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Education · head to head

Khan Academy vs Panorama Education

Khan Academy logo

Khan Academy

Education

Free world-class education for anyone, anywhere

From
Free
Rated
-
Panorama Education logo

Panorama Education

Education

Student survey, wellbeing screening and multi-tiered support tracking for school districts

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Khan Academy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Khan Academy the Internet Archive's capture of Khan Academy's homepage on 1 January 2021 stated it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and that its full library of practice and lessons 'is all free for learners and teachers', funded by donations rather than subscriptions.; Panorama Education social and emotional survey responses about named children are more sensitive than grades, and districts that adopt without an explicit consent, retention and access policy have found themselves defending the programme to parents after the fact.
  • They diverge on capability: Khan Academy covers Video lessons, Panorama Education covers Validated surveys.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Khan Academy and Panorama Education actually diverge.

Attributes where Khan Academy and Panorama Education differ
AttributeKhan AcademyPanorama Education
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb
Founded2008Unknown

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 Khan Academy

  • Video lessons
  • Practice exercises
  • Mastery system
  • Progress tracking
  • Personalized learning
  • Teacher tools
  • Parent dashboard
  • Test prep

Only in Panorama Education

  • Validated surveys
  • National comparison data
  • Student Success
  • Early warning indicators
  • Playbook of strategies
  • Role based dashboards

What people use each for

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

Khan Academy

  • Free self paced learning across maths, science and humanitiesnot Panorama Education
  • Assigning practice and tracking student progress in a classroomnot Panorama Education

Panorama Education

  • A district required to report on school climate and needing an instrument it can defend methodologicallynot Khan Academy
  • Multi-tiered support teams that currently track interventions in spreadsheets with no record of what was triednot Khan Academy
  • Districts wanting to test whether an attendance intervention actually moved attendance for the pupils who received itnot Khan Academy
  • Boards asking for evidence on staff retention and school climate rather than anecdotenot Khan Academy

Where each one falls short

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

Khan Academy

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Khan Academy's homepage on 1 January 2021 stated it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and that its full library of practice and lessons 'is all free for learners and teachers', funded by donations rather than subscriptions.

Panorama Education

  • Social and emotional survey responses about named children are more sensitive than grades, and districts that adopt without an explicit consent, retention and access policy have found themselves defending the programme to parents after the fact.
  • Measurement without intervention capacity produces documented problems and no change, and the annual renewal then has to be justified on data the district could not act on.
  • Survey fatigue is real. Pupils who are surveyed repeatedly answer less carefully, which degrades the comparison the district paid for.
  • The platform depends on clean feeds from the student information system, so districts with poor data hygiene get risk flags built on wrong enrolment and attendance data.
  • Comparison against a national set invites league table thinking inside a district, and school leaders whose climate scores are compared publicly start managing the survey rather than the climate.

Pricing, plan by plan

Khan Academy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Video lessons
    • Practice exercises
    • Progress tracking

Panorama Education

On request
  • Panorama Education$undefined/year
    • Quoted per pupil or per district
    • Survey administration and Student Success priced separately
    • Multi-year district agreements typical

Which should you pick?

Choose Khan Academy if

  • You need video lessons.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want practice exercises.

Choose Panorama Education if

  • You need validated surveys.
  • You also want national comparison data.

Questions people ask

Is Khan Academy or Panorama Education better?
Neither clearly leads. Khan Academy starts at Free and Panorama Education at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Khan Academy or Panorama Education?
Khan Academy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Khan Academy and On request for Panorama Education.
Does Khan Academy or Panorama Education run on more platforms?
Khan Academy runs on Web, IOS, Android. Panorama Education runs on Web.
Can I use Khan Academy for free?
Yes. Khan Academy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Panorama Education starts at On request.
What is Khan Academy best used for?
Khan Academy is most often used for free self paced learning across maths, science and humanities, assigning practice and tracking student progress in a classroom. Of those, free self paced learning across maths, science and humanities and assigning practice and tracking student progress in a classroom are not what Panorama Education is typically brought in for.
What can Khan Academy do that Panorama Education cannot?
Khan Academy covers Video lessons, Practice exercises, Mastery system, Progress tracking. Panorama Education covers Validated surveys, National comparison data, Student Success, Early warning indicators.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Khan Academy: Is Khan Academy free?

Yes. Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and states that it is a free tool for students, teachers and parents alike, with over 840 free courses and teacher tools provided at no cost. It relies on donor support rather than fees.

Source
Panorama Education: Do parents have to consent to SEL surveys?

Under FERPA and COPPA the district can consent as the school official, but several states and many districts require parental notification or opt out for social and emotional screening. Decide the local position before the first administration, not after the first complaint.

Khan Academy: Who is Khan Academy for?

Khan Academy serves students, teachers and parents, covering core academic subjects from K-12 through early college. The platform is available in more than 190 countries and over 55 languages.

Source
Panorama Education: Is Panorama a student information system?

No. It reads from one. It is a measurement and intervention tracking layer and does not hold the official education record.

Khan Academy: How is Khan Academy funded if it is free?

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Khan Academy is funded by donations rather than subscriptions. Its about page states that donor support is what keeps the classroom tools free.

Source
Panorama Education: Has it signed the Student Privacy Pledge?

Yes. That commits it on data use and retention. It does not answer the separate question of whether your district should screen pupils on social and emotional measures at all.

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