InstaSub vs Swing Subs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Accept/Decline jobs
- View job history
- Post and manage absences
- Schedule substitute requests
- Approve/Deny time-off
- Absence reporting
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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.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | InstaSub | Swing Subs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (256 ratings) — better | 1.9 (31 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 12.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 256 — better | 31 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Humanity.com, LLC | Swing Education, Inc. |
Customer experience
InstaSub
Swing Subs
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
InstaSub
No in-app purchases
Swing Subs
No in-app purchases








