Guide
Driving instructor diary apps compared
Six diary apps UK driving instructors actually use, lined up on price, the cut they take of your lesson money, online booking and how easy it is to get your data out. Figures checked against each company’s own site.
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1. Lesson Diary
£9.99/moOne plan, native apps, and no cut of your lesson money.
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2. Total Drive
£18–£26/mo (4 tiers)Pick it for teaching aids and offline working, if you’re happy with tiers.
Lesson Diary vs Total Drive → -
3. GoRoadie Pro
£15/mo (free for PDIs)Worth it for the 60-day trial and a pupil app learners know.
Lesson Diary vs GoRoadie Pro → -
4. DriveSchoolPro
Free until 31 Mar 2027, ~£22/mo expected afterFree in early access and the deepest DVSA tracking.
Lesson Diary vs DriveSchoolPro → -
5. MyDriveTime
£19/mo solo (free for PDIs)Best when you’re running several cars, not one.
Lesson Diary vs MyDriveTime → -
6. Passly
£14.99/mo, drops to £8.99 laterChoose it if built-in card payments and a marketplace matter most.
Lesson Diary vs Passly →
The full comparison
| Lesson Diary | Total Drive | GoRoadie Pro | DriveSchoolPro | MyDriveTime | Passly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price & terms | ||||||
| Monthly price | £9.99/mo | £18–£26/mo (4 tiers) | £15/mo (free for PDIs) | Free until 31 Mar 2027, ~£22/mo expected after | £19/mo solo (free for PDIs) | £14.99/mo, drops to £8.99 later |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial | 30-day free trial | 60-day free trial | Free early access, then a 14-day trial | 30-day trial + 6-month money-back | 14-day free trial |
| Cut of your lesson money | £0 — we never handle pupil payments | Card fee set at sign-up, not published | 1.9% on app-raised payments | Stripe fees only, no platform cut | No card processing in the app | 1.5% flat + Stripe fees |
| Everything on one plan | Yes | No | Yes | Solo plan; per-instructor add-on for schools | Per-instructor discounts for schools | Yes |
| Cancel yourself, anytime | Yes | Web form, ends at period end | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Diary & scheduling | ||||||
| Works on the web | Yes | Yes | Mobile-first, limited web | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recurring lessons | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Working hours & time off | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Double-booking flagged | Yes | Not advertised | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phone calendar sync | Via the mobile app | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes | Yes |
| Gap alerts between lessons | Yes | Enhanced tools on higher tiers | Yes | Partly | Partly | Yes |
| Booking & getting pupils | ||||||
| Pupils book online themselves | Yes | Ultimate (£23) and up | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Booking link & QR code | Yes | Partly | Partly | Partly | No | Partly |
| Booking widget for your site | Yes | Not advertised | No | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Draw your pickup area on a map | Yes | No | Partly | No | No | Partly |
| Approve, defer or decline requests | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Pupils & progress | ||||||
| Pupil records & lesson history | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Progress notes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DVSA syllabus tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | All 8 categories, 27 skills | Yes | Yes |
| Mock tests, marked DVSA-style | DL25-style, live pass/fail | Yes | Partly | Partly | Partly | Yes |
| Per-pupil pricing & packages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pupil portal | Web, no download | Branded native app | Pupil app | Web, no download | Student app | Web, no download |
| Waiting list | Yes | School feature | Partly | Partly | Partly | Partly |
| Theory & practical test dates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Money & admin | ||||||
| Who has paid, who owes you | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Payment records & financials | Yes | Yes | Finance + tax exports | Income & pass-rate reports | Yes | Yes |
| Export pupils, lessons & payments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic lesson reminders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Email (WhatsApp coming) | yes, plus SMS | Yes |
| Multi-instructor / school mode | Focused on solo — no bloat | Yes | Partly | Yes | Yes | 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 27 August 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: Total Drive, GoRoadie Pro, DriveSchoolPro, MyDriveTime, Passly
One diary for the week, the gaps and the bookings
No paper diary, no spreadsheet, no percentage on your lesson money — just £9.99 a month. Free for 7 days.