Canvas Parent vs HCPSS Compass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Canvas Parent
This app allows parents and guardians to monitor their child's academic progress, communicate with teachers, and receive important updates. It helps families stay involved in their student's education by tracking grades, assignments, and feedback.
- Message teachers directly
- View grades and assignments
- Receive real-time notifications
- See teacher feedback
- Use calendar view for upcoming tasks
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Stay connected. Encourage success. Canvas Parent helps parents and guardians track student progress, support learning, and communicate with teachers in real time. What you can do • Communicate: Message teachers directly to ask questions or follow up on school updates or particular grade & page • Check progress: View grades, assignments, due dates, and homework across all courses • Get alerts: Receive real-time notifications for missing work, low scores, or new announcements • Encourage: See teacher feedback, celebrate milestones, and help your student stay organized • Plan ahead: Use the calendar view to track upcoming tasks, events, and class updates Canvas Parent is more than a grade monitor—it’s a progress tracker that helps families and schools work together.
HCPSS Compass
Navigate educational and career paths within Howard County Public School System. Access essential resources and tools to plan your academic journey and prepare for future success.
- Educational opportunity navigation
- Career opportunity navigation
- Access to essential resources
- Academic journey planning tools
- Future success preparation
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HCPSS Compass is your comprehensive guide to navigating educational and career opportunities in Howard County Public School System. This app provides students with easy access to essential resources, tools, and information to help plan their academic journey and prepare for future success.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: HCPSS Compass at 5.0 against Canvas Parent's 4.4. HCPSS Compass also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Canvas Parent's advantage is ratings volume (112K vs 4) and chart position (#153 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.
HCPSS Compass holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canvas Parent has 112K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Canvas Parent ships an update monthly, HCPSS Compass fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Canvas Parent | HCPSS Compass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (112K ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 9.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 112K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #153 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 167 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Instructure Inc. | ASKnowledge, LLC |
Customer experience
Canvas Parent
HCPSS Compass
Bugs and requests
Canvas Parent
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent log-out issues
- Inability to access account or find school
- Delayed or inaccurate display of assignment statuses and grades
- Calendar view and other key features not functioning as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to view submitted assignments and teacher feedback
- Better organization and sorting of assignments by due date
- Improved communication and coordination between parents, students, and teachers
- More consistent and intuitive user experience across the platform
HCPSS Compass
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Canvas Parent
No in-app purchases
HCPSS Compass
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Canvas Parent free?
Is HCPSS Compass free?
Which has better reviews, Canvas Parent or HCPSS Compass?
Do Canvas Parent or HCPSS Compass have ads?
Which is updated more often, Canvas Parent or HCPSS Compass?
Other comparisons
