# Nearpod vs Plickers

The clearest difference is rating: Plickers at 4.1 against Nearpod's 3.1. Plickers also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (72% vs 41%). Nearpod's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 313). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nearpod sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $159.99 per year. Plickers asks for nothing beyond the download.

Plickers holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nearpod has 1.9K ratings behind it against 313, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Nearpod's written reviews are positive against 72% of Plickers's.

Nearpod ships an update monthly, Plickers every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nearpod | Plickers |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearpod/id523540409/reviews) | **[4.1 (313 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plickers/id701184049/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.9K** | 313 |
| Positive reviews | 40.6% of reviews | **72.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 27 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nearpod](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441232331) | [Plickers Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/701184052) |

## What reviewers say

### Nearpod

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearpod/id523540409)

This app empowers K-12 teachers to create interactive, student-centered lessons that boost engagement and deepen understanding across all subjects. It offers tools for real-time assessment, flexible teaching modes, and integration with popular platforms, making instruction more effective.

**Highlights:** Interactive lesson creation, Live and student-paced modes, Polls, quizzes, and VR activities, Real-time formative assessments, Integration with Google Slides, YouTube, LMS, Library of 22,000+ lessons

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| to Nearpod Gold Edition | $159.99 | per year |
| NPP "Authors: Decimals and Fractions" | $2.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: Drawing Inferences" | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: Energy " | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: What are Cells?" | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: The Rock Cycle" | $4.99 | one-time |
| Social Studies: Causes of the American Revolution | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: Subtraction with Regrouping Part 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: What Makes a Tree Trunk? | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: Reading Maps | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Engaging and interactive
- 👍 Great for student participation
- 💡 Useful for differentiated instruction
- 🚀 Effective for virtual/hybrid learning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Limited functionality in mobile app
- 🔍 Clunky and unintuitive user interface
- 🔍 Reliability issues, especially on iPads

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to save progress and resume lessons
- Drawing/annotation tools not working as expected
- Login issues, especially with Google accounts
- Slides not syncing properly across devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to create and edit content on mobile app
- More question types beyond multiple choice
- Improved device compatibility and cross-platform support
- Enhanced student reporting and analytics


### Plickers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plickers/id701184049)

This app allows educators to conduct instant polls and check for understanding in their classrooms without requiring students to have individual devices. Simply scan student response cards using a smartphone or tablet to gather data, which is then automatically saved online.

**Highlights:** Free classroom polling, No student devices required, Scan student response cards, Instant checks-for-understanding, Automatic data saving, Online data access

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Instant feedback and data
- 👍 Easy to use and set up
- 🤩 Students love it
- 📊 Helpful assessment tool
- 🏫 Great for the classroom

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔒 Login/account issues
- 🔄 Difficult to navigate after updates
- 💰 Paywall for advanced features
- 🔍 Limited question customization

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing on launch
- Scanning issues and inconsistent response detection
- Syncing problems between app and website
- Disappearing questions and data loss
- Compatibility issues with newer OS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to share question banks between teachers
- More formatting options for questions and answers
- Improved data reporting and export capabilities
- Compatibility with more devices and platforms
- Easier class and student management


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nearpod free?

Nearpod is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Plickers free?

Plickers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Nearpod or Plickers?

Plickers is rated higher. Nearpod averages 3.1 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Plickers averages 4.1 from 313 ratings.

### Do Nearpod or Plickers have ads?

Plickers shows ads; Nearpod does not.

### Which is updated more often, Nearpod or Plickers?

Nearpod ships an update monthly, and Plickers every 2 months. Most recently, Nearpod was updated on October 11, 2026 and Plickers on October 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*