Software · head to head
Padlet vs Pear Deck
Pear Deck
Software
Interactive presentations that engage every student
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Padlet the Internet Archive's capture of Padlet's premium plans page on 10 January 2020 named three distinct paid editions, Padlet Backpack for schools, Padlet Briefcase for businesses, and Padlet Pro for individuals, but the page itself carried no price figures.; Pear Deck the Teacher Dashboard, draggable and drawing responses and Reflect and Review require Teacher Premium at $149 per year
- They diverge on capability: Padlet covers Digital boards, Pear Deck covers Interactive slides.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Padlet and Pear Deck actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 Padlet
- Digital boards
- Multimedia posts
- Real-time collaboration
- Templates
- Privacy controls
- Reactions
- Comments
- Export options
Only in Pear Deck
- Interactive slides
- Real-time responses
- Formative assessment
- Student-paced mode
- Dashboard
- Audio responses
- Drawing
- Vocabulary
Both cover
- Google Classroom
- Canvas
- Schoology
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Padlet
- Brainstormingnot Pear Deck
- Collaborationnot Pear Deck
- Portfoliosnot Pear Deck
- Exit ticketsnot Pear Deck
Pear Deck
- Turning slide decks into interactive lessons with student responsesnot Padlet
- Running formative checks for understanding during classnot Padlet
- Student paced review activities and assessmentsnot Padlet
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Padlet
- The Internet Archive's capture of Padlet's premium plans page on 10 January 2020 named three distinct paid editions, Padlet Backpack for schools, Padlet Briefcase for businesses, and Padlet Pro for individuals, but the page itself carried no price figures.
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
Padlet
Free- FreeFree
- 3 padlets
- Basic features
- Pro$8/month
- Unlimited padlets
- Privacy controls
- Custom branding
- Team$12/month
- Shared workspace
- Admin controls
- Priority support
- Classroom$99/month
- Unlimited padlets
- Student accounts
- No ads
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 Padlet if
- You need digital boards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want multimedia posts.
Choose Pear Deck if
- You need interactive slides.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Chrome Extension.
- You also want real-time responses.
Questions people ask
- Is Padlet or Pear Deck better?
- Neither clearly leads. Padlet 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, Padlet or Pear Deck?
- Padlet starts at Free and Pear Deck at Free.
- Does Padlet or Pear Deck run on more platforms?
- Padlet runs on Web, IOS, Android. Pear Deck runs on Web, Chrome Extension.
- Can I use Padlet for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Padlet best used for?
- Padlet is most often used for brainstorming, collaboration, portfolios, exit tickets. Of those, brainstorming and collaboration are not what Pear Deck is typically brought in for.
- What can Padlet do that Pear Deck cannot?
- Padlet covers Digital boards, Multimedia posts, Real-time collaboration, Templates. Pear Deck covers Interactive slides, Real-time responses, Formative assessment, Student-paced mode. Both handle Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Web support.