Two “school app” quotes can describe very different products. One may be a shared directory listing. Another may include a school-branded store presence, staff management console, notifications, calendars, approved-information AI, secure roles, and contracted support.
Start by normalizing what is being purchased. Then compare price.
Separate recurring product value from launch work
An annual subscription normally covers the maintained service: hosting, routine platform and security updates, compatibility work, standard support, and defined normal usage. A launch fee covers the concentrated human implementation required to prepare the first responsible release.
For a standalone branded app, that work can include brand and store assets, initial content, tenant and administrator setup, notifications, approved AI sources, privacy disclosures, publisher-account guidance, testing, submission, review responses, training, and a launch checklist.
Identify the product category
Shared app listing
The school appears inside a vendor’s universal app. This can be economical for a pilot or budget-sensitive school, but it is not a separate App Store and Google Play presence.
Standalone branded app
The school receives its own store listing and branded experience. Ask whether the staff management console, hosting, updates, analytics, and support are included.
Secure portal and role access
Authentication, roles, private resources, audit history, and authenticated AI add meaningful scope. Confirm how many standard roles and login methods are included.
Operations or custom software
Multiple approval paths, integrations, complex reporting, and unique modules should not be treated as an unlimited feature bucket. They require discovery and a written scope.
Normalize the pricing unit
Public pricing may be per campus, organization, student, parent account, active user, download, message, or usage unit. Convert every quote to the school’s actual expected annual cost.
Auzi’s public plans are priced per school or campus and standard use, not per parent or download. Additional campuses and higher-volume services are disclosed before signing.
Ask what “included” means
- Is the browser management console included?
- Who can publish content and send notifications?
- What constitutes normal push volume?
- Is SMS separate?
- What AI model and allowance are standard?
- Are security and compatibility updates included?
- What support channel and hours apply?
- How many training sessions and administrators are in scope?
Model common expansion costs
A three-year comparison should include likely additions: another campus, website AI, a workflow, SSO, content management help, or an integration. A low first-year price can be misleading if necessary product layers appear later as unpriced add-ons.
Conversely, do not force a school to buy secure roles or operational workflows before the need exists. A strong product should have a credible small starting point.
Clarify ownership and exit
For a standalone app, determine who owns the Apple and Google organization accounts. Also confirm data export, termination timing, content ownership, deletion procedure, and what happens to the live app when the contract ends.
A comparison worksheet
- Product category and store presence
- Annual subscription
- One-time launch or implementation
- Management console
- Public app capabilities
- Secure roles and login
- AI allowance and source controls
- SMS and high-volume usage
- Likely campuses, workflows, and integrations
- Support, training, publisher ownership, and exit
Once these lines match, the board or leadership team can compare the actual products instead of comparing two headline numbers.
Make the comparison concrete.
Auzi publishes its starting price, launch cost, standard scope, and common add-ons before a sales call.