ClassTablet vs Excel and Google Sheets
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Excel is enough when one person keeps the sheet and the numbers are only for them, and it costs nothing. ClassTablet is the better fit when teachers, students and parents all need to see the same records, and when you want monthly bills and due-fee reminders to run on their own. Your sheet's list imports directly.
For many institutions the step after the register book is Excel or Google Sheets: one sheet for fees, one for marks, one for attendance. Sheets are flexible and most people know a little of them. But a sheet never reminds anyone of anything, and it is hard to tell who changed which cell.
ClassTablet and Excel compared, job by job
| Job | ClassTablet | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the student list | YesEach student's profile, classrooms and parents in one place. A sheet's list imports from CSV or Excel. | YesOne row per student in a sheet. |
| Raise the monthly fee bills | YesBills for each classroom's students are created on the 1st of every month. | PartlyAdd a new column or sheet by hand each month. |
| Remind students about unpaid fees | YesStudents with an unpaid bill on the 15th, or still unpaid on the 5th of the next month, get a reminder in their inbox and by push. | NoRead names off the sheet and phone or message each one. |
| Record exam marks | YesAdd a written exam to the gradebook and enter marks. Online quiz and assignment grades land there too. | YesFormulas handle totals and averages. This is what sheets are good at. |
| Take attendance in class | YesTeachers take attendance on a phone, and parents of absent students hear straight away.Details: Take attendance in class | PartlyTick cells on a phone, but nobody is told anything. |
| Show students and parents their own records | YesStudents see their own dues and attendance, parents see their child's dashboard. Nobody sees anyone else's. | NoSharing the sheet shows everyone everything, so usually nobody is shown anything. |
| Build your own columns and calculations | NoClassTablet has a fixed structure. You cannot add arbitrary columns or formulas. | YesAny column, formula or chart you like. |
What ClassTablet does automatically
Automation
Monthly bills
On the morning of the 1st, ClassTablet creates that month's fee bill for the students of every active classroom. Students and teachers both see it.
Automation
Due-fee reminders
A student whose fee is unpaid on the 15th, or still unpaid on the 5th of the next month, gets a reminder in their inbox and as a push notification. Nobody phones down a list.
Automation
Absence alerts
When attendance is saved, parents of absent students hear about it in their inbox, by push and by email.
When Excel is enough
Excel or Google Sheets is enough when:
- One person runs the sheet and the numbers are only for them.
- Students and parents do not need to see anything online.
- Reminding people about fees in person or by phone works fine.
- You need your own calculations or charts that no fixed software offers.
How to move over
- 1
Download the template
From the admin dashboard, download the student or staff import template and arrange your sheet's columns in the same order.
- 2
Validate, then import
Upload a CSV or Excel file. ClassTablet checks every row and shows duplicates first, then runs the import when you confirm, with a progress view while it works.
- 3
Bring classrooms across too
With many batches, the classroom list imports in one go from its own template, and teachers are assigned to their classrooms automatically.
- 4
Archive the sheets
Keep past months' fee and marks sheets as your record, and run bills and attendance in ClassTablet from the new month.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import straight from Excel?
Yes. An admin can import student and staff lists from a CSV or Excel (xlsx) file. Before anything is saved, ClassTablet points out bad and duplicate rows.
Do fee reminders go to parents?
The automatic reminders go to the student's ClassTablet inbox and as push notifications today. To reach parents by SMS, an admin can send one themselves.
What about the custom calculations in my Google Sheet?
ClassTablet has no free-form formulas or columns. If you need a special calculation, keep that sheet alongside and run the routine work in ClassTablet.
What does it cost?
Starter is ৳499 a month for one classroom of up to 20 students. Standard is ৳20 per student per month, with no limit on students.
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