Update 11/30/2017: Click over to this article to see an updated comparison of online homeschool planners available.
Up until recently I have been organizing my life via pen and paper, but as I mentioned in February, I’m slowly transitioning to a paperless system for my organization needs so as to hopefully, over time, create less clutter and save time. As I begin to plan for the 2015-2016 school year, I decided that maybe this was my time to take the big leap into digitally organizing my homeschool plans.
However, before making the BIG digital transition, I had three important questions waning at the back of my mind that I wanted to know the answers to first. What were my three questions?
- Would an online homeschool planner meet my needs more efficiently?
- What is the best online homeschool planner available?
- Is it worth the cost?
These three questions sent me on a wild goose chase to test out any online planner I could find. I even found a few beta options that may join the market in the next year or two (but for the time being didn’t make this list).
The Online Homeschool Planners Analyzed
After many days of testing, I narrowed the choices down to 9 possibilities. All the rest were either just record keepers (not planners) or were meant for CO-OP situations (not me, the independent homeschooler). The planners that met my criteria for a homeschool PLANNER were:
- Boxadoo (Update 2017: No longer available)
- Homeschool Minder
- Homeschool Planet
- Homeschool Skedtrack
- Homeschool Tracker
- Lessontrek
- Plan, Educate, Record
- Scholaric
- Simple Plan (Update 2016: No longer available online)
The planners that I looked at but didn’t make the top 9 list included:
I also reviewed the following planners and found both to be very helpful if you are an app or spreadsheet kind of person. However, since this is a comparison of online planners I chose to not include them in the final run-down:
- Homeschool Helper App (for iPad only)
- Five J’s Gradebook+ Gradebook and Record Keeping Spreadsheet (what I have been using and have liked)
That is not to say that they may not be a great option for you, they just didn’t meet my criteria for an ONLINE planner AND record keeper.
So what all did I find out? Download the chart below to learn all the great features offered by these 9 planners or follow the flow chart in the infograph to determine which planner might be best for you. Keep in mind, this is just one person’s opinion, and everyone’s organization personality is a little different. So, if you choose to plan online, be sure to check out at least a couple options to see which would be best for you and your family.
Update 1/13/16: Homeschool Planet now allows you the ability to add pdf files to your assignments.
Update 10/9/17: Lessontrek now has multiple transcript options among other updates. See my full article on their latest upgrades here.
Which online homeschool planner is best for you?
Check out this infograph to find out!
Best in Class
Still not sure? I can’t make the decision for you because everyone’s organization styles are a little different, but I can share with you a few programs that stood out through the course of my analysis. Maybe that will help.
Best School Year Scheduler: Homeschool Planet
Best Student Assignment Checklist: Homeschool Planet
Best Multiple Assignment Scheduler: Homeschool Tracker
Most Extra Features: Homeschool Planet
Best Book Log: Boxadoo
Best Multi-Device Planner: Homeschool Planet
Best Transcript Creator: Homeschool Tracker
Best Attendance Tracker: Homeschool Planet
Which online homeschool planner did I choose?
After spending several days on each platform, I finally narrowed it down to Homeschool Planet for us, because I like being able to enter in multiple assignments at once, having mobile access, and scheduling assignments for both of my girls at the same time. What about you?
