Comparison
Semora vs Shovel: which is right for you?
Semora scans a syllabus into an organized semester (deadlines, grades, and class schedule) with a genuine free tier, while Shovel turns a syllabus or LMS connection into a time-blocked, subscription-based study schedule; the better fit depends on whether you want a lightweight deadline-and-grade tracker or a full automated study-time planner.
Both Semora and Shovel start from the same problem, a syllabus PDF nobody wants to manually transcribe, but they solve it differently downstream. Here's a fact-based look at how they compare on syllabus handling, Canvas sync, grade tracking, study planning, pricing, and platform availability.
What each product does
Semora
Semora turns a photographed, uploaded, or pasted syllabus into an organized semester. You can import it by camera (multi-page, up to 5 pages), PDF upload, drag-and-drop on web, or by pasting raw text copied from a PDF or LMS page. OpenAI GPT-5.6 Luna reads the document and extracts the course name, instructor, meeting times, office hours, semester dates, grading scale, and every assignment, exam, quiz, project, and reading along with its due date. From there, Semora tracks deadlines and grades on the free tier, and — on the Pro tier — adds device calendar sync (with .ics export), an adaptive study schedule, academic-risk alerts, flashcards, a focus timer, and an AI tutor that knows your syllabus.
Shovel
Shovel is a study-planning and scheduling app. You either upload a PDF syllabus for AI parsing, with a review/confirmation screen, or connect a school LMS (Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle, or Google Classroom) for read-only sync that auto-refreshes roughly every 24 hours. From there, Shovel builds a time-blocked study schedule across the whole semester, weighing available time against estimated time-per-task. Distinct features include "The Cushion™" predictive conflict alerts, reading-time estimators, streak-based motivation tracking, and free supplementary "how to study" courses.
Semora vs Shovel: feature comparison
| Semora | Shovel | |
|---|---|---|
| Syllabus & deadline handling | Photo (multi-page, up to 5), PDF upload, drag-and-drop, or pasted text — OpenAI GPT-5.6 Luna extracts course details and every assignment/exam/quiz/project/reading with due dates. | PDF upload parsed by AI with a review/confirmation screen, or connect a school LMS directly. |
| Canvas / LMS sync | Canvas import is a Pro feature. The current connector uses a personal access token generated in Canvas and may be disabled or prohibited by your institution. Confirm your school's policy; if it is unavailable or not permitted, scan the syllabus or paste the Canvas assignment list into Semora. Google Classroom and Google Calendar are not currently shipped. | Read-only sync across Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle, and Google Classroom simultaneously, auto-refreshing roughly every 24 hours. |
| Grade tracking | Included on the free tier; Pro adds trend charts, CSV export, and a print view. | Not publicly confirmed as a core feature — public materials focus on scheduling and time-blocking rather than grade calculation. |
| Study planning | Pro-tier Smart Plan builds an AI study schedule that adapts to deadlines, plus a Workload dashboard, Focus timer, and Academic Risk alerts. | Core to the product — a time-blocked schedule from available time vs. estimated time-per-task, plus "The Cushion™" conflict alerts and reading-time estimators. |
| Pricing | Free tier (5 scans/month, up to 4 courses within one semester, one semester total); Pro is $3.99/month or $19.99/year, purchased as a subscription in the app and applied account-wide. | Official pages conflicted when checked August 9, 2026. The Pricing page showed a 7-day free trial followed by $9.79/month (with $19.99 also displayed) or $39/year; the navigation-linked Buy page showed $33/month paid monthly or $16/month paid annually. Confirm the checkout amount. |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, and web, one account, near real-time sync. | Native iOS + Android; account setup happens on the web app first, with mobile as a companion. |
Cheaper on Pro: Semora Pro is $3.99/month or $19.99/year. Shovel's conflicting official pages showed either a 7-day trial followed by $9.79/month or $39/year, or $33/month paid monthly and $16/month paid annually; confirm the checkout amount.
Syllabus import, in detail
Semora accepts four import paths (camera photo (up to 5 pages per scan), PDF upload, drag-and-drop on web, or pasted raw text copied from a PDF or LMS page) and uses OpenAI GPT-5.6 Luna to extract structured course data: name, instructor, meeting times, office hours, semester dates, grading scale, and every graded item with its due date. The free tier includes 5 syllabus scans per calendar month across up to 4 courses within one semester, with one semester total on free.
Shovel's stated import path is a PDF upload that AI parses, followed by a review/confirmation step before the schedule is built, or connecting an LMS directly so assignments come in via sync rather than a scan.
Canvas & LMS sync, in detail
Semora's current Pro Canvas connector uses a personal access token generated in Canvas and may be disabled or prohibited by the institution. Confirm your school's policy; if it is unavailable or not permitted, scan the syllabus or paste the Canvas assignment list into Semora. Google Classroom and Google Calendar sync exist in Semora's codebase but are not currently enabled or shipped — they should not be treated as available features today.
Shovel advertises read-only sync across four LMS platforms at once — Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle, and Google Classroom — auto-refreshing roughly every 24 hours to reflect due-date changes or new assignments.
Grade tracking
Semora includes grade tracking on its free tier, with Pro adding Progress Insights: trend charts, CSV export, and a print view for grade reports on web.
Grade tracking is not a feature Shovel's public materials describe as core to the product; its documented focus is converting deadlines into a study schedule rather than computing course grades.
Study planning & Pro features
On Semora, deadline and grade tracking are free; the study-planning layer is part of Pro ($3.99/month or $19.99/year): Smart Plan (an AI-generated, deadline-adaptive study schedule), a Workload dashboard for spotting crunch weeks, Flashcards with spaced repetition built from your own material, a Focus timer, an AI tutor that knows your syllabus, custom reminder timing with quiet hours, and Academic Risk alerts (falling grades, missing work, overloaded weeks) with a recovery-step plan.
On Shovel, time-blocked study scheduling is central to the product from the start — calculating available time versus estimated time-per-task across the semester, with predictive conflict alerts ("The Cushion™"), reading-time/task-duration estimators, streak-based motivation tracking, and free supplementary "how to study" courses.
Platform availability & cross-device sync
Semora runs on iPhone, iPad, and web, sharing one account and database; edits sync in near real time. Pro is purchased on iOS only (iPhone or iPad), and the web app reads and refreshes that entitlement rather than offering its own purchase flow. Web sign-in supports Apple or Google (email/password sign-in works for existing accounts), and includes print/CSV export for grade reports. Browser notifications work while a tab is open, not as full closed-tab push notifications.
Shovel has native iOS and Android apps, but account creation and initial setup happen on the web app first, with mobile positioned as a companion rather than a standalone starting point.
Which one fits your situation?
Semora may fit better if you...
- You want a genuine free tier for one semester (5 scans/month and up to 4 courses within that single term) rather than a subscription-gated planner.
- You want grade tracking as a first-class feature, not a scheduling tool with no gradebook.
- You want to share a course with classmates via Course Spaces, with deadlines and group assignments syncing in real time.
- You want Pro Canvas import through the current token connector, your institution permits it, and syllabus scanning or pasted assignment text as the fallback.
Shovel may fit better if you...
- You want time-blocked scheduling — weighing available time against estimated time-per-task — as the core product, not an add-on.
- Your school uses Brightspace, Moodle, or Google Classroom alongside or instead of Canvas — Shovel syncs read-only across all four.
- You want native iOS and Android apps rather than an iPhone/iPad-plus-web setup.
- Features like "The Cushion™" conflict alerts, reading-time estimators, or free supplementary study courses matter to you.
Semora launched recently and does not yet have a public rating history to report — we're not going to invent one. Shovel is subscription-based, and its official Pricing and navigation-linked Buy pages showed conflicting prices when checked August 9, 2026; confirm the checkout amount before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Does Semora sync with Canvas the same way Shovel does?
Not quite. Semora's current Pro Canvas connector uses a personal access token generated in Canvas and may be disabled or prohibited by the institution. Confirm your school's policy; if it is unavailable or not permitted, scan the syllabus or paste the Canvas assignment list into Semora. Shovel connects via a read-only sync that covers Canvas alongside Brightspace, Moodle, and Google Classroom, auto-refreshing roughly every 24 hours. Semora does not currently offer live Google Classroom or Google Calendar sync — that code exists internally but isn't shipped.
Is Semora or Shovel free to use?
Semora has a free tier for one semester total: 5 syllabus scans per month, up to 4 courses within that semester, full deadline and grade tracking, and same-day reminders, with no countdown timer (calendar sync with .ics export is a Pro feature). Shovel's core planner is subscription-gated. Its official Pricing page advertised a 7-day free trial when checked August 9, 2026, while its navigation-linked Buy page did not mention a trial; confirm the offer at checkout.
Does Semora build a study schedule like Shovel does?
Yes, but it's a Pro feature on Semora. The free tier covers deadline and grade tracking; the AI-generated Smart Plan that builds a study schedule adapting to your deadlines is part of Pro ($3.99/month or $19.99/year), alongside a Workload dashboard and Academic Risk alerts. Shovel's time-blocked scheduling — weighing available time against estimated time-per-task across the semester, with "The Cushion™" conflict alerts — is central to its product from the start.
What does Semora cost compared to Shovel?
Semora Pro is $3.99/month or $19.99/year, purchased as a subscription inside the app and applied account-wide, including on web. Shovel's official pages conflicted when checked August 9, 2026: the Pricing page showed a 7-day free trial followed by $9.79/month (with $19.99 also displayed) or $39/year, while the navigation-linked Buy page showed $33/month paid monthly or $16/month paid annually. Confirm the checkout amount.
See your own syllabus turned into a semester plan
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