The 5 best Jupiter alternatives
For small private schools & micro schools · pricing verified July 2026 · written by the Pearspark team — Pearspark is #1 on this list and we say so plainly (how we compare)
Jupiter Ed earns real loyalty from teachers — its gradebook (rubrics, weighting, dropped scores) is the deepest in this market at roughly $7–10 per student per year. Schools go looking elsewhere when they need the school around the gradebook: operations like admissions, a library, volunteers and printable transcripts are thin or absent, the ~$500/year school minimum makes tiny schools pay mid-size prices, and exact quotes come via a demo.
The alternatives below either bundle the whole school operation or compete directly on academics-first strength.
Why schools look for a Jupiter alternative
- A ~$500/year school minimum — a 15-student school pays mid-size prices
- Gradebook/LMS core — thin on operations like library, volunteers or equipment
- Final pricing requires a demo conversation
Each point is sourced on the full Pearspark vs Jupiter comparison.
What each costs at small-school sizes
| System | 25 students | 50 students | 100 students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearspark (ours) | $62.50/mo | $125/mo | $250/mo |
| TeacherEase | ≈$44–73/mo (3–5 teachers) | ≈$73–117/mo (5–8 teachers) | ≈$117–176/mo (8–12 teachers) |
| ThinkWave | Tiered — from ~$17/mo | Tiered by enrollment | Tiered by enrollment |
| QuickSchools | $29.70/mo Gaia · $44.70 Apollo (30-student minimum) | $49.50/mo Gaia · $74.50 Apollo | $99/mo Gaia · $149 Apollo |
| Gradelink | $121/mo + $275 setup (≤50 tier) | $121/mo + $275 setup (≤50 tier) | $164/mo + $275 setup (51–100 tier) |
| Staying with Jupiter | ≈$42/mo ($500/yr minimum) | ≈$42/mo ($500/yr minimum) | ≈$58–83/mo ($7–10/student/yr) |
Vendor list pricing as of July 2026 — see sources below. Always confirm current pricing with the vendor.
The alternatives, ranked
Pearspark
Our product — judge accordinglyPearspark is the rest of the platform: admissions, barcode lending library, volunteer check-in, equipment booking, scheduling, transcripts and tuition billing in the same login, at $50/month including 20 students. Jupiter's gradebook goes deeper on power features than Pearspark's — some schools genuinely run both — but the whole-school jobs are what Pearspark exists for.
Pricing: $50/mo including 20 students, then $2.50/student/mo stepping down to $1.00 at volume. No setup fees, no contract, 30-day free trial.
TeacherEase
A standards-based learning platform and gradebook priced per teacher.
Why it's on this list: The other academics specialist — standards-based mastery rather than gradebook power features — priced per teacher (about $175.67/teacher/year), very cheap for teacher-light schools.
Best for: Schools focused on standards-based grading with a handful of teachers, especially where per-teacher pricing beats per-student.
At 25 students: ≈$44–73/mo (3–5 teachers) · at 100: ≈$117–176/mo (8–12 teachers)
Full comparison: Pearspark vs TeacherEaseThinkWave
A budget-friendly cloud SIS with gradebooks, report cards, and transcripts — plus a free single-teacher gradebook.
Why it's on this list: Budget academics with report cards and transcripts included from about $17/month, no school minimum and no demo required.
Best for: Schools on the tightest budgets that mainly need academics: gradebook, report cards, transcripts.
At 25 students: Tiered — from ~$17/mo · at 100: Tiered by enrollment
Full comparison: Pearspark vs ThinkWaveQuickSchools
A full K-12 SIS with the cheapest published per-student rate in this comparison — and a 30-student minimum underneath it.
Why it's on this list: A full SIS at comparable per-student cost ($1.49/month with report cards and the portal) that adds admissions and fee tracking — 30-student minimum.
Best for: Schools of 40 students and up that want a conventional SIS at the lowest published per-student rate and don't mind that report cards and the parent portal sit one tier up.
At 25 students: $29.70/mo Gaia · $44.70 Apollo (30-student minimum) · at 100: $99/mo Gaia · $149 Apollo
Full comparison: Pearspark vs QuickSchoolsGradelink
A well-established student information system popular with private and faith-based schools.
Why it's on this list: The full-SIS upgrade with mature academics and an add-on ecosystem, tiers from $121/month plus $275 setup.
Best for: Private schools of 75–400 students that want a mature, widely used SIS.
At 25 students: $121/mo + $275 setup (≤50 tier) · at 100: $164/mo + $275 setup (51–100 tier)
Full comparison: Pearspark vs GradelinkWhen staying with Jupiter is the right call
Choose Jupiter if the teacher gradebook is the product you're really buying — its grading workflow is deeper than Pearspark's and the per-student cost at 60+ students is low. If your school also needs admissions, a library, volunteers, and printable transcripts in the same login, that's the rest of the platform Pearspark exists to provide.
Common questions
What is the best Jupiter Ed alternative for a full school system?
Pearspark, Gradelink and QuickSchools all wrap real SIS operations — admissions, records, scheduling, billing — around the gradebook. Pearspark publishes everything-included pricing ($50/month with 20 students); Gradelink brings the longest track record; QuickSchools the lowest rate. None of the three matches Jupiter's gradebook depth on rubrics and dropped scores — if that's essential, some schools keep Jupiter for grading alongside a system of record.
Is Jupiter Ed's minimum really $500/year?
Its published starting point is roughly $500 per school per year (about $42/month), with per-student rates around $7–10/year and exact quotes via demo. For a 15-student school that works out near $2.80/student/month — more per student than Pearspark's marginal rate. At 60+ students Jupiter's per-student cost drops well below most alternatives.
Can I import Jupiter gradebooks elsewhere?
Yes — export a class gradebook as a CSV matrix, and Pearspark's per-class import creates the assignments and grades with a preview of unmatched students before saving.
See Pearspark for yourself
Poke around a real school — admin, teacher, and parent views — no sales call. Sample data resets daily.
Sources
- Jupiter Ed
- Capterra: Jupiter
- TeacherEase pricing
- Capterra: TeacherEase
- TeacherEase Online Registration guide
- ThinkWave pricing
- ThinkWave support docs (every admin screen, setup option and report)
- ThinkWave's own 2026 buyer's guide
- Capterra: ThinkWave Educator (gradebook edition)
- QuickSchools pricing
- Gradelink pricing plans
- Capterra: Gradelink pricing
- Gradelink features (module list)
- Gradelink: Service Hours Reporting
Last reviewed July 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we'll fix it.