MyStudyLife vs Shovel

MyStudyLife

• School and university students with rotating or block timetables
• Keeping homework, exams and grades in one place
• Parents who want to follow a child's deadlines

Shovel

• College students planning a full semester of readings, assignments and exams
• Students whose school uses Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle or Google Classroom
• Students who want a warning before they run short of study time

MyStudyLife

• The free plan holds up to 5 tasks at a time. Subtasks, repeating tasks, Calendar Sync and Activities need MSL+.
• On the free plan Scout is limited to the first timetable scan and a few chats.
• The vendor lists web, iPhone and Android versions only. There is no separate Mac or Windows app.
• Prices are from the US App Store description, which says they may vary by region. The vendor's MSL+ page lists no price.

Shovel

• There is no free plan. Access needs a paid subscription once the 7-day trial ends.
• The phone apps are companions: an account has to be set up in the web app first, and the vendor says not to use the mobile app on tablets.
• On computers and tablets Shovel is installed from the browser as a progressive web app, not as a native desktop program.
• The US App Store lists two "Lifetime plan" in-app purchases, at $13.99 and $46.99, that the website's pricing page does not mention.

MyStudyLife

Class timetable

Handles weekly, rotating, week A/B, block and custom schedules, with term and holiday dates. Classes pause during holidays so no reminders are sent for them.

Homework and task tracking

Tasks carry a due date and a reminder, and progress can be logged as partly complete. Subtasks, repeating tasks and the full set of task types are MSL+ features.

Exams and grades

Exams are stored with date, time, room and seat and shown with countdowns. Revision tasks can be tied to an exam, and grades are logged as results come in.

Scout AI study coach

Builds a timetable from a photo or screenshot, plans the week and drafts revision plans from exam dates. The first scan and a few chats are free; MSL+ removes the limits.

Pomodoro focus timer

A built-in timer for studying in set intervals with breaks, kept in the same app as the tasks being worked on.

Family Connect

A separate paid companion app that lets a parent or guardian see a linked student's schedule, homework, exams and grades, and add tasks or events to it.

Shovel

Syllabus upload and school sync

AI Syllabus Upload turns a PDF syllabus into tasks and events, and courses can sync live with Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle or Google Classroom.

Planning tasks into study time

Each task is assigned to specific study blocks, so a due date becomes a plan for what to work on, when and for how long.

The Cushion

Compares the study time available before each deadline with the time the task is estimated to need, and plots every task above or below a zero line.

Schedule of available time

Classes, activities, meals and personal time are blocked out to reveal the hours left for studying. Events can repeat every set number of weeks.

Time estimates and timer

Reading time is calculated per task, exam and assignment estimates can be adjusted as work progresses, and a built-in timer records time spent on each task.

External calendars

Google, Apple and Outlook calendar events can be shown inside Shovel, and the Shovel calendar can be shared out to those calendars.

MyStudyLife

• Free$0

  Timetable, calendar, exams with countdowns, subjects and reminders on every device, with up to 5 tasks at a time.

• MyStudyLife+ (Individual)$6.99

  per month, or $39.99 per year

  Unlimited tasks, subtasks and repeating tasks, unlimited Scout AI, Calendar Sync, Activities, every task and exam type, and personalization.

• Family Connect, 1 Student$9.99

  per month, or $59.99 per year

  Parent companion app linked to one student's planner. The vendor says the linked student also unlocks MSL+.

• Family Connect, 2 Students$14.99

  per month, or $89.99 per year

  The same parent view of schedules, homework, exams and grades for two linked students.

• Family Connect, 3-5 Students$19.99

  per month, or $119.99 per year

  Covers three to five linked students under one parent subscription, the largest size offered.

• MyStudyLife for SchoolsCustom

  Premium unlocked for a named cohort or every student on roll, with rollout guides and a named contact. Arranged through a demo.

Shovel

• Yearly$39

  per year, shown as $3.25 per month paid yearly

  Full access for a year after a 7-day free trial. The page labels it a limited-time back-to-school offer and gives no end date.

• Monthly$9.79

  per month

  Full access billed monthly after a 7-day free trial, cancellable at any time. The page shows $9.79 beside a crossed-out $19.99.

MyStudyLife

• Annual discount

  About 52% less on the yearly MyStudyLife+ plan

  The US App Store description lists MyStudyLife+ at $6.99 a month or $39.99 a year, which it gives as the equivalent of $3.33 a month.

Shovel

• Annual discount

  About 67% less on the yearly plan

  The pricing page lists $9.79 per month or $39 per year. Twelve monthly payments would come to $117.48. The yearly price is labelled a limited-time back-to-school offer.