Overview

Primero is built around protection casework rather than general-purpose client tracking. Its CPIMS+, GBVIMS+, and MRMIMS+ modules serve child protection, gender-based violence, and monitoring and reporting needs. Workflows span identification through case closure, with assessment, planning, referrals, transfers, supervision, notifications, and tasking. That breadth makes it relevant to teams coordinating complex cases, but less suited to organizations looking only for a lightweight contact database.

Case intake forms, custom fields, audit trails, and reporting dashboards support structured records and oversight. Role-based permissions are designed to limit access to sensitive information according to each user’s need to know. The platform is a digital public good certified by the Digital Public Goods Alliance in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Key features

Configurable programmes: Teams can use a self-service interface to adjust forms, roles, lookups, reports, languages, logos, and locations. This helps adapt the platform to programme requirements without relying on a fixed template.
Offline access with limits: The v2 progressive web app works online and offline in modern browsers on phones, tablets, and laptops. Offline, users can create cases and edit records accessed during the session; changes submit after reconnection. That supports intermittent connectivity, but it is not a full offline substitute for connected work.
Languages: More than 40 languages are available out of the box, a practical advantage for multilingual programmes.
Interoperability: Integrations are oriented toward auditable, safer data sharing and coordination. ProGres v4 interoperability is offered, with setup, operating, and support costs determined per implementation.
Support resources: The Support Hub includes documentation, knowledge-base articles, release information, training, technical guidance, and community access. DIY users still need the technical capacity to manage servers, security, DNS, configuration, updates, and support.

Pricing

Primero has a free self-managed option and paid deployment tiers. The choice is not simply about license cost: DIY transfers hosting and IT responsibilities to the implementer, while managed and hybrid tiers attach significant annual charges.

Tier 1: DIY — free (billed annually). This open-source, self-managed deployment includes documentation and community support. It fits organizations with technical staff and hosting capacity; implementers cover their own hosting and IT costs and handle security, updates, configuration, and support.
Tier 3: Full Service SaaS — 8250.00 USD per year (billed $8,250 USD per year). UNICEF Azure hosts demo and production sites, with no limits on users or data volumes. Deployment, operations, training, upgrades, and ongoing support are included. This is the clearest fit for organizations that want managed operations and need room to scale, but the annual cost is a substantial commitment.
Tier 4: Hybrid deployment — 25000.00 USD per year (billed $25,000 USD for the 1st year; decreases to the cost listed in Tier 3 in the 2nd year and thereafter). Production is locally hosted and the demo is hosted on UNICEF Azure. The partner manages production infrastructure, security, configuration, and maintenance, so this suits organizations needing local production while retaining support. The first-year price is notably higher than the subsequent rate.
Tier 5: Custom package — custom pricing. Scoped case by case; it may include custom development, integrations, API development, extensions, or migrations. This is for requirements beyond the standard tiers, with cost depending on scope.
Tier 2: Single organization — custom pricing. This tier is under development and is stated to be available July 2026. It is not a current option for organizations choosing a deployment now.

Platforms

Primero supports Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted deployment. The combination accommodates mobile access, browser use, integrations, and organizations operating their own infrastructure.

Who it's for

Primero is aimed at protection professionals and the humanitarian, development, and public-sector social-services organizations that support them. It makes the most sense where teams need specialized protection workflows, configurable records, sensitive-data controls, and coordinated case management. DIY is appropriate only when an organization can supply the technical operations; teams without that capacity should weigh the paid hosted or hybrid tiers against their budgets.

Pros and cons

Pro: Protection-specific modules and workflows cover multiple stages of case management, making the system more tailored to this work than a basic client tracker.
Pro: Extensive configuration and more than 40 built-in languages can accommodate varied programme structures and multilingual teams.
Pro: A free open-source tier allows technically capable organizations to self-manage without a software charge.
Con: DIY requires server, security, DNS, configuration, update, and support capacity, plus the organization’s own hosting and IT budget.
Con: Full Service SaaS starts at 8250.00 USD per year, while the hybrid tier charges 25000.00 USD for its first year.
Con: Offline work is limited to creating cases and editing records accessed during the session; updates wait for reconnection.

Alternatives

Readers comparing products can also browse Nonprofit Case Management Software and Case Management Software.

Neighbor Solutions is a paid alternative with Android, iOS, and web support, a free trial, and a $100/month starting price; consider it if those platforms and its included help mobile app are a better fit.
Case Amplify is a paid web and API alternative with a free trial.
CharityTracker is a paid web and API alternative with a free trial; its Basic plan is $20 / month / user and includes case management, reports, bulletins, and daily backup.
ShareVision is a web-based paid alternative with a free trial; its Simply 10 plan costs $160.00 USD per month with an annual commitment, for 1–10 users and 10 GB document storage.
CareTogether CMS is a paid alternative for teams considering self-hosted software; its AGPL-3.0 license requires hosted derivatives to make source code available under that license.
Collaborate uses custom pricing based on organization size, user count, and modules, with no per-seat licensing fees.
InfoFlo Impact is a paid web alternative with a free trial; its Essentials plan is $36.00 USD per month, billed annually, and includes 20 GB storage, one custom report, unlimited client profiles, and unlimited phone and remote support.
SKAS is a paid Android, iOS, and web alternative with custom pricing available on request.

Verdict

Primero is a strong choice for protection-focused organizations that need configurable case workflows, sensitive-data controls, and the option to choose self-managed, hosted, or hybrid operations. Its free tier is attractive only for teams able to carry the technical workload, while managed service costs require careful budget planning. Look elsewhere if you need broad offline functionality or cannot justify the operating demands or annual price of the deployment that fits your organization.

	Primero	ServiceNow Event Management
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	$687.50/mo
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, self-hosted, Web	api, Web
Free plan	Yes
Case intake forms	Yes
Custom case fields	Yes
Audit trail	Yes
Reporting dashboards	Yes
Deployment	hybrid
Alert deduplication		Yes
Routing rules		Yes
Alert enrichment		Yes
Suppression rules		Yes

Primero vs ServiceNow Event Management

Primero

ServiceNow Event Management