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Education · head to head

GoGuardian vs Wakelet

GoGuardian logo

GoGuardian

Education

Web filtering, classroom screen monitoring and self-harm alerting for school-issued devices

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wakelet logo

Wakelet

Education

Save, organize, and share content for learning

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Wakelet has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: GoGuardian beacon generates alerts that a human must act on, often outside school hours, and districts that buy it without agreeing who responds at 11pm have created a liability rather than resolved one.; Wakelet free Starter plan caps at 3 collections, 250 items and 1GB storage
  • They diverge on capability: GoGuardian covers Admin, Wakelet covers Content curation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GoGuardian and Wakelet actually diverge.

Attributes where GoGuardian and Wakelet differ
AttributeGoGuardianWakelet
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsChrome OS, Windows, macOS, iOS, WebWeb, IOS, Android, Chrome Extension
FoundedUnknown2012

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 GoGuardian

  • Admin
  • Teacher
  • Beacon
  • Beacon 24/7
  • Scenes and sessions
  • Smart Alerts
  • Off-campus filtering
  • Reporting

Only in Wakelet

  • Content curation
  • Collections
  • Collaboration
  • Embedding
  • PDF export
  • Customization
  • Spaces
  • Comments

What people use each for

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

GoGuardian

  • A US district that must demonstrate CIPA-compliant filtering on federally subsidised broadband and wants the activity logs to survive an audit.not Wakelet
  • A one-to-one Chromebook programme where devices go home and the district needs the filtering policy to travel with the device rather than stop at the school gate.not Wakelet
  • A school with a documented safeguarding concern about self-harm that needs flagged language escalated to a named counsellor with a timestamped record.not Wakelet
  • A teacher running an online assessment who needs pupil browsers locked to a single site for the duration without provisioning a separate lockdown browser.not Wakelet

Wakelet

  • Teachers and schools curating multimedia collections and student portfoliosnot GoGuardian

Where each one falls short

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

GoGuardian

  • Beacon generates alerts that a human must act on, often outside school hours, and districts that buy it without agreeing who responds at 11pm have created a liability rather than resolved one.
  • Detection is language-pattern based, so it produces false positives on coursework about difficult subjects and misses coded or oblique expressions, meaning it should never be presented to parents as a safety net.
  • Filtering on school-issued devices follows pupils home, which surveils domestic internet use on a household's own connection, and districts have faced public objections when this was not disclosed clearly in advance.
  • No pricing is published, and the multi-year reseller bundles make it hard to compare against a filtering-only competitor without running a full procurement.
  • Coverage is strongest on Chrome OS and thinner on Windows, macOS and iOS, so mixed-device districts get uneven enforcement and end up running a second filtering product for the non-Chromebook estate.

Wakelet

  • Free Starter plan caps at 3 collections, 250 items and 1GB storage
  • Education Group plan is billed annually at $160/year for only 1 teacher and 30 students, with extra teachers at $40/year and extra students at $4/year
  • Group plan requires a minimum of 2 seats at $119.99 per seat per year
  • Enterprise plan is yearly billing only

Pricing, plan by plan

GoGuardian

On request
  • GoGuardian Suite$undefined/year
    • Priced per student or per device, quoted by district
    • Admin, Teacher and Beacon licensed individually or as a bundle
    • Sold heavily through education resellers as three, four and five year terms

Wakelet

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited collections
    • Collaboration
    • Embedding
  • Pro$4.99/month
    • Custom branding
    • Advanced analytics
    • Priority support
  • EducationFree
    • All Free
    • Spaces
    • Rostering

Which should you pick?

Choose GoGuardian if

  • You need admin.
  • You work on Chrome OS, Windows, macOS, iOS, Web.
  • You also want teacher.
GoGuardian review

Choose Wakelet if

  • You need content curation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, Chrome Extension.
  • You also want collections.
Wakelet review

Questions people ask

Is GoGuardian or Wakelet better?
Neither clearly leads. GoGuardian starts at On request and Wakelet at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GoGuardian or Wakelet?
Wakelet has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for GoGuardian and Free for Wakelet.
Does GoGuardian or Wakelet run on more platforms?
GoGuardian runs on Chrome OS, Windows, macOS, iOS, Web. Wakelet runs on Web, IOS, Android, Chrome Extension.
Can I use Wakelet for free?
Yes. Wakelet has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GoGuardian starts at On request.
What is GoGuardian best used for?
GoGuardian is most often used for a us district that must demonstrate cipa-compliant filtering on federally subsidised broadband and wants the activity logs to survive an audit., a one-to-one chromebook programme where devices go home and the district needs the filtering policy to travel with the device rather than stop at the school gate., a school with a documented safeguarding concern about self-harm that needs flagged language escalated to a named counsellor with a timestamped record., a teacher running an online assessment who needs pupil browsers locked to a single site for the duration without provisioning a separate lockdown browser.. Of those, a us district that must demonstrate cipa-compliant filtering on federally subsidised broadband and wants the activity logs to survive an audit. and a one-to-one chromebook programme where devices go home and the district needs the filtering policy to travel with the device rather than stop at the school gate. are not what Wakelet is typically brought in for.
What can GoGuardian do that Wakelet cannot?
GoGuardian covers Admin, Teacher, Beacon, Beacon 24/7. Wakelet covers Content curation, Collections, Collaboration, Embedding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GoGuardian: Is GoGuardian required for CIPA compliance?

No. CIPA requires a filtering policy and technology, not a specific vendor. GoGuardian is one of several products that satisfy it.

Wakelet: Does Wakelet offer a free plan?

Yes, Wakelet provides a complimentary plan to begin creating collections. "Paid plans are available for individuals, groups, schools, and organizations that need more space and features."

Source
GoGuardian: Does Beacon monitor pupils at home?

On a school-issued managed device, yes, including outside school hours, unless the district explicitly limits the policy. This should be disclosed to families.

Wakelet: What types of content can I save in Wakelet?

You can capture "links, files, images, videos, notes, and content" from various platforms and organize them into visual collections for easy access and sharing.

Source
GoGuardian: Is Beacon included with Admin?

A starter level of Beacon is included with an Admin subscription. The 24/7 human triage service is a separate paid tier.

Wakelet: Is there customer support available?

Yes, support resources are provided including a Help Centre and the ability to contact support directly through their ticketing system for assistance with account or product questions.

Source
GoGuardian: Is Pear Deck part of the same licence?

No. Pear Deck Learning products are sold separately from the Admin, Teacher and Beacon suite even though the same company owns both.

GoGuardian: Can teachers view screens outside lesson time?

That depends on how the district configures sessions. Leaving screen viewing available at all hours is a configuration choice, not a product limitation, and it is the setting most worth reviewing.

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