Respondus Monitor
web.respondus.com
What it is
Respondus Monitor is a remote proctoring product for higher education. It records students by webcam during online assessments, then gives instructors flagged events and results to review. It is a companion to LockDown Browser and cannot be used without it; during an exam, that browser blocks printing, copying, other applications, and internet searches. After a one-time installation, Monitor launches from Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge when exam settings call for it, and guides students through a pre-exam sequence that includes a webcam check. Listed integrations include Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, Pearson MyLab and Mastering, McGraw Hill ALEKS, Cengage WebAssign and MindTap, and Hawkes Learning. Respondus describes native support for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, and iPad. Requirements include a webcam, microphone, and broadband internet, plus supported operating-system versions; iPadOS 15+ requires a compatible LMS integration. Students can use 24/7 real-time chat support and need not schedule a session or register at the Respondus website. Institutions need a campus-wide LockDown Browser license, and its administrator must enable Monitor.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Respondus Monitor records students through webcams during online exams and provides flagged events and proctoring results for instructor review.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Purpose
- Respondus Monitor is a remote proctoring solution for higher education that records students by webcam during online assessments and provides flagged events and results for instructor review.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Integrations
- The product page lists Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, Pearson MyLab and Mastering, McGraw Hill ALEKS, Cengage WebAssign and MindTap, and Hawkes Learning integrations.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Support
- Official materials list 24/7/365 student live chat, a troubleshooting Help Center, ticket support, webinars and instructor office hours.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Founded
- Respondus was founded in 2000.Read 14 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Company
- Respondus says it develops assessment applications for education, training, and certification markets and has partnered with education organizations for over 20 years.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Accessibility claim
- The feature checklist claims WCAG 2.1 Level AA and Section 508 conformance, annual third-party audits and assistive-technology integrations.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Algorithm fairness
- Respondus says its algorithms are systematically tested for fairness so age, gender, and skin tone do not impact proctoring results.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Automated proctoring
- The product performs automated video-based proctoring rather than requiring a live proctor for every session.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Browser launch
- After a one-time installation, Monitor can launch from Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge when an exam requires it.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Compliance claims
- Respondus states that Monitor meets FERPA, GDPR, CCPA, TX-RAMP and SOC 2 requirements.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Device support
- Supported end-user environments include Windows, macOS, Chromebook and iPad.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Documentation depth
- The support center lists 36 Monitor-specific articles plus separate getting-started, student, instructor, Chromebook, accessibility, Mac and iPad sections.Read 14 Oct 2026 · support.respondus.com
- Headquarters and size
- LinkedIn lists headquarters in Redmond, Washington and a company size of 51–200 employees.Read 14 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Hosting model
- Respondus Monitor is described in its terms as a cloud-based service combined with client software.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Launch
- After a one-time installation, Monitor launches from Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge when exam settings require it and guides students through a pre-exam sequence including a webcam check.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Legal name
- Crunchbase identifies the company’s legal name as Respondus, Inc.Read 14 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
- License constraint
- The resources page says the institution needs a campus-wide LockDown Browser license and its license administrator must enable Monitor.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- License model
- The student terms grant a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license and prohibit modification, distribution, sublicensing and reverse engineering.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Limit: accessibility and compatibility
- Northern Illinois University faculty report crashes, frozen work, incompatibility with some assistive technology and problems for students limited to Chromebooks.Read 14 Oct 2026 · niu.edu
- Limit: cheating bypass
- G2 reviewers report that students can use phones or other devices, so the system is not fail-safe against cheating.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Limit: freezing and lag
- G2 reviewers report lag, freezing and stressful failures, especially with weak internet connections.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Limit: privacy concerns
- G2 reviewers raise privacy and institutional privacy-compliance concerns about recording students and proctoring data.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- LMS integrations
- Documented integrations include Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle and Schoology, with publisher systems including ALEKS, Pearson MyLab, Hawkes Learning, Cengage WebAssign and MindTap.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- LMS setup
- Blackboard Ultra requires REST API and Proctoring Service configuration; Brightspace uses an External Learning Tool, Canvas an External App, Moodle a Moodle Extension and Schoology an LTI App.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Lockdown behavior
- LockDown Browser prevents printing, copying, access to other applications, and internet searching during an online exam.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Lockdown function
- Its companion LockDown Browser blocks printing, copying, other applications and internet searches during an exam.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Lockdown requirement
- Respondus Monitor is a companion product for LockDown Browser and cannot be used without it.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- No scheduling
- Students and instructors do not need to schedule sessions or register on the Respondus website.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Ownership and funding
- Respondus says it has no outside investors, is debt free and is 100% employee owned.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Praise: academic integrity
- G2 and Northern Illinois University reviewers describe the product as useful or necessary for maintaining academic integrity and remote exam security.Read 14 Oct 2026 · niu.edu
- Praise: LMS workflow
- G2 reviewers praise easy LMS integration and simple instructor setup once the tool is enabled in the learning system.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Privacy controls
- Respondus says proctoring data is owned and controlled by the university, institutions can choose retention policies, and data is encrypted end to end.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Rating on Apple App Store
- 1.2 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings for the LockDown Browser iPad app used with Monitor when enabled by an instructor.Read 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Rating on Chrome Web Store
- 1.5 out of 5 from 43 ratings for the Respondus MasteryConnect LockDown Browser extension.Read 14 Oct 2026 · chromewebstore.google.com
- Rating on G2
- No aggregate rating is shown; 9 user reviews are listed.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Rating on Gartner Peer Insights
- 3.4 out of 5 from 12 ratingsRead 14 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
- Rating on Software Advice
- No reviews published; pricing is listed as available upon request.Read 14 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
- Rating on Trustpilot
- 2.9 out of 5 from 2 reviewsRead 14 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Rating on TrustRadius
- 8 out of 10 from 1 reviewRead 14 Oct 2026 · tr-web.stage.trustradius.com
- Scale claim
- Respondus says Monitor was used at 1,500 universities for tens of millions of exams and more than one billion minutes of proctoring in the prior year.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- SDK documentation
- Respondus states that its SDK is documented for integrations intended to be developed in days rather than months.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- SDK extensibility
- Respondus offers an SDK Edition of LockDown Browser that organizations can license to integrate with their own assessment platforms.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Security and privacy
- Respondus says its security and privacy coverage includes FERPA, GDPR, CCPA, HECVAT, SOC 2, and TX-RAMP.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Self-hosting
- The reviewed official materials describe a Respondus-hosted cloud service and do not document a self-hosted deployment option.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Student support
- The product page says students have access to 24/7 real-time chat support.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Supported devices
- The product page describes native support for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, and iPad devices.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- System requirements
- The current requirements list Windows 10/11, macOS 12 through 26.0+, iPadOS 15 or newer, Chromebook support, webcam, microphone and broadband.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Technical requirements
- The resources page lists Windows 10 or 11, macOS 12 to 26.0+, iPadOS 15+ with a compatible LMS integration, a webcam and microphone, and broadband internet; it also lists Chromebook requirements.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Training
- Respondus offers free training webinars, and instructors at licensed institutions can access training resources within the LMS application.Read 4 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
- Webcam and microphone
- Students need an internal or external webcam, microphone and broadband internet connection.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.respondus.com
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Records webcam sessions and flags events for instructor review.
- Integrates with listed learning-management systems.
- Students have access to 24/7 real-time chat support.
- Students do not need to schedule sessions.
- Available for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, and iPad.
Limits
- Requires LockDown Browser.
- Institution needs a campus-wide LockDown Browser license.
- Requires a webcam, microphone, and broadband internet.
- No free plan is listed.
Who it suits
It suits higher-education institutions that run online assessments through supported learning systems and can meet the LockDown Browser licensing requirement. Students using it have access to real-time chat support.
Respondus Monitor in depth
Read the full write-up
Respondus Monitor records webcam sessions during higher-education exams and gives instructors flagged events to review. It is best suited to institutions already using LockDown Browser that want asynchronous oversight. Its browser restrictions and review workflow are useful, but the required campus license and lack of live proctoring narrow its fit.
Overview
Monitor works only with LockDown Browser. During an exam, that browser blocks printing, copying, access to other applications and internet searches; Monitor adds webcam monitoring, screen recording, identity verification and flagged results for instructor review. This combination supports review after an assessment, not real-time intervention, so it is a poor fit when an exam requires a live proctor.
After a one-time installation, Monitor launches from Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge when exam settings call for it. Students complete a pre-exam sequence that includes a webcam check, without scheduling a proctoring session or registering on Respondus’s website. Round-the-clock real-time chat support for students and free instructor webinars help with setup and use.
Key features
Recorded sessions and flags
Flagged events give instructors a way to prioritize parts of a recording for review, rather than supervising every exam live. That can suit courses where instructors can review sessions afterward; it does not provide live oversight.
Learning-system connections and device requirements
Integrations include Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, Pearson MyLab and Mastering, McGraw Hill ALEKS, Cengage WebAssign and MindTap, and Hawkes Learning. Native support covers Windows, Mac, Chromebook and iPad, with listed requirements including Windows 10 or 11, macOS 12 to 26.0+, iPadOS 15+ with a compatible LMS integration, a webcam, microphone and broadband internet. Chromebook requirements also apply. Institutions should check device and integration compatibility before adopting it.
Privacy and fairness claims
Respondus says its security and privacy coverage includes FERPA, GDPR, CCPA, HECVAT, SOC 2 and TX-RAMP. It also says its algorithms are systematically tested so age, gender and skin tone do not affect proctoring results. These assurances may matter to institutions assessing compliance and fairness requirements.
Pricing
Respondus offers a free pilot at free, billed 2 months, with unlimited institutional use and no obligation. It gives an institution a way to pilot the product without a usage cap during the pilot period.
The Student Purchase plan costs $15 a year, valid for 12 months (365 days). It covers use across courses and exams in the same learning system at the institution, but still requires LockDown Browser. This is the individual-purchase option, not a workaround for the browser dependency.
The Initial institutional license costs $4,950 a year, with the annual fee prorated based on the license start date. It is a flat rate regardless of institution size, with North America pricing and exclusions applying. The Tiered plan costs $5,950 a year for a base tier of 1,000 seats; each additional 1,000-seat tier costs $1,950, and there is no exam-count limit. Institutions should weigh seat capacity against the flat-rate option rather than exam volume alone.
Unlimited offers institution-wide use with custom pricing based on institution type and size. Every paid route is subject to the institutional LockDown Browser requirement and license administrator enabling Monitor.
Platforms
Respondus lists Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows platforms. Its device guidance also describes Chromebook and iPad support, with the iPad requiring iPadOS 15+ and a compatible LMS integration.
Who it's for
Monitor is most compelling for colleges and other higher-education institutions with a campus-wide LockDown Browser license, a compatible learning system and a need for recorded exam review. It is less suitable for organizations that need live proctoring or cannot meet the institutional license prerequisite.
Pros and cons
Pros: LockDown Browser restricts common ways to leave or copy from an exam, while recordings and flags support later review.
Pros: Broad named LMS integrations can fit established course workflows, and students do not have to schedule sessions.
Pros: A two-month unlimited free pilot gives institutions room to evaluate use before committing.
Cons: Monitor cannot be used without LockDown Browser, and the institution must have a campus-wide license with Monitor enabled.
Cons: No live proctoring means instructors cannot intervene during an exam through this service.
Cons: Tiered pricing starts at 1,000 seats, while institution-wide Unlimited requires a quote; smaller or differently sized deployments should compare the available licensing structures carefully.
Alternatives
Choose Proctorio if a freemium option with a free evaluation plan and broader listed platform coverage is a better fit; its free plan has 7-day data retention and a limited review center. Consider SMOWL for its Computer Monitoring or Browser Lock options, in-person digital exams and LMS integration. ThinkExam is another option, with a free plan and a Standard tier priced at $3,125 a month, billed annually, for 100 users and unlimited quizzes. Grafari may suit readers comparing paid plans that also offer a free plan; its ANNUAL PREMIUM plan is $20 a month, billed $240 annually. Consider OctoProctor if hours-based pricing is preferable. YuJa Engage is another paid option. Proctor360 offers remote proctoring services with pricing on request. ProctorFree is another paid option with a free trial.
Browse Exam Proctoring Software and Online Proctoring Software for more options.
Verdict
Choose Respondus Monitor if your institution already licenses LockDown Browser and wants webcam recordings, flags and identity checks for asynchronous review across supported course systems. Its main advantage is pairing recorded review with exam-browser restrictions; look elsewhere if you need live proctoring or cannot meet the campus licensing requirement.
Verdict
Respondus Monitor provides webcam-based proctoring and review flags for online higher-education assessments. Its required LockDown Browser and campus-wide licensing make institutional setup a key consideration.
Where Specifiction places it
- Online Proctoring Software#1 of 278.8
- Exam Proctoring Software#1 of 218.8