LinoClass vs other classroom tools

Every comparison covers the same grid: position under Law 25, data hosting, student portfolio, pricing model, and the company behind the product.

What's consistent across every comparison

None of the five other tools compared here state that they host exclusively in Quebec: the hosting detail for each is below. LinoClass hosts its portfolio and database in Quebec; email delivery and network protection may be processed outside Quebec (privacy policy, section 3). Once personal information leaves Quebec, a privacy impact assessment (PIA) must be completed before using the tool (s. 70.1 of the Access Act, A-2.1), and any project to acquire a system that handles personal information, even one hosted in Quebec like ours, also requires a PIA (s. 63.5). Both obligations fall on your school service centre or organization, not the teacher. Our Law 25 guide for teachers covers this process in detail.

At a glance

• LinoClass vs Seesaw: student portfolio included on both sides. Seesaw stores on AWS in the United States, the UK and Australia, and its current documentation describes no Canadian option. Its policy states that personal information collected through its services is transferred to the United States. Licences for schools and school boards only, quote-based from the publisher.
• LinoClass vs ClassDojo: portfolio included on both sides. Hosted in the United States (AWS, us-east-1 region), no Canadian option announced. Free base tier, optional subscription billed to parents.
• LinoClass vs Bloomz: Bloomz targets school-to-home coordination and includes portfolios in its school plans. Hosting location not stated in its privacy policy. Free for teachers and families, school and district plans priced per student.
• LinoClass vs ClassTag: ClassTag does not include a student portfolio; the tool targets school-to-home communication. It is now operated by SchoolStatus, whose policy does not state a hosting location. Hosting location and terms to be confirmed with the publisher.
• LinoClass vs Google Classroom: Google Classroom does not include a student portfolio; the tool is built around assignment hand-in. Hosted in the United States, Europe, or globally distributed depending on configuration; Canada is not an available option, and that choice is limited to the paid Education Standard and Education Plus editions, not the free Education Fundamentals edition. Education Fundamentals edition at no charge for eligible institutions, higher editions licensed per seat.

How to choose

These apply to any tool, including ours. Put them to the vendor and to your principal, and keep the answers in writing.

• Where is student information stored? Is there a Canadian option, and does it exclude replication elsewhere?
• Has your school service centre completed a PIA for this tool? If not, request one in writing, since the request creates a record.
• Which optional features collect additional information, and are they off by default?
• How quickly is a parent's deletion request processed, and who is allowed to submit one?
• Who is billed: the organization, the teacher, or parents? Is the price in Canadian dollars?

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15 minutes to set up your class. Free up to 35 students, no credit card. Built for Law 25, hosted in Quebec.

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Information about third-party products comes from their publishers' public documentation and from the passages quoted in our blog articles. These products change: confirm current information with the publisher before making a decision. These pages state the view of Lino Ti Inc. and are not legal advice. Assessing a tool against Law 25 is the responsibility of your organization and its privacy officer. All marks named belong to their respective owners; LinoClass is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by these companies.

LinoClass is a product of Lino Ti inc., a company incorporated in Quebec. Responsibility for the protection of personal information is assigned to a named privacy officer: Olivier Lamarche, President of Lino Ti inc. Question about your data: privacy@linoclass.ca. Full details in our governance policy.