MasterSchedule.app vs Peñalara GHC

MasterSchedule.app helps K–12 schools build and check a master course schedule before moving it into a student information system (SIS). Its visual grid assigns courses to teachers and periods, and a guided Excel walkthrough imports a course catalog and teacher roster. Real-time checks flag teacher double-bookings and scheduling gaps. Schools can create requirement groups that inherit base requirements, allowing subgroups such as honors, IEP, or ELL to extend them. The validator checks requirements for each student type, and finished schedules can be exported for an SIS or records system. Listed data exchange includes Excel import and CSV export; an SIS connection is not required. The web app is intended for school staff and, according to its privacy policy, does not create student accounts or collect students’ personal information. The site describes school data as isolated by tenant, role-based access, a five-year audit log, and automatic data expiry. The School Plan costs $100 a year, billed per school per year. The pricing page says a trial will be available at the School Plan launch.

Peñalara GHC is timetabling software for educational institutions, with tools to plan, optimise, edit, and publish academic schedules. Its planner imports data and handles complex schedules with strict and flexible conditions, including identifying conditions that may be impossible to satisfy. GHC Optimum searches for a balanced timetable based on user-set preferences and criteria. The editor supports drag-and-drop changes, conflict warnings, and reports on assignments and preference compliance. GHC App gives administrators, teachers, and students access to published calendars and supports absence and substitution management. Timetables can be exchanged in formats including CSV, DBase, Paradox, XML, Excel, and PDF. The downloadable program supports Windows versions from Windows 7; Peñalara says Linux users can run it through PlayOnLinux or Wine. Paid software is single-user, stores information locally or in an enabled cloud repository, and cannot operate over a network. GHC Lite is free with reduced functionality. GHC Demo is free for 15 days, up to 10 teachers and three computer activations. Full GHC Optimum plans start at $8,300 a year for up to 10 teachers, with other teacher-capacity tiers available.