Softwr

Education · head to head

Gimkit vs Skyward

Gimkit logo

Gimkit

Education

Game-based learning built by students

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

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gimkit and Skyward actually diverge.

Attributes where Gimkit and Skyward differ
AttributeGimkitSkyward
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2017Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web, IOS, Android), 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 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.

Gimkit

  • Review gamesnot Skyward
  • Formative assessmentnot Skyward
  • Student engagementnot Skyward
  • Test prepnot 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 Gimkit
  • A Wisconsin or Texas district where state submission deadlines are the dominant compliance burden and prebuilt state packs remove weeks of extract worknot Gimkit
  • A district still on the older PaC client-server product deciding whether to migrate to Qmlativ or replace the SIS outrightnot Gimkit
  • A county government buying the finance and HR half on its own, separate from any school usenot 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.

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

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

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 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 Skyward if

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

Questions people ask

Is Gimkit or Skyward better?
Neither clearly leads. Gimkit 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, Gimkit or Skyward?
Gimkit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Gimkit and On request for Skyward.
Does Gimkit or Skyward run on more platforms?
Gimkit runs on Web, IOS, Android. Skyward runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Gimkit for free?
Yes. Gimkit has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Skyward 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 Skyward is typically brought in for.
What can Gimkit do that Skyward cannot?
Gimkit covers Game modes, In-game currency, Live games, Assignments. Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS, School Business Suite, Position control, Family and student access.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on Gimkit

More on Skyward

Keep looking

Other head to heads