Driving Instructor Manager vs Passdesk

Driving Instructor Manager is an Android and iOS app for handling the day-to-day records and coordination of driving lessons. Instructors can manage bookings, see statistics, record lesson outcomes and skills development, and produce progress reports. Bookings sync with the instructor’s calendar, while centralized student records hold contact details and lesson history. Before scheduled lessons, the app can send students SMS and push notifications; instructors can customize the timing and message text. The maker says data is backed up to cloud servers and synchronized across devices, and that the app supports UK DVSA requirements for progress tracking and lesson records. School administration is included, but theory lessons and practice tests are not. The privacy policy describes encryption in transit and at rest, authentication, access controls, security updates, and secure server infrastructure. Core features are free at free, though the maker says premium features may be introduced later. Instructors can delete accounts, which also permanently removes associated student records and lesson data.

Passdesk provides driving-school management software and a self-management toolkit for solo learners in the UK and Ireland. Its school workspace combines lesson scheduling, payments, learner progress, theory practice, route planning, and waitlists. Instructors can schedule repeating lessons, send reminders, and enforce cancellation policies. Stripe supports card checkout and saved cards, including deposits and policy-based charges for late cancellations or no-shows. Learner progress covers five test categories and adapts to manual or automatic transmission. Theory practice includes 14 DVSA categories and timed mock tests, but is switched off in Ireland because an RSA theory bank is not available. Route tools include test-centre practice routes, route drawing, GPX uploads, and phone recording. The in-car mobile flow can queue lesson data offline and sync after reconnection. Calendar syncing is available with Google Calendar and Outlook; the UK expense ledger exports tax information to Xero and FreeAgent. Plans start at £9.99/mo, and schools have a 14-day trial while solo learners have a 7-day trial; neither needs a card to start. The maker says data is hosted in London and encrypted in transit and at rest using TLS 1.2+, but it does not yet hold ISO 27001 or Cyber Essentials certification.