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Software · head to head

Pear Deck vs Rakuten

Pear Deck logo

Pear Deck

Software

Interactive presentations that engage every student

From
Free
Rated
-
Rakuten logo

Rakuten

Software

Get cash back on every purchase

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Pear Deck the Teacher Dashboard, draggable and drawing responses and Reflect and Review require Teacher Premium at $149 per year; Rakuten minimum withdrawal amount of $5.01 creates friction for light users
  • They diverge on capability: Pear Deck covers Interactive slides, Rakuten covers Cash back rewards.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pear Deck and Rakuten actually diverge.

Attributes where Pear Deck and Rakuten differ
AttributePear DeckRakuten
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Chrome ExtensionBrowser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
Founded20141999

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 Pear Deck

  • Interactive slides
  • Real-time responses
  • Formative assessment
  • Student-paced mode
  • Dashboard
  • Audio responses
  • Drawing
  • Vocabulary

Only in Rakuten

  • Cash back rewards
  • Coupon codes
  • In-store offers
  • Price comparisons
  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support
  • Safari support

What people use each for

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

Pear Deck

  • Turning slide decks into interactive lessons with student responsesnot Rakuten
  • Running formative checks for understanding during classnot Rakuten
  • Student paced review activities and assessmentsnot Rakuten

Rakuten

No use cases recorded yet. See the Rakuten review.

Where each one falls short

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

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

Rakuten

  • Minimum withdrawal amount of $5.01 creates friction for light users
  • Quarterly payout schedule only, with months-long delays between earning and receiving payments
  • Amazon cashback limited to specific categories at 1-3% rates
  • Must click through Rakuten link first or cashback does not register

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Rakuten

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Rakuten review.

Which should you pick?

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.

Choose Rakuten if

  • You need cash back rewards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
  • You also want coupon codes.

Questions people ask

Is Pear Deck or Rakuten better?
Neither clearly leads. Pear Deck starts at Free and Rakuten at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pear Deck or Rakuten?
Pear Deck starts at Free and Rakuten at Free.
Does Pear Deck or Rakuten run on more platforms?
Pear Deck runs on Web, Chrome Extension. Rakuten runs on Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
Can I use Pear Deck for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Pear Deck best used for?
Pear Deck is most often used for turning slide decks into interactive lessons with student responses, running formative checks for understanding during class, student paced review activities and assessments. Of those, turning slide decks into interactive lessons with student responses and running formative checks for understanding during class are not what Rakuten is typically brought in for.
What can Pear Deck do that Rakuten cannot?
Pear Deck covers Interactive slides, Real-time responses, Formative assessment, Student-paced mode. Rakuten covers Cash back rewards, Coupon codes, In-store offers, Price comparisons.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rakuten: Is Rakuten free to use?

Yes, the Rakuten browser extension is completely free with no membership fees. Users never pay to earn cashback rewards.

Source
Rakuten: How and when can I withdraw my cashback earnings?

Rakuten processes payouts quarterly in February, May, August, and November. You need a minimum balance of $5.01 to request a payout via PayPal or check.

Source
Rakuten: How many stores does Rakuten support?

Rakuten works with over 3,500 online stores and offers cashback rates up to 40% depending on the retailer and promotion.

Source

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