Comparison

TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) vs SmartTeach

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)

Access and discover millions of PreK-12 educational resources created by teachers. This app allows you to manage your purchased materials, explore new teaching tools, and save items to your wish list. Educators can also manage their online store and receive sale notifications.

Highlights
  • Access purchased digital downloads
  • Discover new teaching resources
  • Add resources to wish list
  • Manage TPT seller store
  • Receive sale notifications
Features
Read full description

TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) is the largest marketplace for PreK-12 resources, powered by a community of educators. With millions of resources across grades, subjects, and specialties, it’s easy to find the just-right resource for whatever you need. TPT Companion is your helpful app to learn more about resources for sale on TPT. Explore our vast library of digital downloads, from full-year curricula to bell ringer activities, and level up your teaching experience like never before. What you’ll love about TPT Companion: • Access your TPT purchases from anywhere: Your entire library of digital downloads is right at your fingertips. Find and download your teaching materials, no matter where you are. • Discover new resources: Explore new recommendations tailored to your teaching needs, and find the perfect resource for your students in a snap. • Add to your wish list: Keep track of the resources that catch your eye and save them to your wish list for when you’re ready to purchase. • Manage your TPT store: Access Seller tools while on the go and receive a cha-ching notification whenever you make a new sale. Stay connected with TPT online: Website: tpt.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/teacherspayteachers Instagram: instagram.com/teacherspayteachers

About

SmartTeach

This app helps early childhood educators streamline daily classroom tasks. It simplifies documentation, classroom management, and family communication with easy-to-use tools for online and offline use.

Highlights
  • Create documentation and share insights
  • View and teach from daily schedule
  • Communicate with families
  • Save and share photos/videos
  • Assess from curriculum resources
  • Track attendance and care routines
  • Conduct health screenings
Read full description

The SmartTeach® app by Teaching Strategies offers early childhood educators an easy and efficient way to quickly complete essential daily tasks on the fly, online, or offline. The SmartTeach app simplifies teaching, documentation, classroom management, and family engagement throughout the day, enabling teachers to make the most of every moment with easy-to-use tools right at their fingertips. The SmartTeach app is accessible to Teachers and Administrators using Teaching Strategies products such as GOLD®, The Creative Curriculum® Cloud, Kickstart LiteracyTM, and Tadpoles®. Download SmartTeach by Teaching Strategies to access our new and improved features & functionality. SmartTeach offers early childhood educators a single app to support all essential classroom tasks, including: Create documentation and share insights with families View and teach directly from your daily schedule, curriculum, activities, and care routines Communicate with families Save & share photos, videos, and other media across devices View & assess from resources like Intentional Teaching Experiences, Skill Development Cards, and Mighty Minutes®* Identify Infant and Toddler children’s developmental level with the Entry Screener to dynamically populate individualized support for each child* Take attendance, move children or staff, and complete name-to-face checks* Track care routines and share Daily Reports with families* Conduct health screenings for children and/or staff* *Feature availability is dependent on which Teaching Strategies products your classroom licenses.

Screenshots

TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)4 screens
SmartTeach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SmartTeach at 4.8 against TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)'s 2.5. SmartTeach also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SmartTeach holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 525 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)'s written reviews are positive against 24% of SmartTeach's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) versus SmartTeach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)SmartTeach
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (525 ratings)4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews19.6% of reviews24.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5251.2K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB105 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTeacher Synergy Inc.Teaching Strategies, LLC

Customer experience

TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)

All ratings525 ratings
Positive29.3%
Neutral10.9%
Negative59.8%
Written reviews158 reviews
Positive19.6%
Neutral15.8%
Negative64.6%

SmartTeach

All ratings1,185 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive24.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative64.0%

User reviews

TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)

From 525 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient app for browsing resources
  • 👍 Helpful for homeschooling and lesson planning
  • 🚀 Easy to search and navigate

Room to improve

  • 🛑 Unable to purchase items through the app
  • 🐛 Inconsistent app performance and functionality
  • 🔍 Limited search and filtering options compared to website
  • 🔒 Login issues and app crashes

SmartTeach

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy and awesome app to track notes and submit to Teaching Strategies Gold
  • 👍 Brings together curriculum and assessment
  • 👍 Convenient and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent technical glitches and bugs
  • 🐛 Performance issues
  • 🐛 Login issues
  • 🐛 Messaging and communication problems
  • 🐛 Delayed or failed uploads

Bugs and requests

TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Repeated loading of the same search results
  • Inability to view or edit seller's own products
  • Notifications not working consistently

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to purchase items directly in the app
  • Improve search and filtering capabilities
  • Optimize app for iPad and tablet use
  • Provide real-time sales data and analytics for sellers

SmartTeach

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Screener not working when clicking plus sign
  • Inability to log in through app, but able to log in on website
  • Delayed or failed message delivery
  • Uploaded documentation still showing in app, causing confusion

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to select and apply objectives to multiple pieces of documentation at once
  • Add ability to select and delete multiple photos/videos at once
  • Add ability to change date on add documentation page
  • Add landscape mode support for easier typing
  • Improve translation and communication features for ESL families

In-app purchases

None

TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)

No in-app purchases

None

SmartTeach

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) free?
TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SmartTeach free?
SmartTeach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) or SmartTeach?
SmartTeach is rated higher. TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) averages 2.5 out of 5 from 525 ratings, while SmartTeach averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.
Do TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) or SmartTeach have ads?
Neither TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) nor SmartTeach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) or SmartTeach?
TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) ships an update monthly, and SmartTeach monthly. Most recently, TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) was updated on September 11, 2026 and SmartTeach on September 17, 2026.

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