Comparison

DPPL Mobile vs Red Rover K12

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

Head to head
About

DPPL Mobile

Manage your library account, renew borrowed items, and search the catalog. Access digital content, discover library events, and receive personalized recommendations. The app also features a digital library card for convenient checkouts.

Highlights
  • Renew items
  • Manage account
  • Search catalog
  • Access digital content
  • Find library events
  • Digital library card
Read full description

Renew items, manage your account, search the catalog, get digital content, find library events, and get personalized recommendations. Try out the new Des Plaines Public Library app, with faster load times and an added library card feature. Store your card in the app for easier checkouts in person. Still haven’t registered for a library card? Come to our downtown Des Plaines location to register today! Your library card from any Illinois public library may also be registered here to check out materials from our consortium of area libraries. Electronic materials require a Des Plaines Public Library card. See our website for more info, https://dppl.org/patron-services/get-a-library-card

About

Red Rover K12

This app simplifies absence management for K12 school districts. It allows employees to register absences, substitutes to find and accept assignments, and administrators to manage the entire process. Receive instant notifications and sync assignments to your calendar.

Highlights
  • Register, change, or cancel absences
  • Book and accept substitute assignments
  • Manage employee and substitute availability
  • Sync assignments to personal calendar
  • Approve and verify absences
  • Instant notifications for assignments
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The official Red Rover app puts the power and simplicity of Red Rover right in the palm of your hand. Best of all, its 100% free for all users, including substitutes. Whether you’re on the go or in the zone, Red Rover is the perfect companion to help you quickly book assignments, set your availability, register an absence and so much more. For substitutes: - Instant notifications about upcoming sub assignments available in your school districts - Review and accept available assignments without ever leaving the app - Automatically sync your assignments to your personal calendar - Manage your availability and school preferences For employees: - Quickly register, change, or cancel an absence - Search for qualified and available substitutes - View the status of your past and upcoming absences - Receive status update notifications about your absences For administrators: - Manage, approve, and verify absences, vacancies, and assignments - View employee and sub profiles and settings - Receive status update notifications Access to Red Rover is granted by school districts that use the Red Rover service. Check with your district to see if you have access to the most modern, intuitive substitute placement platform. More About Red Rover Red Rover is a the fastest growing HR solution on the market for K12 absence management and substitute placement. Our web and mobile technology is designed by industry experts and based solely on customer feedback. Why Red Rover Manually managing absences and filling them with qualified substitutes is very time-consuming and messy. With Red Rover’s intuitive interface, process automation, and text message notifications your district’s absences can be filled automatically without even lifting a finger. Better In Every Way There are so many ways that Red Rover has reimagined and improved absence management. Here are just a few: - A modern interface that’s simple and fun to use - Transparent, predictable, and affordable - Free app for substitutes with mobile notifications

Screenshots

DPPL Mobile2 screens
Red Rover K124 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Red Rover K12 at 4.7 against DPPL Mobile's 4.0. Red Rover K12 also leads on ratings volume (49K vs 5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). DPPL Mobile's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). On price, review sentiment, 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

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

Red Rover K12 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Rover K12 has 49K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of DPPL Mobile's written reviews are positive against 60% of Red Rover K12's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DPPL Mobile ships an update every 6 months, Red Rover K12 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
DPPL Mobile versus Red Rover K12: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDPPL MobileRed Rover K12
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.7 (49K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better60.4% of reviews
Number of ratings549K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#174 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDes Plaines Public LibraryRed Rover Technologies, LLC

Customer experience

DPPL Mobile

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Red Rover K12

All ratings47,868 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral2.9%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews579 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral6.0%
Negative33.5%

Bugs and requests

DPPL Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Red Rover K12

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues on certain devices
  • Keyboard not hiding properly
  • Inconsistent behavior when entering absences
  • Syncing problems between app and website

Requested features

5 requests
  • Calendar view of available jobs
  • Improved notification settings
  • Ability to see job details before accepting
  • Support for tablets and larger screens
  • Two-way communication with teachers

In-app purchases

None

DPPL Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Red Rover K12

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DPPL Mobile free?
DPPL Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Red Rover K12 free?
Red Rover K12 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DPPL Mobile or Red Rover K12?
Red Rover K12 is rated higher. DPPL Mobile averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Red Rover K12 averages 4.7 from 49K ratings.
Do DPPL Mobile or Red Rover K12 have ads?
Neither DPPL Mobile nor Red Rover K12 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DPPL Mobile or Red Rover K12?
DPPL Mobile ships an update every 6 months, and Red Rover K12 monthly. Most recently, DPPL Mobile was updated on October 29, 2026 and Red Rover K12 on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons