Comparison

StartSOLE vs ProgressBook Parent/Student

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

Head to head
About

StartSOLE

This app facilitates inquiry-based learning in classrooms by providing a framework for collaborative research and presentation. It offers thousands of questions aligned to state standards, lesson planning tools, and a community for educators to connect and share resources.

Highlights
  • Thousands of big questions aligned to state standards
  • Integrated lesson plans
  • Facilitation and reflection tools
  • Global educator community
  • Continuing education units
  • Printable resources
Features
Read full description

The StartSOLE app gives you everything you need to bring inquiry based learning into your classroom. In the app you will find thousands of questions aligned to state standards, integrated lesson plans, tools for facilitating and reflecting in your class, and the opportunity to connect with a global community of educators. What's SOLE? A SOLE takes place in three parts: asking a big question, collaborating to research in groups, and then each group presenting their findings. By design SOLE requires only one internet enabled device per group and takes about 45 minutes to an hour, perfectly suited to be completed in a single class period. SOLEs focus on the process of learning and prepares learners for the future by infusing 21st century skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. This concept was pioneered by Dr. Sugata Mitra, winner of the 2013 TED prize for his ‘Hole in the Wall’ Experiment. StartSOLE is designed to make this concept easy for teachers to implement anywhere, anytime. What does this app do? • Big Questions - Thousands of big questions aligned to state standards are available for your next SOLE, or you can submit your own big question to share with the community. • Lesson Planning - Create a Charlotte Danielson-aligned lesson plan in minutes, delivered to your inbox • Facilitation Tool - An easy timer and guided observation tool allows you to record key moments during your SOLE as they happen • Guided Reflection - A brief guided reflection designed to improve your practice and provide support if needed • Certification - Receive free continuing education units from Cleveland State University for your work with SOLE • Tutorials - Guides & tips from other teachers, along with an introduction to the research frameworks behind SOLE. • News feed - view SOLE sessions from around the world and connect with other SOLE educators • Resources - Dozens of printable resources from other teachers available to use with your students: rubrics, worksheets, posters and more!

About

ProgressBook Parent/Student

Access essential student information on the go, including grades, attendance, assignments, and class schedules. This app connects parents and students to their learning community with no extra setup required.

Highlights
  • View grades
  • Track attendance
  • Check assignments
  • Access class schedule
  • On-the-go information
Features
Read full description

The Frontline ProgressBook Parent/Student mobile app for Ohio schools empowers your learning community with necessary student information at their fingertips. Everything students and parents need to be informed about the in’s and out’s of the student experience is now on-the-go… and the best part is there’s no additional set up. All you need is an existing Frontline ProgressBook Parent/Student record and you can download the app to access your info on your smart device. Easily access grades, attendance, assignments, and class schedule via the mobile app.

Screenshots

StartSOLE4 screens
ProgressBook Parent/Student4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: StartSOLE at 100% against ProgressBook Parent/Student's 46%. StartSOLE also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). ProgressBook Parent/Student's advantage is ratings volume (4.5K vs 6). 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

StartSOLE holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ProgressBook Parent/Student has 4.5K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of StartSOLE's written reviews are positive against 46% of ProgressBook Parent/Student's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StartSOLE ships an update fortnightly, ProgressBook Parent/Student every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
StartSOLE versus ProgressBook Parent/Student: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStartSOLEProgressBook Parent/Student
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better4.7 (4.5K ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better46.0% of reviews
Number of ratings64.5K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLudiVita OGFrontline Technologies Group LLC

Customer experience

StartSOLE

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ProgressBook Parent/Student

All ratings4,473 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews174 reviews
Positive46.0%
Neutral9.2%
Negative44.8%

Bugs and requests

StartSOLE

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ProgressBook Parent/Student

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Constant need to update app with no update available
  • App gets stuck in loading loop and won't open
  • Zoomed in UI on tablets makes it unusable
  • Login issues and inability to access grades

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to adjust font/UI size
  • Include option to view graded assignments
  • Improve communication with teachers
  • Provide more customization options

In-app purchases

None

StartSOLE

No in-app purchases

None

ProgressBook Parent/Student

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StartSOLE free?
StartSOLE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ProgressBook Parent/Student free?
ProgressBook Parent/Student is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, StartSOLE or ProgressBook Parent/Student?
StartSOLE is rated higher. StartSOLE averages 5.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while ProgressBook Parent/Student averages 4.7 from 4.5K ratings.
Do StartSOLE or ProgressBook Parent/Student have ads?
Neither StartSOLE nor ProgressBook Parent/Student shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StartSOLE or ProgressBook Parent/Student?
StartSOLE ships an update fortnightly, and ProgressBook Parent/Student every 5 months. Most recently, StartSOLE was updated on September 30, 2026 and ProgressBook Parent/Student on October 12, 2026.

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