Points Scan vs PlusPortals
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Points Scan
Quickly determine the Accelerated Reader™ points and reading level for any book by scanning its barcode or searching by title/author. Save your favorite books for easy access.
- Scan book barcodes
- Instant AR™ point value
- Instant AR™ level
- Title search
- Author search
- Save to Favorites list
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Want to know how many Accelerated Reader™ points a book is worth? Points Scan lets you scan a book’s barcode with your smart phone and instantly link to AR™ information. Straight Path Apps brings you the easiest, most convenient way to learn a book ‘s AR™ point value and level when you’re on the go. Simply scan the book’s ISBN (barcode) using your device's camera as a scanner and one screen later; you’ll see the book’s AR™ level, point value and quiz number. If your book doesn't have a barcode, no problem! Points Scan includes both a title and author search, as well. If you find a book you want to remember, you can also save it in a Favorites list. Renaissance Learning™ developed Accelerated Reader ™ and is no way associated with Straight Path Apps.
PlusPortals
Access school information securely on your mobile device. View combined feeds, calendars, scores, assignments, and more. Stay connected with your school for enhanced learning and success.
- Secure mobile access
- Combined Feeds
- Calendar view
- Recent Scores
- Missing Work
- Assignments
- Attendance tracking
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The PlusPortals Mobile App offers parents and students secure mobile access to view information from their school's PlusPortals account. The app showcases Combined Feeds to easily review important information in one location, as well as views for Calendar, Recent Scores, Missing Work, and Assignments. Schools can also choose to share Attendance, Report Card Grades, Schedules, Incidents, Demographics, Classroom Progress, and more! The PlusPortals Mobile App creates a stronger connection between the school, parent, and students by sharing information that is critical for success and learning.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Points Scan at 4.8 against PlusPortals's 1.4. Points Scan also leads on review sentiment (32% vs 9%) and ratings volume (2.7K vs 142). PlusPortals's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Points Scan holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Points Scan has 2.7K ratings behind it against 142, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Points Scan's written reviews are positive against 9% of PlusPortals's.
Points Scan ships an update every 5 months, PlusPortals monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Points Scan | PlusPortals |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.7K ratings) — better | 1.4 (142 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.6% of reviews — better | 9.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K — better | 142 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 92 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Straight Path Apps | Rediker Software, Inc. |
Customer experience
Points Scan
PlusPortals
User reviews
Points Scan
From 2.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient scanning feature
- 💡 Helpful for AR goals
- 🙌 Teacher-approved
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Unable to find many books
- 🤔 Inconsistent search results
- 🤯 Buggy barcode scanning
PlusPortals
From 142 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Faster than old version
- 💡 Good for students
Room to improve
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Crashes at login
- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 🐛 Difficult to navigate
- 🐛 Outdated interface
Bugs and requests
Points Scan
Reported bugs
4 issues- Scanning issues with books starting with 0
- Incorrect character display in search results
- Sudden inability to search by name or author
- Compatibility problems with older devices
Requested features
4 requests- Include word count information
- Add ability to mark books as completed
- Improve search functionality
- Expand book database coverage
PlusPortals
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login screen not working
- Unexpected errors
- Can't send messages to support
Requested features
3 requests- Bring back lesson plans
- Allow filtering by student
- Improve calendar view
In-app purchases
Points Scan
No in-app purchases
PlusPortals
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Points Scan free?
Is PlusPortals free?
Which has better reviews, Points Scan or PlusPortals?
Do Points Scan or PlusPortals have ads?
Which is updated more often, Points Scan or PlusPortals?
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