LiveSchool vs Piazza
LiveSchool
whyliveschool.comPiazza
piazza.comSide by side
| Figure | LiveSchool | Piazza |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $163.33/mo | $379/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 12 |
| Spec score · Classroom Management Software | 8.0 (#10) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Purpose | LiveSchool is a behavior management platform for positive school culture that helps schools track behavior and use points and rewards. | Piazza is a Q&A platform that connects students, TAs, and professors so students can get help with coursework. |
| Support | All plans include live chat, phone, and email support from former educators on school days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. | Piazza lists [email protected] and 800-818-4124 as support contact options. |
Plans
LiveSchool
- PilotFree
- Starter$1,960 a year
- Premium$3,960 a year
- DistrictPriced on request
Piazza
- Contribution-supportedFree
- Contribution-supported modelFree
- Instructor license — 400-student maximum$379 a month
- Instructor license (up to 400 students)$379, paid once
- Instructor license — 700-student maximum$429 a month
- Instructor license (up to 700 students)$429, paid once
- Instructor license (unlimited)$479, paid once
- Instructor license — unlimited class size$479 a month
- Department license (up to 2,000 students)$9,000 a year
- Department license$12,000 a year
In their own words
LiveSchool
LiveSchool is a behavior management platform for K-12 schools and districts, built around tracking behavior and using points and rewards to support positive school culture. Its tools include behavior tracking, a rewards store, House Points, hall passes, and family engagement, with support for PBIS and SEL programs. Parents, guardians, and students can use the service for free, while schools pay for staff users. The free Pilot plan covers one grade level for up to one school year. Starter is listed at $49 per staff member per year for 40 staff, and Premium is $99 per staff member per year for 40 staff. Subscriptions require at least 10 staff and a 12-month term. Educators, students, and families can sign in through a browser or use the LiveSchool Next app on iPhone, iPad, and Android. The platform supports roster synchronization and single sign-on through Clever and ClassLink. LiveSchool says it complies with FERPA and COPPA and describes encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, and default deletion of student records within 60 days after service ends, subject to legal or data-sharing requirements.
Piazza
Piazza is a course Q&A platform connecting students, teaching assistants, and professors around coursework. Its wiki-style format lets participants edit shared responses, with one student answer and one instructor answer for each question. Students can post anonymously to classmates, or anonymously to the instructor if the instructor permits it; instructors can endorse questions and answers. Course pages can hold announcements, course information, syllabi, assignments, lecture notes, and links. Participation reports show instructors who asks, answers, edits, or reads, as well as when questions arise during the term. Piazza lists integrations with Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai, Desire2Learn, Canvas, Jenzabar, and Angel. Integrated rosters can enroll users with appropriate roles, and users can sign in through the LMS. Piazza is available on web, iOS, and Android, with class alerts in its mobile apps. It says student email addresses and course enrollment details are accessible only to class instructors, and describes technical, administrative, and physical safeguards. Founded in 2009, it is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. A contribution-supported plan is free; paid instructor licenses start at $379 a month, billed per term.