Comparison

My Study Life vs Sum

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

Head to head
About

My Study Life

Organize your academic life with this comprehensive planner. Track classes, homework, grades, and exams, and get AI-powered study assistance. Plan extracurriculars and share your schedule with family.

Highlights
  • AI Study Coach (Scout)
  • Smart Class Scheduler
  • Homework Planner & Task Manager
  • Grade Tracking & GPA Overview
  • Exam Tracker & Study Planner
  • Focus Timer
  • Extracurricular Planner
  • Family Connect
Features
Read full description

Trusted by 10 million students worldwide. New school year, all in one place — build your schedule, track homework, and let Scout help you plan and stay on top of it all. MyStudyLife is the #1 student planner — trusted by over 10 million students across 187 countries to organize classes, manage homework, track grades, and prepare for exams. "Staying organized is a critical part of being a disciplined student, and the MyStudyLife app is an excellent organizer." — The New York Times "MyStudyLife offers a comprehensive palette of schedules, timetables and personalized notifications" — Forbes Whether you're starting a new semester in high school with a rotating schedule, heading off to college, or juggling lectures, labs, and deadlines at university, MyStudyLife brings your entire academic life together in one place. SCOUT: YOUR AI STUDY COACH Meet Scout, MyStudyLife's new AI Study Coach. Ask Scout to help plan your studying, track your workload, or figure out how to organize your week — plus reminders to keep you on track. SMART CLASS SCHEDULER Build your class schedule in minutes, with support for weekly & rotating schedules. View your daily and weekly calendar with color-coded classes, assignments, and exams. HOMEWORK PLANNER & TASK MANAGER Stay on top of every assignment by organizing tasks, setting deadlines, creating subtasks, and receiving timely reminders. Track recurring coursework each semester. GRADE TRACKING Log your grades and assessments as you go, so you always know where you stand and what it'll take to hit your target GPA. EXAM TRACKER & STUDY PLANNER Plan ahead for exams with study schedules and reminders. Spread your study sessions over time to reduce stress and improve preparation. FOCUS TIMER Boost productivity with the built-in Focus timer. Study in focused intervals while building healthier study habits. XTRA PLANNER Organize extracurriculars, clubs, sports, volunteering, part-time jobs, and personal commitments — not just school. FAMILY CONNECT Share your schedule with a parent or guardian. Family Connect keeps everyone informed while students stay in control of what they share. SYNC EVERYWHERE Your classes, assignments, exams, and schedules stay synced across every device automatically. WIDGETS & PERSONALIZATION See upcoming classes and deadlines from your Home Screen widgets. Light and Dark Mode included. FEATURES Scout: AI Study Coach for studying, workload & reminders Schedule Scan: add your timetable from a photo Weekly and rotating class schedules Homework planner with reminders and priorities Grade tracking and GPA overview Exam calendar and study planner Subtasks for complex assignments Built-in Focus timer Xtra Planner for extracurricular activities iCal calendar synchronization Home Screen widgets WHY STUDENTS CHOOSE MYSTUDYLIFE Built specifically for students and designed with executive function in mind — not a generic calendar or paper planner. Download MyStudyLife today and start the new school year organized. MYSTUDYLIFE+ & FAMILY CONNECT SUBSCRIPTIONS Free to download. Optional auto-renewing subscriptions unlock premium features: • MyStudyLife+ (Individual): $6.99/month or $39.99/year ($3.33/mo equivalent) • Family Connect, 1 Student: $9.99/month or $59.99/year ($5.00/mo equivalent) • Family Connect, 2 Students: $14.99/month or $89.99/year ($7.50/mo equivalent) • Family Connect, 3-5 Students: $19.99/month or $119.99/year ($10.00/mo equivalent) Prices shown in USD; may vary by region. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account upon confirmation of purchase. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time from your Apple ID Account Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://www.mystudylife.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

Sum

Track and manage your study time by subject with a simple timer. Log sessions, add notes, and visualize your progress with weekly graphs and a calendar. Focus on learning without distractions.

Highlights
  • Study time tracking
  • Subject and material logging
  • Weekly progress graphs
  • Calendar visualization
  • Study streaks
  • Pomodoro timer
Features
Read full description

This is a simple study timer app that allows you to record and manage your study time by subject. Simply measure your time with the timer and save it. You can also log sessions manually or add entries for past dates. You can record everything together, including subjects, study materials, pages, and notes. You can view the big picture of your studies by checking your subject balance with weekly graphs and reviewing your progress streaks on the calendar. No ads, no social media features, and no account registration required. All data is saved on your device, so there are no privacy concerns. Perfect for anyone who wants to focus on learning, from exam preparation to certifications and language studies. [Main Features] - 3 timer modes (Stopwatch, Countdown, Pomodoro) - Management of subjects, materials, pages, and notes - Weekly graphs to check subject balance (bar chart & donut chart) - Calendar to visualize study days with color-coding - Display of consecutive study days (streaks) - Daily study reminder - Backup and data export functions [Stackd Pro (One-time purchase)] - Monthly graphs and cumulative line graphs - Setting weekly goals and checking achievement rates - 9 color themes - Home screen and lock screen widgets - Real-time timer display on the Lock Screen

Screenshots

My Study Life4 screens
Sum4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sum at 100% against My Study Life's 61%. Sum also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and ads (none vs shown). My Study Life's advantage is ratings volume (6.2K vs 2) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. My Study Life sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Sum sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sum holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: My Study Life has 6.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of My Study Life's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sum's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

My Study Life ships an update every 9 days, Sum every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
My Study Life versus Sum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMy Study LifeSum
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (6.2K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.2K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18
Further details — not scored
Size160 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMy Study Life, Ltd.Nene Nakagawa

Customer experience

My Study Life

All ratings6,243 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral2.5%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews992 reviews
Positive61.2%
Neutral10.5%
Negative28.3%

Sum

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

My Study Life

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Classes and assignments not displaying properly
  • Time and date entries not saving correctly
  • Unexpected app crashes and data loss
  • Login and account sync issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add option to set custom reminders
  • Implement recurring tasks and events
  • Include a grade tracking feature
  • Provide an iPad-optimized version
  • Add a widget for quick access

Sum

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

My Study Life

Subscriptions10
  • MSL Premium- Weekly$2.997 Days
  • MyStudyLife+ (1 month)7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • MSL+ Family Monthly 1 Student$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • MSL+ Monthly Family 2 Students$14.991 Month
  • Family+ 3-5 Students Monthly$19.991 Month
  • MyStudyLife+ Annual14 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • MyStudyLife+ (1 year)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Family+ 1 Student Annual$59.991 Year
  • Family+ 2 Students Annual$89.991 Year
  • Family + 3-5 Students Annual$119.991 Year
1 purchases

Sum

One-time1
  • Stackd Pro$1.99

Questions

Is My Study Life free?
My Study Life is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sum free?
Sum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, My Study Life or Sum?
Sum is rated higher. My Study Life averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6.2K ratings, while Sum averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do My Study Life or Sum have ads?
My Study Life shows ads; Sum does not.
Which is updated more often, My Study Life or Sum?
My Study Life ships an update every 9 days, and Sum every 3 weeks. Most recently, My Study Life was updated on November 5, 2026 and Sum on November 9, 2026.

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