CircleUp vs PenPencilEraser
CircleUp
getcircleup.comPenPencilEraser
penpencileraser.comSide by side
| Figure | CircleUp | PenPencilEraser |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $23/mo | $120/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 7 |
| Spec score · School Management Software | 8.8 (#2) | 7.8 (#16) |
| Integrations | The pricing page identifies Stripe as its online payment processor. | The maker lists Citrus Tracker work tracking and timesheet management as an integration. |
| Security | The privacy policy says payment information is processed by Stripe and CircleUp does not store card numbers; it also states that it uses industry-standard security measures. | The FAQ says cloud instances are backed by Microsoft infrastructure and that school data is protected by that infrastructure. |
| Support | Users can contact support through a form without an account or by email, and paid tiers list priority support features. | The FAQ says customers receive support from the school care team and a training programme, while the cloud pricing page lists priority support. |
Plans
CircleUp
- FreeFree
- Starter$23 a month
- Pro$60 a month
- Enterprise$100 a month
- Enterprise Plus$159 a month
PenPencilEraser
- Annual Tech Support (up to 500 Students)$120 a month
- Annual Tech Support (501 to 1000 Students)$160 a month
- Annual Tech Support (1001+ Students)$220 a month
- On-Premises License Solution — Complete Pack (up to 500 Students)$12,500, paid once
- On-Premises License Solution — Complete Pack (501 to 1000 Students)$14,500, paid once
- On-Premises License Solution — Complete Pack (1001+ Students)$18,500, paid once
- Cloud Hosted Solution — Complete PackPrice not published
In their own words
CircleUp
CircleUp is a member-management platform for homeschool co-ops and community groups, combining class registration, event scheduling, online payments, and communication. Its calendar provides day, week, and month views, with RSVPs, attendance tracking, recurring events, and automated reminders. Class tools cover registration with capacity limits, waitlists, enrollment, attendance, and gradebooks. A searchable directory supports family profiles and custom fields; families control whether their details appear in the opt-in directory. Members also get a feed for announcements, photos, and updates, plus group and class chat. Other tools include volunteer signups and hour tracking, documents and forms, a group store, reporting, roles, and permissions. CircleUp is available on web and iOS. The free plan supports up to 10 families. Starter costs $23 a month, billed at $276/year, and supports up to 50 families. Online payments use Stripe, with its standard fee of 2.9% + 30¢ plus a 0.5% CircleUp platform fee; cash and check payments have no CircleUp fee.
PenPencilEraser
PenPencilEraser has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.