European School Management Tools
School management software holds the records of minors: attendance, grades, behaviour notes, contact details and often special-needs data. These European alternatives to PowerSchool are run by vendors in the EU, the UK and Norway, so a school can sign its data processing agreement with a European company under European data protection law.
How we rank these tools — 4-step process
-
1
European ownership, verified
The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and processes customer data in Europe. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.
-
2
Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
-
3
Compliance and pricing check
GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.
-
4
Position on this page
Placement on this page can be paid, and that can affect the order tools appear in. It never buys a listing: a tool that fails the checks above is not here at any price, and payment does not change the shortcomings we write about. A vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a vendor. Paid placement can affect the order in which tools appear; it never affects whether a tool is listed. Editorial policy
11 European School Management Tools
Arbor
Cloud MIS for schools, trusts and local authorities
Untis
Timetabling and WebUntis school platform from Austria
Pronote
School life, grades and timetable software from Index Education
Schulmanager Online
Modular school organisation platform priced per module
SIMS
Long-established UK school MIS, rebuilt for the cloud
Magister
Dutch school administration and learning software suite
iSAMS
School MIS aimed at independent and international schools
Sdui
School communication and administration app suites
EduPage
Cloud school system built around timetabling software
Bakaláři
Czech school register, timetable and parent communication
itslearning
Norwegian learning platform for schools and universities
How We Choose European School Management Tools
- EU or UK contracting entity
- Hosting location and certification
- Timetabling and attendance
- Parent and student access
- Published or quoted pricing
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the country. For English and Welsh schools, Arbor and SIMS are the closest full management information systems, and iSAMS targets independent and international schools. For German-speaking schools, Untis, Schulmanager Online and Sdui cover timetabling, class registers and parent communication. French schools use Pronote, Dutch schools Magister, and Czech schools Bakaláři.
Schulmanager Online is the only one in this list that shows a full price table on its own site, from EUR 89 per module and school year. Arbor, SIMS, Untis, Pronote, Magister, iSAMS, Sdui, EduPage and Bakaláři quote on request or do not show prices on the pages we checked, and itslearning charges a yearly licence based on user numbers.
Yes. Untis combines timetabling with WebUntis modules such as the digital class register, substitution planning and parent-teacher days. EduPage and Pronote are also built around timetable software, and Bakaláři includes a timetable generator next to its school register and online pupil book.
Mostly not. Arbor, SIMS, Untis, Pronote and Bakaláři focus on administration, attendance, grades and communication. itslearning is a learning platform for delivering the curriculum, and it is often used next to a management information system rather than instead of one.
The Complete Guide to European School Management Tools
Administration system or learning platform
School management software is two jobs that vendors often blur. The first is the administrative record: pupil register, attendance, grades, timetable, substitutions and reports to the authorities. Arbor, SIMS, iSAMS, Untis, Pronote, Magister and Bakaláři sit here.
The second is teaching and learning delivery, where itslearning belongs. PowerSchool bundles both under one brand, so a school replacing it should list which modules it really uses, then match each one to a European tool. Many schools end up with a management system plus a separate learning platform.
Country-specific by design
Most European school software is built around one national system: English census returns, German state requirements, Czech ministry registers or French school life rules. That makes the tools in this list strong at home and awkward abroad.
Schulmanager Online and Sdui target German schools, Pronote and Bakaláři are tied to French and Czech practice, and Arbor and SIMS follow English school reporting. Check that the vendor supports your country and language before comparing features, and ask where the data is hosted and which sub-processors are used.
Looking for a direct swap? See our comparison of European alternatives to PowerSchool.