# School Gateway vs ParentZone

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ParentZone at 60% against School Gateway's 16%. ParentZone also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.5) and ratings volume (103 vs 2). School Gateway's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

ParentZone holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ParentZone has 103 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of School Gateway's written reviews are positive against 60% of ParentZone's.

School Gateway ships an update every 6 weeks, ParentZone every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | School Gateway | ParentZone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/school-gateway/id596039615/reviews) | **[4.8 (103 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parentzone/id1439187506/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **103** |
| Positive reviews | 15.7% of reviews | **60.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Size | 14 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ISUZ Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/596039618) | [Connect Childcare](https://appshunter.io/developer/941597404) |

## What reviewers say

### School Gateway

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/school-gateway/id596039615)

This app streamlines communication and management of your child's school life. It allows parents to receive messages, make payments for school items, manage dinner money, book clubs, and view academic reports and attendance. All your children's school information is consolidated in one place.

**Highlights:** Receive school messages, Make school payments, Manage dinner money, Book school clubs, View reports and timetable, Monitor attendance, Update contact details

**In-app purchases:** none


### ParentZone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parentzone/id1439187506)

This app allows parents to receive real-time updates on their child's daily activities and milestones from their childcare provider. View photos, meal logs, nap schedules, and important health information securely. Share access with other family members to keep everyone informed.

**Highlights:** Daily activity updates, Photo sharing, Meal and nap logs, Health and accident reports, Secure family access, Developmental milestones

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Reassuring for parents
- 👍 Great interface
- 👍 Keeps parents updated
- 👍 Allows sharing home learning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs need fixing
- 🐛 Constantly logging out
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Biometrics not working
- 🐛 Video/photo upload issues

**Reported bugs**

- Constant login issues
- Biometrics not working
- Video/photo upload failures
- Timeline not updating correctly
- Filtering not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Allow emojis in messages
- Add meal details
- Allow bulk download of photos
- Improve notification details
- Allow two-device login


## Frequently asked questions

### Is School Gateway free?

School Gateway is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ParentZone free?

ParentZone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, School Gateway or ParentZone?

ParentZone is rated higher. School Gateway averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while ParentZone averages 4.8 from 103 ratings.

### Do School Gateway or ParentZone have ads?

Neither School Gateway nor ParentZone shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, School Gateway or ParentZone?

School Gateway ships an update every 6 weeks, and ParentZone every 3 weeks. Most recently, School Gateway was updated on September 24, 2026 and ParentZone on September 25, 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.*