Shovel Study Planner vs Assignment Planner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shovel Study Planner
This app helps students manage their academic workload through time-blocking and executive functioning skills. It predicts if tasks can be completed on time and allows for flexible schedule adjustments. It requires initial setup on a web platform.
- Time-blocking for tasks
- Real-time time cushion estimates
- Consolidated task management
- Ideal schedule building
- Rotating class schedule support
- Detailed task progress tracking
- Weighted grade calculation
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Become a STRESS-FREE student with TIME-BLOCKING and proper EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS. **This is only a companion app. Requires account setup on our web platform shovelapp.io** Shovel is a unique study planner that will help you build a solid foundation for life. Shovel is the only study planner that will tell you if you can get every task done on time or if you need to adjust your schedule, way before you run into trouble! SHOVEL FEATURES: TIME-BLOCKING • Plan exactly WHAT task you will work on, WHEN, and for HOW LONG. TIME CUSHION • Know if you have enough time to get your task done on time, continuously in REAL-TIME. EVERY TASK FROM EVERY CLASS IN ONE PLACE • Real-time information on every task • The Time You Have Available • The Time You Need to Complete Every Task • Time Cushion Information for Every Task YOUR IDEAL SCHEDULE • Build your dream week. Block out the times when you’re busy, including 'Me-Time' for fun and personal activities and see how it affects your study schedule going forward. Shovel will tell you if you can do it all, or if you need to adjust your plan. ROTATING CLASS SCHEDULE • Create events that repeat every XX weeks with ease. DETAILED TASK MANAGEMENT • Know how long each reading will take (we do the math for you!) • Estimate how long to study for each exam • Estimate how long you need for each assignment • See how changes affect your future study time • Track your progress on every task • Move tasks to Completed or Do-Later • Adjust on the go PLANNER ON STEROIDS • Assign tasks to specific study times • Know how long you’ll work on each task and when • See which tasks you haven’t planned or how much of a task you haven’t planned yet TIMELINE OF EVERY DAY • See how you use every minute • Classes, Activities, Meals, Me Time, and Events • Even the time you spend walking to and from • Unplanned Study Times • Planned Study Times (with the tasks you plan on doing) NOTIFICATIONS • Never miss a beat. Get notified about the things you have to do, and make sure you record the things you've done. TIME EVERYTHING • Use a built-in timer to track time spent on each task WEIGHTED GRADES • Know how you're doing in each class by putting in your grades properly weighted based on your grading rubric CREATE • Tasks • Weekly commitments • Events ADJUST ON THE GO • Adjust time needed based on your progress • Adjust estimated reading times with one click and instantly see how it affects your schedule • Adjust anything in your schedule COLLEGE IN YOUR POCKET • Your entire semester at your fingertips With Shovel, there are no surprises. You’ll be in complete control of your studies. You’ll know what’s next, how long it will take, if you have time to get it done, and when you’ll get it done. Get organized and become the best student you can be. *** REQUIRES SETUP IN WEB APP FIRST*** Because college syllabi have a lot of information, the fastest way for you to get started is to set everything up on your laptop in the Shovel web-app. Sign up at: https://shovelapp.io *** QUESTIONS*** Go to our website https://shovelapp.io and use the chat. We'll be more than happy to help.
Assignment Planner
Easily track homework and assignments with a planner focused on due dates. Receive timely notifications to ensure you never miss a deadline. This app syncs across all your devices, including Apple Watch, for seamless organization.
- Track homework and assignments
- Focus on due dates
- Plan ahead for deadlines
- Receive assignment notifications
- Syncs across all devices
- Mark assignments as complete on Apple Watch
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Track your homework with a super easy to use planner. Focus on due dates, so you can plan ahead and never miss a deadline. Get a notification before assignments are due so you never forget to turn in your work. No mess. No stress. Never forget to turn in your homework again. Assignment Planner works on all your devices. Add new assignments and exams in class from your Mac. In the library, use your iPad to view upcoming assignments and exams. When you’re ready, mark assignments as complete from your wrist on Apple Watch. No need to pick up your phone, so you can stay focused on getting work done.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Assignment Planner at 4.6 against Shovel Study Planner's 4.1. Assignment Planner also leads on device support (5 vs 3). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Shovel Study Planner sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Assignment Planner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Assignment Planner holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 195 and 138 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Shovel Study Planner's written reviews are positive against 57% of Assignment Planner's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shovel Study Planner | Assignment Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (195 ratings) | 4.6 (138 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.3% of reviews | 57.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 195 — better | 138 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | How To Study Smart, LLC | John Zeglarski |
Customer experience
Shovel Study Planner
Assignment Planner
User reviews
Shovel Study Planner
From 195 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 Excellent for student organization and time management
- ⏱️ Unique time-blocking and scheduling features
- 🎓 Course and assignment-focused organization system
- 💻 Desktop/web version works reliably and comprehensively
- 🎨 Clean, minimalist, and aesthetically pleasing interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Mobile app frequently crashes and becomes unresponsive
- 📱 Mobile app significantly less functional than web version
- ⚠️ App shows blank screens and fails to load content
- 🔌 Requires constant internet connection, no offline access
- 🛠️ Appears to be abandoned with no recent updates
Assignment Planner
From 138 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 📚 Effective assignment and exam tracking
- 🎨 Color-coded subjects for organization
- 🔔 Customizable notification settings
- 💰 Free to use with no paywall
Room to improve
- 🐛 Persistent notification delivery failures
- 🐛 Date picker freezes and becomes unresponsive
- 🐛 App crashes when setting due dates
- 🐛 Sync issues across devices
- ⚠️ Notifications turn off unexpectedly
Bugs and requests
Shovel Study Planner
Reported bugs
16 issues- App crashes when attempting to edit task times
- Blank white screen on app launch
- Touch input not responding on iPad with Apple Pencil
- Tasks and calendar items disappear after login
- Tasks fail to save when entered
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- Widget shows 'log in' prompt despite being logged in
- Notifications arrive at wrong times or not at all
- Dropdown menus extend beyond screen on iPhone
- App freezes when trying to resize tasks
- SSL certificate lapsed, preventing login access
- App crashes when typing in new task times
- Duplicate notifications sent for single tasks
- Calendar refresh is slow
- Drag-to-reschedule functionality doesn't work properly
- Free trial data disappears after trial ends without warning
- App won't recognize password after web signup
Requested features
16 requests- Push notifications for tasks and assignments
- Dark mode for mobile app
- Widget functionality that works reliably
- Offline access and offline storage
- Landscape mode for iPad
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- Monthly calendar view on mobile
- Task repeat/recurring task options
- Ability to edit and add tasks fully on mobile
- Integration with Google Calendar
- Pomodoro timer feature
- Support for 6-day school cycles
- Non-school related task/to-do list functionality
- Downloadable desktop app for Mac
- In-app purchase option for premium version
- Better iPad optimization
- Cushion feature on mobile app
Assignment Planner
Reported bugs
14 issues- Date picker unresponsive on mobile and desktop
- App freezes when modifying assignment due dates
- Notifications fail to send despite being enabled
- Notifications disable themselves after being set
- Forced app crashes requiring computer restart
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- Data disappears after app updates
- Assignments deleted unexpectedly
- Subject colors revert to orange
- Changing subject resets date and time fields
- Cannot click anything after adding first assignment
- Widget displays only in orange color
- Inconsistent note-adding functionality
- iPad UI lost column layout in recent update
- Email support bouncing back
Requested features
16 requests- Cross-device synchronization via iCloud
- Apple Watch app support for adding assignments
- Recurring/repeating assignments feature
- Calendar view integration
- Subject folder organization by year/semester
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- Timetable/class schedule feature
- Customizable widget colors
- Month view for assignments
- Ability to add notes and attachments to assignments
- Custom class icons instead of auto-assigned
- Homework section separate from assignments
- Undo/delete recovery option
- Light mode toggle option
- All assignments combined view page
- Assignments without due dates option
- Calendar sync with system calendar
In-app purchases
Shovel Study Planner
- Lifetime plan$13.99
- Lifetime plan$46.99
Assignment Planner
- Personality Pack$1.49
Questions
Is Shovel Study Planner free?
Is Assignment Planner free?
Which has better reviews, Shovel Study Planner or Assignment Planner?
Do Shovel Study Planner or Assignment Planner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Shovel Study Planner or Assignment Planner?
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