Kohortly vs Schoology
Schoology connects a school district. Kohortly runs a training programme.
Schoology Learning, part of PowerSchool, is an LMS used mostly by K-12 schools and districts: courses, assignments, assessments, a gradebook and parent access, connected to PowerSchool's student information system. Districts buy it on quote; reviews also list a free Basic plan for individual teachers. Kohortly is for organisations that recruit adult learners into cohorts, take fees and issue certificates.
The short answer
Choose Schoology if
- You're a K-12 school or district, especially one on PowerSchool SIS.
- Parent access and district-wide reporting matter most.
- You need standards-based grading and assessments.
Choose Kohortly if
- Your learners are adults who apply or register for programmes.
- You take fees, in instalments or from employers and sponsors.
- You need certificates, attendance and funder reports together.
- You want WhatsApp reminders and a community under your own name.
Schoology and Kohortly at a glance
- Price
- Schoology: Quote only for districts; a free Basic plan is reported for individual teachers
- Kohortly: From $49 a month ($41 billed yearly). Every feature on every plan, 0% on what learners pay.
- Best for
- Schoology: K-12 schools and districts
- Kohortly: Organisations running training programmes
- Families
- Schoology: Parent accounts
- Kohortly: Employer and sponsor views
- Community
- Schoology: Course updates and groups
- Kohortly: Feed, chats, squads and channels
Feature by feature
| Feature | Kohortly | Schoology |
|---|---|---|
| Community feed, categories and polls | Updates and groups | |
| Courses, lessons and progress | ||
| Points, levels and leaderboards | Badges | |
| Live sessions | Live rooms in the browser, with breakout groups and recording | Conferencing integrations |
| Admissions | Application forms with a review queue | |
| Cohorts | Intakes with seats, dates and class times | Course sections |
| Attendance | Online and in person, with QR check-in | Attendance in courses |
| Certificates | Issued on completion, with a public check page | |
| Small groups | Squads inside each cohort | Groups |
| Impact reporting | Impact reports and follow-up surveys | District analytics |
| Payments made outside a card checkout | Bank transfer, M-Pesa, UPI, Pix, card and cash recorded, with receipts and balances | Not a payments tool |
| One payer for many learners | An employer or sponsor pays for several learners | |
| WhatsApp and SMS | WhatsApp and SMS reminders and announcements | |
| Email broadcasts and automatic sequences | Notifications | |
| Phone app | Installable web app under your own name and logo, plus the Kohortly phone app | Schoology app |
| Web address | kohortly.com/yourname, or your own domain | School subdomain |
| Developer access | Public API, MCP server and CLI | |
| Fee on what learners pay | 0% | Not a payments tool |
Schoology details as of November 2026, from PowerSchool Schoology Learning, Capterra: Schoology pricing and published reviews. Prices and fees change, so check Schoology's site before you decide.
Made for schools, families and districts
Schoology's strengths are school-shaped: courses linked to the timetable, standards-based grading, assessments, parent accounts and district reporting, all tied to PowerSchool's student information system.
Adult training works differently. People find you, apply or register, pay fees or have an employer pay, attend online and in person, and graduate with a certificate. Kohortly is built around that journey, with employer and sponsor views in place of parent accounts.
Getting paid the way your learners pay
Schoology doesn't handle learner fees. Many of the organisations we work with are paid by bank transfer, mobile money such as M-Pesa, UPI or Pix, a company cheque, a card on their own machine (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) or cash at the first session, often in instalments.
Kohortly records each payment against the learner's fee account, issues a receipt, shows the balance and reminds people before an instalment is due, by email, WhatsApp or SMS. Nothing is taken from what your learners pay: Kohortly charges 0%.
When an employer pays for ten staff, one payer covers all ten seats and gets one invoice, while each learner still has their own place in the cohort.
Reaching people where they already are
Schoology sends notifications in its app and by email. Kohortly sends class reminders on WhatsApp with "I'll be there" and "Can't make it" buttons, and the answers appear on the attendance list. Announcements can go by email, WhatsApp, SMS and the in-app bell at once.
Learners can also add your community to their home screen as an app under your own name and logo, so they open your programme, not someone else's brand. The Kohortly phone app keeps all their communities under one sign-in.
Where Schoology is the better choice
No platform suits everyone. Schoology does these things better than Kohortly:
- Parent accounts and district-wide reporting.
- Tight connection with PowerSchool's student information system.
- Standards-based grading and assessment tools for K-12.
Moving from Schoology to Kohortly
- Request a community. We set it up with your name, logo and colours, at kohortly.com/yourname or on your own domain.
- Import your members from a CSV export, with their names, emails and phone numbers.
- Recreate your programmes and courses. Lesson videos can be uploaded or embedded, and we can help with the move when we agree your plan.
- Invite members to sign in. Their history starts in Kohortly from the next intake.
Questions
How much does Schoology cost?+
PowerSchool doesn't publish Schoology prices: districts get a quote. Review sites list a free Basic plan for individual teachers. Check with PowerSchool for current options.
Can a training organisation use Schoology?+
It can deliver courses, but it's designed for K-12 schools, with no applications, fee records or certificates. Kohortly is built for adult training programmes.
What's a Schoology alternative for adult learners?+
If you recruit adults into cohorts, take fees, track attendance and issue certificates, Kohortly is built for that.
Other comparisons
Bring your next cohort to Kohortly
Request a community today. We review every request by hand.