Anchor vs Classwize

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.

Classwize gives teachers a real-time view of students’ online activity and tools to manage it during class. Teachers can spot off-task use, block or unblock websites, close tabs, and pause internet access for a class, group, or individual students. They can choose sites and apps ahead of a lesson, then open resources on all student devices or selected devices. The product supports managed BYOD for Chrome, Windows, and macOS. Schools can sync Google Classroom classes, assigned students, and teachers. Linewize says the Google connection reads only the specific data required and cannot access or change other Google Workspace data. The product sheet describes detailed user reports and collaborative classroom tools. The product page displays SOC 2 Type I, SOC 2 Type II, and 1EdTech TrustEd Apps Certified badges. Training courses and video tutorials are available through Qoria’s Academy. Classwize is presented for schools and districts; prospective customers can request a demo, and pricing is on request.