Planbook

Overview

Planbook is a lesson-planning and student-assessment service for teachers, schools, and districts. It suits educators who want to connect classroom plans with schedules and student records. Its main advantage is bringing those workflows together; school-level shared items and oversight require a school account.

Key features

Planning and standards

Teachers can organize classes, lessons, units, schedules, and school events, with calendar views to place plans in time and standards alignment to tie lessons to learning goals. That combination is useful for educators who need more than a collection of lesson notes, though the service is focused on organizing and tracking instruction rather than generating lessons.

Assessment and collaboration

Student accounts let teachers track attendance, grades, performance, and standards achievement, and those accounts are free. Teachers can share and collaborate on plans without a school account, which works for informal collaboration. Schools that need shared school items and administrator oversight will need school accounts.

Connections, files, and access

Planbook connects with Google Classroom and can sync selected Google Calendars and classes. Files from Google Drive or Planbook Resources can be attached, up to 500 MB per file; no total storage cap is stated. Single sign-on is supported through Apple, ClassLink, Clever, Google, and Microsoft. iOS and Android companion apps use existing Planbook credentials, alongside the web service.

Planbook describes physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards, regular security reviews, and electronic backups, and says its systems are designed in accordance with FERPA. Support includes a help center, video tutorials, free training webinars, email, and phone.

Pricing

Planbook is freemium, with a free plan and a 90-day trial. Student accounts are free; manager accounts are also described as free for schools and districts. Individual teacher pricing is annual: $16 a year for 3 years, $18 a year for 2 years, or $20 a year for 1 year. The longer terms lower the annual price but commit the teacher for longer.

School and district licenses are priced per license by account count: $18 a year for 1–49 accounts, $16 a year for 50–249 accounts, and $14 a year for 250+ accounts. Larger account counts reduce the per-license annual price. The school tiers make most sense for organizations that need shared school items and administrator oversight; individual pricing suits a teacher working independently. Free-plan caps and renewal terms are not described.

Platforms

Planbook is available on the web, iOS, and Android. Its export formats are PDF, Microsoft Word, Google Calendar, and Google Docs, giving users options to carry plans into common document and calendar workflows.

Who it's for

Planbook is a strong fit for teachers who want lesson and schedule organization tied to attendance, grades, performance, and standards progress. It also serves administrators and district administrators, particularly where school accounts and oversight are useful. It is a weaker fit for educators primarily seeking lesson-generation tools.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Planning, calendar views, standards alignment, and student assessment sit in one service, reducing the need to separate those classroom workflows.
• Pros: Teachers can collaborate without a school account, while free student accounts make learner participation possible without an added student-account charge.
• Pros: Google connections, multiple sign-in options, mobile apps, and four export formats support varied school workflows.
• Cons: Shared school items and administrator oversight require school accounts, so individual teacher access does not cover every institutional need.
• Cons: The lowest teacher annual rate requires a three-year term, while the one-year option costs more per year.

Alternatives

Browse the Lesson Planning Software list for more options. Choose Planboard if a free-access lesson-planning option is the priority. PlanbookEdu is worth considering for unlimited weekly plans and A/B-day or rotation schedules on its free tier. Choose SchEDU if its free tier's two lifetime lesson plans and automated activity or exam quota suit your needs. Common Planner may suit teachers who want an AI-powered lesson assistant and Google Classroom posting on its free tier. Lesson Maker Pro is an option for educators seeking generated lessons and materials within monthly quotas. LessonSmith offers a Pro plan with monthly lesson-plan and support-plan quotas. LessonApp is another freemium option for web and mobile. Lessonly offers a free-forever plan for web users.

Verdict

Choose Planbook if you want lesson planning, collaboration, and student assessment in the same service, especially when standards progress and school workflows matter. Look elsewhere if lesson generation is your main need, or if you need school-level oversight without a school account.