Comparison

PowerSchool Mobile vs Canvas Parent

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

Head to head
About

PowerSchool Mobile

Access real-time student information like grades, assignments, and attendance with an updated interface. Features customizable dashboards, calendar views for assignments, and notification management for parents, guardians, and students.

Highlights
  • Real-time student data access
  • Updated user interface and dashboard
  • Customizable dashboard widgets
  • Class assignment calendar view
  • Push and email notifications
  • Student profile management
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Built for convenient access to real-time student information like grades, assignments, and attendance, the PowerSchool Mobile App provides enhanced functionality for parents, guardians, and students. • Get easy access to the most important student data with an updated user interface, dashboard, and improved app structure • Use new dashboard widgets for quick access to important information including: GPA, Class Overview, Assignments Due, Assignments Graded, Attendance, School Bulletins, Meal Balance, and Fees • Customize the dashboard by reordering or hiding widgets to prioritize the information that is most important to you • Access class information and grades across terms and drill-down to detailed views of class assignments, attendance, and standards • View class assignments for the week or month in a new calendar view, and drill-down to assignment details • Manage push and email notifications, student profiles, access school information, and more PowerSchool is the leading K-12 education technology provider of solutions that improve the education experience for 100 million students, teachers, and parents in over 70 countries around the world. IMPORTANT! To access the PowerSchool Mobile App, your school district must be using the PowerSchool Student Information System. If you are not sure what SIS your school is using, contact your school or district. PLEASE NOTE • Requires iOS version 13.0 or higher • Access to PowerSchool is controlled by school administration • Requires a wireless connection or mobile data plan • Users must consent to receive push notifications when connecting to servers outside of the United States • Meal Balance totals are only available if your school uses the PowerLunch meal management feature in the PowerSchool SIS

About

Canvas Parent

This app allows parents and guardians to monitor their child's academic progress, communicate with teachers, and receive important updates. It helps families stay involved in their student's education by tracking grades, assignments, and feedback.

Highlights
  • Message teachers directly
  • View grades and assignments
  • Receive real-time notifications
  • See teacher feedback
  • Use calendar view for upcoming tasks
Features
Read full description

Stay connected. Encourage success. Canvas Parent helps parents and guardians track student progress, support learning, and communicate with teachers in real time. What you can do • Communicate: Message teachers directly to ask questions or follow up on school updates or particular grade & page • Check progress: View grades, assignments, due dates, and homework across all courses • Get alerts: Receive real-time notifications for missing work, low scores, or new announcements • Encourage: See teacher feedback, celebrate milestones, and help your student stay organized • Plan ahead: Use the calendar view to track upcoming tasks, events, and class updates Canvas Parent is more than a grade monitor—it’s a progress tracker that helps families and schools work together.

Screenshots

PowerSchool Mobile4 screens
Canvas Parent4 screens

Verdict

The call

PowerSchool Mobile and Canvas Parent both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 44% of PowerSchool Mobile's written reviews are positive against 9% of Canvas Parent's. PowerSchool Mobile also leads on chart position (#18 vs unranked) and ratings volume (930K vs 112K). On price, rating, update cadence 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

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

PowerSchool Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PowerSchool Mobile has 930K ratings behind it against 112K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of PowerSchool Mobile's written reviews are positive against 9% of Canvas Parent's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
PowerSchool Mobile versus Canvas Parent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPowerSchool MobileCanvas Parent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (930K ratings) — better4.4 (112K ratings)
Positive reviews44.3% of reviews — better9.0% of reviews
Number of ratings930K — better112K
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPowerSchool Group LLCInstructure Inc.

Customer experience

PowerSchool Mobile

All ratings930,033 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews1,860 reviews
Positive44.3%
Neutral8.4%
Negative47.3%

Canvas Parent

All ratings111,643 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews211 reviews
Positive9.0%
Neutral9.0%
Negative82.0%

User reviews

PowerSchool Mobile

From 930K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to access grades and assignments
  • 👍 Convenient for parents to monitor student progress
  • ⏰ Timely notifications of grade updates

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent sync issues and glitches
  • 🕰️ Slow app performance and loading times
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data usage
  • 📚 Incomplete or outdated information on the app

Canvas Parent

From 112K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient for tracking assignments and grades
  • 👍 Allows communication with teachers
  • 🤖 Useful for remote/virtual learning

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
  • 🤯 Confusing and not user-friendly
  • 🔍 Lack of visibility into student work and progress
  • 🔀 Inconsistent implementation across teachers and schools
  • 🤖 Struggles with remote/virtual learning needs

Bugs and requests

PowerSchool Mobile

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inconsistent display of grades and assignments
  • Password reset issues and login problems
  • Crashes and app freezes

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to view grade history and trends
  • Integration with other school platforms
  • Customizable notification settings
  • Improved user interface and navigation

Canvas Parent

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent log-out issues
  • Inability to access account or find school
  • Delayed or inaccurate display of assignment statuses and grades
  • Calendar view and other key features not functioning as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to view submitted assignments and teacher feedback
  • Better organization and sorting of assignments by due date
  • Improved communication and coordination between parents, students, and teachers
  • More consistent and intuitive user experience across the platform

In-app purchases

None

PowerSchool Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Canvas Parent

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PowerSchool Mobile free?
PowerSchool Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Canvas Parent free?
Canvas Parent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PowerSchool Mobile or Canvas Parent?
PowerSchool Mobile is rated higher. PowerSchool Mobile averages 4.6 out of 5 from 930K ratings, while Canvas Parent averages 4.4 from 112K ratings.
Do PowerSchool Mobile or Canvas Parent have ads?
Neither PowerSchool Mobile nor Canvas Parent shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PowerSchool Mobile or Canvas Parent?
PowerSchool Mobile ships an update monthly, and Canvas Parent monthly. Most recently, PowerSchool Mobile was updated on October 19, 2026 and Canvas Parent on October 19, 2026.

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