MasterSchedule.app vs Prime Timetable

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.

Prime Timetable provides automatic and manual timetabling for schools, universities, and similar institutions. Users can schedule multiple weeks at flexible times, move timetable cards in master and individual views, and divide classes into groups for electives. Its generator can account for pinned cards and forbidden time slots, then optimize teacher and student loads, gaps, room use, and building moves. Timetables can be customized, accessed from any device, printed as master or individual schedules, and exported to formats and apps. Data can be imported by copy and paste. The maker says timetables are backed up every 24 hours and the service is used in over 120 countries. The free plan is for evaluation and includes a web app for all devices, premium support, and a 30-day trial period; it requires an internet connection. Commercial plans enable offline work. Basic is for small and medium schools with up to 40 teachers, while Premium is for larger and campus schools with up to 100 teachers. Both commercial plans offer a web app and premium support, with pricing dependent on the selected plan duration.