# Nearpod vs Showbie

The clearest difference is rating: Showbie at 3.7 against Nearpod's 3.1. Showbie also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly). Nearpod's advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 238) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nearpod sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $159.99 per year and Showbie sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Showbie holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nearpod has 1.9K ratings behind it against 238, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of Nearpod's written reviews are positive against 36% of Showbie's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Nearpod ships an update monthly, Showbie every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nearpod | Showbie |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearpod/id523540409/reviews) | **[3.7 (238 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showbie/id548898085/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.9K** | 238 |
| Positive reviews | **40.6% of reviews** | 36.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 27 MB | 297 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nearpod](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441232331) | [Showbie Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/523263741) |

## What reviewers say

### Nearpod

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearpod/id523540409)

This app empowers K-12 teachers to create interactive, student-centered lessons that boost engagement and deepen understanding across all subjects. It offers tools for real-time assessment, flexible teaching modes, and integration with popular platforms, making instruction more effective.

**Highlights:** Interactive lesson creation, Live and student-paced modes, Polls, quizzes, and VR activities, Real-time formative assessments, Integration with Google Slides, YouTube, LMS, Library of 22,000+ lessons

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| to Nearpod Gold Edition | $159.99 | per year |
| NPP "Authors: Decimals and Fractions" | $2.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: Drawing Inferences" | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: Energy " | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: What are Cells?" | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: The Rock Cycle" | $4.99 | one-time |
| Social Studies: Causes of the American Revolution | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: Subtraction with Regrouping Part 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: What Makes a Tree Trunk? | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: Reading Maps | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Engaging and interactive
- 👍 Great for student participation
- 💡 Useful for differentiated instruction
- 🚀 Effective for virtual/hybrid learning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Limited functionality in mobile app
- 🔍 Clunky and unintuitive user interface
- 🔍 Reliability issues, especially on iPads

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to save progress and resume lessons
- Drawing/annotation tools not working as expected
- Login issues, especially with Google accounts
- Slides not syncing properly across devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to create and edit content on mobile app
- More question types beyond multiple choice
- Improved device compatibility and cross-platform support
- Enhanced student reporting and analytics


### Showbie

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showbie/id548898085)

This app facilitates paperless learning by allowing teachers to personalize assignments and provide detailed feedback on student work. It supports various feedback methods, including digital ink, text, and voice annotations, and enables the creation of digital portfolios for students. Parents can also be invited to view student progress.

**Highlights:** Personalize assignments and feedback, Digital ink, text, and voice annotations, Create digital student portfolios, Share work from compatible apps, Real-time class assessment, Private student chat, Parental access to student work

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Showbie Pro | $239.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient workflow
- 📚 Helpful for learning
- 🤝 Good for collaboration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 💾 Unreliable file saving and syncing
- 🕰️ Slow performance and lag
- 🔍 Confusing navigation and UI

**Reported bugs**

- Text boxes disappearing or moving unexpectedly
- Notifications not working correctly
- Assignments not uploading or disappearing
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Calendar view for assignments
- More annotation tools and customization
- Offline mode for accessing content
- Better integration with other apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nearpod free?

Nearpod is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Showbie free?

Showbie is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Nearpod or Showbie?

Showbie is rated higher. Nearpod averages 3.1 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Showbie averages 3.7 from 238 ratings.

### Do Nearpod or Showbie have ads?

Neither Nearpod nor Showbie shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nearpod or Showbie?

Nearpod ships an update monthly, and Showbie every 8 days. Most recently, Nearpod was updated on October 19, 2026 and Showbie on October 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*