21 Best Educational Apps for Students [2024]

How can educators best prepare themselves to effectively teach their students – both in-person and virtually? Let’s explore must-have technology for teachers to help you succeed in 2024 and beyond!

Best for: increasing student engagement outside of class with pre-recorded videos

OS: any with supported browser (Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome recommended)

Price: free

Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5, 50 reviews

Flip (formerly known as Flipgrid) is Microsoft’s free video chat and discussion app. It’s popular with teachers because it enables them to keep class discussions going outside of class time. It also gives quieter students a chance to speak up because chats aren’t performed in real time. Instead, teachers can assign a discussion topic on Flip, and students can then record and share their pre-recorded video responses.

Download Flip

Best for: creating engaging virtual learning environments and lessons

OS: macOS, Windows, Linux

Price: $0-149/year (with customized pricing options available)

G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5, 16 reviews

Pear Deck is one of the best teaching technology tools for teachers who need to engage students in virtual environments, both in real-time classes and asynchronous lessons. Among its features, Pear Deck makes it possible for teachers to post students’ answers to questions anonymously, as well as other ways to share every student’s thoughts without putting them on the spot. A few of its learning technology tools include active assessments for students of all levels, lesson plans and templates to help teachers plan their classes, and multiple student engagement tools.

Download Pear Deck

Best for: creating interactive online learning environments and quizzes

OS: any (with an HTML-5 compliant browser)

Price: $89.990-179.99/year (with a free trial version)

Capterra rating: 4.5 out of 5, 15 reviews

Socrative is a virtual learning platform with capabilities to help teachers create virtual learning spaces, lesson plans, on-the-fly quizzes and assessments, and engaging activities for elementary and older students. The free version of Socrative includes basic tech tools for teachers with a single class of 50 students or fewer. If you have more students, you’d like to create unlimited quizzes and assessments, and you want to launch multiple activities at once, you’ll need to opt for one of the paid subscriptions.

Go to Socrative

Best for: AI-powered quiz creation feature and easy-to-use interface 

OS: Android, iOS, Huawei, and any browsers

Price: Free forever plan

G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5, 476 reviews

forms.app is an online tool for creating forms, surveys, and quizzes. It offers over 4000 templates and AI-powered quizzes, making it one of the best educational tools for teachers. You can write simple prompts for your quiz and let the AI take care of the rest. With its various colorful and animated themes, teachers can create attractive quizzes for their students. Additionally, forms.app offers almost all advanced features in its free plans such as calculator, conditional logic, advanced customization options, various question types, and integrations with popular tools. 

Visit forms.app quiz maker

Best for: planning and managing ongoing coursework and projects

OS: Windows, macOS

Price: free for schools, $4.95-20.79/month for individuals and teams

PCMag rating: 3.5 out of 5

Unlike some of the other technology tools for the classroom in this article, Paymo is not primarily for students. Instead, this project management platform is designed to help teachers stay on track with designing and developing lesson plans, managing ongoing projects, organizing classwork, and more. Plus, it has multiple permission options, which makes it easy for teachers to grant students access to their coursework and collaborative projects as needed.

Go to Paymo

Best for: creating engaging, dynamic screen-recorded videos for in-person and online lessons and projects

OS: macOS, Windows

Price: free trial, $69.95 (lifetime) or $44.95/year

G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5, 50 reviews

Movavi Screen Recorder is an incredibly helpful and fun tool for the classroom (both virtual and in-person). Along with its capabilities to record screens and webcam feeds, it also includes live-drawing and annotation features, as well as keystroke highlighting, and other effects to bring digital presentations, lessons, and courses to life. Whether you’re creating a tutorial for an online class, or you’re planning to have your students produce their own video presentations, Movavi Screen Recorder is one of the most popular classroom technology tools for educators and students.

Best for: including webcam footage in a digital presentation

OS: Windows, macOS

Price: $3-5/month (for educators)

PCMag rating: 4 out of 5

Prezi is a screen-recording and presentation creation program that captures both screen activity and webcam feed. It gives teachers the ability to appear in their online lectures and lessons instead of just recording a voice-over with their digital presentation. As far as screen-recording and presentation software goes, Prezi is fairly user-friendly and very simple, but it does lack some advanced features.

Go to Prezi

Best for: planning classes and hosting meetings for online teaching with Google’s suite of applications

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: $0-5 per student per year

Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5, 2,216 reviews

Google Classroom is Google’s answer to virtual learning, lesson planning, and online collaboration for teachers and students. The free version of the application includes multiple technology resources for the classroom, but it does lack some key functionalities and time-saving features of the paid versions. For example, the free version does not integrate with other learning platforms, which is a big benefit of the premium versions. The base version also doesn’t include some critical security measures to protect users’ personal information and activity.

Go to Google Classroom

Best for: planning projects collaboratively online

OS: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Price: $9.99 per member per month

PCMag rating: 4 out of 5

Mural is one of the top teacher technology tools for virtual collaboration and project planning. If you’ve ever been part of planning a big project, you’ve probably had a few brainstorming sessions with sticky notes moving all over a whiteboard, calendar, or table. The capability to write down ideas and then move them around is great for helping teams formulate plans and bring big picture ideas together. Mural provides a platform for this kind of collaboration with its intuitive digital whiteboard interface. This makes Mural really useful for teachers planning a new semester, but it’s also a great tool for student collaborators, as well.

Download Mural

Best for: enhancing student engagement with young learners

OS: any (with supported browser), macOS, Windows 10

Price: $10-20/month (up to 150 students)

App Store rating: 4 out of 5, 105 reviews

Buncee is one of the best tools for teachers with young students. It’s primarily designed to help boost engagement with kids in online learning environments, where it can be easy for kids to get distracted or lose interest in assignments and activities. To combat this, Buncee offers thousands of templates for student activities, and it includes capabilities for discussion and collaboration, as well.

Download Buncee

Best for: improving communication and reducing cheating in online learning environments

OS: any (with Google Chrome)

Price: $0-10 per user per month

G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5, 66 reviews

Screencastify is a screencasting program that many teachers find helpful in virtual learning classes. With the ability to record and screencast what’s on their own devices, students can share what they’re thinking and working on in real time, and teachers can include live demonstrations in online classrooms. Some teachers have also reported that using Screencastify has helped reduce instances of cheating, as it increases their visibility into what students are doing on their screens. However, because Screencastify subscriptions are priced per user, it may not be the best option for teachers and schools on a budget.

Download Screencastify

Best for: creating engaging lessons and activities with gamification

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: quote available upon request

Capterra rating: 4.7 out of 5, 158 reviews

Nearpod offers a selection of technology tools for teaching and learning, including virtual activities, lessons, and interactive videos. To better engage students, Nearpod includes a lot of gamification with its lessons and activities, and is designed to help teachers assess students’ understanding of topics on the fly with games and quizzes. It also has a built-in points system to reward student learning and keep students engaged. For teachers and students with a little higher budget, Nearpod also has VR capabilities and a relatively affordable headset option.

Go to Nearpod

Best for: individually engaging students in online classroom settings

OS: any (with Chrome, Edge, or Firefox)

Price: quote available upon request (free trial version available for teachers)

G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5, 43 reviews

Seesaw offers a user-friendly online learning platform with teacher tech tools for students as young as Pre-K. The platform includes tools for instruction, communication, engagement, and assessment. The platform is designed specifically to help teachers engage individually with students and meet them where they are. Students can then make more progress with personalized lessons and experiences that work with the way they learn best.

Go to Seesaw

Best for: creating virtual learning experiences on a mobile device

OS: iOS, Android

Price: free account, varying license costs and one-time $10 cost per student

App Store rating: 1.3 out of 5, 118.8K reviews

Google Play rating: 1.9 out of 5, 43.6K reviews

Schoology is a mobile app with a suite of classroom technology tools for educators. The platform gives teachers the liberty to develop and manage lessons and courses, participate in interactive video chats, collaborate with other educators and students, create activities, and accept assignments – all on a mobile device. It includes multiple technology tools in a single app to help students learn from anywhere – even if they don’t have a laptop or desktop.

Download Schoology for iOS

Download Schoology for Android

Best for: supplementing lessons and taking students on virtual field trips around the world

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: free (with varying prices for premium events and memberships)

Learn Around The World (LATW) is a platform designed to connect students and teachers all over the globe. The platform includes free and premium virtual field trips to international locations, guest speaker sessions and virtual learning events, and collaborative online projects to connect students in different countries. LATW won’t replace any of your other learning technology tools, but it is one of the best tools for teachers who want to supplement their lessons with real connections and collaborations on an international level.

Go to Learn Around The World

Best for: implementing a STEM-focused online curriculum for small virtual or in-person classes

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: $18-21 per month

Because Learning is a comprehensive online educational platform for schools and teachers, with an emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Along with a list of 150+ lessons, membership with Because Learning also includes a sensor kit for each student. These kits help students perform real-world experiments in collaboration with their online learning. Subjects range from earth and space to life sciences, coding, engineering, and more. If your school is looking for a fully virtual STEM program with curriculum including customizable lessons and videos, teacher guides, worksheets, and professional development resources, Because Learning could be a good option for you.

Go to Because Learning

Best for: helping young children develop emotional and social skills in online learning environments

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: quote available upon request

G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5, 5 reviews

With the rise of virtual learning, kids’ daily screen time has gone through the roof. As a result, educators and parents are more concerned than ever about helping children learn to communicate and collaborate together. SiLAS Solutions has developed a new tool to help this process. SiLAS uses gaming and 3D technology to help students record their voices and create virtual conversations. Coursework involves problem-solving and is aimed at helping kids express themselves and work through complex emotions effectively.

Go to SiLAS Solutions

Best for: giving students a high-tech laboratory experience on a budget

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: sliding scale based on need

Science teachers often dream of having access to advanced laboratory equipment and technology, but school budgets usually quench those dreams. It doesn’t have to be this way. With Labster, schools can give students a simulated laboratory experience that gives them access to virtual versions of top-grade lab technology. Plus, Labster has a sliding price scale, making it more affordable for schools and educators with lower budgets.

Go to Labster

Best for: enhancing student engagement in discussion classes

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: $0-160/year

Parlay is a discussion platform that’s especially useful for literature, history, and other classes with in-depth discussions. The app helps educators get the most engagement and track students’ understanding by tracking who’s contributing to the conversation. It also helps educators track where the discussion is going and how it’s building. This can help you keep conversation on topic and headed in the right direction – or it can facilitate growth in a whole new direction! The tracking tools allow you to focus more on the actual lesson and the deeper topics in discussion, and less on keeping count of how many times each student has participated.

Go to Parlay

Best for: creating engaging local, state, regional, or international maps for online or in-person learning

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: $0-99.95/month

G2 rating: 4.4 out of 5, 34 reviews

ZeeMaps gives students and teachers the power to create imaginative (and accurate) graphics and maps at every level – from local municipalities to international-level visualizations. Whether you’re mapping out a plan for a community garden or creating a visual representation of a battle in World War II, ZeeMaps makes it easy.

Go to ZeeMaps

Best for: engaging students in the wonders of the universe through a free 3D rendering of outer space

OS: Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android OS

Price: free

Celestia is a free real-time, three-dimensional simulation of space. You may not be able to take your students on a field trip to a planetarium, but you can take them flying (virtually) throughout the solar system and beyond with this software. It works on virtually any device, including mobile devices, making it possible for students to explore the far reaches of outer space on their phones or tablets. It also offers several expandable add-ons with features like 3D models of asteroids and their trajectories through space.

Download Celestia

Best for: using together with Google Calendar and Office 365 Calendar

OS: any (with supported browser)

Price: $30/month

TrustRadius rating: 8.3 out of 10, 12 reviews

HubSpot Free Meeting Scheduler eliminates the hassle of back-and-forth communication, comparing available times, and generally simplifies the process of scheduling meetings. With this free scheduling tool, others can easily book meetings with you – or multiple people at your organization – directly, since it integrates with your existing apps and linked calendars.

Furthermore, its seamless integration with apps you already use ensures a smooth workflow and minimizes the need for additional tools or software. By providing an easy and automated way to book meetings, the meeting scheduler enhances the overall experience for your students, making it more convenient for them to engage with you and your course. Overall, the tool simplifies the appointment booking process for both you and your students, making it convenient and efficient. Reclaim your time to focus on more critical tasks, and get started with HubSpot’s Free Meeting Scheduler today.

Go to HubSpot Free Meeting Scheduler

With so many options available to enhance online and in-person classrooms, how do you choose the best one(s) for you? Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help you make the best decision for your needs.

• What are your goals for the class? What are you hoping to achieve in this course, semester, or school year? Think about specific lessons you want to teach and skills you want students to gain. As you think of these, make a list of the technological tools and programs that will directly contribute to those goals.

• Which features does the program include? If you’re looking at screen-recording software, for example, which one will allow your students to record themselves and their screens to turn in polished video projects? Will they need to learn a totally separate program to edit their projects later?

• What is your budget? Free tools are great, but not all of them are truly free. Look at the features included in the free versions of each program, as opposed to the premium versions. And, as you consider pricing, remember that a lifetime license may cost a little bit more now, but could save you a lot in the long run.

• How intuitive is the tool to learn? Finally, you want to ensure that the tool you choose is easy to use. You’ll need to be able to use it well and help your students learn to use it, too. And, when something goes wrong, you’ll want to know that you have a lot of resources and support available to help you get things back on track.