Compare
The Skill Site and Google Classroom compared
Google Classroom is free for qualifying schools. Use it for the everyday class: posts, assignments and a gradebook. The Skill Site is where you add what it does not describe: code marked by your own tests, attendance, recorded music work and classes for a tutor or a club, free for up to 30 learners.
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Side by side
From each product's public pages and our own plans. List prices in US dollars, excluding taxes. Vendor facts read on 10 November 2026.
Price
- The Skill Site
- Free plan for 1 teacher and 30 learners; Teacher plan $9 a month plus $3 for each extra teacher; Training plans from $99 a month
- Google Classroom
- Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, with Classroom, is free for qualifying institutions; paid editions such as Education Plus are priced on request
Who can start
- The Skill Site
- Any teacher, tutor or school, with no Google account needed: sign in with Google or a code sent to their email
- Google Classroom
- A school’s Google account, or a personal Google account for a homeschool or club
Assignments, rubrics and grades
- The Skill Site
- Yes: due dates, marks and feedback, rubrics learners see, a gradebook for each batch, late-work rules
- Google Classroom
- Yes: assignments, rubrics shown beside work, reusable comments and bulk grading
Coding marked by tests
- The Skill Site
- Yes, in 12 languages, on the free plan and the Training plans (not the Teacher plan)
- Google Classroom
- Its pages describe no code running or tests for code
Attendance register
- The Skill Site
- Yes: a register for each class, with late marks and printable sheets
- Google Classroom
- No register in Classroom; its editions page lists attendance tracking for Meet
Recorded work and a teacher’s reply by voice
- The Skill Site
- Yes: learners record in the browser, teachers reply with a recording, with letter grades if you want them
- Google Classroom
- Learners hand in files and photos
Originality checking
- The Skill Site
- Similarity checks for code; no check for essays against the web
- Google Classroom
- Originality reports against web pages and books; unlimited reports on a paid edition
Class lists from the school system
- The Skill Site
- No: learners come in from a spreadsheet, an invitation or their first launch from an LMS
- Google Classroom
- Yes: Clever (US only) and OneRoster are listed
Parents
- The Skill Site
- For a child whose parent has consented, the parent’s account sees the child’s work; older learners have no parent view
- Google Classroom
- Guardian email summaries
Children’s data
- The Skill Site
- Under 13s: the school consents for parents, or outside school a parent consents before anything is kept; no advertising
- Google Classroom
- Names FERPA, COPPA and GDPR; no advertising in its core services
Security certification
- The Skill Site
- None yet
- Google Classroom
- Lists ISO 27001, 27701 and 42001
Where the data is held
- The Skill Site
- The United States (AWS N. Virginia); learners’ code runs in Finland without names; no choice of region
- Google Classroom
- Data region policies on Education Plus
AI for learners
- The Skill Site
- Hints that point the way, with no block of code until the third level, switched on by your admin, readable by staff
- Google Classroom
- No-cost AI tools in Classroom; advanced ones need Education Plus or an add-on
| What you need | The Skill Site | Google Classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan for 1 teacher and 30 learners; Teacher plan $9 a month plus $3 for each extra teacher; Training plans from $99 a month | Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, with Classroom, is free for qualifying institutions; paid editions such as Education Plus are priced on request |
| Who can start | Any teacher, tutor or school, with no Google account needed: sign in with Google or a code sent to their email | A school’s Google account, or a personal Google account for a homeschool or club |
| Assignments, rubrics and grades | Yes: due dates, marks and feedback, rubrics learners see, a gradebook for each batch, late-work rules | Yes: assignments, rubrics shown beside work, reusable comments and bulk grading |
| Coding marked by tests | Yes, in 12 languages, on the free plan and the Training plans (not the Teacher plan) | Its pages describe no code running or tests for code |
| Attendance register | Yes: a register for each class, with late marks and printable sheets | No register in Classroom; its editions page lists attendance tracking for Meet |
| Recorded work and a teacher’s reply by voice | Yes: learners record in the browser, teachers reply with a recording, with letter grades if you want them | Learners hand in files and photos |
| Originality checking | Similarity checks for code; no check for essays against the web | Originality reports against web pages and books; unlimited reports on a paid edition |
| Class lists from the school system | No: learners come in from a spreadsheet, an invitation or their first launch from an LMS | Yes: Clever (US only) and OneRoster are listed |
| Parents | For a child whose parent has consented, the parent’s account sees the child’s work; older learners have no parent view | Guardian email summaries |
| Children’s data | Under 13s: the school consents for parents, or outside school a parent consents before anything is kept; no advertising | Names FERPA, COPPA and GDPR; no advertising in its core services |
| Security certification | None yet | Lists ISO 27001, 27701 and 42001 |
| Where the data is held | The United States (AWS N. Virginia); learners’ code runs in Finland without names; no choice of region | Data region policies on Education Plus |
| AI for learners | Hints that point the way, with no block of code until the third level, switched on by your admin, readable by staff | No-cost AI tools in Classroom; advanced ones need Education Plus or an add-on |
Sources: Google's pages on Classroom, Workspace for Education editions and privacy and security, and Classroom's help on personal accounts.
When Google Classroom is the better choice
- Your school already uses it and wants classes and pupils to come from its own information system.
- You need originality reports for essays, a mobile app or ISO-certified security for your IT lead.
- Your data must be held outside the United States.
- Everything you need is posts, assignments and grades, and free is the deciding word.
When The Skill Site is the better choice
- You teach programming and want code marked by tests you write, with hints that point the way rather than give the answer.
- You take a register each lesson, or report attendance and hours to someone else.
- You teach music or speech and want learners to record in the browser and hear your recorded reply.
- You are a tutor or run a club with your own classes, and want your own web address and name on it.
You can run both: Classroom for the school's posts and The Skill Site for the lessons it does not cover. See pricing for the plans.
Questions and answers
Is Google Classroom really free?
For qualifying institutions, yes: Google says Workspace for Education Fundamentals is available for no charge. Education Plus is a paid edition priced on request. A personal Google account can also use Classroom in a homeschool or club.
Does The Skill Site work inside Google Classroom?
No. There is no Google Classroom integration, so learners sign in to The Skill Site on its own, with Google or a code sent to their email. You can keep Classroom for announcements and use The Skill Site for the work Classroom does not do.
Can Classroom mark my learners’ code?
Google’s Classroom pages describe no way to run or test code. The Skill Site marks code against tests you write, in 12 languages, and keeps a replay of how each answer was written.
Does the Teacher plan include coding?
No. The Teacher plan ($9 a month for the first teacher) leaves out coding, labs, AI hints, LTI, SCORM, xAPI, the API and clients. The free plan and the Training plans include them.
When is Google Classroom the better choice?
When your school already uses it and you want roster sync from the school’s system, a native app, Docs and Meet in the same account, ISO-certified security, or originality reports for essays. It also costs nothing for a school.
Where do these facts about Google Classroom come from?
Google’s own Classroom, editions, privacy and help pages, read on 10 November 2026. Editions and prices change; check edu.google.com before you decide, and tell us if anything here is out of date.
Try it with your next cohort
Start a 30-day free trial with up to 30 learners and no card, or see the demo for your kind of class and book a call with us.