a demo before you know the cost. See the full Labbaik vs e-maktab comparison.
IBEAMS — a long-running, education-focused system
IBEAMS has served UK maktabs for over a decade and says 200+ Islamic schools and maktabs use it. It publishes simple fixed pricing ($19 $38 or $76 a month by student numbers), collects fees through Stripe and GoCardless, and has strong reporting and a comprehensive parent portal. It's education-focused, with no donation or event tools publicly advertised. See the full Labbaik vs IBEAMS comparison.
Raziil — an established, admin-first option
Raziil has a longer operating history across UK institutions and bundles a public masjid subdomain site. Pricing isn't published, so you'll need to speak to their team before you know the cost, and the interface leans traditional and desktop-first rather than mobile-first. See the full Labbaik vs Raziil comparison.
Which alternative should you pick?
If you like what MaktabMate does but want to drop the trial expiry, the student/teacher caps, and add payroll and fee collection that retries failed payments for you, Labbaik is the closest match and costs nothing until you're collecting fees through it. If a flat published monthly bill with UK payroll matters more than a free plan, IlmFlow is worth comparing directly. If you'd rather have a sales conversation and a longer track record than a self-serve trial, e-maktab, IBEAMS or Raziil fit that model.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best free alternative to MaktabMate?
Labbaik. Its Safar plan has no monthly fee, no student or teacher cap and no card required — MaktabMate's trial runs out after 30 days and every plan after that caps students and teachers. None of the other alternatives listed here offer an indefinite free plan either.
Is there a MaktabMate alternative without student or teacher caps?
Yes — Labbaik has no cap on students or teachers on any plan, including the free Safar tier. MaktabMate caps at 10 students/3 teachers on Lite and 100 students/10 teachers on Pro; only its top Max tier is uncapped.
Is there a MaktabMate alternative with UK payroll built in?
Yes — Labbaik and IlmFlow both include HMRC-compatible UK payroll (PAYE, National Insurance, pensions, P45/P60). Labbaik goes further by calculating pay dynamically per staff member — hourly, daily, salaried, or as a per-student fee share. MaktabMate doesn't currently offer a payroll module.
Which MaktabMate alternative chases failed fee payments for you?
Labbaik — cards and BACS Direct Debit are collected through Stripe and reconciled automatically, failed payments are retried for you, and parents get WhatsApp alerts when a payment fails or goes through, from 1.5% on payments collected, built into the class price by default. MaktabMate now takes card payments through the maktab's own Stripe account and Direct Debit through GoCardless or Stripe, with no fee on top, but a failed Direct Debit emails the office and staff retry it by hand.
Can I migrate from MaktabMate to one of these alternatives?
If you choose Labbaik, yes — student, class and fee records can be imported from a CSV export, and our team can help with a guided migration. For the other platforms listed, check directly with their teams.
Our research
Compiled from each platform's own public pricing and feature pages as of September 2026: MaktabMate (homepage & pricing), IlmFlow (pricing), e-maktab (homepage), IBEAMS (homepage), Raziil (homepage). Feature availability and pricing can change — check each source directly before deciding.
Labbaik isn't only maktab and madrasah software — the same platform also runs donations, community certificates, events and non-educational classes, so a masjid can run its whole community on one system. It adapts to the organisation you run, so a madrasah or maktab only sees the tools it uses. See how Labbaik adapts to your organisation →
Parents and students sign in with a magic link sent to their email, with Google, or with a code sent on WhatsApp to the number the madrasah has for them. Admins and teachers sign in with a magic link, Google or a passkey, which uses their phone or computer's face, fingerprint or screen lock. Nobody has a password to set, forget or reset. Tour the parent portal →
Send us whatever you're using today — a spreadsheet, e-Maktab, IBEAMS, IlmFlow, or a folder of paper registers. We'll set Labbaik up for you and migrate every student, family, class and fee balance across ourselves, at no cost.
If your committee isn't ready to take its first register yet, that's fine too — we'll finish the whole setup so it's ready the moment you are. Get in touch and tell us what you're moving from.