Planbook Mobile vs ReadOtter
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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!
ReadOtter
This app helps teachers manage their classroom libraries by cataloging books, tracking student checkouts, and generating reading logs. It offers a free tier with core features and a premium subscription for advanced functionalities like cloud sync and student self-checkout.
- Library cataloging
- Student checkout tracking
- Digital reading logs
- Book categorization
- iCloud sync and backup
- Student self-checkout kiosk
Read full descriptionHide full description
ReadOtter is the all-in-one classroom library app designed to help teachers save time and stay organized. Easily catalog books, track checkouts, and generate student reading logs using an iPhone or iPad. No extra hardware needed for scanning - just use your device’s camera. Free Features: - Library Cataloging: Track unlimited books, and add them by scanning, searching, or entering details manually. - Classroom Management: Add unlimited students and customize their otter avatar's color. - Teacher Checkout Mode: Quickly check books in and out, view availability, and track borrowing history. - Reading Logs: Keep a digital record of each student’s reading and returns. - Categorize: Organize books by custom tag or by series. - Privacy First: No ads, no trackers - your data stays securely on your device. - Import Books: Add a Libib or Booksource collection to you library. Premium Features (subscription required): - iCloud Sync & Backup: Sync your library across devices with the same Apple ID, including secure backups to iCloud. - Student Self-Checkout Mode: Turn your device into a kiosk with individual student PINs. - Book List Export: Create shareable spreadsheets for parents, administrators, or public lists. - Reading Insights: View and share reading data by student, group, or book. - Group Management: Organize students into flexible groups for better tracking. - Fast Checkouts: Scan and check out books directly from a student's profile. Have ideas or feature requests? Share feedback anytime in the app under Settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: ReadOtter at freemium against Planbook Mobile's subscription. ReadOtter also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 51%). Planbook Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (7.2K vs 41) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.2). On price, rating, 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 and ReadOtter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Planbook Mobile against 4.7 for ReadOtter. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planbook Mobile has 7.2K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Planbook Mobile's written reviews are positive against 60% of ReadOtter's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 28, 2026.
| Parameter | Planbook Mobile | ReadOtter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (7.2K ratings) — better | 4.7 (41 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.6% of reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.2K — better | 41 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Planbook Inc. | Human Theoria LLC |
Customer experience
Planbook Mobile
ReadOtter
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)
ReadOtter
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
ReadOtter
- ReadOtter Premium14 Days trial$2.991 Month
- ReadOtter Premium14 Days trial$19.991 Year
Questions
Is Planbook Mobile free?
Is ReadOtter free?
Which has better reviews, Planbook Mobile or ReadOtter?
Do Planbook Mobile or ReadOtter have ads?
Which is updated more often, Planbook Mobile or ReadOtter?
Other comparisons
