Grades vs Spotxel® Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Grades
Calculate the exact scores needed on future assignments to achieve desired grades and overall GPA. Customize your experience with icons and colors, and manage assignments with flexible grading options.
- Grade Calculator
- GPA Calculator
- Custom icons and colors
- Grouped assignments
- Weighted or Points grading
- Supports all GPA scales
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Grades shows what you need on your next test to hit your target grades and GPA. Features: - Grade Calculator - GPA Calculator - Custom icons and colors - Grouped assignments and extra credit - Weighted or Points grading - Supports all GPA scales - Light and dark modes - Super fast customer support Hope you find my app helpful! - Seth Radman, Georgia Tech ---------- Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/50447321
Spotxel® Reader
This app allows you to capture images of microplates, detect and measure color signals, and analyze sample concentrations. It supports various assay formats and can save, load, and export data.
- Capture microplate images
- Detect and measure color signals
- Analyze sample concentrations
- Save and load assay setups
- Export assay data to PDF
- Supports row, column, and microarray formats
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Spotxel® Reader is a free, feature-complete app for image-based microplate-reader workflows and colorimetric assay analysis. Use Spotxel® Reader to capture or load a microplate image, align the well grid, select the measured color channel, quantify well signals, define standards and unknowns, calculate a standard curve, derive unknown concentrations, review well data, and export assay results. The guided, page-based workflow includes Camera, Image Analysis, Assay Setup, Standard Curve, Well Data, Assay Report, Purchases, and Settings. Key features: - Capture or load microplate images for analysis - Quantify colorimetric well signals from plate images - Select the measured color channel - Align the well grid manually or with the Align Grid beta feature - Save and load reusable grid profiles - Define standards, unknowns, well names, and notes - Import and export assay setup CSV files - Calculate standard curves and unknown concentrations - Review sortable per-well signal and concentration data - Export well data as CSV - Create PDF assay reports - Organize generated files in the Spotxel Reader workspace under On My iPhone or On My iPad - Select camera and default microplate grid settings - Rotate and flip images and grids - Customize the interface with color profiles and light or dark appearance modes - Access expanded in-app help and documentation All analysis features are available in the free version, which includes a small advertising placement. The optional Perpetual License and auto-renewable 3-Month Subscription remove advertising. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Grades at 4.9 against Spotxel® Reader's 2.4. Grades also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 7) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Spotxel® Reader's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Grades sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Spotxel® Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Grades holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grades has 13K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Grades's written reviews are positive against 100% of Spotxel® Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Grades ships an update every 2 weeks, Spotxel® Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Grades | Spotxel® Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (13K ratings) — better | 2.4 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13K — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Plutonium Apps, LLC | Sicasys Software GmbH |
Customer experience
Grades
Spotxel® Reader
Bugs and requests
Grades
Reported bugs
3 issues- Courses and assignments disappearing after using the app
- Incorrect grade calculations when using grouped assignments
- Crashes after recent app updates
Requested features
5 requests- Add more than 4 classes in free version
- Ability to customize grade scales (e.g. GCSE, WAM)
- Option to add bonus points or extra credit
- GPA calculator that accounts for credit hours
- Calendar integration for assignment tracking
Spotxel® Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Grades
- Grades Premium$3.991 Month
- Grades Premium$5.991 Month
- Grades Premium$7.991 Month
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- Grades Premium$9.991 Year
- Grades Premium$14.991 Year
- Grades Premium$19.991 Year
- Grades Premium$8.99
Spotxel® Reader
- Time-Unlimited License$8.99
