A UK alternative to Homeschool Tracker

If you have been weighing up Homeschool Tracker for a UK household, this page is the honest read. It is a mature American product with 20-plus years behind it, and for some families it is still the right answer. For most UK families, though, the shape of the tool was built for a different conversation than the one your local authority is going to have with you.

How Homeschool Tracker earned its place.

Homeschool Tracker has been in the home-ed software category since 2002. That is a long time, and longevity matters in a tool that holds years of your records. The product is a web-based planner and gradebook, with lesson planning down to the assignment, a drag-and-drop calendar, reusable lesson plans, and a daily task list. Its 16 report types cover report cards, transcripts, skill assessments, attendance, resource lists, and to-do lists. CSV and PDF exports are first-class.

It works best for families with a US-shaped goal in mind. If your teenager is heading for a US university and needs a transcript that looks the part to an American admissions office, Homeschool Tracker’s outputs are battle-tested. It also scales generously: one standard subscription includes one Administrator, three Teachers, and up to 20 Students, with bulk pricing on enquiry for co-ops. Older children can have their own login and self-report assignments, which suits a high-school-age homeschooler in a way a fully parent-driven log does not.

Where Willowfolio is built differently.

Willowfolio is a UK product, operated by a UK company under UK GDPR. The council-report PDF is the centrepiece, written for an English local authority reading under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996. Key Stages and Early Learning Goals are first-class coverage frameworks, not free-text workarounds. Photo evidence of a museum visit or a nature walk is treated as a normal record, because that is the dominant evidence type for UK informal, autonomous, and Montessori-style home-ed.

Pricing is in pounds, no FX fees on a UK card, and the shape is deliberately different. Willowfolio starts at £3.75 per month for one child and caps at £11.75 per month for five. It is monthly only, with a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first paid month and a 30-day grace window if you later cancel. Homeschool Tracker starts at around US$8 per month, roughly £6.30 at mid-market rates on 2026-05-14, and incentivises annual and two-year commitments that the publisher will not refund. Two different bets about what a fair deal looks like.

The product itself is built in a calmer register. No streaks, no nudges, no “you haven’t logged in three days” guilt. The Field Notebook design language reads more like a quiet journal than a spreadsheet, because the daily reality of home-ed is already full enough without an app adding pressure. Quick Observe lets you capture a moment in a few taps from your phone; the longer entries are there when you have time.

Common questions.

Is Homeschool Tracker designed for UK home-educating families?

No. Homeschool Tracker is built in the United States for US homeschooling families, with US-style transcripts and report cards as its main outputs. A UK family can use it, but the vocabulary, the reporting shape, and the billing currency are all American. Willowfolio is built in the UK, by a UK company, for the way English local authorities ask about your provision.

Does Homeschool Tracker generate a UK local-authority report?

Not directly. Its 16 report types are American in shape, gradebook entries, attendance summaries, and college-style transcripts. None of them are written for an English council officer reading under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996. Willowfolio generates a narrative-plus-evidence PDF with a cover disclaimer framed for that audience.

Does Homeschool Tracker support Key Stages or Early Learning Goals?

No. Subjects and grading scales in Homeschool Tracker are user-defined and oriented to US K-12 grades. There is no built-in Key Stage framework and no Early Learning Goals coverage. Willowfolio treats Key Stages and ELGs as first-class data, so a parent can see at a glance which strands have been touched this term.

Is there a free trial of Homeschool Tracker?

No. The publisher’s own FAQ states they do not offer a free trial and recommend starting on a monthly subscription with the option to cancel before renewal. Willowfolio takes the opposite approach: you can open a populated demo at /try-demo with no signup, and the first paid month is covered by a 30-day full money-back guarantee.

Can I get a refund from Homeschool Tracker if I cancel?

No. The publisher’s pricing page is explicit that refunds are not provided in whole or for prorated periods. You can cancel any time, but the unused portion of an annual or two-year subscription is not returned. Willowfolio offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first paid month, plus a 30-day grace window after a later cancellation.

Does Homeschool Tracker have a Montessori tracking mode?

It is not advertised on their public pages. We could find no mention of three-period lessons, work cycle logging, or sensitive-period tagging in the publisher’s feature lists. Willowfolio offers these as optional fields, so a Montessori-at-home family is not building a workaround inside a US gradebook.

Is Willowfolio cheaper than Homeschool Tracker for a UK family?

For one to three children, yes. Willowfolio starts at £3.75 per month for one child and caps at £11.75 per month for five, billed in pounds with no FX fees. Homeschool Tracker starts at around US$8 per month, roughly £6.30 at mid-market rates on 2026-05-14, and bills through Chargebee in dollars. For very large families or co-ops with four or more children paying annually, Homeschool Tracker’s around US$65 per year for up to 20 students (sourced from third-party listings, not confirmed on the publisher’s pricing page on 2026-05-14) works out cheaper per head, if you are willing to forgo monthly flexibility and a refund window.

Want to see the difference in your own hands first? Open the demo, populated household, no signup. Or read about our council reports and our other honest comparisons.