We make Learnify, so read this as one side of the argument. The original Classcraft, the game-style one teachers built whole classes around, closed to individual teachers in June 2024, and the name now belongs to a different HMH product. If your class liked characters, teams and boss fights, here is what carries over and what does not.
Learnify is a classroom management app for ages 5 to 18. It runs from your laptop on the class screen, whether that is a TV, a projector or a smartboard, with no student devices or accounts. It is free for one class of up to 30 students. Squads and boss hunts come with Plus, and every new account starts with a month of Plus, free and with no card, so your class can play them before you decide.
By Rey, a teacher who makes Learnify.
Characters that grow with every point, a skill tree, teams that compete over days, and boss fights for the whole class.
It all runs from your screen. Students do not log in or use their own devices, there are no in-game punishments to serve, and there is no import, so a class starts fresh.
| The question a teacher asks | Classcraft, until June 2024 | Learnify |
|---|---|---|
| Who needs an account? | Teachers, students and parents | Only the teacher. A student is the name you typed |
| Where does it run? | Teacher and student devices | One screen the class can see: a TV, a projector or a smartboard |
| What are the characters? | Classes like Warrior, Mage and Healer, with gear and pets | A character each student picks, evolving one stage at every level, ten stages per rank, and the ranks keep going |
| How do teams work? | Teammates protect each other in the game | Squad Legends: 2 to 6 squads compete over days, then a podium and a bonus for the MVP |
| Is there a boss fight? | Question-based boss battles | Boss hunts: the points the class earns do the damage, six bosses from a slime to a dragon |
| What happens after a bad day? | A character that fell in battle could trigger a sentence the teacher set | A “needs work” point takes points away, and nobody falls out of the game |
| Can parents follow along? | Parent accounts | An optional parent portal showing their own child's points, level and achievements |
| Can I use it today? | Closed to individual teachers since June 2024 | Yes. Free for one class of up to 30 students, and the first month of Plus is free with no card |
There is no import from Classcraft, so a class starts fresh. Type or paste the names, and each student picks a character on day one. Points, levels and the skill tree start at zero.
The boss fights work differently from what your class may remember: there are no questions to answer inside the fight, because the damage comes from the points students earn in ordinary lessons. Here is how a boss hunt works on one screen.
Also weighing ClassDojo? That comparison is here.
Learnify is free for one class of up to 30 students, with points, characters, attendance and groups, for as long as you like. Squads and boss hunts come with Plus and the skill tree with Max, and every new account starts with a month of Plus, free and with no card.
Every new account starts with a month of Plus, free, and you never enter a card to start. The month opens up to five classes, boss hunts, Squad Legends and the Prize Chest. A few days before it ends we email you. Nothing is charged, because there is no card on your account: pick a plan to keep what you used, or carry on with Free, where your first class stays open and nothing is deleted.
Squads and boss fights come with Plus and the skill tree with Max. Every new account starts with a month of Plus with no card, and after it the free plan keeps a real class of thirty for as long as you like.