Anchor vs ClassDojo
Anchor
plinklabs.org
ClassDojo
classdojo.comSide by side
| Figure | Anchor | ClassDojo |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €24/mo | $5.83/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 5 |
| Spec score · Classroom Management Software | 9.5 (#1) | 9.2 (#2) |
| Integrations | The teacher page names Microsoft 365, Smartschool, and GeoGebra as selectable bundles; sign-in uses existing school Microsoft accounts. | Capterra lists integrations or catalog connections including Google Workspace, Slack, Asana, SurveyMonkey, Zendesk Suite and SendGrid. |
| Licence | Anchor is released under the GPL-3.0 licence and is self-hostable. | The service is proprietary; its terms reserve intellectual-property ownership to ClassDojo or licensors and prohibit reverse engineering. |
| Platforms | Student enforcement requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows 11, together with Microsoft Edge; the teacher dashboard runs in a modern browser. | ClassDojo is available through a web browser and its mobile apps for iOS and Android. |
| Purpose | Anchor lets a teacher run a classroom focus session where student Windows laptops enforce an allowlist of apps and websites, with off-list activity shown live on a dashboard. | ClassDojo connects teachers, families, and children to share learning moments through photos, videos, messages, and more. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.7 out of 5 from 30 reviews, but the opened G2 profile is for Anchor FM podcast hosting rather than Plink Labs classroom Anchor. | 4.5 out of 5 from 361 reviews |
| Self-hosting | Each school runs its own backend in its own Azure subscription, and Plink Labs says it operates no backend and receives no student data. | The published product information describes AWS-hosted services and provides no self-hosted deployment option. |
| Support | The maker directs users to GitHub issues for product questions and says there is no support ticket queue. | ClassDojo directs users to its Help Center and Contact page for support. |
| What it does | Anchor lets a teacher run a timed classroom focus session whose app and website allowlist is enforced on student devices while off-list activity appears live on a dashboard. | ClassDojo connects teachers, students and families for school communication, learning updates and classroom community building. |
Plans
Anchor
- AnchorFree
- Anchor softwareFree
- Azure hosting estimate€24 a month
- Azure hosting estimate with larger database€43 a month
ClassDojo
- ClassDojoFree
- ClassDojo coreFree
- ClassDojo Plus monthly$7.99 a month
- ClassDojo Plus annual$69.99 a year
- ClassDojo PlusPrice not published
In their own words
Anchor
Anchor is classroom software for schools using managed or bring-your-own-device Windows laptops. A teacher starts a focus session for a class, selects allowed app and website bundles, and watches student states and off-list events on a dashboard. Microsoft 365, Smartschool, and GeoGebra are named selectable bundles, and teachers sign in with existing school Microsoft accounts. Off-list apps are set aside rather than closed; off-list Microsoft Edge pages show a block page with an access-request option. Anchor provides activity monitoring, web filtering, and device controls, but no live screen view or behavior tracking. It observes activity only during an active teacher-started session. During that session, the extension sends off-allowlist visits, unblock requests, integrity signals, and liveness heartbeats to the school backend. Each school runs a single-tenant backend in its own Azure subscription. Anchor is GPL-3.0 licensed, self-hostable, and publicly auditable. It is free, with no licence fee or per-seat charge, though Azure hosting costs may apply.
ClassDojo
ClassDojo connects teachers, families, and children around learning at school and at home. Teachers can share photos, videos, messages, and class updates, and use feedback points to recognize student skills and behaviors. Private teacher-family messaging supports direct communication. The free ClassDojo plan costs nothing and includes teacher messaging, class points, and class story updates. Plus adds Homework Helper, access to more than 2,000 Magic Books stories, and the option to automatically add school events to a Google or Apple calendar. The subscription can be shared with up to three other grown-ups. ClassDojo is available on the web, iOS, and Android, and teachers can use it alongside Google Classroom. The latest app requires iOS 17 or later or Android 8 or later; Kindle devices are no longer supported. ClassDojo says it complies with COPPA, FERPA, and GDPR in Europe, and that it does not share user or student information with advertisers or marketers.