PrairieLearn

No phone app

6.4No. 11 of 33
in Automated Grading Software
  • Recognised40% of the score20
  • Phone app26% of the score0
  • Documented20% of the score100
  • Free plan14% of the score100
Free plan
Yes
Paid plans from
$0.25/mo
Runs on
api, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows

Summary

PrairieLearn is an online assessment and learning system for instructors creating educational materials and evaluating student work. Instructors write questions as code; the system can generate and grade question variants automatically and provide real-time feedback. Students can continue with new variants until they demonstrate mastery. It supports in-class activities, homework, practice, and testing, including proctored and bring-your-own-device tests. Response formats include numerical, multiple-choice, checkbox, dropdown, graphical, code, and ordered-block answers. PrairieLearn is open-source and can be run or modified on institutional or individual infrastructure. It connects to learning management systems through LTI 1.3 for assignment linking and grade syncing, with integration primarily designed and documented for Canvas. Its importer accepts QTI 1.2 content from Canvas and other learning systems. The Free plan is 0.00 USD per free for instructors and courses with up to 20 students per term. Above that threshold, Basic costs 8.00 USD per once per student and excludes code autograding, workspaces, and PrairieTest; Premium costs 16.00 USD per once per student and includes them.

Who it is for

PrairieLearn suits instructors who need coded, automatically graded question variants for coursework, practice, or tests. It may also suit institutions or individuals seeking open-source software they can run on their own infrastructure.

What is good

  • Generates and grades question variants automatically.
  • Students can retry variants to reach mastery.
  • Supports multiple response formats, including code and graphical answers.
  • Imports QTI 1.2 content and supports LTI 1.3.
  • Free plan covers instructors and courses up to 20 students per term.

What to know first

  • Self-hosted installations do not receive support.
  • Basic excludes code autograding, workspaces, and PrairieTest.
  • Windows local installation requires WSL 2.

Verdict

PrairieLearn combines varied assessment formats with automatic question variants and repeated practice. Review its per-student plan limits and self-hosted support restriction when choosing an installation and plan.

PrairieLearn plans and pricing

All plans
Free Free Free for instructors · free for courses with up to 20 students in each term prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
PrairieTest Starter $3/yr Annual Fee 20k included reservations · for annual non-PrairieLearn exam reservations prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
PrairieTest Small $5/yr Annual Fee 50k included reservations · for annual non-PrairieLearn exam reservations prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
PrairieTest Medium $7/yr Annual Fee 100k included reservations · for annual non-PrairieLearn exam reservations prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Basic $8 once Charged for every student when a course exceeds 20 students · no code autograding · no workspaces · no PrairieTest prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
PrairieTest Large $10/yr Annual Fee 200k included reservations · for annual non-PrairieLearn exam reservations prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026

Compared on automated grading software

Free plan
Yesprairielearn.com
Programming autograding
Yesprairielearn.com
Math autograding
Yesprairielearn.com
Written-work OCR
Yesprairielearn.com
LMS or LTI support
Yesprairielearn.com
Question bank
Yesprairielearn.com

Facts

Product
PrairieLearn is an online assessment and learning system that helps instructors create educational resources for students.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Question variants
Instructors write questions as code that generate and grade variants automatically, with real-time feedback.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Mastery learning
Students can keep trying new variants of a question until they achieve mastery.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Assessment uses
The site describes use for in-class activities, homework, practice, and testing, including proctored tests and bring-your-own-device tests.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Answer types
The platform supports numerical, multiple-choice, checkbox, dropdown, graphical, code, and ordered-block responses.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Open source
PrairieLearn is open-source software that institutions and individuals can run on their own infrastructure and modify.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
LMS integration
PrairieLearn connects to learning management systems using LTI 1.3 for assignment linking and grade syncing, with integration primarily designed and documented for Canvas.docs.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
QTI import
Its content importer can import quizzes, assessments, question banks, and questions from Canvas or other learning management systems using QTI 1.2 content.docs.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
API access
The pricing comparison lists API access among PrairieLearn plan features.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Security
PrairieLearn, Inc. states that it has a SOC 2 Type I attestation for Security and encrypts customer data at rest and data in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Support
Support options include documentation, a Slack community, GitHub Discussions, weekly Zoom office hours and workshops, and email support.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Self-hosted support limit
PrairieLearn says it does not provide support for self-hosted installations.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
Local development platforms
The documentation supports native execution on macOS, Linux, and Windows inside WSL 2; it says Windows without WSL 2 is not supported for local installation.docs.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026

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Sources