ManageBac vs Cialfo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ManageBac
This app helps students, parents, and educators manage academic tasks, track progress, and collaborate across various curricula. It supports planning, goal-setting, coursework submission, and communication for a streamlined educational experience.
- Academic deadline tracking
- Goal setting and portfolio building
- CAS/service-learning management
- Curriculum planning and collaboration
- Assessment and grade management
- Attendance and behavior tracking
- Parental progress monitoring
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ManageBac is built for students, parents, teachers, admins and coordinators on-the-go! With multi-curricula support for the full IB Continuum (PYP, MYP, CP, DP), IGCSEs and universally with a Build-your-Own (BYO) model. Students: • Stay organised with key academic deadlines and assessment tasks. • Set goals and build a portfolio with coursework, photos and more. • Manage CAS or service-learning activities with reflections. • Plan projects and communicate with your teachers & advisors. • Browse and reference QuickStart guides for the IB to stay one step ahead. Teachers: • Collaboratively plan your curriculum. • Manage teaching and learning with Stream & Resources. • Share experiences and goal-setting within the Portfolio. • Mark tasks, annotate coursework and submit term grades. • Record attendance and Behaviour & Discipline. Coordinators: • Plan and organise key year group deadlines. • Manage service learning & project-based learning. • Manage exams from start to finish. • Analyse your curriculum and manage term reporting. Parents: • Browse the curriculum alongside teaching & learning within the Portfolio. • Monitor academic progress with grades, teacher comments, and report cards. • Submit attendance excusals and communicate with homeroom advisors. • Collaborate with fellow parents via the Parent-Teacher Association.
Cialfo
This app helps students research universities and programs, offering personalized recommendations based on their academic background and interests. It streamlines the application process by tracking deadlines, facilitating submissions, and providing updates. Access a wealth of information to make informed educational decisions.
- University and program research
- Personalized recommendations
- Admission requirement details
- Financial aid information
- Application deadline tracking
- Application submission assistance
- Application status updates
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Getting into university is one of the biggest decisions of your life. Cialfo makes the process clearer, faster, and a lot less stressful — whether you're just starting to explore or already filling out applications. Find your university Search 5,000+ universities and courses worldwide. Filter by country, city, tuition fees, acceptance rate, course type, and more. Bookmark your favourites, compare them side by side, and build a shortlist that actually makes sense for you. From top-ranked universities in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia to emerging institutions across Asia and Europe — it's all here. Track every application See exactly where you stand across every university you're applying to. Set deadlines, log your progress, and get reminders so nothing falls through the cracks. No more spreadsheets, no more missed submissions. Ask Saige, your AI Saige uses your academic profile, budget, and target destinations to recommend universities worth applying to — and answers any admissions question you throw at it. Ask about entry requirements, application deadlines, scholarship eligibility, or which course fits your career goals. Get real answers, not generic advice. Explore careers and scholarships Not sure what to study? Start with where you want to end up. Explore careers, understand what qualifications they need, and work backwards to find the right course and university. Discover scholarship opportunities from around the world and filter by eligibility, amount, and deadline. Read guides written for students Articles and guides on personal statements, application timelines, scholarship applications, student visas, SAT and A-Level requirements, and everything else you need to navigate the admissions process — written in plain English, not counselor jargon. Cialfo is used by students applying to universities across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and more. Whether you're aiming for an Ivy League school, a Russell Group university, or exploring options across Southeast Asia — Cialfo helps you find the right fit and get there. Join 300,000+ students already using Cialfo to get into university.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ManageBac at 4.0 against Cialfo's 2.4. Cialfo's advantage is review sentiment (62% vs 19%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.
ManageBac holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 135 and 50 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 19% of ManageBac's written reviews are positive against 62% of Cialfo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
ManageBac ships an update every 2 weeks, Cialfo weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ManageBac | Cialfo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (135 ratings) — better | 2.4 (50 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 19.2% of reviews | 61.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 135 — better | 50 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 265 MB | 93 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Faria Education Limited | Cialfo Pte. Ltd. |
Customer experience
ManageBac
Cialfo
Bugs and requests
ManageBac
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent log-outs
- Issues with file uploads
- Inconsistent notification system
- Grades and assignments not displaying properly
Requested features
4 requests- Easier access to grades and assignments
- Better organization and filtering of tasks
- Improved mobile experience
- Ability to view all past work
Cialfo
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ManageBac
No in-app purchases
Cialfo
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ManageBac free?
Is Cialfo free?
Which has better reviews, ManageBac or Cialfo?
Do ManageBac or Cialfo have ads?
Which is updated more often, ManageBac or Cialfo?
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