# ManageBac vs Cognivo

The clearest difference is rating: Cognivo at 5.0 against ManageBac's 4.1. Cognivo also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). ManageBac's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (198 vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cognivo sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. ManageBac asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cognivo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ManageBac has 198 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ManageBac ships an update every 2 weeks, Cognivo every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ManageBac | Cognivo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (198 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/managebac/id1437382327/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cognivo/id6771196829/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **198** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 19.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 199 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Faria Education Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1514252179) | [Jorge Cupertino](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891388565) |

## What reviewers say

### ManageBac

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/managebac/id1437382327)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient for school/IB
- 🚀 Helpful for distance learning
- 👍 Useful for tracking assignments

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 👎 Confusing and unintuitive UI
- 👎 Difficult to navigate
- 👎 Slow and laggy
- 👎 Frustrating to use

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent log-outs
- Issues with file uploads
- Inconsistent notification system
- Grades and assignments not displaying properly

**Requested features**

- Easier access to grades and assignments
- Better organization and filtering of tasks
- Improved mobile experience
- Ability to view all past work


### Cognivo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cognivo/id6771196829)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Smart Mind Premium | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ManageBac free?

ManageBac is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cognivo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ManageBac or Cognivo?

Cognivo is rated higher. ManageBac averages 4.1 out of 5 from 198 ratings, while Cognivo averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ManageBac or Cognivo have ads?

Neither ManageBac nor Cognivo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ManageBac or Cognivo?

ManageBac ships an update every 2 weeks, and Cognivo every 4 days. Most recently, ManageBac was updated on November 11, 2026 and Cognivo on November 10, 2026.

---

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