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Education · head to head

ClassLink vs Star Walk 2

ClassLink logo

ClassLink

Education

Single sign-on, rostering and usage analytics for school districts

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Star Walk 2 logo

Star Walk 2

Education

Freemium stargazing app with a low-cost ad-free upgrade, aimed at casual sky watchers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Star Walk 2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ClassLink it is a single point of failure by design; a ClassLink outage locks pupils out of every application at once, which is a worse day than any individual product failing.; Star Walk 2 its object catalogue is far smaller than SkySafari Pro, so it has little to offer once someone wants to go beyond naked-eye stargazing.
  • They diverge on capability: ClassLink covers LaunchPad, Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ClassLink and Star Walk 2 actually diverge.

Attributes where ClassLink and Star Walk 2 differ
AttributeClassLinkStar Walk 2
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFreemium, low-cost ad-free subscription upgrade
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, WindowsiOS, Android, macOS, Windows

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 ClassLink

  • LaunchPad
  • Roster Server
  • Analytics
  • MyFiles
  • QuickCards and badge sign-in
  • ClassLink Extension
  • Multi-factor and conditional access
  • OneSync

Only in Star Walk 2

  • Augmented reality sky view
  • Time travel mode
  • Satellite tracking
  • Night mode
  • Meteor shower and event alerts
  • Ad-free Plus tier

What people use each for

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

ClassLink

  • A district that has bought dozens of edtech products and cannot answer the board question of which ones are actually being used before renewal season.not Star Walk 2
  • A primary school where five and six year olds cannot type passwords, needing badge or QR sign-in that still resolves to a real identity behind the scenes.not Star Walk 2
  • A technology team spending each August rekeying class lists into a dozen vendor portals, wanting OneRoster provisioning to do it from the SIS instead.not Star Walk 2
  • A district running a mix of Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 that needs one portal over both rather than telling pupils which login to use for which tool.not Star Walk 2

Star Walk 2

  • A parent wanting a cheap, simple app to show a child the night skynot ClassLink
  • A traveller who wants to identify stars and planets without a big subscription commitmentnot ClassLink
  • A casual stargazer who does not need telescope control or a deep-sky cataloguenot ClassLink
  • Someone wanting satellite pass tracking including the ISS on a budgetnot ClassLink

Where each one falls short

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

ClassLink

  • It is a single point of failure by design; a ClassLink outage locks pupils out of every application at once, which is a worse day than any individual product failing.
  • Pricing is entirely quote-based and per student, so a district cannot budget for it without a sales cycle, and comparisons against Clever come down to negotiated rates rather than list prices.
  • Rostering accuracy is only as good as the SIS data behind it, and districts with messy enrolment or course records find ClassLink faithfully propagates that mess to every downstream vendor.
  • Applications that do not support SAML or OIDC are handled by a browser extension that replays stored credentials, which works but breaks whenever the vendor changes its login page and is a weaker security posture than real federation.
  • Analytics measures logins and session activity, not learning or engagement, so a product that pupils open and abandon still looks used; districts that treat the numbers as proof of value draw the wrong conclusion.

Star Walk 2

  • Its object catalogue is far smaller than SkySafari Pro, so it has little to offer once someone wants to go beyond naked-eye stargazing.
  • It has no telescope control, unlike SkySafari Plus and Pro, so it cannot drive a motorised mount.
  • The free tier carries ads, which some users find intrusive during a stargazing session.
  • It shares a visual style with many similar AR sky map apps, so its differentiation beyond price is limited.
  • Content depth for deep-sky objects and satellite catalogues lags noticeably behind Sky Guide Pro and SkySafari Pro.

Pricing, plan by plan

ClassLink

On request
  • ClassLink$undefined/year
    • Priced per student, with rates varying by district size and module mix
    • LaunchPad, Roster Server and Analytics are licensed separately or bundled
    • Annual district agreements, multi-year discounts negotiated

Star Walk 2

Free
  • Star Walk 2Free
    • Core sky map and AR view
    • Ad-supported
  • Star Walk 2 Plus$5.99/year
    • Ads removed
    • Additional sky content

Which should you pick?

Choose ClassLink if

  • You need launchpad.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
  • You also want roster server.
ClassLink review

Choose Star Walk 2 if

  • You need augmented reality sky view.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want time travel mode.
Star Walk 2 review

Questions people ask

Is ClassLink or Star Walk 2 better?
Neither clearly leads. ClassLink starts at On request and Star Walk 2 at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ClassLink or Star Walk 2?
Star Walk 2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ClassLink and Free for Star Walk 2.
Does ClassLink or Star Walk 2 run on more platforms?
ClassLink runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows. Star Walk 2 runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Star Walk 2 for free?
Yes. Star Walk 2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ClassLink starts at On request.
What is ClassLink best used for?
ClassLink is most often used for a district that has bought dozens of edtech products and cannot answer the board question of which ones are actually being used before renewal season., a primary school where five and six year olds cannot type passwords, needing badge or qr sign-in that still resolves to a real identity behind the scenes., a technology team spending each august rekeying class lists into a dozen vendor portals, wanting oneroster provisioning to do it from the sis instead., a district running a mix of google workspace and microsoft 365 that needs one portal over both rather than telling pupils which login to use for which tool.. Of those, a district that has bought dozens of edtech products and cannot answer the board question of which ones are actually being used before renewal season. and a primary school where five and six year olds cannot type passwords, needing badge or qr sign-in that still resolves to a real identity behind the scenes. are not what Star Walk 2 is typically brought in for.
What can ClassLink do that Star Walk 2 cannot?
ClassLink covers LaunchPad, Roster Server, Analytics, MyFiles. Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view, Time travel mode, Satellite tracking, Night mode.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ClassLink: How is ClassLink different from Clever?

Both do SSO and OneRoster provisioning to schools. ClassLink leans harder on usage analytics and on access to on-premise network file shares; Clever leans on its application marketplace. Vendor support is broadly comparable.

Star Walk 2: Is Star Walk 2 free?

A free ad-supported version exists; Star Walk 2 Plus removes ads and adds content for a low annual or monthly fee.

ClassLink: Does it replace Google or Microsoft accounts?

No. It sits over them. Pupils still have an underlying Google Workspace or Entra ID identity and ClassLink federates to it.

Star Walk 2: Does it support telescope control?

No. For telescope control, SkySafari Plus or Pro is the better choice.

ClassLink: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted per student and varies with district size and which of LaunchPad, Roster Server and Analytics you licence.

Star Walk 2: How does it compare to SkySafari on price?

It is substantially cheaper, but with a much smaller star and deep-sky object catalogue.

ClassLink: Does it work outside the United States?

Yes, but the OneRoster ecosystem and the SIS integrations are strongest for US K-12; international deployments get less of the prebuilt vendor coverage.

ClassLink: Can Analytics prove a product is worth renewing?

It proves whether people log in. It cannot tell you whether the time spent was useful, so treat low usage as a firm signal and high usage as a weak one.

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