Bell Path compared with the alternatives.
Every option on your shortlist, side by side. Each column links to a full comparison that says where the other product is the better choice.
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| What schools ask | Bell PathOurs | Tes TimetablePreviously Edval | Timetabling SolutionsWith Daily Organiser | DayGridAustralian primary | aSc TimetablesInternational | FETFree, open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built just for Australian primary schoolsDesigned around the primary week from the start | . Bell Path does nothing else | . A primary offering inside a broader timetabling brand | . Public focus is strongest on secondary timetabling | . Also built for Australian primary schools | . Built for schools worldwide, with no Australian-specific logic | . General-purpose, built for no country in particular |
| Planning time built in and checkedEach teacher’s planning time (APT, RFF, NCT, DOTT, NIT) delivered and checked before the timetable goes out | . State entitlements enforced as hard minimums, unless the school records a staff agreement for a lower figure | . Its primary page mentions release time, but not a check of each teacher’s entitlement. Ask Tes | . Public positioning centres on secondary. Ask about primary entitlements | . Can schedule a year level’s specialists together for shared planning time. A check of each teacher’s entitlement is not described | . General teacher-load settings you set up yourself to approximate an entitlement | . You model every Australian rule yourself as general constraints |
| Daily cover for absent teachersThe morning’s absences turned into a cover plan | . Included for every school, from the same timetable | . Tes documents a Daily module in its Premium packages. Ask what yours includes | . Daily Organiser is a separate product you buy | . Its Daily Changes covers duties, not an absent teacher’s classes | . Substitution management is documented | . FET builds timetables and stops there |
| Yard duty rostersPlayground supervision balanced across the term | . With a whole-year fairness record | . Edval documents automated duty rosters. Ask what your package covers | . Its timetable product places yard duties automatically | . With duties matched to staff capabilities and duty minutes tracked across the year | . Break supervision can be generated for areas such as the yard | No |
| Wet day plansIndoor supervision when it rains | Yes | . Not shown on public pages when we checked | . Not shown on public pages when we checked | . Not shown on public pages when we checked | . Not shown on public pages when we checked | No |
| A school leader can run it themselvesNo timetabling course, consultant, or technical owner needed | . Guided setup in plain language, about an hour for a small school | . An established suite with specialist support pathways | . Its two-day primary course teaches the program from scratch | . Self-serve, with a guided setup session offered | . A general program you learn yourself | . Realistically needs a technical owner |
| Try before you payWhat you can see of your own school before you pay | . Your current timetable loaded for you with Daily Cover free for two weeks, or a free preview of your real timetable. A subscription unlocks the full week, sharing and downloads | . Demo-led, with no public trial stated | . No public trial stated | . 30-day full-access trial, no credit card | . Unlimited free trial, with printouts watermarked and export locked until purchase | . Free and open source, permanently |
| Pricing published on the websiteA number you can put in front of your business manager today | . School-size pricing published | . Expect a demo and a quote | . Listed in its online shop | . Published, from $1,495 a year plus GST | . Published as a one-off licence, then a yearly fee from the third year | . Free |
| School data hosted in AustraliaWhere your school’s information physically lives | . Hosted in Melbourne and Sydney | . Online data is stored in an Amazon Web Services data centre in Sydney | . Cloud apps are hosted on Microsoft Azure, with no region stated | . Public pages state school data stays in Australia | . The desktop version keeps data on your computer. Ask about the online version | . Runs on your own computer, so data stays wherever you put it |
| The detail | See a real week | Full comparison of Bell Path and Tes Timetable | Full comparison of Bell Path and Timetabling Solutions | Full comparison of Bell Path and DayGrid | Full comparison of Bell Path and aSc Timetables | Full comparison of Bell Path and FET |
Each mark summarises what the vendor’s own public pages said when we last checked them, on 3 October 2026. A No can mean the feature is not offered, or only that it is not shown publicly. Click or tap a mark with a dotted line for the detail. The linked comparisons carry the sources, and product pages change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
12 comparisons
Start with the option already on your shortlist.
Most compared
The Australian products, and the spreadsheet you may already have.
Also compared
Free, overseas and single-system tools that schools sometimes shortlist.
Bell Path vs TimetableMaster
Choose TimetableMaster if you want a general AI scheduler for schools, colleges and universities, with phone apps and a 10-day free trial.
Bell Path vs Griddle
Choose Griddle if your school runs on Compass and wants its timetabling inside Compass.
Bell Path vs Daily Organiser
Choose Daily Organiser for relief management on top of a timetable your school builds in Timetabling Solutions.
Bell Path vs Synergetic Primary Time
Choose Primary Time when you already run Synergetic and want timetabling inside it.
Bell Path vs aSc Timetables
Choose aSc when a low one-off price, an unlimited trial or a desktop program matters more than Australian primary-school rules.
Bell Path vs TimeTabler
Choose TimeTabler if you are a secondary school, or you want to learn the craft of timetabling itself.
Bell Path vs FET
Choose FET when there is no budget and you have someone technical who will own it.
Bell Path vs Prime Timetable
Choose Prime Timetable for a light, general scheduler that runs on any device and is quick to start.
See the timetable before you decide.
Send us the timetable you already run and it is in Bell Path within 48 hours, or see a week Bell Path built for a sample school first.
Bell Path publishes its prices: $679 a year for up to 100 students and $1,349 for 101 to 300, rising with school size, with no per-user add-ons. See the full price list.