Software · head to head
Nearpod vs Pear Deck
Pear Deck
Software
Interactive presentations that engage every student
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Nearpod free plan limited to 40 student joins per lesson, restricting larger classroom use; Pear Deck the Teacher Dashboard, draggable and drawing responses and Reflect and Review require Teacher Premium at $149 per year
- They diverge on capability: Nearpod covers Virtual reality, Pear Deck covers Real-time responses.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Nearpod and Pear Deck actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Nearpod
- Virtual reality
- Gamification
- Polls
- Open-ended questions
- Draw It
- Collaborate board
- Reports
- Microsoft Teams
Only in Pear Deck
- Real-time responses
- Formative assessment
- Student-paced mode
- Dashboard
- Audio responses
- Drawing
- Vocabulary
- Google Slides
Both cover
- Interactive slides
- Google Classroom
- Canvas
- Schoology
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Nearpod
- Interactive lessonsnot Pear Deck
- Formative assessmentnot Pear Deck
- Student engagementnot Pear Deck
- Virtual learningnot Pear Deck
Pear Deck
- Turning slide decks into interactive lessons with student responsesnot Nearpod
- Running formative checks for understanding during classnot Nearpod
- Student paced review activities and assessmentsnot Nearpod
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Nearpod
- Free plan limited to 40 student joins per lesson, restricting larger classroom use
- Paid plans require annual commitment with limited monthly flexibility
- Advanced collaboration features restricted to district/school level plans
- VR features depend on student device compatibility
Pear Deck
- The Teacher Dashboard, draggable and drawing responses and Reflect and Review require Teacher Premium at $149 per year
- Pear Assessment Premium is a separate $125 per year purchase from Pear Deck Premium
- Standards aligned content, district library and efficacy reports are only in the Schools and Districts plan
- SIS and LMS integration is only in the Schools and Districts plan
- School and district pricing is by quote with no published rate
Pricing, plan by plan
Nearpod
Free- SilverFree
- 300 MB storage
- 40 student joins per lesson
- 22,000+ library resources
- Gold$159/year
- 1 GB storage
- 75 student joins per lesson
- AI Question Generator
- Platinum$397/year
- 5 GB storage
- 90 student joins per lesson
- Student notes capability
Pear Deck
Free- FreeFree
- 5 question types
- Real-time responses
- Student-paced mode
- Premium$149.99/month
- All question types
- Audio responses
- Flashcard factory
- School/District$undefined/month
- All Premium
- Admin dashboard
- Rostering
Which should you pick?
Choose Nearpod if
- You need virtual reality.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chromebook.
- You also want gamification.
Choose Pear Deck if
- You need real-time responses.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Chrome Extension.
- You also want formative assessment.
Questions people ask
- Is Nearpod or Pear Deck better?
- Neither clearly leads. Nearpod starts at Free and Pear Deck at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Nearpod or Pear Deck?
- Nearpod starts at Free and Pear Deck at Free.
- Does Nearpod or Pear Deck run on more platforms?
- Nearpod runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chromebook. Pear Deck runs on Web, Chrome Extension.
- Can I use Nearpod for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Nearpod best used for?
- Nearpod is most often used for interactive lessons, formative assessment, student engagement, virtual learning. Of those, interactive lessons and formative assessment are not what Pear Deck is typically brought in for.
- What can Nearpod do that Pear Deck cannot?
- Nearpod covers Virtual reality, Gamification, Polls, Open-ended questions. Pear Deck covers Real-time responses, Formative assessment, Student-paced mode, Dashboard. Both handle Interactive slides, Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Nearpod: What is included in Nearpod's free plan?
The free Silver plan includes 300 MB storage, 40 student joins per lesson, and access to core features with 22,000+ library resources.
SourceNearpod: Can I import existing presentations into Nearpod?
Yes, you can upload PowerPoints, Google Slides, and PDFs to make them interactive with Nearpod's tools.
SourceNearpod: Does Nearpod integrate with learning management systems?
Yes, Nearpod integrates with Canvas, Google Classroom, Schoology, Blackboard, and other LMS platforms with single sign-on and rostering support.
SourceRelated pages
Keep looking
Other head to heads
- Nearpod vs Canvas
- Nearpod vs Moodle
- Nearpod vs Schoology
- Nearpod vs LinkedIn Learning
- Nearpod vs edX
- Nearpod vs Kajabi
- Nearpod vs Podia
- Nearpod vs Thinkific
- Nearpod vs Udacity
- Nearpod vs ClassDojo
- Nearpod vs Cornerstone Learning
- Nearpod vs Coursera
- Nearpod vs Google Classroom
- Nearpod vs LearnWorlds
- Nearpod vs Teachable
- Nearpod vs Absorb LMS
- Nearpod vs Cornerstone OnDemand
- Nearpod vs D2L Brightspace
- Pear Deck vs Canvas
- Pear Deck vs Moodle
- Pear Deck vs Schoology
- Pear Deck vs LinkedIn Learning
- Pear Deck vs edX
- Pear Deck vs Kajabi
- Pear Deck vs Podia
- Pear Deck vs Thinkific
- Pear Deck vs Udacity
- Pear Deck vs ClassDojo
- Pear Deck vs Cornerstone Learning
- Pear Deck vs Coursera
- Pear Deck vs Google Classroom
- Pear Deck vs LearnWorlds
- Pear Deck vs Teachable
- Pear Deck vs Absorb LMS
- Pear Deck vs Cornerstone OnDemand
- Pear Deck vs D2L Brightspace