# Schools NI vs SIMS Parent

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Schools NI at 25% against SIMS Parent's 2%. SIMS Parent's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Schools NI ships an update every 2 months, SIMS Parent fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Schools NI | SIMS Parent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[2.1 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sims-parent/id1106452691/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **20** |
| Positive reviews | **25.0% of reviews** | 2.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gerard Corr](https://appshunter.io/developer/1044596182) | [Education Software Solutions Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1568267003) |

## What reviewers say

### Schools NI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/schools-ni/id1044596183)

Stay updated with the latest news, galleries, and events from schools in Northern Ireland. This application specifically focuses on school web design news.

**Highlights:** Latest news updates, School galleries, Event listings, Focus on school web design

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### SIMS Parent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sims-parent/id1106452691)

This app allows parents to actively engage with their children's education by providing access to homework, calendars, timetables, and assessment results. Parents can also track progress, view behavior reports, and communicate with schools via secure messaging. It consolidates information for children attending different schools, enhancing safeguarding and parental involvement.

**Highlights:** View homework and assignments, Access student calendars and timetables, Track assessment results and reports, Monitor attendance and behavior, Secure messaging with schools, Manage multiple children across schools, Update safeguarding information

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Useful for tracking attendance
- 👍 Useful for checking timetables
- 👍 Useful for viewing achievement logs
- 👍 Useful for viewing behaviour logs
- 👍 Useful for keeping on top of homework

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constantly crashes
- 🐛 Frequently logs out
- 🐛 Unreliable and unusable
- 🐛 Difficult to log in
- 🐛 Password reset issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- App logs users out unexpectedly
- Login details are not recognized
- Password reset functionality is broken
- App is very slow to load

**Requested features**

- Fix login issues
- Improve app stability
- Update app regularly
- Better password reset functionality
- Improve communication features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Schools NI free?

Schools NI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SIMS Parent free?

SIMS Parent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Schools NI or SIMS Parent have ads?

Neither Schools NI nor SIMS Parent shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Schools NI or SIMS Parent?

Schools NI ships an update every 2 months, and SIMS Parent fortnightly. Most recently, Schools NI was updated on October 29, 2026 and SIMS Parent on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*