# EduGradUP vs School Thinker

> EduGradUP vs School Thinker 2026: free for 2026-27 (first 500 schools), then from ₹4/student/month. Year-two cost vs EduGradUP's flat price compared.

Source: https://edugradup.com/compare/edugradup-vs-school-thinker/

## Short answer

If your school gets into School Thinker's first 500 for 2026-27, that session is free — no price in this band beats it. From the next session School Thinker charges from ₹4 per student per month (₹48 per student per year): ₹19,200 or more for 400 students and ₹72,000 or more for 1,500, against EduGradUP's flat ₹17,000 and ₹23,000. Both offer WhatsApp fee messages, UPI collection and a UDISE+/APAAR export; EduGradUP adds a six-language staff app, biometric-device integration and a fixed price that doesn't rise with admissions.

## Intro

School Thinker is offering the 2026-27 session free to its first 500 schools, then charges from ₹4 per student per month. EduGradUP charges one flat yearly price per school from ₹9,000 to ₹23,000.

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

| School size | EduGradUP | School Thinker | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | ₹9,000 | from ₹7,200 | School Thinker costs ₹1,800 less |
| 400 | ₹17,000 | from ₹19,200 | EduGradUP saves ₹2,200 |
| 800 | ₹23,000 | from ₹38,400 | EduGradUP saves ₹15,400 |
| 1,500 | ₹23,000 | from ₹72,000 | EduGradUP saves ₹49,000 |

## 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

## School Thinker strengths

- Free 2026-27 session for its first 500 schools, with a 3-month free trial
- WhatsApp notifications with UPI QR fee receipts
- UDISE+ and APAAR support; free data migration

## Comparison

- **Pricing model** — EduGradUP: Flat per school by size band — never per student; School Thinker: Free for the 2026-27 session (first 500 schools); then from ₹4 per student per month
- **Price for a 400-student school** — EduGradUP: ₹17,000/yr; School Thinker: from ₹19,200
- **Price for a 1,500-student school** — EduGradUP: ₹23,000/yr; School Thinker: from ₹72,000
- **Free trial** — EduGradUP: 15 days + 15-day money-back; School Thinker: 3 months free
- **WhatsApp** — EduGradUP: Automatic fee reminders built in; message credits ₹1,000 per 4,000; School Thinker: WhatsApp notifications + UPI QR receipts listed
- **Modules in every plan** — EduGradUP: All 59 modules & features (29 modules + 30 built-in features) in every plan — no feature gating; School Thinker: 25+ modules
- **Staff app languages** — EduGradUP: Staff app in 6 languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu; School Thinker: 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; School Thinker: Not published
- **UDISE+ / APAAR export** — EduGradUP: One-click UDISE+ / APAAR-ready student sheet for every board; School Thinker: UDISE+ and APAAR support listed
- **Biometric device integration** — EduGradUP: Works with biometric devices schools already own — ZKTeco, eSSL, Mantra, Realtime, Matrix COSEC; School Thinker: Not published
- **QR attendance** — EduGradUP: QR-code attendance for students and staff; School Thinker: Not published
- **Payroll & HR** — EduGradUP: Payroll, payslips, leave and staff attendance built in; School Thinker: Not published
- **Multi-branch group dashboard** — EduGradUP: Multi-branch group dashboard for trusts — each school billed at its own size band; School Thinker: 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; School Thinker: 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); School Thinker: Not published
- **Per-school data isolation** — EduGradUP: Each school's data in its own isolated database schema; School Thinker: Not published

## Verdict

For 2026-27 School Thinker's free offer is the better deal if you qualify. From year two EduGradUP's flat price is lower for most schools above about 300 students.

## FAQs

**Q: Is School Thinker really free?**

School Thinker is offering the 2026-27 session free to its first 500 schools, with no licence or setup fee. After that it charges from ₹4 per student per month.

**Q: What does School Thinker cost after the free year?**

From ₹4 per student per month, i.e. from ₹48 per student per year: ₹19,200+ for 400 students, ₹38,400+ for 800 and ₹72,000+ for 1,500 (excl. GST).

**Q: Is EduGradUP cheaper than School Thinker?**

Not in a free 2026-27 session. From year two, EduGradUP's flat price is lower from about 300 students (₹17,000 vs ₹19,200+ at 400).

**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: 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 School Thinker 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; School Thinker: Android (Google Play); desktop apps not published
- App-store rating — EduGradUP: 4.9★ on Google Play · 5.0★ on the App Store; School Thinker: Listed on Google Play, no ratings yet — verified 2026-09-28

## Source

School Thinker pricing: https://www.schoolthinker.com/pricing