D2L Brightspace vs Google Classroom
D2L Brightspace
d2l.comGoogle Classroom
edu.google.comSide by side
| Figure | D2L Brightspace | Google Classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $0.25/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 7 |
| Spec score · Learning Management Systems | 8.2 (#35) | 9.4 (#1) |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Assessments | Yes | Yes |
| Audience | D2L presents Brightspace for higher education, K-12, training organizations, associations, business, and government. | Google describes Classroom as serving educators and students and presents tools for education leaders and IT administrators. |
| Compliance | D2L lists ISO/IEC 27701, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27017, SOC reports, CSA STAR, and TX-RAMP among its security certifications and assessments. | Google says Education Fundamentals supports FERPA, COPPA and GDPR compliance practices and provides 100 TB of pooled storage. |
| Integrations | D2L says Brightspace supports third-party integrations, batch data processing, real-time APIs, and no-code integration recipes through D2L Link. | Classroom supports EdTech add-ons and SIS connections including Clever, PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward SMS, Skyward Qmlativ, and Follett Aspen. |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile apps | D2L offers Brightspace Portfolio, Brightspace Pulse, and Brightspace Parent & Guardian apps for Android and iOS; compatibility with platform versions may vary. | The Classroom app is available for iOS and Android. |
| Security | D2L lists TLS connections, session controls, transaction and IP logging, password policies, delegated authentication, logical separation of customer data, and customer-controlled access settings among its safeguards. | Classroom uses the same infrastructure as other Google Workspace products, with centralized Admin console controls and regular third-party privacy audits. |
| SSO support | Yes | Yes |
| Support | D2L provides a Brightspace Community with product information, FAQs, release notes, and documentation, plus video tutorials; users needing further assistance are directed to their organization's IT department or online learning administrator. | The Classroom Help Center provides role-based guides for students, teachers, leaders and administrators plus community support. |
Plans
Google Classroom
- Education Plus$6 a year
- Education FundamentalsFree
- Google Workspace for Education FundamentalsFree
- Education Standard$3 a year
- Teaching and Learning$4 a month
- Education Plus$5 a year
- Google Workspace for Education Plus$6 a year
In their own words
D2L Brightspace
D2L Brightspace is a learning management system for higher education, K–12, training organizations, associations, businesses, and government. It supports personalized learning experiences that adapt to learner performance, along with assessments, certificates, custom dashboards, predictive analytics, learner risk scoring, and intervention alerts. Analytics help organizations examine trends. Optional D2L Lumi provides AI-driven assistance, while Creator+ is an add-on for creating interactive course content. Brightspace supports third-party integrations, batch data processing, real-time APIs, no-code integration recipes through D2L Link, LTI, and single sign-on. Listed integration examples include Banner Grades, Top Hat Classroom, Ouriginal Plagiarism Checker, and Bongo virtual classrooms and video assignments. The service is available on the web, Android, and iOS, with API access; D2L also offers Brightspace Portfolio, Pulse, and Parent & Guardian apps. Pricing is customized according to learner numbers, licenses, features, add-ons, and services, and customers must request a quote.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a learning platform where educators can create classes, distribute coursework, and grade student work. Teachers can use customizable rubrics, reusable comment banks, bulk grading, and feedback during students’ work. Originality reports compare submissions with web pages and books; the listed allowance is five reports per class for Education Fundamentals and unlimited reports with peer comparison for Education Plus. Other learning tools include interactive practice sets, Read Along reading feedback, and questions embedded in YouTube videos. Classroom supports EdTech add-ons and connections to student information systems, and institutions can customize it through APIs. It is available on web, Android, and iOS, with support for up to 1,000 learners. Google says the core service has no advertising and personal information is not used or sold for ad targeting. Education Fundamentals is free for qualifying institutions; Education Plus is $6 a year. A 60-day trial is listed.