Comparison

ZipGrade vs Planbook Mobile

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

Head to head
About

ZipGrade

Instantly grade multiple-choice tests and quizzes using your device's camera. This app offers a fast and accurate way for educators to assess student work, with features for organizing and exporting results. It provides immediate feedback to inform lesson planning and assignments.

Highlights
  • Instant grading with device camera
  • Supports multiple choice tests and quizzes
  • Organizes and exports results (PDF, Excel)
  • Free answer sheet templates available
  • Companion website for data management
  • Stores results by student, subject, and quiz
Features
Read full description

Teachers can grade multiple choice tests, quizzes, and assessments instantly in the classroom by using their iPhone or iPad's camera as a scanner. It is the most cost effective, fastest, and most accurate way to grade tests in the classroom or where ever you are. -------------------------------------------------------- * Free answer sheets available in several formats and sizes up to 100 questions (including custom form wizard) * Organizes results for reporting and exporting via PDF and Excel-readable format * Uses student ID numbers or written name of student for reporting. * Use companion website (www.zipgrade.com) to manage your data and upload student lists and review results in dozens of reports and exports. -------------------------------------------------------- Use for exit tickets, formative assessments, or regular quizzes. Stores results by students, subject, and quiz. By giving teachers the flexibility to grade papers instantly anywhere, ZipGrade provides immediate feedback on current knowledge and can be used to better focus lessons and assignments. Download ZipGrade free with access to all features and website, but limited to 100 scans per month. After you've used it for a class or two, use the in-app purchase a non-recurring subscription with unlimited scanning.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive lesson planning
  • Meticulous student learning standards
  • Extensive features for educators
  • Outstanding support and tutorials
  • Continuous improvement based on feedback
Read 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!

Screenshots

ZipGrade3 screens
Planbook Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: ZipGrade at free with in-app purchases against Planbook Mobile's subscription. ZipGrade also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 51%) and ratings volume (36K vs 7.2K). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ZipGrade sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Planbook Mobile sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ZipGrade against 4.8 for Planbook Mobile. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZipGrade has 36K ratings behind it against 7.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of ZipGrade's written reviews are positive against 51% of Planbook Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ZipGrade ships an update every 6 weeks, Planbook Mobile every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ZipGrade versus Planbook Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZipGradePlanbook Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (36K ratings) — better4.8 (7.2K ratings)
Positive reviews86.0% of reviews — better50.6% of reviews
Number of ratings36K — better7.2K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB83 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZipGrade LLCPlanbook Inc.

Customer experience

ZipGrade

All ratings36,274 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews506 reviews
Positive86.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative10.9%

Planbook Mobile

All ratings6,987 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive50.6%
Neutral10.6%
Negative38.8%

User reviews

ZipGrade

From 36K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient grading
  • 👍 Instant feedback for students
  • 📊 Detailed data analysis
  • 💰 Affordable subscription
  • ⏱️ Time-saving

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent scanning issues
  • 🔍 Difficulty navigating interface
  • 🔢 Lack of class/student grouping options
  • 🖼️ Poor image quality for student names

Planbook Mobile

From 7.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Time-saving program
  • 👍 Helpful for both homeschool and school teachers
  • 👍 Allows for easy sharing and organization of lessons
  • 👍 Useful for adapting to changes like snow days

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Events/features not working in app
  • 🐛 Google sign-in not working on app
  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable, crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Copy/paste feature not working as expected
  • 🐛 Inability to access Google Drive files in app

Bugs and requests

ZipGrade

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Scanning issues with flat surface detection
  • Incorrect answer marking due to eraser marks

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to change question point values in bulk
  • Option to create/edit answer keys on website
  • Support for non-multiple choice question types
  • Improved data export/integration with other systems

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)

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ZipGrade

One-time1
  • Add 1 year of use$6.99
3 purchases

Planbook Mobile

One-time3
  • 1-Year Planbook Subscription$20.00
  • 2-Year Planbook Subscription$36.00
  • 3-Year Planbook Subscription$48.00

Questions

Is ZipGrade free?
ZipGrade is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Planbook Mobile free?
Planbook Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ZipGrade or Planbook Mobile?
ZipGrade is rated higher. ZipGrade averages 4.9 out of 5 from 36K ratings, while Planbook Mobile averages 4.8 from 7.2K ratings.
Do ZipGrade or Planbook Mobile have ads?
Neither ZipGrade nor Planbook Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ZipGrade or Planbook Mobile?
ZipGrade ships an update every 6 weeks, and Planbook Mobile every 2 months. Most recently, ZipGrade was updated on October 17, 2026 and Planbook Mobile on October 16, 2026.

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