Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Formative.
Want the closest match?
EdpuzzleMost similar to Formative in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Edpuzzle in a new tab)Need a free plan?
SchoolAIHas a free plan, rated 4.5 out of 5.
Visit (opens SchoolAI in a new tab)Want to pay less than Formative?
YippityFrom $9.99/mo, against from $12/mo for Formative.
Visit (opens Yippity in a new tab)Want the best rated?
CuripodRated 4.5 out of 5 in our review, against 4.3 for Formative.
Visit (opens Curipod in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Formative, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 FormativeBaseline | 4.3 | $12/mo | Yes | Live visibility into every student's work, since 2014 | |
| Edpuzzle | 4.4+0.1 | $13/mo$1 more | Yes | Turns any video into an interactive lesson with embedded questions | vs Formative |
| SchoolAI | 4.5+0.2 | Free | Yes | Custom student AI experiences, with teacher oversight built in | vs Formative |
| Curipod | 4.5+0.2 | Free | Yes | Generates a complete, ready-to-run interactive lesson from one topic | vs Formative |
 Quizizz | 4.5+0.2 | Free | Yes | Self-paced and live quiz modes, with deeper reporting than most | vs Formative |
 AI LMS by Coursebox | 4.0−0.3 | $40/mo$28 more | Yes | AI LMS turns documents, videos, and websites into a full online course with automated grading and an AI tutor chatbot. | vs Formative |
| Yippity | 4.1−0.2 | $9.99/mo$2.01 less | Yes | AI quiz generator for teachers that turns notes, a web page, a PDF or a YouTube video into draft questions to review, shares the quiz with a class by access code, and suggests marks and next-lesson ideas. | vs Formative |
 Smartschool | 4.0−0.3 | Free | Yes | Maths tutor that reads handwritten working and guides students with questions, not answers. | vs Formative |
 Unschooler.me | 3.4−0.9 | Free | Yes | Give it a topic, a video, a link or a YouTube channel and GPT-4 builds a full interactive course - quizzes, assignments, and an AI mentor grading your answers. | vs Formative |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Formative.
Edpuzzle
4.4$13/mo
vs Formative$1 more+0.1
Turns any video into an interactive lesson with embedded questions.
- Embeds questions directly into video content at specific timestamps
- Works with YouTube videos or direct uploads
- Tracks individual student comprehension during video assignments
Genuinely verifies comprehension during video assignments specifically
Scoped specifically to video-based lessons, not broader lesson planning
SchoolAI
4.5Free
vs Formative+0.2
Custom student AI experiences, with teacher oversight built in.
- Custom AI-powered learning "Spaces" built by teachers
- Live monitoring dashboard of student-AI conversations
- Real-time teacher intervention capability
Genuine real-time oversight addresses a real student-safety concern
Newer company with a shorter track record than established platforms
Curipod
4.5Free
vs Formative+0.2
Generates a complete, ready-to-run interactive lesson from one topic.
- Complete interactive lesson generation from a single topic
- Combines polls, word clouds, and discussion prompts in one lesson
- Ready to run live in a classroom immediately
Generates a full lesson structure, not just individual questions
More generation volume and features require a paid plan
Quizizz
4.5Free
vs Formative+0.2
Self-paced and live quiz modes, with deeper reporting than most.
- Both live and self-paced asynchronous quiz modes
- Detailed teacher-facing performance reporting
- Direct competitor to Kahoot! in live quiz gaming
Self-paced mode covers homework and missed-session use cases
More features and reporting depth require a paid plan
AI LMS by Coursebox
4.0$40/mo
vs Formative$28 more−0.3
AI LMS turns documents, videos, and websites into a full online course with automated grading and an AI tutor chatbot.
- Course generation from video, documents, and website links
- Automated quiz and assignment generation
- Customizable AI grading rubrics
Covers the full course pipeline instead of a single content format
Pro tier reaches $150/month, a jump from the entry Creator plan
Yippity
4.1$9.99/mo
vs Formative$2.01 less−0.2
AI quiz generator for teachers that turns notes, a web page, a PDF or a YouTube video into draft questions to review, shares the quiz with a class by access code, and suggests marks and next-lesson ideas.
- Quiz drafts from notes, URLs, PDFs and YouTube videos
- Teacher review and editing of every question
- Class sharing by private access code, no student accounts
Free plan with no card required
Free plan is capped at 5 generations a month
Smartschool
4.0Free
vs Formative−0.3
Maths tutor that reads handwritten working and guides students with questions, not answers.
- Handwritten work submitted and assessed
- Guided questioning instead of answer-giving
- Content aligned to state standards
Reads the working, where the errors that matter actually live
District pricing is by demo with no figures published
Unschooler.me
3.4Free
vs Formative−0.9
Give it a topic, a video, a link or a YouTube channel and GPT-4 builds a full interactive course - quizzes, assignments, and an AI mentor grading your answers.
- GPT-4-generated interactive courses from any source (topic, text, video, YouTube channel)
- AI mentor feedback and assignment grading
- Quizzes and practical tasks generated automatically
Generates a full testable course structure, not just a content summary
AI-generated course quality depends on how well-structured the source material is
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Formative free?
Formative has a free plan, and paid plans start from $12/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Formative?
SchoolAI is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.5 out of 5). Other free options: Curipod, Quizizz, Edpuzzle.
What is the cheapest alternative to Formative?
Among paid plans, Yippity has the lowest starting price (from $9.99/mo). If you need it free, start with SchoolAI.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.