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Education · head to head

ParentSquare vs Stellarium

ParentSquare logo

ParentSquare

Education

Unified school to home messaging across text, email, app and voice with automatic translation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stellarium logo

Stellarium

Education

Free open source desktop planetarium software, distinct from the paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Stellarium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ParentSquare powerSchool acquired the company in 2024, so a district that deliberately chose an independent communications vendor now depends on the incumbent student records vendor, and future integration favouritism is a reasonable concern.; Stellarium it is desktop-only software, so it has no native touch-optimised phone interface; the similarly named mobile app is a different paid product from a different company.
  • They diverge on capability: ParentSquare covers Multi-channel delivery, Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ParentSquare and Stellarium actually diverge.

Attributes where ParentSquare and Stellarium differ
AttributeParentSquareStellarium
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, macOS, Linux

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ParentSquare

  • Multi-channel delivery
  • Automatic translation
  • Two-way threads
  • Attendance and urgent alerts
  • Conference sign-ups
  • Delivery reporting

Only in Stellarium

  • Photorealistic sky rendering
  • Large object catalogue
  • Telescope control
  • Scripting engine
  • Free and open source
  • Plugin ecosystem

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ParentSquare

  • A district running separate emergency notification, translation and classroom messaging contracts that wants one bill and one recordnot Stellarium
  • Schools with a large share of families whose first language is not English and where reply rates in English are lownot Stellarium
  • Evidencing reach after an emergency closure, where the board asks how many families were actually contactednot Stellarium
  • Moving teacher to parent conversation off personal mobile numbers for safeguarding reasonsnot Stellarium

Stellarium

  • A student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line itemnot ParentSquare
  • An amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modifynot ParentSquare
  • Someone running a planetarium display or public astronomy event on a scripted shownot ParentSquare
  • A hobbyist who wants a large object catalogue without paying a subscription, and does not need a phone appnot ParentSquare

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ParentSquare

  • PowerSchool acquired the company in 2024, so a district that deliberately chose an independent communications vendor now depends on the incumbent student records vendor, and future integration favouritism is a reasonable concern.
  • Automatic translation is machine translation. It is adequate for routine notices and unreliable for disciplinary, special education or legal language, where a mistranslation has consequences the district owns.
  • Adoption is uneven by design. If some teachers post and others do not, families receive an inconsistent picture and start contacting the school by other channels anyway, which defeats the single record argument.
  • Engagement dashboards make individual teacher posting frequency visible to leadership, and districts that use that as a performance measure damage the goodwill the tool depends on.
  • Switching cost is high in an unusual way. The valuable asset is the conversation history attached to individual pupils and families, and exports of threaded two way messages are far less useful than the live system.

Stellarium

  • It is desktop-only software, so it has no native touch-optimised phone interface; the similarly named mobile app is a different paid product from a different company.
  • As a volunteer-maintained open source project, support is community-based rather than a guaranteed commercial help desk.
  • The interface, while capable, is less immediately intuitive for a first-time user than a polished commercial phone app.
  • Telescope control and some advanced plugins require additional setup that a non-technical user may find fiddly.
  • Because it shares a name with the unrelated paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app, buyers researching pricing online can easily conflate the two products.

Pricing, plan by plan

ParentSquare

On request
  • ParentSquare$undefined/year
    • Quoted per district, commonly scaled by pupil count
    • Multi-year district agreements
    • Voice minutes and premium modules priced separately

Stellarium

Free
  • Stellarium DesktopFree
    • Full software, GPL licensed
    • No account, ads or subscription
    • Community-developed plugins

Which should you pick?

Choose ParentSquare if

  • You need multi-channel delivery.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automatic translation.
ParentSquare review

Choose Stellarium if

  • You need photorealistic sky rendering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want large object catalogue.
Stellarium review

Questions people ask

Is ParentSquare or Stellarium better?
Neither clearly leads. ParentSquare starts at On request and Stellarium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ParentSquare or Stellarium?
Stellarium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ParentSquare and Free for Stellarium.
Does ParentSquare or Stellarium run on more platforms?
ParentSquare runs on Web, iOS, Android. Stellarium runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Stellarium for free?
Yes. Stellarium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ParentSquare starts at On request.
What is ParentSquare best used for?
ParentSquare is most often used for a district running separate emergency notification, translation and classroom messaging contracts that wants one bill and one record, schools with a large share of families whose first language is not english and where reply rates in english are low, evidencing reach after an emergency closure, where the board asks how many families were actually contacted, moving teacher to parent conversation off personal mobile numbers for safeguarding reasons. Of those, a district running separate emergency notification, translation and classroom messaging contracts that wants one bill and one record and schools with a large share of families whose first language is not english and where reply rates in english are low are not what Stellarium is typically brought in for.
What can ParentSquare do that Stellarium cannot?
ParentSquare covers Multi-channel delivery, Automatic translation, Two-way threads, Attendance and urgent alerts. Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering, Large object catalogue, Telescope control, Scripting engine.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ParentSquare: Is it FERPA and COPPA aligned?

ParentSquare contracts as a school official under FERPA and takes direction from the district. Pupil accounts, where enabled, run under district consent rather than parental consent for COPPA purposes.

Stellarium: Is Stellarium really free?

The desktop software is free and open source under the GPL licence. The separate mobile app, Stellarium Mobile Plus, is a different paid product.

ParentSquare: Does the PowerSchool acquisition change our contract?

Existing terms run to their end date, but renewals now sit with PowerSchool sales, and districts should expect bundling pressure at renewal rather than standalone pricing.

Stellarium: Is the mobile app made by the same team?

No. Stellarium Mobile Plus is built by Noctua Software, a different company, and is sold on subscription.

ParentSquare: Can it replace our emergency notification system?

It sends voice, text and email at scale, so most districts do replace one. Confirm the voice call throughput commitment in writing before cancelling a dedicated notification contract.

Stellarium: What platforms does the free version run on?

Windows, macOS and Linux desktop.

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