Peñalara GHC vs TimetableMaster
Peñalara GHC
penalara.com
TimetableMaster
timetablemaster.comSide by side
| Figure | Peñalara GHC | TimetableMaster |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $691.67/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 0 |
| Spec score · School Scheduling Software | 8.9 (#2) | 7.7 (#10) |
| Headquarters | Segovia, Spain | Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Integrations | GHC exchanges data and timetables with named regional academic managers including SÉNECA, SIGAD, SAUCE, GESTIBWEB, and EKADE, and provides an open exchange format for external applications. | Dedicated SIS integrations are listed for Veracross, PowerSchool, ManageBac and SchoolBase, with CSV and Excel import and export for other systems. |
| Maker | Peñalara Software is an ICT company dedicated to providing services to the education sector and says it has supported thousands of institutions for more than 25 years. | The privacy policy identifies TimetableMaster as a product of SuperSphere Labs LLP. |
| Purpose | GHC helps educational institutions create and manage timetables, including schools, vocational institutions, universities, colleges, and arts and music schools. | TimetableMaster generates conflict-free school schedules and supports substitutions, staff leave, calendars and mobile access. |
| Security | Peñalara says its website uses an extended validation SSL certificate to encrypt communication and identify the website owner. | The features page says the cloud platform encrypts data in transit and at rest and uses role-based access; the privacy policy describes its safeguards as basic security practices. |
| Support | Customer service is available Monday–Thursday 8:30–14:00 and 15:00–18:30 and Friday 8:30–14:30 Madrid time by phone and email. | The pricing page says Pro includes email, WhatsApp and video call support, while Max includes premium support and a dedicated relationship manager. |
Plans
Peñalara GHC
- GHC DemoFree
- GHC LiteFree
- GHC Optimum — up to 10 teachers$8,300 a year
- GHC Optimum — up to 15 teachers$12,000 a year
- GHC Optimum — up to 20 teachers$15,700 a year
- GHC Optimum — up to 25 teachers$19,400 a year
- GHC Optimum — up to 30 teachers$23,100 a year
- GHC Optimum — up to 35 teachers$26,800 a year
- GHC Optimum — up to 40 teachers$30,500 a year
- GHC Optimum — up to 45 teachers$34,200 a year
In their own words
Peñalara GHC
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.
TimetableMaster
TimetableMaster generates school timetables and handles substitutions, staff leave, calendars and student course choices. Its generator places lessons around teacher availability, room capacity, building transitions and workload limits, with a drag-and-drop editor for changes. When staff are absent, it ranks possible cover teachers using subject familiarity, availability and existing cover workload; it can assign and notify a substitute in one click. Staff can request full or half days off, and approved leave feeds into cover planning. Calendars include holidays, exams, events and activities. The student-choice module gathers course preferences, creates sections, assigns faculty and rooms, and produces conflict-free schedules for individual students. Integrations include Veracross, PowerSchool, ManageBac and SchoolBase; other systems can exchange CSV or Excel files. TimetableMaster generates an import file for a school's SIS importer rather than writing directly into the SIS. A Pro trial runs for 10 days without a credit card, but PDF and Excel timetable downloads require a paid plan. The desktop app requires an internet connection; offline mode is described as coming soon.