Compare
Lesson Diary vs DriveInstruct
DriveInstruct is best known for a free marketplace listing and text reminders on a £10 plan. Here is how it lines up against Lesson Diary, feature by feature — checked 21 October 2026.
- Lesson Diary
- £9.99/mo
- Comes with a 14-day free trial, but you can start free with limited access instead — no card, no commitment
- Lesson money: £0 — we never handle pupil payments
- DriveInstruct
- £10/mo Pro (£49 School)
- 1-month free trial, no card
- Lesson money: 2% platform fee on online payments
| Lesson Diary | DriveInstruct | |
|---|---|---|
| Price & terms | ||
| Monthly price | £9.99/mo | £10/mo Pro (£49 School) |
| Free trial | Comes with a 14-day free trial, but you can start free with limited access instead — no card, no commitment | 1-month free trial, no card |
| Cut of your lesson money | £0 — we never handle pupil payments | 2% platform fee on online payments |
| Everything on one plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cancel yourself, anytime | Yes | Yes |
| Free data migration from your current app | Yes | Not advertised |
| Diary & scheduling | ||
| Route / GPS recording | Yes — GPS route map on every lesson | Route planner, no GPS recording |
| Works on the web | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad app | Yes | Not advertised |
| Android app | Yes | Not advertised |
| Recurring lessons | Yes | Not advertised |
| Working hours & time off | Yes | Yes |
| Double-booking flagged | Yes | Not advertised |
| Phone calendar sync | Yes | Not advertised |
| Gap alerts between lessons | Yes | Partly |
| Works with no signal | Yes | Not advertised |
| Booking & getting pupils | ||
| Pupils book online themselves | Yes | Yes |
| Booking link & QR code | Yes | Not advertised |
| Booking widget for your site | Yes | Not advertised |
| Booking page in your colours, with your logo & reviews | Yes | Custom link only |
| Connect your own booking form (Zapier, Make or API) | Yes | Not advertised |
| Draw your coverage area on a map | Yes | Towns you cover, no map |
| Approve, defer or decline requests | Yes | Enquiry inbox |
| Pupils & progress | ||
| Pupil records & lesson history | Yes | Yes |
| Progress notes | Yes | Yes |
| DVSA syllabus tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Mock tests, marked DVSA-style | DL25-style, live pass/fail | Not advertised |
| Per-pupil pricing & packages | Yes | Lesson packages |
| Pupil portal | Web, no download | Web, for pupils and parents |
| Waiting list | Yes | Yes |
| Theory & practical test dates | Yes | Pass rates only |
| Money & admin | ||
| Who has paid, who owes you | Yes | Yes |
| Sell a block of lessons upfront | Yes | Lesson packages |
| Payment records & financials | Yes | Income records; expenses not advertised |
| Income, expenses & profit by MTD quarter | Yes — MTD quarters built in | Income records only |
| Mileage log, claim worked out for you | Yes — at the HMRC simplified rate | Not advertised |
| Export pupils, lessons & payments | Yes | Not advertised |
| Automatic lesson reminders | Yes | Text + email |
| Multi-instructor / school mode | Focused on solo — no bloat | School plan, up to 10 |
A note on fairness. We build Lesson Diary, and it is one of the tools on this page — so read the comparison with that in mind. Every rival figure was checked on 21 October 2026 against each company’s own website. Prices and plans change; if you spot something out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
Sources: DriveInstruct
Where DriveInstruct is stronger
- A free marketplace listing on driveinstruct.co.uk that can send pupil enquiries to you
- Text and email reminders 48 hours and 2 hours before each lesson, with 100 texts a month on Pro
- A School plan at £49 a month for up to 10 instructors
Why instructors move to Lesson Diary
- We never touch your lesson money — no percentage, no platform fee, ever
- One plan: online booking, the coverage-area map, mock tests and the pupil portal are all in it
- A booking page that looks like your business — your colours, logo and wording, with your reviews, pass photos and badges
- Record the GPS route of every lesson from the app, share the map with your pupil and add the miles to your mileage log
- Native iPhone and Android apps, not just a mobile website
- Works with no signal — add a lesson, pupil or payment offline and it syncs the moment you reconnect
- DL25-style mock tests marked the way the DVSA marks them — live pass or fail
- Sell a block of lessons upfront and we track the balance for you as pupils book
- Income, expenses and profit sorted by tax year and MTD quarter, with mileage worked out at the HMRC rate — no spreadsheet
- Free data migration — send us the export from your current app and we move your records across
- Export your pupils, lessons and payments whenever you want — the data stays yours
New in 2026, and no independent reviews turned up when checked. Its site lists no native iPhone or Android app, online payments carry a 2% platform fee, and the Free plan is a marketplace listing only, not a diary.
Common questions
Can I switch from DriveInstruct to Lesson Diary?
Yes, and moving your data is free: send us the export from DriveInstruct and we move your records across for you. Create a free account, no card required. Subscribe whenever you're ready to unlock online booking and share your booking link. You can run both side by side while you decide — there is no contract to end.
Does Lesson Diary take a percentage of my lesson fees?
No. Lesson Diary never handles pupil payments, so there is no percentage and no platform fee. You record who has paid — cash, card or bank transfer — and keep every penny.
Can pupils pay in-app?
Not through Lesson Diary — and that's deliberate. Most solo instructors already collect fees by bank transfer, which is free, so we default new payment records to bank transfer rather than push you toward in-app card processing and the 1.5–1.9% fee that usually comes with it.
What does DriveInstruct do that Lesson Diary does not?
Mainly: a free marketplace listing on driveinstruct.co.uk that can send pupil enquiries to you. The table above shows the full picture on both sides.
Still weighing it up? See all DriveInstruct alternatives →
Native apps, offline working and the tax side
Native iPhone and Android apps that work with no signal, DL25 mock tests, GPS route recording and income, expenses and mileage by MTD quarter. One plan at £9.99 a month, and no 2% cut of your lesson money. No credit card required to try it.
