Shepherd
All-in-one AI study co-pilot for students — chat with PDFs, Notion-style notes, AI tutor, flashcards, lecture recording and an optional human-tutor marketplace.
TL;DR
Shepherd is a B2C all-in-one AI study app that bundles doc-chat (talk to your PDFs), Notion-style notes, AI tutor, flashcards/quizzes, lecture recording, and a human-tutor marketplace into one iOS / web app. Founded 2023, marketed to middle-school through postgrad. The wedge is consolidation — pay $14.99/mo and replace ChatGPT + Quizlet + Otter + a tutor instead of subscribing to four things.
Recommend it if
You're a student who already pays for two or three of (ChatGPT, Quizlet, Otter, a human tutor), you study heavily on your phone, or you want one app that converts uploaded materials into notes / flashcards / quizzes without context-switching.
Skip it if
You only need doc-chat (NotebookLM is free); you're K-12 and your school requires FERPA / COPPA published attestations; or you prefer specialist tools (Notion for notes + Anki for flashcards + ChatGPT for chat) over an all-in-one.
Quick facts
- Platforms
- iOS appWeb app
- Languages
- English (primary)
- School fit
- 6-8 9-12 Higher Ed Adult / PD
- Subjects
- All — strongest for reading-heavy and lecture-heavy subjects
- Time to first output
- < 10 min
- Learning curve
- Easy
- Setup
- Sign up via web or iOS App Store; upload a PDF or record a lecture to start
- Works offline
- —
Real-world use cases
How a teacher, student or parent actually puts this tool to work.
| Who | Scenario | Time | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | College student in finals week — upload 6 weeks of lecture slides + textbook chapters to Shepherd; generate flashcards, run quiz mode, and ask the AI tutor for step-by-step help on the questions you got wrong. | 2 hr study session | Cycle of flashcards + AI explanations + tracked weak spots |
| Students | High-schooler taking notes on a tough chemistry lecture — record the lecture in the Shepherd iOS app, get structured notes auto-generated, then convert the notes into flashcards in one tap. | 1 hr lecture → 10 min review setup | Transcribed notes + flashcard deck for the lecture |
| Students | Stuck on a calc problem at 11pm — ask the AI tutor for a step-by-step walkthrough; if still stuck, book a human tutor from the in-app marketplace for the next morning. | 15 min AI session + scheduled human follow-up | Worked problem + planned follow-up |
- Students
College student in finals week — upload 6 weeks of lecture slides + textbook chapters to Shepherd; generate flashcards, run quiz mode, and ask the AI tutor for step-by-step help on the questions you got wrong.
- Time
- 2 hr study session
- Output
- Cycle of flashcards + AI explanations + tracked weak spots
- Students
High-schooler taking notes on a tough chemistry lecture — record the lecture in the Shepherd iOS app, get structured notes auto-generated, then convert the notes into flashcards in one tap.
- Time
- 1 hr lecture → 10 min review setup
- Output
- Transcribed notes + flashcard deck for the lecture
- Students
Stuck on a calc problem at 11pm — ask the AI tutor for a step-by-step walkthrough; if still stuck, book a human tutor from the in-app marketplace for the next morning.
- Time
- 15 min AI session + scheduled human follow-up
- Output
- Worked problem + planned follow-up
Shepherd is a B2C all-in-one AI study app — doc-chat (talk to your PDFs), Notion-style notes, AI tutor, flashcards/quizzes, lecture recording, and a human-tutor marketplace, all under one iOS / web account. Founded 2023, positioned from middle school through postgrad.
The wedge: consolidation
If you’re a student paying for two or three of (ChatGPT $20, Quizlet $7.99, Otter $8.33, a tutor service), Shepherd Web Premium at $14.99 replaces all of them with one tool. That’s the bet.
What to verify before paying
- Web Premium vs iOS Pro are different products at different prices — pick the one that matches where you actually study
- Privacy and academic-integrity policy at your school — Shepherd doesn’t publish FERPA / COPPA attestations because it’s B2C; if your school has policy concerns, ask before using it on graded work
- Marketing site reliability — shepherd.study has shown indefinite loading; the info site at info.shepherd.study is more reliable for product info
What we like
- + One-stop study app — doc-chat, notes, flashcards, tutor, lecture recording all in one place instead of stacking 4 separate tools
- + iOS app + web — works on the phone where students actually study
- + Optional human-tutor marketplace inside the app — AI tutor for quick help, human tutor for stuck moments
- + GPT-4 on Premium tier — actually meaningful upgrade vs the free GPT-3.5 default
- + Founded 2023 (Marcella Imoisili, Moyosoreoluwa Orekoya, Kehinde Williams); positioned for middle-school through postgrad
Heads up
- − Web Premium ($14.99/mo) vs iOS Pro ($19.99 one-time / $149.99 yearly) — pricing differs by platform and can be confusing
- − Free Basic tier limits to 30 chatbot questions/day and 10MB file uploads — not generous for a heavy study week
- − Has shown indefinite loading on the marketing SPA (shepherd.study) — info site at info.shepherd.study is more reliable
- − No published FERPA / COPPA / SOC 2 attestations — this is a B2C study app, not designed for K-12 procurement
Pricing breakdown
Pricing
Verified directly on the vendor site. We re-check every quarter.
Free Basic (web)
- · GPT-3.5
- · 30 chatbot questions / day
- · 10MB file upload limit per file
- · 500 AI-generated flashcards
- · Unlimited manual flashcards with spaced repetition
- · Notion-style note editor
- · Access to tutor marketplace
Premium (web)
Most useful- · Everything in Basic
- · GPT-4
- · No ads
- · 200 chatbot questions / day
- · 100MB file upload limit per file
- · Unlimited AI-generated flashcards
- · Stored videos / transcripts of tutor sessions
- · CSV import / export (e.g. Anki)
iOS Pro
- · iOS in-app purchase
- · Weekly ($6.99) and yearly ($149.99) variants
- · Pricing varies by App Store region (US $19.99, CA $24.99 observed)
Privacy & compliance
Privacy & compliance
What we found in the vendor's terms, DPA, and trust center. Verify with your district before deploying.
- FERPA
- Unclear
- SOC 2
- Unclear
- COPPA
- Unclear
- GDPR
- Unclear
- Trains on your data
- Unclear
- Data retention
- Not disclosed in detail on the public info site.
- Hosting regions
- US · Global via App Store
Shepherd is sold direct-to-student as a B2C study app and does not publish explicit FERPA / COPPA / SOC 2 / GDPR attestations on its public marketing site. The vendor's value prop emphasizes "grounded in truth" responses for accuracy but doesn't extend to formal compliance attestations. Schools deploying to under-13 students should look at a B2B-targeted alternative (Khanmigo, MagicSchool's tutor). For individual older students, the standard data-handling questions (where does my doc upload go, is it used for training) are not clearly answered on the info site — read the in-product Privacy Policy before uploading sensitive material.
Works with
- iOS App Store
- Web upload (PDFs, PowerPoint, Word, audio, video, YouTube links)
- Anki (CSV import/export on Premium)
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a general chatbot. Shepherd is a study workflow built around your materials — upload your PDFs and lecture recordings, get them turned into notes, flashcards and quizzes specific to your content, and ask follow-up questions grounded in those uploads. It's the difference between a calculator and a study planner that uses a calculator.
Web Premium vs iOS Pro — which should I buy?
They're different products with different pricing models. Web Premium is $14.99/mo recurring and unlocks GPT-4 + higher quotas + tutor session storage. iOS Pro is $19.99 one-time (or $149.99/year) and unlocks the iOS app's premium features. If you mostly study on the phone, go iOS yearly; if you mostly study on a laptop, go web Premium.
Is the human-tutor marketplace any good?
Shepherd offers an in-app tutor marketplace as a paid add-on inside the app. As with any marketplace, tutor quality varies; read reviews before booking, and check whether the tutor specializes in your subject. The AI tutor handles most quick help; humans are for stuck moments and exam prep.
Is it safe for a 13-year-old (COPPA)?
Shepherd does not publish a COPPA attestation on its public marketing site. The platform is positioned for "middle-school through postgrad" but you should read the in-product Privacy Policy and Terms before letting an under-13 use it. For under-13 K-12 deployments, look at school-procured alternatives.
What about academic integrity?
Shepherd is a study tool, not a "do my homework for me" tool — and the AI tutor design (step-by-step explanations rather than direct answers) reflects that. But as with any AI tool, your school's policy on AI assistance applies. If your assignment forbids AI help, don't use Shepherd on it.
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When to pick it
NotebookLM
★Content Creation
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You only need doc-chat (talk to your PDFs and notes) — NotebookLM is free and the doc-chat experience is hard to beat.
Khanmigo
★Tutors & Study Companions
Khan Academy's AI tutor — Socratic, never gives away the answer, free for teachers.
You're K-12 and want an AI tutor that the school can procure with FERPA-friendly terms.