Comparison

InstaSub vs Swing Subs

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

Head to head
About

InstaSub

This app streamlines job management for educators and administrators. It allows substitutes to easily accept or decline jobs, while teachers can post and manage absences. Administrators benefit from efficient scheduling and reporting tools.

Highlights
  • Accept/Decline jobs
  • View job history
  • Post and manage absences
  • Schedule substitute requests
  • Approve/Deny time-off
  • Absence reporting
Features
Read full description

The InstaSub mobile app provides a quick and easy way to view and accept jobs, post absences, request subs and manage absences. Features include: Substitutes can: Accept/Decline jobs with a click View Available Jobs, Scheduled Jobs and Past Jobs View and update Notification Settings for email, text and push alerts Teachers can: Post Absences View Scheduled, Past and Denied Absences Post Internal Coverage Absences Cancel Absences Admins can: Scheduling Sub Requests Approve/Deny time-off requests View Filled Jobs and Unfilled Jobs Daily/Monthly Absence Reports An InstaSub account with Substitute, Teacher, or Admin permission is required to use this app. About InstaSub In addition to our time tracking and employee scheduling solutions, InstaSub gives users the ability to offer a highly efficient way to manage absences for teachers. InstaSub continues to provide K-12 administrators with the functionality they need to ensure optimal staffing, centralized reporting, and automated notifications to streamline communication.

About

Swing Subs

Find and apply for substitute teaching positions based on your preferences for grade, subject, pay, and location. Take control of your schedule and income by choosing which jobs to accept, and make a positive impact in local school communities.

Highlights
  • Explore job openings by grade, subject, pay, location
  • Sign up for jobs directly from phone
  • Control your schedule and income
  • Choose which jobs to accept
  • Support local school communities
Features
Read full description

TEACH ON YOUR TERMS Explore openings based on grade, subject, pay, location, and more. When you’ve found a good fit, quickly and easily sign up directly from your phone.
 OWN YOUR SCHEDULE AND INCOME Choose when and how much you work. You’ll have complete control over which jobs you accept. You get the power to control your earnings, and the flexibility to create your own schedule. MAKE A DIFFERENCE Support your local school communities with their teacher absences when you teach through Swing. You’ll be making a big impact and giving back to your local community.

Screenshots

InstaSub4 screens
Swing Subs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: InstaSub at 4.4 against Swing Subs's 1.9. InstaSub also leads on ratings volume (256 vs 31) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Swing Subs's advantage is review sentiment (13% vs 0%). On price, update cadence, 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

InstaSub holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: InstaSub has 256 ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of InstaSub's written reviews are positive against 13% of Swing Subs's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

InstaSub ships an update every 6 weeks, Swing Subs every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
InstaSub versus Swing Subs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstaSubSwing Subs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (256 ratings) — better1.9 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews12.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings256 — better31
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB60 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHumanity.com, LLCSwing Education, Inc.

Customer experience

InstaSub

All ratings241 ratings
Positive82.6%
Neutral8.3%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Swing Subs

All ratings10 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive12.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative87.5%

Bugs and requests

InstaSub

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Swing Subs

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Jobs disappearing before they can be viewed
  • Inconsistent login behavior
  • Refresh issues causing missed opportunities

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add filters for single/multi-day assignments
  • Improve notification reliability
  • Implement automatic app refresh
  • Provide dark mode option

In-app purchases

None

InstaSub

No in-app purchases

None

Swing Subs

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is InstaSub free?
InstaSub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Swing Subs free?
Swing Subs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, InstaSub or Swing Subs?
InstaSub is rated higher. InstaSub averages 4.4 out of 5 from 256 ratings, while Swing Subs averages 1.9 from 31 ratings.
Do InstaSub or Swing Subs have ads?
Neither InstaSub nor Swing Subs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, InstaSub or Swing Subs?
InstaSub ships an update every 6 weeks, and Swing Subs every 2 months. Most recently, InstaSub was updated on October 25, 2026 and Swing Subs on October 23, 2026.

Other comparisons