PebblePad vs Seesaw Digital Portfolios

PebblePad is a higher education platform for learning, assessment and engagement, designed for institutions, educators and learners. Students can plan and reflect on learning experiences, then collect and share evidence of their capabilities in ePortfolios. Educators can create templates and workbooks for activities, projects and placements, and use assessment tools to monitor engagement and give formative or summative feedback. The platform maps competencies and skills to programme outcomes or professional frameworks, while dashboards help institutions define completion and identify learners ready for assessment. PebblePocket captures reflections and learning evidence offline and syncs it after reconnection. Accounts are issued by institutions, each with its own installation. Integrations with learning management systems support single sign-on, enrolment synchronisation, resource links and grade synchronisation; listed options include Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas and Moodle. The service is hosted on AWS and has a stated 99.9% uptime SLA. PebblePad lists ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and TX-RAMP among its security certifications. Pricing is institutional and available on request.

Seesaw Digital Portfolios help PreK–5th grade students document learning and show growth over time. Students can capture assignments with photos, videos, and audio, upload digital work, and write reflections. They create and shape their own portfolios, self-assess against learning objectives, and save noteworthy work in highlights folders. Schools can use competency stickers and custom folders to collect evidence aligned with priorities such as creativity, communication, and critical thinking. Teachers control sharing, while student work remains private to the classroom by default. Seesaw lists integrations with Schoology, Canvas, and Google Classroom, plus Google, Microsoft, and Okta single sign-on. Districts can automate class, teacher, and student rostering through Clever or ClassLink. Security measures include encrypted content in transit, secure server communication, and regular third-party audits. Seesaw states SOC Type II compliance and compliance with FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, LGPD, MFIPPA, and the Australian Privacy Act. It runs on web, iOS, and Android with a free plan.