Education · head to head
Jackrabbit Class vs Sky Guide
Jackrabbit Class
Education
Class management for dance, gym, swim and music schools, priced by student count
- From
- $49/month
- Rated
- -
Sky Guide
Education
iOS astronomy app that moved from a one-time purchase to a free-to-download, subscription-tiered model
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Sky Guide has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Jackrabbit Class billing counts every student record in the account, active and inactive, so studios that never archive leavers pay for a larger tier than their real enrolment and only discover it when someone audits the database.; Sky Guide it is iOS-only, unlike SkySafari which also covers Android and desktop.
- They diverge on capability: Jackrabbit Class covers Class scheduling, Sky Guide covers Light pollution forecasting.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Jackrabbit Class and Sky Guide actually diverge.
| Attribute | Jackrabbit Class | Sky Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Per month by student count | Free download with Plus and Pro subscription upgrades |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | iOS |
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 Jackrabbit Class
- Class scheduling
- Recurring tuition billing
- Parent portal
- Attendance and skills
- Staff portal
- Jackrabbit Pay
- Reporting
- Online registration
Only in Sky Guide
- Light pollution forecasting
- Meteor shower prediction
- Camera and gyroscope sky view
- Deep-sky object catalogue
- Extreme zoom
- Satellite tracking
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Jackrabbit Class
- A dance studio moving recurring tuition off manual card charges onto automatic monthly billing with family accountsnot Sky Guide
- A gymnastics club tracking skill progression per athlete alongside attendancenot Sky Guide
- A multi-site swim school that needs one enrolment view across locationsnot Sky Guide
- An owner who wants published software pricing rather than a quote, so the cost of growth is predictablenot Sky Guide
Sky Guide
- An iOS stargazer who wants light pollution forecasting to plan a dark-sky observing tripnot Jackrabbit Class
- Someone tracking meteor showers and wanting a forecast of viewing conditionsnot Jackrabbit Class
- A user who wants extreme zoom into deep-sky objects without owning a telescopenot Jackrabbit Class
- A buyer comparing subscription astronomy apps on iOS specifically, rather than cross-platform toolsnot Jackrabbit Class
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Jackrabbit Class
- Billing counts every student record in the account, active and inactive, so studios that never archive leavers pay for a larger tier than their real enrolment and only discover it when someone audits the database.
- Payment processing through Jackrabbit Pay is charged on top of the subscription and typically exceeds it in absolute terms, so the published tier price understates the real monthly cost considerably.
- Marketing capability is minimal: there is no meaningful lead capture, nurture or campaign tooling, so studios run a separate marketing stack and reconcile enrolments manually.
- The interface is dense and dated, and part-time front desk staff need more training than the price point suggests, which is a recurring cost in a sector with high staff turnover.
- Feature parity between the web application and the mobile apps is incomplete, so administrators end up back at a desktop for anything beyond attendance and rosters.
Sky Guide
- It is iOS-only, unlike SkySafari which also covers Android and desktop.
- It has moved from one-time purchase to a subscription model, and long-time users who paid once for earlier versions have criticised the change publicly.
- Pro tier pricing is high relative to Star Walk 2 for broadly similar core stargazing functionality.
- It has no telescope control, unlike SkySafari Plus and Pro, which limits it to naked-eye and camera-based observing.
- Its relationship to other apps under the same distribution platform is not clearly documented, which makes long-term support commitments harder to assess.
Pricing, plan by plan
Jackrabbit Class
$49/month- 0 to 100 students$49/month
- All core class management features
- Unlimited staff users
- Parent portal
- 101 to 250 students$89/month
- Same feature set
- Billed on month-end student count
- 251 to 500 students$129/month
- Same feature set
- Billed on month-end student count
- 501 to 1,000 students$169/month
- Same feature set
- Billed on month-end student count
Sky Guide
Free- Sky GuideFree
- Base sky map and object labelling
- Sky Guide Plus$19.99/year
- Larger star and satellite catalogue
- Light pollution forecasting
- Meteor shower prediction
- Sky Guide Pro$39.99/year
- Very large deep-sky object catalogue
- Exoplanet data
- Extreme zoom
Which should you pick?
Choose Jackrabbit Class if
- You need class scheduling.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want recurring tuition billing.
Choose Sky Guide if
- You need light pollution forecasting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS.
- You also want meteor shower prediction.
Questions people ask
- Is Jackrabbit Class or Sky Guide better?
- Neither clearly leads. Jackrabbit Class starts at $49/month and Sky Guide at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Jackrabbit Class or Sky Guide?
- Sky Guide has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Jackrabbit Class and Free for Sky Guide.
- Does Jackrabbit Class or Sky Guide run on more platforms?
- Jackrabbit Class runs on Web, iOS, Android. Sky Guide runs on iOS.
- Can I use Sky Guide for free?
- Yes. Sky Guide has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Jackrabbit Class starts at $49/month.
- What is Jackrabbit Class best used for?
- Jackrabbit Class is most often used for a dance studio moving recurring tuition off manual card charges onto automatic monthly billing with family accounts, a gymnastics club tracking skill progression per athlete alongside attendance, a multi-site swim school that needs one enrolment view across locations, an owner who wants published software pricing rather than a quote, so the cost of growth is predictable. Of those, a dance studio moving recurring tuition off manual card charges onto automatic monthly billing with family accounts and a gymnastics club tracking skill progression per athlete alongside attendance are not what Sky Guide is typically brought in for.
- What can Jackrabbit Class do that Sky Guide cannot?
- Jackrabbit Class covers Class scheduling, Recurring tuition billing, Parent portal, Attendance and skills. Sky Guide covers Light pollution forecasting, Meteor shower prediction, Camera and gyroscope sky view, Deep-sky object catalogue.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Jackrabbit Class: How is the student count calculated?
On the total number of students in your account at month end, including inactive ones. Archive former students before the billing date or you will pay a higher tier than your enrolment warrants.
Sky Guide: Is Sky Guide free?
The base app is free to download; Plus and Pro are subscription upgrades for a larger catalogue and forecasting features.
Jackrabbit Class: What does payment processing cost?
It is charged separately from the subscription through Jackrabbit Pay and is quoted rather than published. For most studios it is the larger cost, so get the rate in writing.
Sky Guide: Did Sky Guide used to be a one-time purchase?
Yes, earlier versions were sold as a one-time purchase before it moved to the current free-plus-subscription model.
Jackrabbit Class: Is there a per-user charge?
No. Staff users are unlimited on every tier, which suits studios with many part-time instructors.
Sky Guide: Does Sky Guide support telescope control?
No. For telescope control, SkySafari Plus or Pro is the better choice.
Jackrabbit Class: Does it handle multiple locations?
Yes, with location-level scheduling and reporting, though very large multi-site operators find the reporting shallower than a purpose-built enterprise system.
Related pages
More on Jackrabbit Class
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