BigBlueButton vs Pencil Spaces
BigBlueButton
bigbluebutton.org
Pencil Spaces
pencilspaces.comSide by side
| Figure | BigBlueButton | Pencil Spaces |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $1,000/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 2 |
| Spec score · Virtual Classroom Software | 8.0 (#10) | 8.0 (#13) |
| Integrations | The product lists integrations with learning platforms including Moodle, Canvas, Schoology, Open edX and Sakai. | Listed integrations include Wise, Oases, Teachworks, YoCoach, Canvas, LTI 1.3, Google Drive, Bizstim, TutorCruncher, OneDrive, Zapier, and Pipedream. |
| Meeting recording | Yes | The product supports local and cloud session recording; its pricing page lists cloud recording with 90-day storage for Expert and 12 months for Master. |
| Support | The site directs users to a searchable knowledge base, community support and commercial hosting or support providers. | The pricing page advertises 24/7 support and states that replies are from real people, with an average support reply time under one minute. |
Plans
In their own words
BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Pencil Spaces
Pencil Spaces is an online classroom for tutoring that combines live teaching, collaboration, session recording, and lesson management. Its browser-based classroom has persistent whiteboards, video calling, built-in resources, document annotation, and interactive web content. Teachers can manage student views and permissions, use waiting and breakout rooms, and receive private alerts when a student goes idle or switches tabs. Scheduling includes attendance tracking, automated scheduling, reminders, and engagement insights. Sessions can be recorded locally or in the cloud; cloud recording storage is 90 days on Expert and 12 months on Master. Starter is free, a 14-day trial is available, and paid plans start at $4/mo. Enterprise starts at $1,000/mo, with custom pricing from $0.002 per participant minute. Prices are in USD per session hour, not per person, and charges begin when a second person joins a Space. Some mobile features may be unavailable.