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Lesson Diary vs Passdesk
Passdesk is best known for driving schools that want one workspace for several instructors. 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
- Passdesk
- £19/mo solo (£49–£199 schools)
- 30-day free trial, no card
- Lesson money: 2.5% + 20p per card payment
| Lesson Diary | Passdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Price & terms | ||
| Monthly price | £9.99/mo | £19/mo solo (£49–£199 schools) |
| Free trial | Comes with a 14-day free trial, but you can start free with limited access instead — no card, no commitment | 30-day free trial, no card |
| Cut of your lesson money | £0 — we never handle pupil payments | 2.5% + 20p per card payment |
| Everything on one plan | Yes | Plans by school size |
| Cancel yourself, anytime | Yes | Yes |
| Free data migration from your current app | Yes | Yes |
| Diary & scheduling | ||
| Route / GPS recording | Yes — GPS route map on every lesson | 50 free miles, then £5 per 50 |
| Works on the web | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad app | Yes | Web app; native app coming |
| Android app | Yes | Web app; native app coming |
| Recurring lessons | Yes | Yes |
| Working hours & time off | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Double-booking flagged | Yes | Yes |
| Phone calendar sync | Yes | Yes |
| Gap alerts between lessons | Yes | Partly |
| Works with no signal | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Team plan (£99) and up |
| Connect your own booking form (Zapier, Make or API) | Yes | Webhooks from £99, API at £199 |
| Draw your coverage area on a map | Yes | Instructor regions from £99 |
| Approve, defer or decline requests | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Pupils & progress | ||
| Pupil records & lesson history | Yes | Yes |
| Progress notes | Yes | Yes |
| DVSA syllabus tracking | Yes | Test-aligned rubric |
| Mock tests, marked DVSA-style | DL25-style, live pass/fail | Theory mock only |
| Per-pupil pricing & packages | Yes | Lesson packages |
| Pupil portal | Web, no download | Web, no download |
| Waiting list | Yes | Yes |
| Theory & practical test dates | Yes | Yes |
| Money & admin | ||
| Who has paid, who owes you | Yes | Yes |
| Sell a block of lessons upfront | Yes | Yes |
| Payment records & financials | Yes | Yes |
| Income, expenses & profit by MTD quarter | Yes — MTD quarters built in | MTD export, Xero & FreeAgent |
| Mileage log, claim worked out for you | Yes — at the HMRC simplified rate | Yes |
| Export pupils, lessons & payments | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic lesson reminders | Yes | Email; texts 4p each |
| Multi-instructor / school mode | Focused on solo — no bloat | Yes |
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: Passdesk
Where Passdesk is stronger
- One workspace from a single instructor up to 25, with office staff free
- Recorded practice routes tied to real test centres
- Free data migration from your current diary app
- Direct Debit instalment plans as well as card payments
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
Priced for schools: one instructor pays £19 a month, capped at 60 active learners. There is no native iPhone or Android app yet, only a web app you add from the browser. Card payments cost 2.5% + 20p each, texts cost 4p each after the first £4 of credit, and route recording stops after 50 free miles per person unless you buy top-ups.
Common questions
Can I switch from Passdesk to Lesson Diary?
Yes, and moving your data is free: send us the export from Passdesk 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 Passdesk do that Lesson Diary does not?
Mainly: one workspace from a single instructor up to 25, with office staff free. The table above shows the full picture on both sides.
Still weighing it up? See all Passdesk alternatives →
Built for the instructor, not the school office
Native iPhone and Android apps, DL25 mock tests, a booking page in your own colours and GPS route recording with no mileage cap. One plan at £9.99 a month, no seat bands, no credit card required to try it.
