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Education · head to head

Gimkit vs Lightspeed Systems

Gimkit logo

Gimkit

Education

Game-based learning built by students

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Systems logo

Lightspeed Systems

Education

Filtering, classroom management and student safety monitoring for K-12 device fleets

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Gimkit has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • They diverge on capability: Gimkit covers Game modes, Lightspeed Systems covers Filter.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gimkit and Lightspeed Systems actually diverge.

Attributes where Gimkit and Lightspeed Systems differ
AttributeGimkitLightspeed Systems
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS
Founded2017Unknown

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 Gimkit

  • Game modes
  • In-game currency
  • Live games
  • Assignments
  • Reports
  • Question import
  • Audio questions
  • Game themes

Only in Lightspeed Systems

  • Filter
  • Alert
  • Classroom
  • Insight
  • Signal
  • MDM
  • StopIt
  • Hall Monitor

What people use each for

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

Gimkit

  • Review gamesnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Formative assessmentnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Student engagementnot Lightspeed Systems
  • Test prepnot Lightspeed Systems

Lightspeed Systems

  • A district with 15,000 take-home Chromebooks that needs filtering to follow the device onto home and public networksnot Gimkit
  • A technology director being asked to justify the edtech budget, who can use app usage data to cancel licences nobody opensnot Gimkit
  • A school board that has agreed to safety monitoring but has no staff able to respond to alerts at night, and so buys the human review servicenot Gimkit
  • A one-to-one iPad rollout wanting device enrolment, filtering and teacher screen control from one vendornot Gimkit

Where each one falls short

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

Gimkit

Nothing recorded yet. See the Gimkit review.

Lightspeed Systems

  • No module has published pricing, so districts cannot benchmark a quote without running a formal procurement, and the eventual figure depends heavily on which co-operative contract they buy through.
  • Alert detection and the 24/7 human review that makes it actionable are priced separately, so a district that budgets for Alert alone ends up owning the overnight triage burden itself.
  • The agent model means coverage stops at the managed device, and students moving to a personal phone on mobile data are outside filtering and monitoring entirely, which undercuts the compliance claim in the exact scenario administrators worry about.
  • Teacher screen monitoring is frequently deployed without training, and lessons stall while staff learn the interface, so the first term of a Classroom rollout often produces complaints rather than the intended benefit.
  • Buying eight modules from one vendor makes renewal a single high-value negotiation with no partial leverage, and districts locked into a multi-year co-operative contract cannot easily drop a module that underperforms.

Pricing, plan by plan

Gimkit

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5 kits
    • Basic game modes
  • Pro$9.99/month
    • Unlimited kits
    • All game modes
    • Reports
  • School/District$undefined/month
    • All Pro features
    • Admin tools
    • Rostering

Lightspeed Systems

On request
  • Lightspeed Filter$undefined/year
    • Device-level content filtering on and off network
    • YouTube and social media policy controls
    • Quoted per student device per year
  • Lightspeed Alert$undefined/year
    • Safety signal detection
    • 24/7 human review sold as an additional service
    • Quoted
  • Lightspeed Classroom, Insight, Signal, MDM, StopIt and Hall Monitor$undefined/year
    • Each sold as a separate per-student module
    • Quoted, commonly bundled

Which should you pick?

Choose Gimkit if

  • You need game modes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want in-game currency.
Gimkit review

Choose Lightspeed Systems if

  • You need filter.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want alert.
Lightspeed Systems review

Questions people ask

Is Gimkit or Lightspeed Systems better?
Neither clearly leads. Gimkit starts at Free and Lightspeed Systems at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gimkit or Lightspeed Systems?
Gimkit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Gimkit and On request for Lightspeed Systems.
Does Gimkit or Lightspeed Systems run on more platforms?
Gimkit runs on Web, IOS, Android. Lightspeed Systems runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Gimkit for free?
Yes. Gimkit has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lightspeed Systems starts at On request.
What is Gimkit best used for?
Gimkit is most often used for review games, formative assessment, student engagement, test prep. Of those, review games and formative assessment are not what Lightspeed Systems is typically brought in for.
What can Gimkit do that Lightspeed Systems cannot?
Gimkit covers Game modes, In-game currency, Live games, Assignments. Lightspeed Systems covers Filter, Alert, Classroom, Insight.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lightspeed Systems: How much does Lightspeed Filter cost per student?

Lightspeed does not publish rates. Pricing is quoted per student device per year and varies with district size, module mix and which purchasing co-operative contract you buy through.

Lightspeed Systems: Is 24/7 human alert review included with Alert?

No. Alert provides the detection; the staffed round-the-clock review service is an additional purchase, and it is usually what districts actually need.

Lightspeed Systems: Does filtering work when students are at home?

Yes, the agent runs on the device rather than the network, so policy follows the Chromebook or laptop off site.

Lightspeed Systems: What does Insight actually do for the budget?

It reports which licensed apps are opened and by whom, which districts use to cancel subscriptions with low usage. It also flags whether an app meets named privacy and accessibility standards.

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