Pearspark vs Gradelink
For small private schools and microschools. Pricing verified September 29, 2026. Written by the Pearspark team (how we compare).
The short answer
Gradelink is a mature SIS with strong academics and enrollment tools, priced by the enrollment calculator on its pricing page. Pearspark is built for small private schools: it costs less up to about 50 students, and its online application form and tuition billing are included rather than paid add-ons.
Pearspark
All-in-one platform for small private schools: records, academics, admissions, library, volunteers, scheduling and the portal.
Pricing: $50 a month including 20 students, then $2.50 a student a month, stepping down to $1.00 at volume. No setup fees, month to month, 30-day free trial.
Setup is self-serve: the importers preview every row before anything is written, and email support is free when you're stuck.
Gradelink
A well-established student information system popular with private and faith-based schools.
Pricing: Gradelink prices by enrollment through the calculator on its pricing page — $106/month at 25 students, $129 at 50 and $175 at 100 — plus a one-time $275 setup fee that its Capterra listing omits; the calculator holds setup at $275 through 100 students and raises it with enrollment past that. Add-ons carry their own setup fees: EnrollMe is $20.83/month plus $497 setup, SmartSend Pro $16.67/month. So a school wanting online enrollment pays $772 before its first month. Until December 31, 2026, its referral page offers a $500 Amazon gift card to the referrer and another $500 to the new school's contact once the setup fee and six months of service are paid — a one-time offset, not a change to the rate.
What each costs at small-school sizes
| Students | Pearspark | Gradelink |
|---|---|---|
| 25 students | $62.50/mo | $106/mo + $275 setup |
| 50 students | $125/mo | $129/mo + $275 setup |
| 100 students | $250/mo | $175/mo + $275 setup |
| What the price includes | Everything in one plan: records, attendance, gradebook, standards-based grading, report cards, transcripts, admissions, scheduling, tuition billing with family autopay, lending library, equipment booking, volunteer check-in, messaging, and an installable parent app with push notifications. No setup fee, month-to-month. No fundraising CRM, no subsidy billing, and no SMS broadcast — announcements reach families as push notifications and email instead. | The SIS: records, attendance, gradebook, standards-based and traditional grading, report cards, scheduling, tuition. Online enrollment (EnrollMe, $20.83/mo + $497 setup) and SmartSend Pro ($16.67/mo) are add-ons, over a $275 one-time setup fee. |
Gradelink pricing from its published list rates as of September 29, 2026. Sources are below. Always confirm current pricing with the vendor.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Pearspark | Gradelink |
|---|---|---|
| Student records (SIS) | ||
| Attendance | ||
| Gradebook & report cards | ||
| Standards-based grading & mastery | ||
| Records protected if the school closes | ||
| Transcripts & GPA | ||
| Missing-data reports & scheduled delivery | Partial | |
| Admissions pipeline | Paid add-on | |
| Class scheduling & rooms | ||
| Lending library & checkout | ||
| Equipment & room booking | ||
| Volunteer tracking & check-in | Partial | |
| Parent & student portal | ||
| Messaging | Partial | |
| Self-serve transcript & gradebook import | ||
| Tuition billing & payments | ||
| Published pricing (no sales call) | ||
| Fundraising & donor CRM | ||
| SMS / text broadcast to families | ||
| Subsidy & agency billing |
= varies by plan or not published; check with the vendor. We mark unknowns as unknowns rather than counting them against Gradelink. The last three rows are jobs Pearspark does not do, listed for the same reason: a school that runs an annual fund, texts its families, or bills an agency should find that out here. Pearspark reaches families by push notification through the installable parent app, and by email, not by text. Underlined feature names open the Pearspark page for that capability, so you can check what our ✓ actually means.
Where Gradelink shines
- Long track record with thousands of private and faith-based schools
- Standards-based and traditional grading, lesson plans, and report cards
- Optional integrated tuition and enrollment modules
- Fair terms once you're in: month-to-month, cancel penalty-free, free standard data transfer, and a 10-day implementation guarantee
Worth knowing
- The calculator's floor is high for a very small school — $106/month at 25 students, before the $275 setup fee
- A one-time $275 setup fee applies, and it isn't shown on the Capterra listing most buyers compare on
- Enrollment (EnrollMe) adds $497 setup on top — $772 in one-time fees before month one
- No lending library or equipment-booking module in its published feature list — it does track volunteer service hours, with parent submission and admin approval
When Gradelink is the better choice
When Pearspark is the better choice
The parts this comparison turns on
Common questions
Is Pearspark cheaper than Gradelink?
Can I move my data from Gradelink to Pearspark?
Does Pearspark handle tuition billing like Gradelink?
Sources
- Gradelink pricing plans
- Capterra: Gradelink pricing
- Gradelink referral offer (through 2026-12-31)
- Gradelink features (module list)
- Gradelink reports list (140+)
- Gradelink: Service Hours Reporting
Last reviewed September 29, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we'll fix it.
Gradelink in a wider comparison
See Pearspark for yourself
Every task has its own short video, and your first 30 days are free. No sales call.
Email support answered by a person comes with every plan, along with how-to videos and guides. There are no paid support tiers.