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Education · head to head

360Learning vs Skyward

360Learning logo

360Learning

Education

Collaborative learning that transforms L&D

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Skyward logo

Skyward

Education

Student information and school ERP for K-12 districts and municipalities

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only 360Learning has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 360Learning the published Team plan at $8 per user per month covers up to 100 users; beyond that pricing is custom; Skyward no pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to learn what a district of your size pays is to enter a sales cycle, and comparative quotes across vendors are hard to obtain before a board meeting deadline.
  • They diverge on capability: 360Learning covers Collaborative authoring, Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 360Learning and Skyward actually diverge.

Attributes where 360Learning and Skyward differ
Attribute360LearningSkyward
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, Android, APIWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 360Learning

  • Collaborative authoring
  • AI-powered recommendations
  • Social learning
  • Assessments
  • Mobile learning
  • Analytics
  • Integrations
  • Gamification

Only in Skyward

  • Qmlativ SIS
  • School Business Suite
  • Position control
  • Family and student access
  • State reporting packs
  • Municipality edition
  • Data mining and reporting
  • Employee access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

360Learning

  • Collaborative course authoring by internal subject matter expertsnot Skyward
  • Onboarding and compliance training deliverynot Skyward
  • Upskilling programmes tracked across a workforcenot Skyward
  • Customer and partner trainingnot Skyward

Skyward

  • A district of 8,000 students that wants payroll, position budgeting and the SIS on one vendor contract instead of paying an integrator to reconcile employee records nightlynot 360Learning
  • A Wisconsin or Texas district where state submission deadlines are the dominant compliance burden and prebuilt state packs remove weeks of extract worknot 360Learning
  • A district still on the older PaC client-server product deciding whether to migrate to Qmlativ or replace the SIS outrightnot 360Learning
  • A county government buying the finance and HR half on its own, separate from any school usenot 360Learning

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

360Learning

  • The published Team plan at $8 per user per month covers up to 100 users; beyond that pricing is custom
  • Business and Enterprise pricing is not published
  • Priority SLA, dedicated technical support and premium onboarding are Enterprise only
  • Business and Enterprise plans are typically annual contracts rather than monthly

Skyward

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to learn what a district of your size pays is to enter a sales cycle, and comparative quotes across vendors are hard to obtain before a board meeting deadline.
  • State reporting depth is uneven: the packs are excellent in the states where Skyward has a large installed base and thin elsewhere, so a district in a low-penetration state inherits reporting work the vendor absorbs for others.
  • The third-party integration ecosystem is much smaller than PowerSchool's, so an edtech tool your teachers want may support the market leader first and Skyward months later or not at all.
  • Two product generations are still live and the migration from PaC to Qmlativ is a project in its own right, meaning a district can be paying for a modernisation programme rather than new capability.
  • Buying SIS and ERP from one vendor concentrates risk: a pricing increase, an ownership change or a product direction you dislike affects enrolment, payroll and the general ledger simultaneously, and unpicking that is a multi-year replacement rather than swapping one system.

Pricing, plan by plan

360Learning

Free
  • Team$8/month
    • Up to 100 users
    • No minimum number of users required
    • Pay only for active users
  • Business$null/custom
    • Flexible user models: registered and monthly active users
    • Growing organizations and L&D teams ready to scale
    • Annual contracts generally offered
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Flexible user models: registered and monthly active users
    • Large organizations seeking enterprise-wide L&D transformation
    • Annual contracts generally offered

Skyward

On request
  • Student Management Suite$undefined/year
    • Enrolment, scheduling, attendance and grading
    • State reporting
    • Family and student portals
  • School Business Suite$undefined/year
    • Finance, payroll and HR
    • Position control
    • Usually quoted alongside the SIS as a bundle
  • Municipality Edition$undefined/year
    • Finance and HR for local government
    • Quoted per organisation

Which should you pick?

Choose 360Learning if

  • You need collaborative authoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, API.
  • You also want ai-powered recommendations.
360Learning review

Choose Skyward if

  • You need qmlativ sis.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want school business suite.
Skyward review

Questions people ask

Is 360Learning or Skyward better?
Neither clearly leads. 360Learning starts at Free and Skyward at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 360Learning or Skyward?
360Learning has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for 360Learning and On request for Skyward.
Does 360Learning or Skyward run on more platforms?
360Learning runs on Web, IOS, Android, API. Skyward runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use 360Learning for free?
Yes. 360Learning has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Skyward starts at On request.
What is 360Learning best used for?
360Learning is most often used for collaborative course authoring by internal subject matter experts, onboarding and compliance training delivery, upskilling programmes tracked across a workforce, customer and partner training. Of those, collaborative course authoring by internal subject matter experts and onboarding and compliance training delivery are not what Skyward is typically brought in for.
What can 360Learning do that Skyward cannot?
360Learning covers Collaborative authoring, AI-powered recommendations, Social learning, Assessments. Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS, School Business Suite, Position control, Family and student access.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

360Learning: Does 360Learning offer a free trial before committing to a paid plan?

Yes, a 30-day free trial is available with no credit card required. Customers can easily upgrade to a paid plan or add more users at any time without disrupting their setup.

Source
Skyward: Was Skyward bought by PowerSchool?

No. Skyward remains an independent company based in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and competes directly with PowerSchool in the K-12 SIS market. It is one of the few SIS vendors of scale not owned by a private equity roll-up.

360Learning: Can I scale up my user count on the Team plan, or do I need to upgrade to Business?

The Team plan accommodates up to 100 users with no minimum user requirement. You pay only for active users on the platform. To exceed 100 users, you would need to contact sales for a Business or Enterprise plan with custom pricing.

Source
Skyward: Is pricing per student?

Yes, the student system is generally quoted per student per year with the finance suite priced separately, but no rate card is published and discounts vary heavily by district size and term length.

360Learning: What billing flexibility does 360Learning offer for larger organizations?

Business and Enterprise plans use flexible user models that combine both registered and monthly active users. Annual contracts are generally offered for these tiers, with no hidden setup fees.

Source
Skyward: Can we buy just the finance and HR suite?

Yes. School Business Suite is sold on its own, and there is a municipality edition for city and county government with no school component.

Skyward: What is the difference between Qmlativ and PaC?

PaC is the older client-server generation and Qmlativ is the current browser-based product. New districts buy Qmlativ; existing PaC districts are being migrated.

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