Debs vs Maple
Dinner's planned, the shopping's ordered, the chores are on the chart. And tomorrow is apparently wear-your-pyjamas-to-school day.
Maple runs the household: calendar, meal planner, grocery lists, chores, recipes and notes, with AI that can turn emails into tasks. Debs runs school: it knows your school's dates, reads the school's emails and letters, and tells you the night before what each child needs.
What Maple is great at
Maple is a family planner with a calendar, meals, lists and AI.
- Meal planning, recipes and grocery lists
- Chores, to-dos and shared notes
- A generous free plan
- Calendar sync and email importing on Maple+
What Debs adds
- Built for UK schools: every UK school, with its term dates and INSET days
- The letters attached to school emails are read too
- A night-before packing list for each child
- Schoolwork: this week's spellings with a Test me button, the reading log, homework and tests
Side by side
| What matters | Maple | Debs |
|---|---|---|
| Meal planning and grocery lists | Yes | No |
| Chores for the children | Yes | Yes, with stars and rewards |
| Made for UK schools | No | Yes |
| Night-before packing list per child | No | Yes |
| Spellings and reading log | No | Yes |
| What it costs | Free plan; Maple+ is US$5 a month or US$40 a year | Free to try, then £5.49 a month to read your school emails, or £3.49 a month for Debs Diary, which doesn't (UK pricing) |
*After a few minutes’ setup: pick your school, add your children and connect your email inbox. Debs then checks the inbox for the senders you choose (the school, its apps and your clubs) and keeps your school’s term dates up to date. Don’t want to connect email? You can show Debs a screenshot or photo instead.
What we say about Maple comes from Maple's App Store and Google Play listings and growmaple.com, checked on 28 September 2026. Prices and features change, so check their website before you decide. Maple is a trademark of its owner; Debs isn’t connected to it.
Using both
Maple for dinner and the shopping, Debs for school. They don't tread on each other.
Which should you pick?
- Pick Maple if running the house (meals, shopping, chores) is what you want help with.
- Pick Debs if school is the bit that keeps catching you out.
Questions parents ask
Does Debs do meal planning?
No. Maple is good at that, and pairs well with Debs.
Does Debs help with homework?
It keeps track: this week's spellings with a Test me button, the reading log, homework due and test dates.