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The Skill Site and Gradescope compared
Gradescope, which its home page says is used at more than 2,600 universities, grades paper exams and homework in every subject, and on its Institutional plan runs an autograder you build in Docker. The Skill Site is where students write and run the code in the browser, with timed coding exams, a replay of each answer and a price you can read before you buy.
Last checked
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.
Where students write code
- The Skill Site
- In the browser, in lessons and quizzes, with nothing to install
- Gradescope
- Elsewhere: they upload files, or hand in from GitHub or Bitbucket
How the autograder is built
- The Skill Site
- You write tests in the question editor: input and expected output in 12 languages, test code in any of them (a driver program in compiled languages), or your own pytest or JavaScript test files, each test scored by name
- Gradescope
- You supply a setup script, an autograder script and a Docker environment, in any language
Price and buying
- The Skill Site
- Published: free for 1 instructor and 30 students, then Training plans from $99 a month; no campus deal needed
- Gradescope
- Basic is free and has no programming assignments; Institutional is priced on request
Trying the paid features
- The Skill Site
- 30-day free trial with every feature, then the free plan
- Gradescope
- A one-term Institutional trial that leaves out LMS integration and single sign-on
Timed coding exams
- The Skill Site
- Yes: server-kept time, a sitting code, allowed networks, one browser session and a log of leaving the page
- Gradescope
- Time limits apply to every assignment type except programming assignments
Similarity check for code
- The Skill Site
- Yes, on the free plan and every Training plan
- Gradescope
- Yes, on Institutional
Rubrics, comments on lines and regrade requests
- The Skill Site
- Yes: rubrics, comments on lines of code and regrade requests for assignments and quizzes
- Gradescope
- Rubrics and regrade requests on Basic; inline comments on code
LMS integration
- The Skill Site
- LTI 1.3 with grade return, tested with Moodle 4.5; Canvas and Brightspace untested
- Gradescope
- Institutional
Single sign-on
- The Skill Site
- Google or a code sent by email; no SAML yet
- Gradescope
- Institutional
Paper exams and handwritten work
- The Skill Site
- No
- Gradescope
- Yes: written exams, homework and bubble sheets are its core product
Sections and grading by several staff
- The Skill Site
- Yes: staff teaching a batch, and grading queues
- Gradescope
- Collaborative grading, sections and anonymous grading on Institutional
| What you need | The Skill Site | Gradescope |
|---|---|---|
| Where students write code | In the browser, in lessons and quizzes, with nothing to install | Elsewhere: they upload files, or hand in from GitHub or Bitbucket |
| How the autograder is built | You write tests in the question editor: input and expected output in 12 languages, test code in any of them (a driver program in compiled languages), or your own pytest or JavaScript test files, each test scored by name | You supply a setup script, an autograder script and a Docker environment, in any language |
| Price and buying | Published: free for 1 instructor and 30 students, then Training plans from $99 a month; no campus deal needed | Basic is free and has no programming assignments; Institutional is priced on request |
| Trying the paid features | 30-day free trial with every feature, then the free plan | A one-term Institutional trial that leaves out LMS integration and single sign-on |
| Timed coding exams | Yes: server-kept time, a sitting code, allowed networks, one browser session and a log of leaving the page | Time limits apply to every assignment type except programming assignments |
| Similarity check for code | Yes, on the free plan and every Training plan | Yes, on Institutional |
| Rubrics, comments on lines and regrade requests | Yes: rubrics, comments on lines of code and regrade requests for assignments and quizzes | Rubrics and regrade requests on Basic; inline comments on code |
| LMS integration | LTI 1.3 with grade return, tested with Moodle 4.5; Canvas and Brightspace untested | Institutional |
| Single sign-on | Google or a code sent by email; no SAML yet | Institutional |
| Paper exams and handwritten work | No | Yes: written exams, homework and bubble sheets are its core product |
| Sections and grading by several staff | Yes: staff teaching a batch, and grading queues | Collaborative grading, sections and anonymous grading on Institutional |
Sources: Gradescope's pricing and home pages, its autograder documentation and its help centre on handing in code and timed assignments.
When Gradescope is the better choice
- You grade paper exams, handwritten homework or bubble sheets, in any subject.
- Your university already licenses it, and IT has approved it.
- Your autograder needs a custom Docker environment, or students hand in from GitHub or Bitbucket.
- You need single sign-on and LMS integration for a whole campus, bought as one deal.
When The Skill Site is the better choice
- You want students to write and run code in the browser, with nothing to install and no hand-in step.
- Your exams are coding exams, timed, on allowed networks, with a record of leaving the page.
- You want to see how an answer was written, with a replay of its saves, a similarity check and notes on lines.
- You buy for one course, with a price you can read, and no campus contract.
See coding assessment and pricing.
Questions and answers
Does The Skill Site replace Gradescope?
For coding courses, it can. For paper exams, handwritten homework and bubble sheets it does not: Gradescope does that and we do not. A department can keep Gradescope for those and use The Skill Site for the courses where students write code.
Can we reuse our Gradescope autograders?
There is no importer, and a Docker autograder does not run here. A pytest suite, or a JavaScript one with Jest, Mocha or Node's test runner, runs as it is in a unit-test question, and an autograder script that writes Gradescope's results.json can run as a command of your own, with the test pack's packages. Other tests are entered again as input and expected output, or as test code in any of them. Tests that need your own container image, JUnit or other libraries need rewriting or a different approach.
Can students hand in from GitHub?
No. Students write their code in the browser and hand it in there. If your course teaches Git, Gradescope’s GitHub hand-in suits that part better.
Is there a trial for one course?
Yes. A 30-day trial has every feature and up to 30 students, and the free plan then continues for 1 instructor. A Training plan is priced by active students a month, so one course can be bought without a campus contract.
Does it work with our LMS?
It works through LTI 1.3: an instructor adds a coding quiz to an LMS course and grades return to its gradebook. We have tested it with Moodle 4.5. We have not tested Canvas or Brightspace, so check with a trial before you rely on it.
Where do these facts about Gradescope come from?
Gradescope’s own pricing and home pages, its autograder documentation and its help centre, read on 10 November 2026. Prices and plans change; check gradescope.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.