Transcript Maker is exactly what it says on the label: a polished, dedicated homeschool transcript builder that's been at it for years. If a transcript is genuinely the only document you need, it is a fine tool — and this page will tell you plainly when it's the better pick.
The registrar in me has one caution, though. A transcript is a summary of records, not a replacement for them. Colleges, scholarship committees, and (in some states) reviewers can ask what's behinda grade — the course work, the hours, the curriculum. A transcript-only tool starts at the summary. ArborSlate starts at the records and generates the summary — which also means next year's transcript takes zero re-typing.
Feature by feature
| Feature | ArborSlate | Transcript Maker |
|---|---|---|
| High-school transcripts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gradebook & grades | ✓ | ✗ |
| Attendance tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Report cards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lesson planning / scheduling | ✓ | ✗ |
| ESA expense tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| State-compliance records | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI course descriptions & tutor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Co-op management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Free tools (no account needed) | ✓ | ✗1 |
✗ means not offered — or not advertised on the product's public site as of July 2026. 1 Transcript Maker — 14-day free trial rather than a free no-account tool.
Pricing
Transcript Maker: $14 for one month, $19 for three months, or $59/year for up to 5 students, with a 14-day free trial. Separate plans for schools.
ArborSlate: Family plan $29/month or $249/year; Transcript Pro $60/year; one-time clean transcript or diploma PDF $19 each. 14-day free trial (card at signup). Free anonymous tools — transcript builder, diploma maker, Arizona ESA tracker, GPA calculator — need no account. For Arizona ESA families, the subscription is ESA-eligible — most families reimburse it through ClassWallet as a non-public online learning program expense.
Where Transcript Maker shines
A comparison you can trust has to give the other side its due, so here it is honestly:
- It does one thing and does it well — the transcript templates are polished and customizable.
- Export flexibility: PDF, HTML, CSV, XML, and Texas TREx format.
- Years of transcript-specific content (blog, podcast, ebook) behind it.
Pick Transcript Maker if: Families who keep records elsewhere and only need a standalone transcript tool — especially Texans who need TREx export.
Where ArborSlate is different
Grades logged in ArborSlate's gradebook roll up to quarter, semester, and annual marks and land on a Registrar-format or Common App-format transcript automatically — GPA math, credit totals, weighting and all. The same records drive report cards, the state-compliance log, and course descriptions the AI drafts from what you actually taught. And if you're an ESA family, the expense tracker keeps your scholarship file audit-ready alongside the academics — something no transcript tool touches.
If you only want the document, you still don't need a subscription here: the free builder produces the full transcript anonymously, and a clean PDF is $19 once.
Common questions
What does ArborSlate do that Transcript Maker doesn’t?
Transcript Maker is a standalone transcript builder. ArborSlate generates transcripts from records you already keep — gradebook, attendance, course work — and also produces report cards, diplomas, compliance documents, ESA expense files, and AI-drafted course descriptions. With Transcript Maker you type the transcript in; with ArborSlate it accumulates all year.
Is Transcript Maker cheaper than ArborSlate for just a transcript?
Their $59/year plan covers up to 5 students. ArborSlate offers a one-time $19 clean transcript PDF from the free builder with no subscription at all, or Transcript Pro at $60/year for ongoing transcript and credential tools — so for a single transcript, ArborSlate is actually the cheaper path.
Does ArborSlate export to Texas TREx like Transcript Maker?
No — TREx export is a genuine Transcript Maker advantage. ArborSlate produces Registrar-style and Common App-format PDF transcripts. If your Texas public school specifically requires a TREx file, Transcript Maker handles that today.
Can I build a transcript on ArborSlate for free?
Yes — the transcript builder is free and anonymous: no account, no email. You see a watermarked preview free, and a clean PDF is a one-time $19 (or included with a Family or Transcript Pro plan).