Softwr

Education · head to head

Khan Academy vs Skyward

Khan Academy logo

Khan Academy

Education

Free world-class education for anyone, anywhere

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 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.; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: Khan Academy covers Video lessons, Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Khan Academy and Skyward actually diverge.

Attributes where Khan Academy and Skyward differ
AttributeKhan AcademySkyward
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreequote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2008Unknown

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 Khan Academy

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

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.

Khan Academy

  • Free self paced learning across maths, science and humanitiesnot Skyward
  • Assigning practice and tracking student progress in a classroomnot 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 Khan Academy
  • A Wisconsin or Texas district where state submission deadlines are the dominant compliance burden and prebuilt state packs remove weeks of extract worknot Khan Academy
  • A district still on the older PaC client-server product deciding whether to migrate to Qmlativ or replace the SIS outrightnot Khan Academy
  • A county government buying the finance and HR half on its own, separate from any school usenot 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.

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

Khan Academy

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

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 Khan Academy if

  • You need video lessons.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want practice exercises.
Khan Academy 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 Khan Academy or Skyward better?
Neither clearly leads. Khan Academy 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, Khan Academy or Skyward?
Khan Academy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Khan Academy and On request for Skyward.
Does Khan Academy or Skyward run on more platforms?
Khan Academy runs on Web, IOS, Android. Skyward runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Khan Academy for free?
Yes. Khan Academy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Skyward 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 Skyward is typically brought in for.
What can Khan Academy do that Skyward cannot?
Khan Academy covers Video lessons, Practice exercises, Mastery system, Progress tracking. Skyward covers Qmlativ SIS, School Business Suite, Position control, Family and student access.

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
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.

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
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.

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
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 Khan Academy

More on Skyward

Keep looking

Other head to heads