Showbie vs Alfredo Backer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Showbie
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.
- 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
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Used by over 3 million teachers and students worldwide, Showbie is the easiest and most effective digital learning app to personalise assignments and feedback on iPad. DNA of Learning: Your Foundation for Student Success Showbie supports the improvement of everyday teaching and learning by elevating four essential strands of effective classroom practice - direct instruction, independent practice, personalised feedback and real-time assessment - all in one platform. Find out how easy it is to assign, collect and review student work from thousands of compatible iPad apps, or have your students complete assignments with Showbie’s built in tools. Provide rich feedback using digital ink, text and voice annotations right on images and PDFs, and then add your students’ best work to personalized digital portfolios that can be securely shared with parents. WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING “Showbie is my number one can't live without app! It makes the iPad workflow process a breeze! I especially love how it works seamlessly with so many other apps.” — Kristen Paino, Lead Technology Integrator at Avenues: The World School “I don't need to convince my colleagues that they need to use this app — it sells itself. I like that it gives me the flexibility in how I choose to grade my student's work, especially with the voice notes feature. There is no single third party app that I would rather champion.” — Suzanne Lustenhouwer, Teacher and iPad Coordinator, Apple Distinguished Educator “I love that Showbie is so versatile that the youngest of students can use it independently, yet it is appropriate for older grades as well. The ease of use makes it a great workflow solution for classes with iPads.” — Kristi Meeuwse, Kindergarten Teacher, Apple Distinguished Educator KEY FEATURES FOR TEACHERS & STUDENTS • Share work from thousands of compatible iPad apps in a few taps • Use the pen tool and pin text notes directly on any PDF or image • Gauge class understanding in real-time with minute-by-minute assessment • Instantly differentiate assignments and materials to specific students • Quickly distribute instructions and materials to your whole class • Chat privately with individual students to provide timely feedback • Record voice notes for verbal feedback or language exercises • Quickly review and assess batches of student work and provide rich, valuable feedback • Add student work to individual digital portfolios, or enable students to curate their own portfolios • Invite parents to view their student’s work and keep them informed of classroom activity • Can be used with any classroom subject • Available in 18 languages ENHANCED SHOWBIE PRO FEATURES • Record and track grades as numeric scores or letter grades, along with qualitative feedback • Provide richer feedback with more pen colours and line thicknesses, by typing on the page, or by pinning voice notes directly to student work • Record longer voice notes and videos and upload larger files • Lock assignments to control student access to documents and feedback • Give parents complete access to assignments in the classes you choose
Alfredo Backer
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Este é o aplicativo do Externato Alfredo Backer Desenvolvido para apresentar aos alunos, pais e responsáveis diversas funcionalidades, tais como: • As avaliações e faltas do ano ou semestre atual e passados, com envio de notificações e push quando as avaliações forem liberadas ou alteradas pela Instituição ou pelo professor. • Consulta financeira das parcelas atuais e vencidas, com a possibilidade de cópia da linha digitável para pagamento do boleto no aplicativo do banco de sua preferência. • Consulta do horário, sala e professor das disciplinas matriculadas, com possibilidade de adicionar lembrete do dia da aula. Envio de notificação caso tenha alteração de horário e sala. • Consulta Pedagógica com a possibilidade de filtrar por período da ocorrência. Envio de notificação no caso de nova informação pedagógica (ocorrências). • Consulta de Eventos com a possibilidade de adicionar lembretes de eventos futuros.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alfredo Backer at none against Showbie's 1. Alfredo Backer also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Showbie's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months). On price, ads and device support 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. Showbie sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Alfredo Backer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Showbie ships an update fortnightly, Alfredo Backer every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Showbie | Alfredo Backer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (237 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 36.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 237 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 294 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Showbie Inc. | Externato Alfredo Backer Ltda |
Bugs and requests
Showbie
Reported bugs
4 issues- Text boxes disappearing or moving unexpectedly
- Notifications not working correctly
- Assignments not uploading or disappearing
- Compatibility issues on older devices
Requested features
4 requests- Calendar view for assignments
- More annotation tools and customization
- Offline mode for accessing content
- Better integration with other apps
Alfredo Backer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Showbie
- Showbie Pro$239.99
Alfredo Backer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Showbie free?
Is Alfredo Backer free?
Do Showbie or Alfredo Backer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Showbie or Alfredo Backer?
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