Comparison

iParent App vs PCEC

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

PCEC

Features
Read full description

PCEC app has all you need in one place to follow the latest developments in the work of Preston Cooperative Education Centre. Here you can find latest events, resources, articles and discussions, new course openings and more. Whenever a new discussion is opened, please feel free to share your ideas, leave an opinion or simply interact with others.

Screenshots

iParent App4 screens
PCEC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: PCEC at 13.0 against iParent App's 15.0. 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iParent App ships an update every 2 months, PCEC every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
iParent App versus PCEC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriParent AppPCEC
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (817 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews13.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings817 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiSAMS LimitedNewssocial Ltd

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

PCEC

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iParent App

No in-app purchases

None

PCEC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iParent App free?
iParent App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PCEC free?
PCEC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do iParent App or PCEC have ads?
Neither iParent App nor PCEC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iParent App or PCEC?
iParent App ships an update every 2 months, and PCEC every 3 months. Most recently, iParent App was updated on October 8, 2026 and PCEC on September 19, 2026.

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