Head to head

Romeschool vs. Freely

Freely positions itself as: A beautifully simple, design-led homeschool planner with PDF portfolios.

Compiled by Romeschool AI. Take it with a grain of salt — probably true though, and current as of 2026-07-12.

The most beautiful planner we've seen. We're built for the American, state-by-state reality it wasn't.

What Freely does best

Calm, design-led planning and portfolios — especially thoughtful for neurodivergent families.

A genuinely calming, visual interface that families love living in
Drag-and-drop planning with polished PDF portfolios and reports
A Project Library to import ready-made curriculum
Flat pricing for unlimited students, 14-day trial, no card required

Choose Freely if

You want the most beautiful, low-stress planner and portfolio experience, and US-specific filing, ESA, and law tooling isn't a priority — Freely is Australian-built and shines at the planning craft.

Where the difference shows up for your family

The places a single-purpose tool leaves a gap — and Romeschool fills it.

A speech every week, scored on the device

One course takes the floor each week. Your student builds the speech Mon–Thu and stands Friday. On-device transcription + an AI reasoning rubric scores thesis, structure, and whether they answered the other side; you score presence. The voice never leaves your device. Most tools on this list plan the week or grade a worksheet — they do not form a speaker.

The planner is free

Romeschool's planner, logbook, and records run free for every family with an account — no card, no 30-day clock. Membership opens the Academy curriculum; the operating system that runs the year does not hold you hostage.

Your state's rules, handled

Romeschool files your Notice of Intent, keeps a requirement sheet for all 50 states, and reminds you before each deadline. Most planners leave every word of that to you.

ESA dollars, audit-ready — coming soon

Romeschool is building first-class ESA support: capture receipts, tag approved categories, keep eligibility references for ClassWallet / Odyssey / MyScholarShop states. No other tool here is even attempting it — a generic expense field isn't the same thing.

When the law changes

We monitor homeschool legislation daily and alert you for your state. No planner on this list watches the statehouse for you.

Bottom line

Freely is the prettiest place to plan. Romeschool is built around the American specifics — your state, your funding, your filing — plus a classical core and a weekly speech scored on the device.

The receipts

Every realm, side by side

The full comparison behind the argument — sourced and dated. We lead with the realms we own.

Where we lead

State Requirements & Filing

Staying on the right side of your state's rules — the part most planners leave entirely to you.

RomeschoolFreely

Notice of Intent filing helpYesGuided Notice-of-Intent wizard (FL/TN/GA + 22 template states)NoNot a compliance-filing tool

Per-state requirement sheetsYesAll 50 statesNoAustralian-built; per-US-state sheets not found

Deadline remindersYesNOI renewal reminders, escalatingUnverified

Evaluator-ready reportingYesEvaluator letter + portfolio presetsYes'Auto-generates downloadable PDFs for records, evaluations, or portfolios'

Where we lead

Law & Policy Alerts

When the rules change, you hear about it — automatically, for your state.

RomeschoolFreely

Legislative / policy alertsYesDaily law/policy alert engine with web-search discoveryNo

Per-state alertsYesSubscribe by state + impact levelNo

Where we lead

ESA Funds Support

Education Savings Account money is real and growing. Romeschool is building first-class ESA support — capture, categorize, and keep it audit-ready — and no other tool here is even attempting it.

RomeschoolFreely

ESA expense trackingComing soonESA Wallet expense ledger is in buildNo

Receipt captureComing soonNo

Approved-category taggingComing soonNo

Eligibility referencesComing soonStatute-cited eligibility referencesNo

ESA-platform awarenessClassWallet / Odyssey / MyScholarShopComing soonBuilt for ClassWallet / Odyssey / MyScholarShop statesNoNo ESA-platform integration found

Where we lead

Field Trips & Resource Discovery

Tens of thousands of real, curriculum-classified destinations — not a blank calendar.

RomeschoolFreely

Field-trip finderYes24,000+ destinationsNoCan plan field trips, but no discovery/finder catalog

Location-based discoveryYesMap + radius search from homeNo

Destination databaseYes17,600+ curriculum-classified destinationsNo

Where we lead

Curriculum Matching

Help choosing what to teach — not just a place to type in what you already chose.

RomeschoolFreely

Curriculum matchingYesPublic Curriculum Finder quiz (AI-ranked, no login)NoOffers import, not matching

Marketplace / plan importCSV importMarketplace is listings; lesson-plan import is via CSVYesProject Library — import ready-made plans + upload own curriculum

AI curriculum augmentationYesOptional LLM augmentation on per-child free textNoNo AI feature found

Curriculum & Instruction

The education itself — the courses, the weekly speech, the teaching, and the record that stands behind them. Most planners include none of this; most schools include only this. Romeschool includes a full classical humanities core (and names the gaps: math, discrete labs) plus a speech-a-week ladder scored by an on-device AI rubric — a teacher substitute for the reasoning, while you judge presence.

RomeschoolFreely

Curriculum includedThe actual courses — not just a place to plan themYesA full classical humanities core — ~25 courses across five tracks, climbing to Via Rhetorica — plus a ~1,100-title curriculum finder for everything else. We name our gaps: no math curriculum (deliberate), one integrated lab science, not discrete Bio/Chem/PhysicsNoA Project Library imports ready-made plans, but it includes no curriculum of its own

Live teacher instructionNo live Zoom classesSelf-paced, author-voiced lessons. The weekly speech is delivered to the household (not a remote teacher); cohort Forum days are on the roadmap—

Weekly speech / declamationStudent stands and delivers on a set weekly rhythmYes — every weekDeclamatio: one course takes the floor each week. Mon–Thu build inventio → actio; Friday the student stands and delivers to the household. Written finish if there's no recorder that weekNoNo weekly household speech / declamation cadence

AI speech scoring (on-device)Transcription + rubric on reasoning; voice stays on deviceYes — on-device AI rubricSpeech is transcribed entirely on your device (voice never touches our servers). AI scores the reasoning — thesis clear, argument holds, answers the other side — and clocks delivery (pace, pauses, ums). You score the one thing only an audience can: presence. Two judges, one score, logged to the recordNoNo on-device transcription + AI reasoning rubric

Outside grading / evaluationAI speech rubric + parent writing rubricsWeekly speech: on-device transcription + AI reasoning rubric (teacher-substitute for the argument). Quizzes/tests auto-scored where built. Writing and capstones ship with a rubric you score — students write outside the app. No human outside-evaluator service yet (roadmap)—

Accreditation / diplomaRecords, not accreditedNo homeschool curriculum is accredited — but Atheneum Academy LLC issues the transcript and you keep a per-child year-end portfolio + evidence trail (evidence beats accreditation; see /guides/is-romeschool-accredited)—

Track recordYears running / alumniFounding (2026)New — the Founding Families cohort, with a published course calendar shipping through fall—

Identity & Platform

Who builds it, on what, and how long free access runs before a card is required.

RomeschoolFreely

PlatformWeb / iOS / AndroidWebResponsive web app — runs in any phone, tablet, or desktop browser; no app-store downloadWeb app'Homeschool Planner App'; native mobile not confirmed

Owner / publisherAtheneum Academy LLCFreely — Tiffany (founder) + Ian (co-founder)Australian-built (explains AUD pricing)

Founded2026UnverifiedFounder story exists; year not surfaced

Actively updatedContinuouslyBuilt and updated daily through pre-launchActive 2025–2026Recent curriculum-import additions

Free trial lengthFree OS + free sample unitPlanner, logbook & records free with an account (no card). Free public sample: A Sense of Scale Unit 1. Full Academy curriculum is membership (founders rates)14 days

Card required for trialNoNo'No credit card required'

Core Planning & Logbook

The daily workhorse — planning lessons, logging what got done, tracking hours.

RomeschoolFreely

Lesson planningYesAuto-generated, rhythm-aware year planYes'Plug in lessons, log spontaneous learning'

Drag-and-drop rescheduleReshuffle queueLessons reflow via an explicit queue, not drag-and-dropYesDrag-and-drop planning

Daily logbookYesPlus omnivorous intake — type, snap a photo, or speakYesNotes/photos/videos per assignment

Attendance & hoursYesMinutes/hours per subject, per childPartial'Track progress'; explicit hours/attendance counter not confirmed

Auto-reschedule missed workYesRedistribute engine folds missed work into lighter daysUnverified

Reporting & Portfolio

The records that prove the year happened — transcripts, portfolios, clean exports.

RomeschoolFreely

TranscriptsYesPrintable academic transcriptUnverifiedPDF reports confirmed; dedicated transcript builder not confirmed

Report cardsNoTranscripts + year-end portfolio insteadUnverified

Year-end portfolioYesPer-child, per-year portfolio artifactYes'End of year portfolios easy'

PDF exportYesClient-side PDF (no print-dialog hacks)Yes'Generate a polished PDF to keep, print, or share'

Custom reportsPortfolio presetsState / evaluator / full export presetsYesDate-range/category/keyword-filtered PDFs

AI Features

What the software actually does for you with AI — not a checkbox, a capability. Romeschool's headline: on-device speech transcription scored against a reasoning rubric (thesis, argument, answering the other side, pace) so the voice never leaves the household device.

RomeschoolFreely

AI presentNone / Matching / Generation / Speech scoringSpeech scoring + matching + assistantNoneNo AI features found

What the AI doesOn-device speech transcription scored by a reasoning rubric (thesis, structure, other side, delivery clocks); family assistant with tool loop; curriculum matching; logbook intake. Voice never leaves the deviceNo AI features identified

Experience & Design

How it feels to live in every day — on the couch, on the phone, mid-school-morning.

RomeschoolFreely

Mobile appResponsive webWorks in any mobile browser; no native app to downloadUnverifiedWeb-first; native app not confirmed

Setup effortLow / Medium / HighLowGuided onboarding + auto year-planLow'Beautifully simple'; import speeds setup

DesignDated / Functional / ModernModernModern'Calming design'; ADHD/neurodivergent-friendly

Multi-Child

Running more than one student without doing the work more than once.

RomeschoolFreely

Multiple studentsYesParent-aware multi-child schedulingYesUnlimited students

Shared subjects across studentsYesWhole-family subjectsPartialAssign categories per student; shared-subject mechanic not confirmed

Community

Finding other families — safely — for group trips and shared days.

RomeschoolFreely

Social / friends layerNoThe in-person HomeSocial layer was retiredPartialPrivate community membership + student logins

Groups / co-op coordinationComing soonForays — group field-trip coordination, in buildPartialMembers-only community; structured groups not confirmed

Data & Privacy

Whose data it is, and whether it's the product. Romeschool's speech feature never uploads a child's voice — transcription stays on the household device.

RomeschoolFreely

You own your dataYesYour records are yours; export anytimeUnverified

Sells your dataNoUnknownNot stated

Ad-freeYesYesPaid subscription app; no ads mentioned

Child voice on vendor serversWhether speech audio leaves the deviceNo — never uploadedRecording and transcription for Declamatio happen entirely on-device; nothing is submitted until a parent has read the transcript and pressed send—

Support & Onboarding

How much hand-holding you get when you're new and it's August.

RomeschoolFreely

Support channelsEmail + in-app assistantsupport@romeschool.appCommunity + contact form

Training / docsIn-app guidanceHelp content still being built outPartialFreebies + blog resources

Guided onboardingYesSetup wizard + dashboard checklistUnverified

Pricing & Value

What it costs over the years you'll actually homeschool — not just the first sign-up. Romeschool is priced per student (rates step down for siblings); the planner, logbook, and records are free for every family.

RomeschoolFreely

Billing modelMonthly / yearly / per-studentYearly, per studentCurriculum graduated per student; planner, logbook & records free for every familySubscription (monthly or annual)No permanent free tier

Entry price$999/yrFounding rate for the first student — founding price for year one. renewal rate guaranteed forever. (half the $1,499 standing rate). Planner free$8.99/mo (9.99 AUD)

Whole-family priceUnlimited childrenGraduated per studentFounders: $999 first, $499 second, $499 each additional — planner free for all$89/yr (99 AUD)Unlimited students; 'includes 2 months free'

Co-op / group pricingNot publishedNo separate co-op SKU yetNo co-op tierSingle per-family plan, unlimited students

Price over timerises-annually / flat / lifetime-lockedLocked for foundersFounding Families hold the founder per-student rate for life; the standing schedule is higher once the founding closesunknownNo increase/lock language found

Lifetime price lockYesFounding price for year one. Renewal rate guaranteed forever. — founders pay below the standing per-student schedule, held for the students they have now and any they add laterNoRecurring subscription

Free tierYes — OS + sample unitPlanner/logbook/records free forever with an account; A Sense of Scale Unit 1 free no account; full courses require membershipNo14-day trial, then paid

The whole homeschool, in one place.

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Feature and price comparisons reflect publicly available information as of 2026-07-12. Competitors' offerings change; verify current details on their sites. Product names are used for identification only and imply no affiliation or endorsement.