Shovel review
A focused planner for turning coursework, deadlines, and study time into a workable schedule.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
Shovel is a study-planning application for college students who need more than a basic task list. It brings coursework, assignments, exams, classes, activities, and available study time into one schedule. Students can import syllabus PDFs or connect supported learning platforms, estimate how long work will take, assign tasks to specific study periods, and track completion. Its daily timeline, repeating schedules, workload cushion, weighted grade tracking, and built-in timer support both routine planning and deadline preparation.
The product’s strongest area is the connection between academic workload and calendar time. Shovel can import from Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle, and Google Classroom, while calendar integrations include Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook Calendar. Students can create recurring class schedules and events, then view classes, activities, events, and study blocks together. That makes it a fit for students who want their planner to reflect real available time rather than simply store due dates. The combination of estimated assignment, reading, and exam study time with workload-cushion calculations also helps identify crowded periods before deadlines arrive.
Pricing is straightforward but requires a paid subscription. The Monthly plan costs $9.79 per month and includes the study planning tools and features, with cancellation available anytime. The Yearly plan costs $39 per year and includes the same core study planning tools and features with annual billing. A seven-day free trial is available, but there is no free plan. Students should choose Shovel if they want time-blocking, academic imports, recurring schedules, and mobile access in one system. Those seeking a permanently free planner or a mobile-first setup without desktop preparation should consider a different option.
Shovel pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Imports syllabus PDFs and connects with Canvas, Moodle, and Google Classroom
- Combines workload estimates, time blocks, timers, grades, and progress tracking
- Works across web, iOS, and Android with calendar integrations
- Where it doesn't
- No free plan is available
- Desktop setup is required before using the mobile experience
- The monthly plan costs $9.79, while the annual plan uses annual billing
Shovel fact sheet, pricing and score →
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