School Stream vs TalkingPoints
School Stream
schoolstream.com.au
TalkingPoints
talkingpts.orgSide by side
| Figure | School Stream | TalkingPoints |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 5 |
| Spec score · School Communication Software | 8.2 (#6) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Documentation | The help center contains separate collections for setup, folders, notices, events, media, forms, messenger, groups, users, settings, parent tips and best practices. | The Help Center lists separate collections for districts, schools, families, teachers, personal accounts, translation and product updates. |
| Messaging | The service provides private, unlimited school-to-home messaging with conversation history and administrative oversight. | The platform supports two-way communication between educators and families, including messages delivered over SMS text. |
| Purpose | School Stream is an all-in-one app designed for school communication. | TalkingPoints is a PreK–12 family engagement platform for building partnerships between schools and families. |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 3.6 out of 5 from 31 reviews. | 3.2 out of 5 from 1 review. |
| Security | The site says data at rest uses 256-bit AES encryption and services use at least TLS 1.2. | TalkingPoints states that it uses TLS, encryption at rest, SSO, audit logs, intrusion detection and periodic penetration testing. |
| Support | Each school is assigned a customer-success manager for personalized support and training. | Support is available through in-app or website chat and [email protected]. |
| Translation | On-demand translation supports more than 100 languages. | Messages can be translated with AI and human translators in more than 150 languages, including a K–12 glossary. |
| What it does | School Stream is a school-to-family communication service for real-time notices, forms, messaging, events and payments. | TalkingPoints is a nonprofit PreK–12 family-engagement platform for two-way school and family communication. |
Plans
School Stream
- Family accessFree
- School StreamPrice not published
- School subscriptionPrice not published
TalkingPoints
- FamiliesFree
- Individual teacher accessFree
- Personal Teacher AccountFree
- School and District PlansPriced on request
- Schools and districtsPriced on request
In their own words
School Stream
School Stream is a school communication app for connecting schools with families. Schools can send targeted notices, reminders and newsletters, and create digital forms for permission slips, excursions and absences, including digital signatures. Its messaging supports unlimited conversations between school and home, with private messages to families and groups. Schools can publish event details such as permission notes, times and maps, and sync online calendars. Payments can be collected through School Stream Forms, with processing handled by Stripe. On-demand translation supports over 100 languages. Schools can see who has read notices and when, and manage parent accounts and groups. School Stream runs on Android, iOS and the web. Families have free access; school pricing is on request, with the school plan billed annually. The company says its servers are in AWS’s Sydney region in Australia, and that data at rest uses 256-bit AES encryption while services use at least TLS 1.2. Each school is assigned a Customer Success Manager for support and training.
TalkingPoints
TalkingPoints is a PreK–12 family engagement platform for communication between schools and families. Educators and families can exchange messages, including through SMS text, and the service translates messages into more than 150 languages using AI and human translator support. Individual teachers can use translated messaging for free, with in-app tips and guidance for building relationships. Families can use the free website or iOS and Android apps; text replies are available at schools with a paid plan. Optional district offerings address attendance improvement, district communications, and academic improvement. Message Mentor helps educators draft and improve family messages. TalkingPoints integrates with Clever, ClassLink, and other student information systems for rostering. Schools and districts can use organization-wide deployment with administrative controls and integrations, with quote-based pricing. The service offers professional learning in person, virtually, or in blended formats. TalkingPoints says it encrypts data in transit and at rest, restricts access to designated users, and does not sell or rent personal information or use it for advertising or commercial purposes. The listed free plan for individual teachers costs nothing.