A Google Classroom Alternative That Students Join Free

Asking a class to sign up for yet another tool can eat into a lesson. With ClassKite you organise your teaching on a classroom management platform, share a join code, and students join free in the browser: there is nothing to buy, no app to download and no paid student login. Here is how joining works, and where ClassKite fits if you are looking beyond a file-sharing classroom.

How students join free with a join code

You build the structure first (classes, then topics, then sections, then practices) and keep a roster for each class. When you are ready, you share the class join code. Students open ClassKite in a browser, enter the code and create their free account in the same step, or you import your class list. Depending on your school's settings, they join straight away or wait for you to approve them. There is nothing to buy and no app to install.

Students join with a code, and student accounts are free on every plan.
Everything runs in the browser, so phones, tablets and Chromebooks all work.
You keep the roster, and you can remove or re-add students as your class changes.

Join codes are part of the free Teacher Basic plan too, so a whole class can be practising within minutes of you sharing the code.

Teaching live from your PDFs

Many classroom tools are mainly places to post files and collect them back. ClassKite is built around teaching in the room. You upload a PDF and teach from it on the Smart Board, with students able to watch your writing on their own devices and follow-me paging keeping students on the same PDF on your page. Then you run live or self-paced practice where questions mark themselves the moment a student submits.

If you are comparing ClassKite with Google Classroom, our Google Classroom alternative page sets out the differences. ClassKite does not integrate with Google and does not import a Google Classroom roster; students join with a join code instead.

What you see during and after a session

While a session runs, the Live Student Grid shows who is in progress, who is done and who has asked for help, flags a student who is struggling, and shows each student's presence and score. Afterwards, reports give you per-session completion, average score, right first time and solved, a per-student breakdown, a score-trend chart, a sessions log and CSV export. The live grid, reports and unlimited bulk import are on the paid Teacher Plus and School plans. Teaching with PDF annotation, writing questions by hand and running practice with instant feedback are all on Teacher Basic, and students join free on every plan.

Create your first class and share a join code. Students join free, with no app to install.

Frequently asked questions

Do students have to pay or create an account?

They never pay, on any plan. They do need a free ClassKite account: they create it when they first join your class with its code, in the browser, or you import a class list and ClassKite creates the accounts for you. There is nothing to install.

Does ClassKite connect to Google Classroom?

No. There is no Google integration and no roster import from Google Classroom. ClassKite is a separate platform: you share a join code and students join directly.

What do I need a paid plan for?

The paid Teacher Plus and School plans add AI question drafting, unlimited bulk spreadsheet import and class analytics (reports, the Live Student Grid, sessions log, score trend and CSV export), as well as larger PDF limits and more topics per class. Teaching from a PDF, writing questions by hand and running practice are free. See what each plan includes.