# EduGradUP vs mPencil

> EduGradUP vs mPencil 2026: mPencil's ₹21 per student is cheaper up to ~1,100 students; EduGradUP's flat price wins above that. Features and prices compared.

Source: https://edugradup.com/compare/edugradup-vs-mpencil/

## Short answer

mPencil is cheaper for most small and mid-size schools: free up to 100 students, then ₹21 per student per year, or ₹8,400 for a 400-student school against EduGradUP's ₹17,000. Because mPencil bills per student, its price rises with every admission, and above roughly 1,100 students EduGradUP's flat ₹23,000 becomes the cheaper option (₹31,500 vs ₹23,000 at 1,500 students). EduGradUP also includes every module in every plan, a six-language staff app, WhatsApp fee reminders, biometric integration and a UDISE+/APAAR export — check which of these mPencil keeps for its Premium plan.

## Intro

mPencil charges per student — free up to 100 students, then ₹21 per student per year on its Core plan. EduGradUP charges one flat price per school, from ₹9,000 to ₹23,000 a year.

## Annual price by school size (INR, excl. GST, verified 2026-09-27)

| School size | EduGradUP | mPencil | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | ₹9,000 | ₹3,150 | mPencil costs ₹5,850 less |
| 400 | ₹17,000 | ₹8,400 | mPencil costs ₹8,600 less |
| 800 | ₹23,000 | ₹16,800 | mPencil costs ₹6,200 less |
| 1,500 | ₹23,000 | ₹31,500 | EduGradUP saves ₹8,500 |

## EduGradUP strengths

- One flat price per school — ₹9,000 to ₹23,000 a year by size band, never per student
- All 59 modules & features (29 modules + 30 built-in features) in every plan — no feature gating
- Staff app in 6 languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu
- BSEB, UP Board and RBSE marksheet presets in Hindi and English, with First, Second and Third Division
- Automatic WhatsApp fee reminders 7, 3 and 1 day before the due date, plus an overdue follow-up ladder
- One-click UDISE+ / APAAR-ready student sheet for every board
- Works with biometric devices schools already own — ZKTeco, eSSL, Mantra, Realtime, Matrix COSEC
- Native apps for Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows, plus the web — for admin, teachers and parents
- Payroll, payslips, leave and staff attendance built in
- Multi-branch group dashboard for trusts — each school billed at its own size band
- Connect Claude (or any MCP client) to your school's data with a read-only token from Settings
- UPI AutoPay on NTT Data (NDPS) — parents approve once, each month's actual fee is auto-debited, and the school chooses AutoPay or normal payment per school, class or student (rolling out)
- 15-day free trial with no credit card, plus a 15-day money-back guarantee

## mPencil strengths

- Free plan for schools up to 100 students
- ₹21 per student per year on the Core plan — the lowest per-student rate we found
- Positions itself as a premium-grade ERP at a budget price

## Comparison

- **Pricing model** — EduGradUP: Flat per school by size band — never per student; mPencil: Free up to 100 students; Core ₹21 per student per year; Premium plan quote
- **Price for a 400-student school** — EduGradUP: ₹17,000/yr; mPencil: ₹8,400
- **Price for a 1,500-student school** — EduGradUP: ₹23,000/yr; mPencil: ₹31,500
- **Free trial** — EduGradUP: 15 days + 15-day money-back; mPencil: Free plan (up to 100 students)
- **WhatsApp** — EduGradUP: Automatic fee reminders built in; message credits ₹1,000 per 4,000; mPencil: Not published
- **Modules in every plan** — EduGradUP: All 59 modules & features (29 modules + 30 built-in features) in every plan — no feature gating; mPencil: Not published
- **Staff app languages** — EduGradUP: Staff app in 6 languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu; mPencil: Not published
- **State-board marksheets (BSEB / UP / RBSE)** — EduGradUP: BSEB, UP Board and RBSE marksheet presets in Hindi and English, with First, Second and Third Division; mPencil: Not published
- **UDISE+ / APAAR export** — EduGradUP: One-click UDISE+ / APAAR-ready student sheet for every board; mPencil: Not published
- **Biometric device integration** — EduGradUP: Works with biometric devices schools already own — ZKTeco, eSSL, Mantra, Realtime, Matrix COSEC; mPencil: Not published
- **QR attendance** — EduGradUP: QR-code attendance for students and staff; mPencil: Not published
- **Payroll & HR** — EduGradUP: Payroll, payslips, leave and staff attendance built in; mPencil: Not published
- **Multi-branch group dashboard** — EduGradUP: Multi-branch group dashboard for trusts — each school billed at its own size band; mPencil: Not published
- **AI assistant (Claude / MCP)** — EduGradUP: Connect Claude (or any MCP client) to your school's data with a read-only token from Settings; mPencil: Not published
- **UPI AutoPay (recurring fees)** — EduGradUP: UPI AutoPay on NTT Data (NDPS) — parents approve once, each month's actual fee is auto-debited, and the school chooses AutoPay or normal payment per school, class or student (rolling out); mPencil: Not published
- **Per-school data isolation** — EduGradUP: Each school's data in its own isolated database schema; mPencil: Not published

## Verdict

mPencil is the cheaper choice for most schools under about 1,100 students. EduGradUP becomes cheaper above that and keeps the bill fixed as enrolment grows, with every module in every plan.

## FAQs

**Q: Is mPencil cheaper than EduGradUP?**

Up to about 1,100 students, yes: mPencil's Core plan is ₹21 per student per year (₹8,400 for 400 students) against EduGradUP's flat ₹17,000. Above about 1,100 students EduGradUP's ₹23,000 is cheaper (₹31,500 vs ₹23,000 at 1,500 students).

**Q: Is mPencil free?**

mPencil offers a free plan for schools up to 100 students. Above that, the Core plan costs ₹21 per student per year, and a Premium plan is priced separately.

**Q: How much does EduGradUP cost?**

EduGradUP charges one flat price per school per year, excluding GST: ₹9,000 up to 150 students, ₹14,000 up to 350, ₹17,000 up to 700 and ₹23,000 up to 1,500, with all 59 modules & features (29 modules + 30 built-in features) and the parent, teacher and admin apps in every plan.

**Q: Why pick flat pricing over per-student pricing?**

A flat price stays the same when admissions rise inside a size band, so the budget is predictable and a growing school isn't billed more for each new student.

**Q: Does EduGradUP support Hindi?**

Yes. EduGradUP's staff app runs in English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, and WhatsApp fee reminders go to parents automatically 7, 3 and 1 day before each due date.

**Q: Can I switch from mPencil to EduGradUP?**

Yes. Data migration from Excel or your current ERP is included with onboarding, setup usually completes within a day, and the 15-day free trial needs no credit card.

## Apps and store ratings

- Platforms — EduGradUP: Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Web; mPencil: No store app found; web access
- App-store rating — EduGradUP: 4.9★ on Google Play · 5.0★ on the App Store; mPencil: No official Google Play app found — verified 2026-09-28

## Source

mPencil pricing: https://www.mpencil.in/school-erp-india