Anchor vs KyberClassroom

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.

KyberClassroom is a classroom management tool for K–12 schools, included in every KyberGate plan without a separate license or add-on charge. Teachers can view live device thumbnails, URLs, page titles and on-task or off-task status, then open a detailed view of a student device. They can lock one device or all devices and display a custom lock-screen message. Focus mode restricts a session to approved domains and expires when class ends; teachers can also push a webpage to student devices so it opens automatically. The product describes a dashboard for iPads, Chromebooks, Macs and Windows devices, and lists iOS, ChromeOS, Windows, macOS and web browser support. Google Classroom imports classes, students and teachers, while Clever offers roster sync through its Secure Sync API. Other listed integrations include Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra ID, Apple School Manager, LDAP/Active Directory, and MDM and SIS platforms. Every plan includes a free 30-day pilot with full access and no credit card required. Basic costs $5 a year, billed at $5/device/year, for 1,000–4,999 devices, with a 4,999-device limit. Pro costs $9 a year, billed at $9/device/year, and supports unlimited devices. Enterprise pricing is custom and not listed.