BookShark vs The Good and the Beautiful
BookShark
bookshark.comThe Good and the Beautiful
goodandbeautiful.comSide by side
| Figure | BookShark | The Good and the Beautiful |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 1 |
| Spec score · Homeschool Curriculum | 8.4 (#4) | 7.7 (#17) |
| Headquarters | Littleton, Colorado, USA | Lehi, Utah, United States |
| Support | BookShark lists phone support Monday through Thursday from 9am to 4pm Mountain Time and Friday from 9am to 1pm Mountain Time, plus email, text, and advisor meetings. | The company lists [email protected] and says most support emails are answered within one business day Monday through Friday. |
| Trial | Families can try the first week of any BookShark Virtual course for free. | Musical Multiplication offers a free seven-day trial with no payment required to try the app. |
Plans
BookShark
- Virtual Seat for Language Arts D+E$88, paid once
- Virtual Seat for Language Arts H$88, paid once
- Virtual Seat for Science H$88, paid once
- Virtual Seat for HS US Historical Literature & Language Arts$154, paid once
- Virtual Seat for HS World Historical Literature & Language Arts$154, paid once
- Virtual Seat for HS World History$154, paid once
- Virtual Seat for Reading with History B+C$154, paid once
- Virtual Seat for Reading with History D+E$188, paid once
- Virtual Seat for Level I History and Literature$275, paid once
- Virtual Seat for D+E All Subject Package$300, paid once
The Good and the Beautiful
- Musical Multiplication App Access$24.99, paid once
In their own words
BookShark
BookShark is a literature-based homeschool curriculum for Pre-K through age 16, with History, Science, Language Arts, and several math options. Rather than fixed grades, it uses flexible age-based levels, and children within three years of age can share a Reading with History program while following separate Math and Language Arts levels. Schedules run for 36 weeks, four days per week, with lesson plans, assessments, and parent guidance. BookShark Virtual adds online reading schedules, assessments with instant auto-graded results, parent work tracking, customizable assessments, and student messaging. It integrates Math-U-See and accepts schedules or assignment uploads for Singapore, Singapore Dimensions, Saxon, and RightStart. Virtual does not replace the physical books. Each seat covers one student and one teacher account, and courses must be used within six months of purchase. Families can try the first week of a Virtual course free. Listed Virtual seats range from $88, paid once to $300, paid once; BookShark's pricing note also says From $309.43 · 7-day trial.
The Good and the Beautiful
The Good and the Beautiful offers homeschool curriculum in language arts, math, science, history, handwriting, electives, and reading, for preschool through high school. Course availability varies by subject. The company describes its approach as nondenominational Christian, with attention to academics, nature, faith, character, and wholesome literature. Lessons are designed to combine concepts while limiting busywork and teaching time. Free downloadable math and language arts courses are available for K–8, and Simply Spelling is a free online program for levels 4–8 that advances students after mastery of customized word lists. The curriculum is hybrid, with lesson plans and parent guidance. Online courses use a web browser, though some resources are not available on mobile phones. Math K–3 sets include physical manipulatives that are not offered as PDF downloads. Musical Multiplication is available for Apple and Android devices, with a seven-day free trial; unlimited access costs $24.99, paid once for up to six profiles. Good and Beautiful Typing is an online program for grades 3–6, supporting up to six children on their own devices through a family account.