Comparison

iParent App vs Parent Portal

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

Head to head
About

iParent App

Access real-time school information for your child, including attendance, exam results, reports, and timetables. Stay updated with school news, events, and receive timely notifications about your child's academic performance and behavior.

Highlights
  • Real-time attendance records
  • Exam results and assessments
  • Timetables and teaching groups
  • Reward and detention notifications
  • School news and bulletins
  • Calendar and event invites
  • Contact detail management
Features
Read full description

Similar in nature to the iStudent app, the iParent app offers parents quick access to real-time school information about their child. This includes everything from attendance records to exam results, reward and detention notifications, access to reports and assessments, teaching groups, timetables and more. The official iSAMS Parent app links directly with the iSAMS Parent Portal. It has been designed to offer parents a quick and easy channel for keeping up-to-date with their son or daughter’s performance and any relevant school information, including last minute calendar notifications or event invites. It is aimed at enhancing the information flow from your school/teachers to parents ensuring greater engagement between all parties. The iParent app offers parents a useful and configurable dashboard where they are able to view information and activities about all children at the school. Quick links are provided for: The timetable of each child Information about any sanctions and rewards School news and bulletins The school calendar The photo galleries More detailed information can then be located about the following: Teaching groups The school timetable Internal exam details (entries, timetables, results) External exam details (entries, timetables, arrangements, candidate details, results) School reports and assessments Attendance Activities Detentions Reward and conduct details Parents can use the app to view and subscribe to your school communications including emails, SMS messages and push notifications to the app. Push notifications will advise parents about any timely updates for each child, including information such as recently released reports or exam results, any rewards or detentions and pastoral records. They can also view the contacts linked with their child and request changes to any contact details, thereby ensuring the data is accurate and up-to-date. As with the iStudent app, there is full access to all school news and bulletins (both current and archived news), the school calendar and the school directory. The data used by the iSAMS Parent app is encrypted to ensure that confidential information cannot be accessed by unauthorised personnel. Your school also controls the level of visibility of information and communication subscriptions offered to parents. Please note: The iSAMS Parent app must be installed by your school in order for it to be accessible to parents. It will only work as part of the iSAMS management information system and Parent Portal.

About

Parent Portal

This app provides parents with a real-time feed of their child's activities at nursery, including observations with photos and videos. Parents can also manage account balances, view financial history, and update personal information.

Highlights
  • Real-time child activity timeline
  • Photo and video updates
  • Sleep, nappy, and meal tracking
  • Financial history and payments
  • Personal information management
  • Nursery contact
Features
Read full description

Parent Portal allows parents to see a real-time personal newsfeed of their child’s day in the nursery. You can view your child’s account balance, invoices and payments as well as your child’s personal information. FEATURES * See a real time timeline of your child's observations with supporting photos and videos * View information on sleep, nappies and meals * View a diary showing your child’s planned sessions * View your full finance history * See all personal information held about your child and request changes * Contact the nursery. Parent Portal can only be accessed once you’ve received your nursery code from your childcare provider.

Screenshots

iParent App4 screens
Parent Portal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iParent App at 4.3 against Parent Portal's 1.6. iParent App also leads on ratings volume (817 vs 7) and review sentiment (14% vs 4%). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iParent App holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iParent App has 817 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of iParent App's written reviews are positive against 4% of Parent Portal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iParent App ships an update every 2 months, Parent Portal every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iParent App versus Parent Portal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriParent AppParent Portal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (817 ratings) — better1.6 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews13.8% of reviews — better4.3% of reviews
Number of ratings817 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiSAMS LimitedParenta Group Ltd

Customer experience

iParent App

All ratings817 ratings
Positive81.5%
Neutral6.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive13.8%
Neutral12.5%
Negative73.8%

Parent Portal

All ratings7 ratings
Positive14.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative85.7%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive4.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative87.0%

Bugs and requests

iParent App

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent log-outs and password reset issues
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • Inconsistent behavior across devices and app versions
  • Inability to access certain features or information

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow switching between schools without logging out
  • Save password and enable Face ID/Touch ID
  • Improve layout and organization of information
  • Provide better notification system for updates
  • Enhance search and filtering capabilities

Parent Portal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iParent App

No in-app purchases

None

Parent Portal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iParent App free?
iParent App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Parent Portal free?
Parent Portal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iParent App or Parent Portal?
iParent App is rated higher. iParent App averages 4.3 out of 5 from 817 ratings, while Parent Portal averages 1.6 from 7 ratings.
Do iParent App or Parent Portal have ads?
Neither iParent App nor Parent Portal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iParent App or Parent Portal?
iParent App ships an update every 2 months, and Parent Portal every 5 weeks. Most recently, iParent App was updated on September 24, 2026 and Parent Portal on September 14, 2026.

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