FastDirect vs Merrill Area Public Schools
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FastDirect
This web-based system streamlines administrative tasks for parochial elementary schools. It manages attendance, grades, report cards, cafeteria operations, nurse logs, and secure e-commerce payments, while also facilitating school-wide communications.
- Attendance tracking
- GradeBook management
- Report card generation
- Cafeteria management
- Nurse log
- E-commerce payments
- School communications
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FastDirect Communications LLC provides a web-based SIS, School Information System, for parochial Elementary Schools. This includes Attendance, GradeBook, ReportCards, Cafeteria, Nurse, e-commerce payments and communications.
Merrill Area Public Schools
Stay informed about school events, district updates, and cafeteria menus. Customize notifications for your student's organization and easily access staff contacts. Never miss important information with this comprehensive school communication tool.
- Event calendar with sharing
- Customizable notifications
- Weekly cafeteria menus
- District live feed updates
- Staff and department directory
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Introducing the brand new app for Merrill Area Public Schools. NEVER MISS AN EVENT The event section shows a list of events throughout the district. Users can add an event to their calendar to share the event with friends and family with one tap. CUSTOMIZE NOTIFICATIONS Select your student's organization within the app and make sure you never miss a message. CAFETERIA MENUS Within the dining section, you'll find an easy to navigate, weekly menu, sorted by day and meal type. DISTRICT UPDATES In the Live Feed is where you'll find updates from the administration about what's going on in the district right now. Whether that's celebrating a student's success, or reminding you about an upcoming deadline. CONTACT STAFF & DEPARTMENTS Find relevant staff and department contacts under an easy-to-navigate directory.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: FastDirect at 4.5 against Merrill Area Public Schools's 3.0. FastDirect also leads on ratings volume (428 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). Merrill Area Public Schools's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 12 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
FastDirect holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FastDirect has 428 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 0% and 0% positive.
FastDirect ships an update every 12 months, Merrill Area Public Schools every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FastDirect | Merrill Area Public Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (428 ratings) — better | 3.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 428 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 144 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FASTDIRECT COMMUNICATIONS, L.L.C. | Merrill Area Public Schools |
Customer experience
FastDirect
Merrill Area Public Schools
In-app purchases
FastDirect
No in-app purchases
Merrill Area Public Schools
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FastDirect free?
Is Merrill Area Public Schools free?
Which has better reviews, FastDirect or Merrill Area Public Schools?
Do FastDirect or Merrill Area Public Schools have ads?
Which is updated more often, FastDirect or Merrill Area Public Schools?
Other comparisons
