aSc Timetables vs FET

aSc Timetables creates school schedules from requirements such as room and teacher constraints, student groups, and events. Its automatic generator evaluates more than 5,000,000 possibilities when building a timetable, and the system can detect conflicts. An AI panel can advise on timetable changes and, if permitted, edit timetable data. The substitution feature suggests cover teachers and records updates in class registers and calendars. Schools can share timetables and relevant substitution updates with teachers, students, and parents. The class register reflects schedule, substitution, and event changes, and supports recording lesson topics and attendance. Room bookings and school events can also appear in timetables and attendees’ class registers. The online version needs no installation and supports simultaneous work by multiple users; the Windows PC application works offline, with data transferable between versions. The unlimited free trial includes paid-version functions except export, and printouts carry a watermark. It has no free plan and lists Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows support.

FET creates timetables for schools, high schools, and universities, with automatic, semi-automatic, and manual allocation modes. Its time and room constraints can account for teacher and student availability, preferred times and rooms, gaps, working hours, and changes between rooms or buildings. It accepts flexible XML input and imports CSV; completed schedules can be exported as HTML, XML, or CSV. The maker states algorithm limits of 500,000 activities, 30,000 student subgroups, 30,000 rooms, and 30,000 buildings. FET runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and is free software under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3, with no stated usage limits. The maker provides a forum and documentation, including manuals, instructions, tips, and frequently asked questions. Listed third-party tools convert FET XML results to Microsoft Excel or bring FET-compatible timetables into RosarioSIS. The maker also says it may help institutions with custom variants for changes that are not too difficult, or advise on how to implement them. Stated generation times range from under five minutes for simpler schedules to hours for extremely difficult ones.