SchoolGuard vs Secure Test Taker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SchoolGuard
This app provides K-12 school staff with an immediate panic button for emergencies. Upon activation, it alerts law enforcement, school personnel, and nearby protected schools, while displaying the alert's location.
- One-tap panic button for emergencies
- Alerts law enforcement and school staff
- Sends location data
- Notifies nearby schools
- Listed in AT&T FirstNet App Catalog
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SchoolGuard is a mobile panic button app for K-12 school staff. In the event of an active school shooting emergency, a teacher or school staff member presses the main SchoolGuard panic button. As the app is dialing 911, an alert is immediately sent to the smartphones of all federal, state and local, ON and OFF duty, law enforcement officers who are in close proximity to the school and who belong to the Hero911 Network. Additionally, an intra-school alert is simultaneously sent to the smartphones of all school staff and a mapped location of the initial alert is displayed (mapping depends on cell coverage). SchoolGuard also alerts all other protected schools within a 5 mile radius of the initial alert. SchoolGuard is also listed in the AT&T FirsNet App Catalog as an emergency app for first responders. Please be aware that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Secure Test Taker
This application enables students to securely complete assessments within a locked environment. It restricts access to other apps, notifications, and device functions until the test is submitted. Schools can implement this tool to ensure a controlled testing experience for their students.
- Single App Mode lockdown
- Prevents app switching
- Disables clipboard access
- Blocks notifications
- Prevents screenshots
- Secure test submission
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Test Taker is an app that allows students to securely take a test through one of the supported testing services. When you log in to Test Taker, the iPad enters Single App Mode which prevents the student from leaving the app, prevents access to the clipboard, prevents notifications from appearing and prevents screenshotting. The student may not leave the app until they submit their test and end their session. Once the student has done this, they will be able to leave the app. If you are a school that would like to take advantage of this app, please contact the Director of Technology at PTSC for information on how to get it working for your students.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Secure Test Taker at every 3 months against SchoolGuard's every 6 months. SchoolGuard's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SchoolGuard against 5.0 for Secure Test Taker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively.
SchoolGuard ships an update every 6 months, Secure Test Taker every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SchoolGuard | Secure Test Taker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 58 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Guard911, LLC | Porter Township Schools Corp. |
Customer experience
SchoolGuard
Secure Test Taker
In-app purchases
SchoolGuard
No in-app purchases
Secure Test Taker
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SchoolGuard free?
Is Secure Test Taker free?
Which has better reviews, SchoolGuard or Secure Test Taker?
Do SchoolGuard or Secure Test Taker have ads?
Which is updated more often, SchoolGuard or Secure Test Taker?
Other comparisons
