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Education · head to head

Blackboard vs Securly

Blackboard logo

Blackboard

Education

Comprehensive learning platform for educational institutions

From
$10/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Securly logo

Securly

Education

Web filtering, student safety monitoring and device management for K-12 schools

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Blackboard user interface is outdated, cluttered, and unintuitive with hidden menus and excessive clicks; Securly pricing stacks by module and only Filter has rates that surface publicly, so the quoted total for Filter plus Aware plus On-Call is routinely several times the number a district budgeted from the filtering line alone.
  • They diverge on capability: Blackboard covers Course management, Securly covers Filter.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blackboard and Securly actually diverge.

Attributes where Blackboard and Securly differ
AttributeBlackboardSecurly
Starting price$10/yearOn request
Pricing modelUnknownPer student per year by module
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows
Founded1997Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Blackboard

  • Course management
  • Assessment tools
  • Discussion boards
  • Virtual classroom
  • Gradebook
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics
  • Accessibility

Only in Securly

  • Filter
  • Aware
  • On-Call
  • Classroom
  • MDM
  • Pass
  • Home
  • Delegated admin

What people use each for

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

Blackboard

  • Course deliverynot Securly
  • Student engagementnot Securly
  • Assessmentnot Securly
  • Virtual learningnot Securly

Securly

  • A district that must show CIPA compliance for take-home Chromebooks used on home broadband, where network-level filtering does nothingnot Blackboard
  • A district whose safeguarding policy requires that a human being reads a self-harm alert within minutes at any hour, including school holidaysnot Blackboard
  • A one-to-one iPad programme needing Apple device enrolment, filtering and classroom control from a single agent rather than threenot Blackboard
  • A district under pressure from parents who want visibility of what their child does on the school device at home, without the school having to field each request by handnot Blackboard

Where each one falls short

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

Blackboard

  • User interface is outdated, cluttered, and unintuitive with hidden menus and excessive clicks
  • Slow response times and platform crashes when opening multiple tabs simultaneously
  • Cannot track detailed student activity beyond most recent login information
  • Limited ability to handle large file uploads for content and assignments
  • Minimal customization options for page and template design

Securly

  • Pricing stacks by module and only Filter has rates that surface publicly, so the quoted total for Filter plus Aware plus On-Call is routinely several times the number a district budgeted from the filtering line alone.
  • The safety scanning generates false positives at volume, including song lyrics, creative writing and health-class assignments, and each one consumes counsellor or administrator time that the vendor does not pay for.
  • Alerting on student writing is a surveillance decision with real community consequences, and districts that deploy it without an explicit board policy and parent notification have faced local objections after the fact.
  • Coverage is strongest on managed Chromebooks; personal devices, non-Chrome browsers and encrypted apps outside the agent leave gaps that the compliance story quietly depends on nobody testing.
  • Per-student pricing is charged on enrolment rather than on devices, so a district that issues devices to only some year groups still pays for every student on the roll.

Pricing, plan by plan

Blackboard

$10/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Blackboard review.

Securly

On request
  • Filter$undefined/year
    • Web filtering on and off network
    • Tiered per-student rates that fall as enrolment rises
    • Published in some purchasing co-operative catalogues, not on the vendor site
  • Aware$undefined/year
    • Automated scanning of email, documents and search for safety risk
    • Quoted per student, no public rate
  • On-Call$undefined/year
    • 24/7 human review and escalation of serious alerts
    • Quoted per student, priced on top of Aware
  • Classroom, MDM and Pass$undefined/year
    • Sold as separate per-student modules
    • Quoted

Which should you pick?

Choose Blackboard if

  • You need course management.
  • You also want assessment tools.
Blackboard review

Choose Securly if

  • You need filter.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
  • You also want aware.
Securly review

Questions people ask

Is Blackboard or Securly better?
Neither clearly leads. Blackboard starts at $10/year and Securly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blackboard or Securly?
Blackboard starts at $10/year and Securly at On request.
Does Blackboard or Securly run on more platforms?
Blackboard runs on Web. Securly runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
What is Blackboard best used for?
Blackboard is most often used for course delivery, student engagement, assessment, virtual learning. Of those, course delivery and student engagement are not what Securly is typically brought in for.
What can Blackboard do that Securly cannot?
Blackboard covers Course management, Assessment tools, Discussion boards, Virtual classroom. Securly covers Filter, Aware, On-Call, Classroom.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blackboard: What does Blackboard LMS offer?

Blackboard is a learning management system that includes course management, assignment and gradebook tools, discussion forums, and analytics for tracking learner progress in online, hybrid, and in-person courses.

Source
Securly: Does Securly publish pricing?

Not on its own site. Tiered per-student rates for Filter appear in some US purchasing co-operative catalogues, falling as enrolment rises, but Aware, On-Call, Classroom, MDM and Pass are quoted.

Securly: What is the difference between Aware and On-Call?

Aware is the automated detection that produces alerts. On-Call is the staffed service that reads the serious ones out of hours and phones your escalation contacts. Buying Aware alone leaves the triage with your own staff.

Securly: Does it filter on home internet?

Yes, filtering follows the managed device rather than the network, which is the point for take-home Chromebook programmes.

Securly: Is student data used for anything else?

Securly signs the US Student Privacy Pledge and district data processing agreements; check the specific DPA rather than the marketing page, since scanning scope and retention are negotiated terms.

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