Comparison

Points Scan vs PlusPortals

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Scan book barcodes
  • Instant AR™ point value
  • Instant AR™ level
  • Title search
  • Author search
  • Save to Favorites list
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Secure mobile access
  • Combined Feeds
  • Calendar view
  • Recent Scores
  • Missing Work
  • Assignments
  • Attendance tracking
Features
Read full description

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

Points Scan4 screens
PlusPortals4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Points Scan ships an update every 5 months, PlusPortals monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Points Scan versus PlusPortals: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPoints ScanPlusPortals
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.7K ratings) — better1.4 (142 ratings)
Positive reviews31.6% of reviews — better9.1% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K — better142
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStraight Path AppsRediker Software, Inc.

Customer experience

Points Scan

All ratings2,740 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive31.6%
Neutral15.8%
Negative52.6%

PlusPortals

All ratings142 ratings
Positive10.6%
Neutral0.7%
Negative88.7%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive9.1%
Neutral1.3%
Negative89.6%

User reviews

Points Scan

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

None

Points Scan

No in-app purchases

None

PlusPortals

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Points Scan free?
Points Scan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PlusPortals free?
PlusPortals is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Points Scan or PlusPortals?
Points Scan is rated higher. Points Scan averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while PlusPortals averages 1.4 from 142 ratings.
Do Points Scan or PlusPortals have ads?
Neither Points Scan nor PlusPortals shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Points Scan or PlusPortals?
Points Scan ships an update every 5 months, and PlusPortals monthly. Most recently, Points Scan was updated on September 29, 2026 and PlusPortals on October 1, 2026.

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