LinoClass vs Google Classroom, which to choose in Quebec?

Comparing LinoClass and Google Classroom for back-to-school 2026? Here is a factual comparison, based on both products' public documentation and on what Law 25 actually requires of a Quebec organization.

Updated August 23, 2026

What Law 25 requires when data leaves Quebec

Law 25 does not prohibit tools hosted outside Quebec, and it maintains no list of approved or forbidden products. It requires that a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) be completed before any transfer of personal information outside Quebec, and that the receiving jurisdiction provide adequate protection. That obligation rests with the organization, meaning your school service centre or private school board, not with the individual teacher.

So the useful question is not “is this tool legal?” but “has my organization completed the assessment this tool requires?” Our Law 25 guide for teachers and our article on how Law 25 applies in an elementary school set out the process and the questions to put to your principal.

What Google's public documentation says

Google Classroom is part of Google Workspace for Education. The “Data Regions” feature lets an institution's administrator choose where covered data is stored: the United States, Europe, or globally distributed. Canada is not among the available choices, and the feature is limited to the Education Standard and Education Plus editions, not the free Education Fundamentals edition that most schools use.

Google Classroom also has no built-in direct messaging between teacher and parents. Schools frequently add a second tool for that, which brings the same out-of-Quebec transfer question back for the second tool. The original quotations are in our analysis Seesaw, ClassDojo, Google Classroom: what does Law 25 say?

Our read for Quebec elementary classrooms

What Google Classroom does well

• Native integration with Google Drive, Docs, and Slides, already deployed in many schools
• The Education Fundamentals edition is offered at no charge to eligible institutions
• A well-worn assignment hand-in flow for older grades

What LinoClass does differently

• Hosted in Quebec: student information does not leave Canada, so there is no out-of-Quebec transfer to assess
• Student digital portfolio included, designed for ages 5 to 8
• Students sign in with a QR code, with no password and no account to manage
• Parent communication is built in: class feed, messages, and a weekly digest, with no second tool to add
• Set up in about fifteen minutes, with no domain administrator involved

Questions to ask before you 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?

Methodology. Information about third-party products comes from their publishers' public documentation and from the passages quoted in our blog articles, reviewed on August 23, 2026. These products change and their policies change with them: confirm current information with the publisher before making a decision. This page states the view of Lino Ti Inc. and is not legal advice. Assessing a tool against Law 25 is the responsibility of your organization and its privacy officer.

Google Classroom and Google Workspace for Education are trademarks of Google LLC. LinoClass is not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, the owners of these marks. They are named solely to identify the products under comparison.