The 5 main platforms compared
The UK school communication market is dominated by a handful of platforms. Each has a different pricing model, a different approach to MIS integration, and a different philosophy about what a school communication tool should do. Here is an honest comparison.
MySchoolUpdate
£385/year (£99/year for SEND schools). No per-pupil pricing. Full MIS integration via Wonde. App-free — parents receive messages via browser push, SMS, and email. UK data storage. No hidden fees.
ParentMail
Per-pupil pricing — varies by school size, typically £800–£2,500/year for an average primary school. Broad feature set including payments and consent. Well-established; widely used.
SchoolComms (Groupcall)
Per-pupil model, typically comparable to ParentMail pricing. Strong on emergency SMS and voice messaging. Part of the Groupcall family alongside Xpressions.
Arbor messaging module
Bundled with Arbor MIS subscription. Messaging is a module, not a standalone product. Good for schools already on Arbor; less strong for schools on other MIS.
ClassDojo
Free for teachers (premium school features priced separately). Strong on classroom communication and behaviour tracking. Less integrated with UK MIS. US-origin product.
Edulink One
Per-pupil pricing. School parent portal with messaging, homework, and reporting. Strong on secondary schools and multi-feature portals.
Feature comparison table
| Feature | MySchoolUpdate | ParentMail | SchoolComms | ClassDojo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No app required for parents | Yes | App required | App/web | App required |
| MIS integration (Wonde/direct) | Yes — all major MIS | Yes | Yes | Limited UK MIS |
| SMS messaging | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Emergency alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Permission slips / consent | Yes | Yes | Limited | No |
| SEND-specific pricing | £99/year | Standard pricing | Standard pricing | Free tier |
| MAT / multi-school management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| UK GDPR — UK data storage | Yes | Yes | Yes | US-based |
| Flat annual pricing (no per-pupil) | Yes | No | No | Freemium |
| Setup fee | £299 one-off | Varies | Varies | Free |
Pricing: what schools actually pay
Pricing in this market is rarely published transparently, so comparisons require care. Key observations:
- Per-pupil models (ParentMail, SchoolComms, Edulink) mean your cost grows as your school grows. A school with 600 pupils pays roughly double what a school with 300 pupils pays.
- Flat-rate models (MySchoolUpdate) mean you pay the same regardless of pupil count. A 600-pupil school and a 200-pupil school pay the same £385/year.
- Bundle models (Arbor messaging module) mean you are paying for the messaging feature as part of a larger MIS contract — which may or may not represent good value depending on how heavily you use each component.
MIS integration: the critical factor
A school communication app that cannot pull data directly from your Management Information System (MIS) — whether that is SIMS, Arbor, Bromcom, iSAMS, or another system — means staff have to manually upload contact lists. This is error-prone, time-consuming, and almost always results in outdated contact data being used for communications.
MySchoolUpdate integrates with all major UK MIS platforms via Wonde — an approved, secure data gateway that the school authorises once, after which contact data, class groups, and year groups sync automatically. No manual uploads, no stale data, no data entry overhead.
GDPR compliance checklist
When evaluating any communication platform, ask the following questions:
- Where is my data stored? (UK or EU required for UK GDPR compliance)
- Who has access to parent and pupil data held on the platform?
- Is there a signed Data Processing Agreement (DPA)?
- How is data deletion handled when the school ends its subscription?
- What happens to data if the platform is acquired or goes out of business?
MySchoolUpdate stores all data in the UK, provides a signed DPA as standard, and does not share parent or pupil data with third parties for any purpose including marketing.
Frequently asked questions
Which school communication app is cheapest for UK schools?
MySchoolUpdate at £385/year is the most cost-effective option with full MIS integration. SEND schools pay £99/year. Per-pupil platforms (ParentMail, SchoolComms) are typically £800–£2,500/year for average-sized primaries.
Do parents need to download an app?
With MySchoolUpdate, no. Messages arrive via browser push notification, SMS, or email. Parents do not need to install anything. This significantly increases the proportion of parents who actually receive messages.
Which platform is best for MATs?
MySchoolUpdate supports multi-academy trust deployments — one account covering all schools in the trust, with trust-level broadcast capability and individual school management. Full detail in our MAT communication guide.
See MySchoolUpdate in action
Book a 30-minute demo. We will walk through MIS integration with your specific system, show how parents receive messages without an app, and answer any questions about switching.
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Push Notifications vs SMS · Communication FAQ · GDPR Compliance