Shovel Reviews

I downloaded this app ages ago, but the weak mobile app lead me to trial other, better software. But, before I purchased the lifetime subscription, I made sure to ask whether Shovel was being continually developed, I was assured that it was — it was not.

Further, I did my research before making this claim. A quick search on LinkedIn shows that all the team members, besides the founders no longer work at the company and stopped working there right around the time of the last big update. That means no software engineers — it’s dead.

At one point, the website’s SSL certificate had lapsed for months, and I wasn’t even able to log on. It’s back up now, but why on earth would I trust it to not happen again?

Don’t waste your money. Although Shovel works, it won’t be updated. And it’s mobile app is very weak anyway. I’d only consider using Shovel if you are content with primarily using the web version and hoping Shovel stays stable enough to work for a couple more years.

Here’s a list of other options that are somewhat similar to this app’s (very unique functionality): TimeFinder, SuperPlanner, Structured, Sorted 3, and TickTick. Do yourself a favor and use one of those actively developed apps.

As for this app’s developers, consider taking Shovel off Shovel Store. Or correct me if I’m wrong, either way, users deserve better.

I don't know if it's only me, but the website literally made me put in the card info for a free trial that I couldn't use because they never sent me an activation email to create an account, i texted them they say my message and responded, I tried again with a different email and still didn't get anything, and now that the free trial (that I never got) is over i got charger 3.99$ 3 times for an account that i don't even have, i clicked resend activation email and of course got nothing. Now since i don't have an account, there is no way for me to delete my card, so they'll just keep charging me 3.99$ twice evry month since i tried with two different emails. This is fraud and y'all are thieves. Please someone help, or let me know if you went through the same thing.

I use this app for my online college classes and most of the time it works great! However, Shovel has many glitches and it’s harder to organize and plan your class schedule through Shovel then on their website. The only reason I have Shovel is just so I can see what my schedule is on the go, that’s about all it’s good for.

So I’ve been using Shovel for roughly 6 months now. Very neat and great however, having more options like adding a normal (no school related) task should be added. Almost like a to-do-list. Moreover, notification options are a must. Your priority should be to add notifications ASAP. Way more people are on their phones than their laptop, so webapp shouldn’t be priority.

PLS ADD NOTIFICATIONS IVE BEEN WAITING TOO LONG!!!

I think the concept for this app is amazing.. but there are a few issues with the actual execution. Tho I don’t think they’d be hard for Shovel developer to fix. I understand that the main way to edit things is on a computer, but! There should be a “hard copy” (so to speak) downloaded on Shovel . That only gets updated from the server. As in it should have an offline mode. Right now their server is down; and not only can I not access it on my computer (which is understandable since the computer version is solely web access) but I also can’t access it on my phone. This is a huge flaw. What if I hadn’t written down my assignments anywhere else? Or what if I simply wasn’t in an area with WiFi or cell service and wanted to check my assignments? I think it’s crazy that I have to be hooked up to the internet to do so. Please please add an offline stored version on Shovel . And also. Please fix the server. I’d love to give Shovel 5 stars. But not even being able to see all the info that I took hours to set up this week is really really not great.

I am super glad I found this app. I’m only a few weeks into college, but this app has already been super helpful. It has been great on my MacBook Air but has some issues on the iPhone app. First, it’s super hard to adjust the time on a task or event on your phone. When I try to drag it, it doesn’t move well. When I try to type in the new times, it causes Shovel to crash. Shovel also crashes randomly. My other main issue is with the notifications. Despite the fact I have my settings set to notify me 15 minutes prior to the start of a task, it does not notify me until one minute after the start time. These problems are incredibly inconvenient. Other than that, I find this to be helpful. I don’t use the mobile app too much simply because of these issues, but the computer site seems fine for now. If the mobile app issues ever get fixed, I will change my rating, but for now, it will stay as it is.

The planner is amazing. Found them on insta because my friend tagged me in their post about college books. Found out about Shovel from there. Set it up on my computer with as much details I have available right now. Then downloaded on my phone and paid for the full version. Only thing is that I don’t think it sends notifications to my phone because it never asked me if I want to enable notifications and it won’t show up in my notification settings. Maybe it will once I start my first day of classes. But so far this planner is so detailed and thorough, I love it.

Needs an app for MAC IOS or downloadable on my MAC desktop.
You have to go to the website basically and sign up /sign in and you can more easily setup your school stuff but download Shovel to your ipad to add, and easy move around of tasks. Oh i also surest adding a step by step walkthrough manual that we can always access. Now, other than that its a very cool and useful way to stay on top of your school-work-life balance. Also reminds you of how little time in a day there is!lol But the calendar function setup is very helpful. I overall recommend that any student should try this app.

Hi, so I love Shovel. It is really helping with my productivity. I want to mention something I noticed. When trying to schedule a last minute task through the phone- it is really difficult to click "plan". Like idk if being able to zoom in and out would help but it is impossible to click. And moving tasks to allot less time doesn't seem to help.
Please

It’s so useful and an amazing software. I have two suggestions though, one is of course making the Maurice iPad and MacBook app. That’s not a big deal to me though.

The one thing I really would love\need is a dark mode for mobile. I’ve got sensitive eyes and dadk mode in apps helps a ton. If It’s already there and I’m just overlooking the setting please let me know!

I have used this app since my freshman year. It has made me a better student and helped me know what to do at a given time, which is a burden that is difficult to overcome. Some features can be a bit inconvenient but overall great!

I cannot remember how I came across this but I am so glad I did! The layout is awesome, Shovel never fails to show exactly what the web site shows, and all of my tasks are getting done because of it! It’s fantastic for college students like myself!
My only wish is that I could send everything over to Google calendar, even if it was a separate calendar that I had to select to view. My work schedules me through Google and I still tend to place appointments there out of habit and it would be wonderful to say “yes, I can be there” or “no, I can’t” by just opening one app. Maybe in the future.
Thanks for a great app/web site!

I started out using the website in beta two years ago and it helped me stay on top of my class work and get my associates. I am now working on my bachelors so glad they created the moblie app. Every how to do well in college book tells you steps to setup everything this app does but on paper/calendar but that does not come close to giving you the information you gain from this app. If you have trouble with time management get Shovel.

If you suffer from bipolar or depression Shovel is a life saver. It takes off some pressure when you are in an episode. You can schedule “my brain is not helping me at the moment” time.

My journey with this app started in the beta when it was only available on the computer. I remember looking at all these different planners only to find this. From there I was hooked. I drifted away (due to the lack of an iOS app) planning on coming back when they got a app! So I’m so excited to kick off my new semester with the best planner app for college. The interface is pleasing to the eye and is easy to use. It also takes into account how long an assignment will take which is what sets it apart for me. You can easily plan out your time more effectively so you can have more time for other things.
Thank you so much for making the perfect app for college!

I’m so happy to use Shovel and highly recommend it to any college student who needs more control over their study habits! Also, I recommend looking at their study tips to complete the experience, especially if you’re new to college.

Now if only they had an everyday planner, my life would be complete✨

So I’m actually a professor, not a student, but I absolutely love this app. I have just personally set it up so that my research, grant proposals, and other miscellaneous item are also “classes” and my assignments for my actual classes are things such as “preparing class material” or “grading homework”. I truly think this is a great app for anyone (student, teacher, or random person) who has anxiety about getting things done. It’s really helped me feel calmer knowing that everything has it’s time to get done. To me, it’s completely worth the yearly subscription.

If I had any suggestion for the developers, it would be to make options for the program to be more flexible (I.e. not only for students). I can see this being such a useful tool for anyone who likes block scheduling. Like I said, with just a tinch of creativity it’s easy enough to make it work for anyone as is, but I think a lot of people don’t realize that.

this app is a great app for those who want a quick and easy way to organize their schoolwork. Shovel is very minimalistic, and the assignment set-up is easy. However, you do need to have access to a laptop if you want to change some things such as the assignment type or the reading material. I also wish there was a way to purchase the premium version from Shovel instead of only just the computer. Other than that, it's great! 5/5

The main reason I use this app rather than Google Calendar is for the course/task focused way that things are organized. Helps a ton for super busy people where you need to be as efficient as possible when planning your schedule. There are problems with Shovel but the website is pretty good (and where I spend most of my time anyway). Devs are super responsive too!

Shovel is really great it takes quite a while to set it up but once set up, Shovel creates miracles. Can’t wait to start Spring Semester! I would like to see notifications of when you should be doing your work though, and notifications a few minutes before the assignment is due.

If Shovel had notifications and a widget for iOS then this would be amazing. I am a paid purchaser and must say that even without the notifications it is worth every penny of it. I like the ease of you and simple, clean design. Shovel should be mandatory for every college student.

I actually don’t know what I would do without Shovel! I have ADHD and planners have NEVER worked for me. I end up forgetting about them and they don’t help, I’ve even tried notion which everyone raves about and other similar apps. The only thing I’ve EVER found that actually helps me not miss assignments and due dates is a combination of this app and Google calendar. I’m currently a straight A student in college and have never missed a single assignment or been blindsided by an exam thanks to this app. Forever grateful for Shovel