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Software · head to head

Pear Deck vs Screencastify

Pear Deck logo

Pear Deck

Software

Interactive presentations that engage every student

From
Free
Rated
-
Screencastify logo

Screencastify

Software

Simple video creation for everyone

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; Screencastify limited to Chrome browser only, cannot record on Firefox, Safari, or Edge
  • They diverge on capability: Pear Deck covers Interactive slides, Screencastify covers Screen recording.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Pear Deck and Screencastify differ
AttributePear DeckScreencastify
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Chrome ExtensionChrome Browser
Founded20142013

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 Screencastify

  • Screen recording
  • Video editing
  • Drawing tools
  • Google Drive export
  • Chrome support
  • Edge 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 Screencastify
  • Running formative checks for understanding during classnot Screencastify
  • Student paced review activities and assessmentsnot Screencastify

Screencastify

No use cases recorded yet. See the Screencastify 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

Screencastify

  • Limited to Chrome browser only, cannot record on Firefox, Safari, or Edge
  • Free version watermark appears on all videos and requires upgrade to remove
  • Free tier limited to 10 videos total before requiring paid plan
  • Maximum 1080p resolution at 30fps, no support for higher framerates or 4K
  • No free educator license for educational institutions

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

Screencastify

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 videos
    • 30 min max
    • Watermark
  • Starter$15/month
    • 60 min max recordings
  • Pro$20/month
    • 120 min max recordings

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 Screencastify if

  • You need screen recording.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome Browser.
  • You also want video editing.

Questions people ask

Is Pear Deck or Screencastify better?
Neither clearly leads. Pear Deck starts at Free and Screencastify at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pear Deck or Screencastify?
Pear Deck starts at Free and Screencastify at Free.
Does Pear Deck or Screencastify run on more platforms?
Pear Deck runs on Web, Chrome Extension. Screencastify runs on Chrome Browser.
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 Screencastify is typically brought in for.
What can Pear Deck do that Screencastify cannot?
Pear Deck covers Interactive slides, Real-time responses, Formative assessment, Student-paced mode. Screencastify covers Screen recording, Video editing, Drawing tools, Google Drive export.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Screencastify: What's the free tier limit?

Free plan allows 10 total videos up to 30 minutes each, with watermark. After 10 videos, you must upgrade.

Source
Screencastify: Is Screencastify limited to Chrome?

Yes. Screencastify is exclusively a Chrome extension and does not work on other browsers like Firefox, Safari, or Edge.

Source
Screencastify: What's the maximum video quality?

Maximum resolution is 1080p at 30 frames per second. Videos can only be exported to MP4, audio to MP3, or as GIF.

Source
Screencastify: Does Screencastify work for educational use?

Screencastify lacks a free educator license for schools or non-profits, unlike some competitors who offer discounted or free plans for educational institutions.

Source

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