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Learning Management · head to head

Pear Deck vs Zoom Webinar

Pear Deck logo

Pear Deck

Learning Management

Interactive presentations that engage every student

From
Free
Rated
-
Zoom Webinar logo

Zoom Webinar

Webinar & Virtual Events

Professional video conferencing and webinar hosting

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; Zoom Webinar free tier capped at 40 minutes per meeting with up to 100 participants
  • They diverge on capability: Pear Deck covers Interactive slides, Zoom Webinar covers HD video conferencing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pear Deck and Zoom Webinar actually diverge.

Attributes where Pear Deck and Zoom Webinar differ
AttributePear DeckZoom Webinar
PlatformsWeb, Chrome ExtensionDesktop, Mobile, Tablet
CategoryLearning ManagementWebinar & Virtual Events
Founded20142011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Zoom Webinar

  • HD video conferencing
  • Screen sharing
  • Recording
  • Chat
  • Breakout rooms
  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams

Both cover

  • Web 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 Zoom Webinar
  • Running formative checks for understanding during classnot Zoom Webinar
  • Student paced review activities and assessmentsnot Zoom Webinar

Zoom Webinar

  • Large-scale webinars up to 1,000 participants on Enterprise tiernot Pear Deck
  • Professional organisations needing end-to-end encryption and customer-managed keysnot Pear Deck
  • Hybrid work environments with integrated PBX phone servicenot Pear Deck

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

Zoom Webinar

  • Free tier capped at 40 minutes per meeting with up to 100 participants
  • Free tier lacks cloud storage and advanced AI Companion features
  • Higher tiers require commitments to larger participant counts (Business: 300, Enterprise: 1000)

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

Zoom Webinar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Zoom Webinar 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 Zoom Webinar if

  • You need hd video conferencing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Desktop, Mobile, Tablet.
  • You also want screen sharing.

Questions people ask

Is Pear Deck or Zoom Webinar better?
Neither clearly leads. Pear Deck starts at Free and Zoom Webinar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pear Deck or Zoom Webinar?
Pear Deck starts at Free and Zoom Webinar at Free.
Does Pear Deck or Zoom Webinar run on more platforms?
Pear Deck runs on Web, Chrome Extension. Zoom Webinar runs on Desktop, Mobile, Tablet.
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 Zoom Webinar is typically brought in for.
What can Pear Deck do that Zoom Webinar cannot?
Pear Deck covers Interactive slides, Real-time responses, Formative assessment, Student-paced mode. Zoom Webinar covers HD video conferencing, Screen sharing, Recording, Chat. Both handle Web support.

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