Planbook Mobile vs Alva Goldbugs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Planbook Mobile
This is a comprehensive online lesson planning tool designed for educators. It offers a wide array of features, meticulous student learning standards, and excellent support. A free trial is available to experience its capabilities.
- Comprehensive lesson planning
- Meticulous student learning standards
- Extensive features for educators
- Outstanding support and tutorials
- Continuous improvement based on feedback
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Welcome to Planbook! With over one million teachers and one billion lessons, Planbook is the established leader in online lesson planning! Why is Planbook preferred by educators? * We offer the most features for teachers and schools * At $20 per year, we offer the best value on the market * Outstanding support plus knowledge base and tutorials * Our student learning standards are meticulous * Our product is always improving thanks to educator feedback Download and take advantage of our 90 day free trial!
Alva Goldbugs
Stay informed about school district events, customize notifications for your student's organizations, and access weekly cafeteria menus. Get live updates from administration and easily find staff contact information.
- Event listings with calendar integration
- Customizable notifications by organization
- Weekly cafeteria menus
- Live district updates feed
- Staff and department directory
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Introducing the brand new app for Alva Goldbugs. NEVER MISS AN EVENT The event section shows a list of events throughout the district. Users can add an event to their calendar to share the event with friends and family with one tap. CUSTOMIZE NOTIFICATIONS Select your student's organization within the app and make sure you never miss a message. CAFETERIA MENUS Within the dining section, you'll find an easy to navigate, weekly menu, sorted by day and meal type. DISTRICT UPDATES In the Live Feed is where you'll find updates from the administration about what's going on in the district right now. Whether that's celebrating a student's success, or reminding you about an upcoming deadline. CONTACT STAFF & DEPARTMENTS Find relevant staff and department contacts under an easy-to-navigate directory.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Planbook Mobile at 4.8 against Alva Goldbugs's 1.8. Planbook Mobile also leads on ratings volume (7.6K vs 5) and device support (3 vs 1). Alva Goldbugs's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, 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. Planbook Mobile sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Alva Goldbugs asks for nothing beyond the download.
Planbook Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planbook Mobile has 7.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Planbook Mobile ships an update every 2 months, Alva Goldbugs every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Planbook Mobile | Alva Goldbugs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (7.6K ratings) — better | 1.8 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7.6K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 148 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Planbook Inc. | Alva Public Schools |
Customer experience
Planbook Mobile
Alva Goldbugs
Bugs and requests
Planbook Mobile
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to add school year dates
- Login page issues (keyboard blocking screen)
- Inability to use Gmail account for sign-up
- Lesson plans deleted without explanation
Requested features
3 requests- Add copy and paste feature
- Improve mobile app experience (e.g., biometric login, portrait mode)
- Enhance integration with other platforms (e.g., Canvas)
Alva Goldbugs
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Planbook Mobile
- 1-Year Planbook Subscription$20.00
- 2-Year Planbook Subscription$36.00
- 3-Year Planbook Subscription$48.00
Alva Goldbugs
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Planbook Mobile free?
Is Alva Goldbugs free?
Which has better reviews, Planbook Mobile or Alva Goldbugs?
Do Planbook Mobile or Alva Goldbugs have ads?
Which is updated more often, Planbook Mobile or Alva Goldbugs?
Other comparisons
