EMS Academic Scheduling vs Optime Exam
EMS Academic Scheduling
accruent.com
Optime Exam
eventmapsolutions.comSide by side
| Figure | EMS Academic Scheduling | Optime Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $750/mo | £0.08/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 11 |
| Spec score · Exam Scheduling Software | 8.7 (#4) | 8.9 (#3) |
| Company headquarters | Accruent says it is headquartered in Austin, Texas. | The registered office is 14b C/O McGuire & Farry, Ballynahinch Road, Carryduff, Northern Ireland BT8 8DN. |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, United States | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Integrations | Official connectors include Outlook or Exchange, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, HRIS, facilities systems, HVAC automation, digital signage and Polycom. | The G-Cloud price document lists API access, Outlook and Google calendar synchronization, Microsoft 365 integration, MFA, SSO and SSO role auto-provisioning as included functions. |
| Purpose | EMS academic scheduling software helps institutions plan course schedules and identify suitable meeting spaces. | Optime Exam produces scheduled and resourced examination timetables and supports examination and invigilation scheduling. |
| Security | Accruent lists ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 1 and SOC 2 among its security certifications and compliance information. | EventMAP states that Exam uses end-to-end encryption for data traffic and account security and complies with GDPR. |
| Support | Accruent provides a Customer Center, support, professional services and managed services links for customers. | Optime users can access a support centre with technical assistance and a self-help knowledge base. |
| System requirements | The documented desktop client supports Windows 8, 8.1, 10 and 11, needs at least a 2 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, 100 MB disk and .NET Framework 4.6.2. | The government marketplace listing says no applicable system requirements and identifies public-cloud deployment. |
| Web and mobile access | The EMS Web App is browser-based, runs on mobile devices and can be installed on-premises or accessed through an EMS cloud URL. | The product is a cloud-based web application, and the maker says schedules are accessible on mobile devices, including tablet attendance monitoring. |
| What it does | EMS Academic Scheduling assigns courses and exams to suitable rooms while coordinating campus space use. | Optime Exam produces examination timetables and manages invigilation, seating, attendance and delivery workflows. |
Plans
EMS Academic Scheduling
- Basic$9,000 a year
- EMS Academic SchedulingPriced on request
Optime Exam
- Application licence, 25,001+ studentsFree
- Application licence, 15,001–25,000 students£1 a year
- Standard user account£1.25 a year
- Application licence, 500–15,000 students£1.50 a year
- Administrator user account£20 a year
- SendGrid mail provider£500 a year
- Additional environment£4,000 a year
- Standard platform licence£6,000 a year
- Premium platform licence£12,000 a year
- Enterprise platform licence£18,000 a year
In their own words
EMS Academic Scheduling
EMS Academic Scheduling helps higher education and commercial institutions plan course timetables and find suitable meeting spaces. Automated course assignments can account for class size, seating layout and instructor preferences. For exams, its optimizer helps identify spaces with the required capacity and resources. Schedule views help users spot conflicts such as double bookings or too little transition time between classes. Integration with a student information system can automate course and instructor details and return room assignments to that system. EMS also describes analytics, digital signage and mobile booking for tracking campus space use. Listed integrations include Microsoft Exchange/Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex, alongside Platform Services APIs. Custom integrations can connect hardware, campus systems, apps, visitor management, signage and HVAC. The browser-based Web App works on mobile devices and can be installed on-premises or accessed through an EMS cloud URL. Accruent lists ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 1 and SOC 2 among its security certifications and compliance information. EMS is paid, with pricing from $110/user/mo; the product page invites prospective customers to request a demo.
Optime Exam
Optime Exam is a cloud-based application for producing examination timetables and scheduling invigilation. Its AI-based engine creates clash-free, student-centric schedules with invigilator assignments and seating plans, taking configured requirements into account. These can include student needs, resource availability, invigilator workloads, and course or room constraints. Individual accommodations may include extra time, breaks, separate rooms, equipment, and assistance. The system gathers invigilator availability and workload preferences, supports automatic assignment of invigilators and teams, and allocates student seats. Invigilators can monitor attendance and check identities. Reports and exports include attendance registers, cover sheets, instructions for invigilators, and schedule information. Schedules can be published to students and invigilators, who can receive change notifications. The maker says schedules are accessible on mobile devices, including tablet attendance monitoring. A documented API is available for connecting Optime data with other applications or hardware. Pricing is on request, and a free trial can be requested.