# Montessori Compass — user reviews > 29 indexed App Store user reviews of Montessori Compass by Schoolhouse Buddy LLC, rated 2.00/5 from 51 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessori-compass/id1261046180/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessori-compass/id1261046180.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 9 · 4★ 1 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 8 · 1★ 32 ## Newest reviews (9 of 29) ### 1/5 — Garbage *2021-10-12, version 1.12.2* This app is trash. It’s glitchy, the times on reports scramble themselves around. It’s the most user unfriendly app I’ve ever seen. Not possible to get notifications. I would’ve thought that the brand Montessori would have held a higher standard for this aspect of daycare too. Or at least partnered with a company that does it right, like bright wheel. Very disappointing. ### 1/5 — Horrible *2021-09-30, version 1.12.1* This app is horrible. It does not alert you when new messages appear. It does not let you archive messages. It does not let you reply to messages. Horrible horrible horrible. ### 1/5 — Email *2021-01-05, version 1.12.0* Please improve your messaging system. I send emails and then check in my sent messages and it shows that it has only sent the first sentence of my entire email/message. When checking with the receiver, they too only received the first sentence. It has done this multiple times. It is extremely frustrating and it also confuses communication immensely. ### 1/5 — Attachments *2020-10-19, version 1.11.4* Please make it so you don’t have to down load attachments to the phone then open up the files app to look at them , it actually takes that much longer to actually look at a msg , please make it so you can open it right from the app . ### 1/5 — The worst communications app I have ever used *2019-11-14, version 1.9.2* This app is absolutely horrible. First of all, you can’t even use the app as a teacher! You have to use the web version to update “trackers” for the student’s day. It is a confusing site to navigate, doesn’t share information with the parents in real time, and has so many glitches and faults. It has an option to add captions to pictures, but the app doesn’t even send the caption or description to the parents! It takes me over an hour to update the information for my classroom, and I don’t have the time to do that everyday. You are unable to upload videos, the site continuously crashes, it’s very difficult to delete messages or get rid of notifications and there are so many unnecessary extra features that no one needs to use. I cannot stand this app, and would rather do paper reports than use this ### 1/5 — Unhappy Parent *2018-10-17, version 1.9.1* Would not even open, crushes right away. Used to work before, I don’t know what kind of update was made to it... deleted several times and reinstalled it - it did fix the issue on android, did not fix on Apple ### 1/5 — What’s the point *2018-09-06, version 1.9.1* I don’t see the need for this app. It doesn’t have real time updates for messages or pictures. I can do all those things through my regular email where I can sort and forward email, quickly add events to my calendar, and get quicker responses and photos from the faculty. General files shared on there are PDF files that still require you to open them before being able to read them. ### 2/5 — Photo “save” option *2018-02-16, version 1.5* Could you lease fix the bug with photo “save” button force-closing the app? Can’t save a single photo :( ### 2/5 — Care giving *2018-02-01, version 1.5* Would love for this app to be able to more easily record and share care giving (like bathroom & eating) throughout the day. Make it easy for the teacher share this info in real time with the parents ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Horrible *2026-02-26, version 1.12.4* I need this app for my child’s daycare but it is not functional. Whoever is in charge needs to fix this app. ### 1/5 — Doesn’t open anymore *2025-08-27, version 1.12.4* Crashes immediately on open. I’ve reinstalled, turned my phone on and off again, but i can’t find a way to open the app. ### 1/5 — Garbage *2025-02-10* Teachers hate it. Confusing to navigate. We maybe see updates once every two days, and even then they are incomplete. Had no problem when the school used ProCare. ### 1/5 — Complete garbage *2025-01-22, version 1.12.4* This app is horrible. The reports section looks like it was written 100 years ago and is not visually appealing or useful. The inbox section functions poorly and it is hard to track incoming and outgoing messages. The app just feels like it had a $1 budget. ### 1/5 — Archaic and disappointing *2025-01-10, version 1.12.4* Our daycare just switched from Procare to this and it’s so very disappointing. No landing page to see multiple categories at once, requires refreshing every section to see updates, no spell check in messaging (you use this more than you think). It’s detached and unfinished. My tech world partner said ‘this looks like an app someone who is just learning to make an app makes on their first day from their dorm room’ it’s an embarrassment — and teachers have to log onto a web browser to make updates so updates are not real time and are purposefully difficult to make. So clunky and not at all up to market standard. We really don’t understand why anyone would accept this as a communication modality. Easily compare to Procare, sprout about, kangaroo time and nameless others to see what a daycare communication app *should* be capable of. ### 1/5 — Terrible app *2024-10-05, version 1.12.4* Full of bugs! ### 1/5 — Unreliable - far better apps out there *2023-06-06, version 1.12.4* Information uploaded to the app by the school takes too long to appear. Reporting of events is also out of order (basically random). ### 1/5 — Photo not refresh *2023-02-14, version 1.12.3* I use the website can check new uploaded photos, but not the app, even I refresh multiple time, it still show old photos. ### 1/5 — Trash *2022-09-13, version 1.12.2* This application is trash. Writing a message is terrible. You cannot see the whole screen, it doesn’t have basic tech needs to an application. There has not been a SIMPLE application update for over 11 months when there are multiple reviews stating the issues. Where is the money our daycares are paying going towards? Communication with parents is the whole reason for this application, but Montessori Compass obviously doesn’t care about this. This is intensely frustrating for parents. I would suggest daycares put their money in an application that invests in technology on a frequent basis and remember the whole purpose of this application is for communication. ### 1/5 — Terrible app *2022-07-25, version 1.12.2* Clunky and poorly coded. Basic things like messaging don’t function well. Reports are jumbled and hard to read. Doesn’t provide a simple way to save photos or content in a simple way. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Works perfectly *2025-01-11, version 1.12.4* Besides the two blank fields on installing, you have to infer its username and password, the app took me to the inbox, has a full calendar, photo albums, events. It’s great and much better than using the website. Doesn’t deserve the low review score. ### 5/5 — Funciona bien *2023-12-20* Es la que usan en la escuela infantil de mi hija, nunca ha dado problemas, funciona muy bien y es fácil de usar. ### 3/5 — Waiting for updates *2017-12-08, version 1.4* The update times are inaccurate. Should show real dates MM/DD/YYY. The versions have read “2 minutes ago” for months now. So there is no real way to know when the last up date actually occurred. The mobile app is not really that friendly. I use it mostly now for getting notifications that guides added something (ex messages or reports) I can read messages on the go). Composing messages is painful for new parents when you don’t know who to send messages to and when you do there is a lot of scrolling involved to find the person you want to contact. There is no way to sort or search. Events are listed, no traditional calendar view or method to search for “School closed” or sort events or see only events by classroom. Most MC features are best only available on a desktop computer. Our school would like to use it exclusively but, its just not there yet. Anxiously waiting for an update to both desktop and mobile version in the beginning of 2018. So I’ve heard from Customer support who is responsive, very polite and takes suggestions to the programmers. So figures crossed for a Happy New Year update. ### 2/5 — Too cumbersome and lacks important features *2023-05-11, version 1.12.4* I have been using Montessori Compass in my Upper El classroom for 2 months since stopping by their booth at the AMS conference in Boston. I wanted a way to quickly record lessons and observations of students. Initially I downloaded the app with the intention of using it to gather information that I would analyze and reflect on at the end of the day and for generating reports for my parents. The quick add feature is too cumbersome as you must select the student then the lesson. The app shows all lessons in your curriculum with a search bar. It would be helpful if there was an option to show planned lessons. I had hoped this app would allow me to quickly record lessons in real time, capturing students who came to the lesson along with their chosen follow up work. It would be helpful to be able to upload pdf copies of observations like time sampling, physical map observations, rating scales and three column running records done in GoodNotes. Each time I attempt to use the app, I switch to using the web based in Safari to the pint I’m deleting the app and just adding a shortcut to my iPad’s Home Screen. ### 2/5 — Pretty sad *2022-03-17, version 1.12.2* Our child’s school uses this as their primary app and it is severely lacking. When typing a message, there is no auto-correct or auto-capitalization at the start of sentences. Every time I try to refresh the photos, the whole app crashes. Literally every time. You only get a report at the end of the day, so unless you message the teacher specifically, you have no idea what is happening with your kid throughout the day. This is the most basic and boring app and somehow it is still full of issues. ### 2/5 — Not for all phones *2021-10-04, version 1.12.1* This doesn’t appear to be formatted for the pro max (large screen) iPhones. The app info goes off the screen and you can’t tap on icons around the edges of the screen. Hope there’s a fix for this soon! ### 2/5 — Nice idea but needs some updates *2021-04-19, version 1.12.0* I do like the idea of having the app and it’s generally the right direction. But on my iPhone 12 mini, it’s entirely unusable because both the tab bar at the bottom and the navigation bar at the top expand out beyond the safe space. So they overlap with the time and battery indicators and the notch at the top. And the tab bar overlaps with the gesture bar at the bottom. Fixing the auto layout for the app would do wonders. Thanks! ### 2/5 — No badges and no zoom *2020-12-01, version 1.11.4* The app does not allow badges even if you turn on all notifications you’ll just get the banner, no badge. Photos will occasionally load, but you can’t zoom in/out of pictures. Other than that it’s pretty useful to message teachers and administrators. ### 2/5 — Is useless *2018-05-19, version 1.7* I have hopping way more from this app, you cant do anything as a teacher. You should include more perks, like the ability to upload photos or comments. A daily bathroom and meal chart would be AMAZING. Please improve this app, if not it just shouldn't exist. ### 2/5 — Why so slow? *2018-02-22, version 1.5* I frequently get notices of messages from my kids’ teachers then go to the app to find no new messages. If I go online the messages are there. What is the point of having an app if it doesn’t update in real time? I don’t want to have to wait a day to get (or to respond to) emails from teachers. Nor do I want to have to double check the app with the online site every time I get a notification. The point of an app is to make it so I do not have to log in to the site - on that point alone this app is a complete waste of my time. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-11.*