Pick Shovel if you want to budget hours against each deadline and want native phone apps. Pick Secretariat if you want a free plan, syllabus dates that override wrong Canvas dates, and your non-school apps in the same list.
Side by side
| Secretariat | Shovel | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A day-by-day to-do list and calendar built from Canvas, your syllabi, your calendars and the apps you already use. | A study planner built around time budgeting. Its Cushion view compares the hours your work needs with the free hours you have before each deadline. |
| Price | Free plan. Student Pro $8.99 a month, $29.99 a semester or $49.99 a year. | No free plan. 7-day free trial, then a monthly or yearly subscription. Exact current price not confirmed (sources disagree). |
| Where it runs | Web app in any browser, including on your phone's home screen, plus a Chrome extension. Native iPhone app coming soon. | Web, iPhone and Android. You set up the account on the web first. |
| Canvas and other school systems | Canvas, connected in one tap with the Chrome extension. Google Classroom. Moodle, Blackboard and Brightspace by calendar link. | Syncs with Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle and Google Classroom. |
| Reads syllabi | Yes. When the syllabus and Canvas disagree, the to-do lands on the syllabus date, except where that could make you late. | Yes, from a PDF upload. |
Shovel facts checked October 2026 from Shovel pricing, Shovel on the App Store, Shovel on Google Play. Prices change, so check their site before you buy.
Where Shovel is better
- Shovel has native iPhone and Android apps. Secretariat's iPhone app is coming soon; today it runs on the web, as a Home Screen web app, and in Chrome.
- Shovel's Cushion compares the hours your work needs with the free hours you have before each deadline. Secretariat doesn't budget hours that way.
Where Secretariat is better
- Secretariat has a free plan with no card. Shovel has a 7-day trial and no free plan.
- When the syllabus and Canvas disagree, Secretariat puts the work on the syllabus day and shows what Canvas says, so you choose.
- Secretariat pulls in Google Calendar, Outlook, Notion, Todoist, Microsoft To Do, Slack and GroupMe, and merges duplicates into one to-do.
- The assistant always asks before it changes anything on your list, and Claude can read your Canvas through Secretariat.
Which one to pick
Pick Shovel if planning study hours against deadlines is what you need most.
Pick Secretariat if you want school and the rest of your apps in one list that stays right, free to start.
Common questions
- Can I use Shovel and Secretariat together?
- Yes. Both read your LMS, so you could plan hours in Shovel and keep your daily list in Secretariat. Secretariat never changes anything in Canvas.
- Is Shovel free?
- No. Shovel has a 7-day free trial, then a paid subscription. Secretariat is free to start with no card; Student Pro is $8.99 or $49.99. See pricing.
- Does Shovel read syllabi?
- Yes, from a PDF upload. Secretariat reads each class's syllabus as well and uses it to fix wrong Canvas dates. See does it read syllabi.
JoinFree to start, no card. See pricing