Switch from Prime Timetable to Academic Scheduler
Prime Timetable is a capable web-based scheduler with a powerful automatic generator, rooms and copy-and-paste import, used in 120+ countries. It is sold on yearly terms priced by teacher count. Academic Scheduler costs $10–$20/month and adds daily substitution, exam timetables and password-protected share links, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card.
A monthly-priced Prime Timetable alternative with daily substitution built in
Why schools look for a Prime Timetable alternative
Prime Timetable is a strong, mature product. These are the practical reasons it doesn't suit every school.
Paid plans are yearly, not monthly
Prime Timetable's Basic and Premium plans are bought for 1 to 5 years at a time, with discounts for longer terms. There is no month-to-month option, so a school pays for at least a full year up front.
Price is tied to how many teachers you schedule
Basic covers up to 40 teachers and Premium up to 100, counted as unique teacher names across all your timetables, including teacher assistants. Schools with more than 100 teachers have to contact the company for a price.
Covering an absent teacher means editing the timetable
Prime Timetable's guide handles substitution by selecting the absent teacher's cards and switching them to a different teacher. That works, but it changes the timetable itself rather than giving you a daily cover list of who is free.
PDF output goes through your printer settings
Prime Timetable exports to Excel/Sheets, JSON and CSV/TSV, but PDF comes from printing: built in on Mac, while Windows users need a PDF printer or an online converter for the published page.
What Academic Scheduler does differently
Four areas where we made different choices.
Monthly plans from $10
Basic, Pro and Premium are monthly plans with published prices. You can start with a 14-day free trial and no credit card, and you are never locked into a multi-year term.
- Basic $10/mo · Pro $15/mo · Premium $20/mo
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
- Used by 350+ schools and institutions
Daily substitution that leaves the timetable alone
Mark a teacher absent and see which teachers are free in each period, with same-subject teachers highlighted. Notify the cover teacher by email in one click. The regular timetable stays unchanged.
- Free teachers listed per period
- Same-subject teachers highlighted
- One-click email to the substitute
Exam timetables in the same app
Create exam types with a date range, schedule papers so no class sits the same subject twice, and export the exam timetable to PDF.
- Exam types with date ranges
- No subject twice per class
- PDF export of exam timetables
Secure sharing and ready-made exports
Share read-only timetables through password-protected links and QR codes, and export to PDF (A4 landscape) or Excel directly from the app. Academic sessions let you copy last year's setup and keep past years read-only.
- Password-protected share links and QR codes
- PDF (A4 landscape) and Excel (.xlsx) export
- Academic sessions: copy last year, past years read-only
Academic Scheduler vs Prime Timetable — Feature by Feature
| Feature | Academic Scheduler | Prime Timetable |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10/month | $299/year (Basic, up to 40 teachers) |
| Billing terms | Monthly | 1–5 year terms |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | 30-day free evaluation |
| Fully automatic timetable generator | No — AI fills empty periods (review before save) | Yes — constraint-based generator |
| Rooms and room clashes | No | Yes, with alternative rooms |
| Data import | No — entered through setup screens | Yes — copy and paste from Excel/Sheets |
| Students and elective groups | No | Yes |
| Daily substitution (free teachers, email) | Yes | Manual — reassign cards |
| Exam timetables | Yes | Not listed |
| Sharing | Password-protected links + QR codes | Published web page, direct links, embed |
| Export formats | PDF, Excel (.xlsx) | Excel/Sheets, JSON, CSV/TSV; PDF via print |
| Exports for SIS (PowerSchool, iSAMS) | No | Yes |
| Multi-branch / multiple schools | Yes — organisation login | Yes — multiple schools per account |
| Interface languages | English, French | French, Spanish, German + 130 auto-translated |
Monthly plans vs yearly terms priced by teacher count
Academic Scheduler costs $10–$20/month, listed publicly. Prime Timetable is sold on 1–5 year terms, with the plan set by how many teachers you schedule.
- Unlimited schedule generation
- Conflict & clash detection
- PDF & Excel export
- Secure shareable links
- Everything in Basic
- Collaborative sharing
- Substitution management
- Priority support
- Everything in Pro
- Exam timetable creation
- Exam clash prevention
- Analytics dashboard
Prime Timetable: Prime Timetable has a free 30-day evaluation plan, then Basic (up to 40 teachers) at $299/year and Premium (up to 100 teachers) at $499/year in USD. Multi-year terms cost less per year (for example $849 for 5 years of Basic), schools over 100 teachers must contact the company, and an 'Apply for lower prices' option is offered (as listed on primetimetable.com, October 2026). Older third-party listings show lower figures, so prices may vary by region.
Switch from Prime Timetable to Academic Scheduler in 3 steps
Start your free trial
Sign up with email or Google. You get 14 days of access with no credit card.
Re-enter your school data
There is no import, so add your periods, subjects, teachers (with allowed subjects and availability) and classes with weekly lessons through our setup screens. Keep your Prime Timetable Excel export open as a reference.
Build and share your timetable
Fill the timetable in Edit Mode, where teacher double-booking is blocked, or let AI fill empty periods and review before saving. Then share it through a password-protected link or QR code, or export to PDF and Excel.
No credit card required · 14-day free trial · Cancel anytime
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about switching from Prime Timetable to Academic Scheduler.
Ready to Make the Switch?
Join 350+ institutions that create conflict-free timetables in hours, not days. No credit card required.
14-day free trial · No credit card · Cancel anytime