ClassMarker vs TAO
ClassMarker
classmarker.com
TAO
taotesting.comSide by side
| Figure | ClassMarker | TAO |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19.95/mo | $149/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 7 |
| Spec score · Assessment Software | 9.5 (#1) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Spec score · Online Exam Software | 9.4 (#1) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Spec score · Automated Grading Software | 9.4 (#1) | 8.7 (#3) |
| Spec score · Quiz Maker Software | 9.5 (#1) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Spec score · Assessment & Examination software | 9.4 (#1) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Company founding | LinkedIn states that ClassMarker was founded in 2006. | The company was created in 2013 when TAO spun off into Open Assessment Technologies S.A. |
| Company legal name | The service identifies its operator as ClassMarker Pty Ltd. | Crunchbase identifies the maker as Open Assessment Technologies S.A., a private for-profit company founded by Marc Oswald and Patrick Plichart. |
| Company size | LinkedIn lists ClassMarker as privately held with 2–10 employees. | LinkedIn lists Open Assessment Technologies as having 51–200 employees and headquarters in Capellen, Luxembourg. |
| Headquarters | Crunchbase lists Sydney, New South Wales, Australia as the headquarters location and Trent Williams as founder. | Capellen, Luxembourg |
| Integrations | Official integration options include LMS or CRM connections, website embeds, user-ID tracking, access lists, Zapier webhooks and real-time result delivery. | Listed integrations include Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, GeoGebra, Proctorio, MathType, Wiris and Texthelp. |
| Licence | The official site presents ClassMarker as a hosted proprietary service and does not publish an open-source licence; its footer claims copyright for ClassMarker Pty Ltd. | TAO Community Edition core components are released under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPLv3). |
| Proctoring | ClassMarker Monitor can detect tab switching, loss of focus, leaving full screen, mouse-boundary violations, camera events, face detection and ID-card checks. | The platform offers lockdown-browser controls, local proctoring, remote-proctoring integrations and session monitoring. |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.7 out of 5 from 6 reviews. | 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.7 out of 5 from 6 reviews. | 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews |
| Security | The maker says ClassMarker uses encryption for data in transit and at rest, role based access controls, regular audits, and penetration testing. | TAO says cloud and on-premise customer content is encrypted, access is restricted, backups are maintained and external penetration tests are periodically conducted. |
| Support | GetApp lists FAQs/forum, knowledge base and email/help-desk support, with video training. | Community Edition support is through the TAO Community Forum and User Guide; paid plans offer additional support options. |
| System requirements | The cloud service supports Windows, Macintosh, Linux, ChromeOS/Chromebook, major browsers, iPhone/iPad/iPod touch and Android devices. | The installation guide lists Apache 2.4, PHP 7.2 and MySQL 5.7, MariaDB 10.1 or PostgreSQL 9.5, with recent Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge clients. |
Plans
ClassMarker
- Free accountFree
- Professional 1$19.95 a month
- Credit pack 50$25, paid once
- Professional 2$39.95 a month
- Credit pack 250$100, paid once
- Credit pack 1000$300, paid once
- Credit pack 2500$625, paid once
- Credit pack 5000$1,000, paid once
- EnterprisePriced on request
TAO
- TAO Community EditionFree
- TAO StarterFree
- TAO StarterFree
- TAO Author$149 a month
- TAO Ignite$990 a month
- TAO ElevatePriced on request
- TAO EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
ClassMarker
ClassMarker has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
TAO
TAO is an online platform for creating, delivering and managing digital assessments. Authors can build tests manually, convert existing exam files, use AI-assisted drafting or import QTI packages. Question formats include Choice, Extended Text, File Upload, Hotspot and Text Entry. Scoring supports automatic and manual methods, partial credit, weighted responses and cut scores, with branching logic also available. Results can be reviewed through session and test-taker reports, custom reports, CSV results, Data Explorer and TAO Insights. TAO supports QTI 2.2 and QTI 3.0, and promotes interoperability through QTI and LTI. Delivery options include online, LMS via LTI, test centers, local proctoring, and cloud-hosted or self-hosted configurations. TAO Cloud offers shared or private hosting using providers including AWS, Google Cloud and Linode. Starter is free for one author and 50 learner attempts monthly; Community Edition is a free, self-hosted open-source option. Paid plans include TAO Author at $149 a month and TAO Ignite at $990 a month; custom plans are also listed.