# Groups vs Planbook Mobile

Groups and Planbook Mobile both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of Groups's written reviews are positive against 51% of Planbook Mobile's. Groups also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription). Planbook Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (7.2K vs 146) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.4). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Groups sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Planbook Mobile sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Groups against 4.8 for Planbook Mobile. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planbook Mobile has 7.2K ratings behind it against 146, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Groups's written reviews are positive against 51% of Planbook Mobile's.

Groups ships an update every 3 months, Planbook Mobile every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Groups | Planbook Mobile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (146 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groups-random-team-generator/id1160022250/reviews)** | [4.8 (7.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planbook-mobile/id1502332358/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 146 | **7.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **90.0% of reviews** | 50.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Size | 24 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [William Taylor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1066424218) | [Planbook Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/671763637) |

## What reviewers say

### Groups

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groups-random-team-generator/id1160022250)

This app helps educators create balanced and effective student teams using an advanced algorithm. It offers features like gender balancing, exclusion of incompatible students, and random student selection to promote participation. Easily import student data and export group compositions for classroom use.

**Highlights:** Advanced team-building algorithm, Gender balancing for groups, Exclude incompatible student pairs, Random student picker, Export and print group compositions, Bulk import students, Cross-device sync via iCloud

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Groups Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Groups Pro Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Color Themes | $0.99 | one-time |
| Groups Pro | $39.99 | one-time |


### Planbook Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planbook-mobile/id1502332358)

This is a comprehensive online lesson planning tool designed for educators. It offers a wide array of features, meticulous student learning standards, and excellent support. A free trial is available to experience its capabilities.

**Highlights:** Comprehensive lesson planning, Meticulous student learning standards, Extensive features for educators, Outstanding support and tutorials, Continuous improvement based on feedback

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-Year Planbook Subscription | $20.00 | one-time |
| 2-Year Planbook Subscription | $36.00 | one-time |
| 3-Year Planbook Subscription | $48.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Time-saving program
- 👍 Helpful for both homeschool and school teachers
- 👍 Allows for easy sharing and organization of lessons
- 👍 Useful for adapting to changes like snow days

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Events/features not working in app
- 🐛 Google sign-in not working on app
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable, crashes frequently
- 🐛 Copy/paste feature not working as expected
- 🐛 Inability to access Google Drive files in app

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to add school year dates
- Login page issues (keyboard blocking screen)
- Inability to use Gmail account for sign-up
- Lesson plans deleted without explanation

**Requested features**

- Add copy and paste feature
- Improve mobile app experience (e.g., biometric login, portrait mode)
- Enhance integration with other platforms (e.g., Canvas)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Groups free?

Groups is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Planbook Mobile free?

Planbook Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Groups or Planbook Mobile?

Groups is rated higher. Groups averages 4.9 out of 5 from 146 ratings, while Planbook Mobile averages 4.8 from 7.2K ratings.

### Do Groups or Planbook Mobile have ads?

Neither Groups nor Planbook Mobile shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Groups or Planbook Mobile?

Groups ships an update every 3 months, and Planbook Mobile every 2 months. Most recently, Groups was updated on October 16, 2026 and Planbook Mobile on October 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*