# SchoolMessenger vs ApplyToEducation

SchoolMessenger and ApplyToEducation both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 53% of SchoolMessenger's written reviews are positive against 16% of ApplyToEducation's. SchoolMessenger also leads on ratings volume (802 vs 109). ApplyToEducation's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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 — 4.5 for SchoolMessenger against 4.4 for ApplyToEducation. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SchoolMessenger has 802 ratings behind it against 109, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 53% of SchoolMessenger's written reviews are positive against 16% of ApplyToEducation's.

SchoolMessenger ships an update every 2 months, ApplyToEducation every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SchoolMessenger | ApplyToEducation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (802 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/schoolmessenger/id978894818/reviews)** | [4.4 (109 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/applytoeducation/id1586153397/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **802** | 109 |
| Positive reviews | **53.2% of reviews** | 16.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 43 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PowerSchool Group LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1057394489) | [Passion Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/726879120) |

## What reviewers say

### SchoolMessenger

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/schoolmessenger/id978894818)

Stay connected with your school or district through this app. It provides a unified inbox for notifications and messages, allowing for two-way communication between teachers, parents, and students. Manage your notification preferences and receive alerts for important updates.

**Highlights:** Unified inbox for notifications and messages, Two-way teacher-parent-student communication, Scrollable notification history, Customizable notification preferences, Push notifications for alerts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient for reporting absences
- 📢 Helpful for staying informed about school events
- 💡 Consolidates all school communications in one place

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Messages still show as unread after being read
- 🔍 Difficult to mark multiple messages as read
- 🔄 Frequent log-outs and need to re-login
- 🔔 Excessive and repeated notifications for the same message
- 📱 Small text size and poor formatting in the app

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to report late arrivals or early departures
- Attendance reporting not working for some users
- Syncing issues between app and school records
- Verification emails not being delivered

**Requested features**

- Add option to mark all messages as read
- Improve navigation and message management
- Implement dark mode and accessibility features
- Allow parents to initiate messages to teachers


### ApplyToEducation

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/applytoeducation/id1586153397)

Manage your career in education with this platform. It helps schools handle employee careers and allows approved occasional employees to receive and accept daily assignments from school boards, giving you control over your work schedule.

**Highlights:** Manage employee careers, Receive daily assignments, Accept job offers, Control work schedule, School board communication

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Well laid out and intuitive
- 👍 Fast performance
- 👍 Calendar tab is helpful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 🐛 App crashes often
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance
- 🐛 Jobs not removed when filled
- 🐛 Missing vital job details

**Reported bugs**

- No notifications for new jobs
- Job offer feature for preferred schools is inconsistent
- System broken often, long response times
- Cannot view jobs in app on phone
- Cannot login after updates

**Requested features**

- Add more options/filters (e.g., afternoons only)
- Ability to switch between school boards easily
- Summation option for total completed jobs
- Display teacher's name and grade in job description
- Dark mode option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SchoolMessenger free?

SchoolMessenger is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ApplyToEducation free?

ApplyToEducation is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SchoolMessenger or ApplyToEducation?

SchoolMessenger is rated higher. SchoolMessenger averages 4.5 out of 5 from 802 ratings, while ApplyToEducation averages 4.4 from 109 ratings.

### Do SchoolMessenger or ApplyToEducation have ads?

Neither SchoolMessenger nor ApplyToEducation shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SchoolMessenger or ApplyToEducation?

SchoolMessenger ships an update every 2 months, and ApplyToEducation every 3 weeks. Most recently, SchoolMessenger was updated on September 24, 2026 and ApplyToEducation on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*