Padlet is a popular tool for class boards, and I'm a teacher who built HomeRoom, so I'm biased. On HomeRoom's Discussion Board, students join with a code and can post notes, comments and photos. You can review posts before they appear.
A general-purpose board tool used at home, in business and in schools. It offers map, board and freeform canvas layouts, sharing by link or QR code, and real-time comments and votes. A fit if you want a dedicated board tool, or need LMS integration and a school-wide deployment.
HomeRoom Free includes an online Discussion Board alongside your classroom dashboard, planner, timers and group maker. Teachers sign in and open a board. Students join with a class code.
| HomeRoom Discussion Board | Padlet | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A live class board built into the teacher's classroom dashboard | A standalone board and collaboration platform |
| How students post | Join with a class code, then post notes, comments and photos | Share a board by link or QR code. What visitors can post, comment on or react to depends on board settings. |
| Student accounts | Students join with a code without creating accounts. | Students can contribute without accounts when the board allows it. Classroom includes 100 managed student accounts for 2 teachers. |
| Teacher control | Require post approval, edit or remove posts and remove comments. | Visitor permissions and post moderation. Classroom and School & District add student-specific moderation and organization-wide safety settings. |
| Board layouts | A live discussion board with posts and comments | Layouts such as wall, grid, timeline, map and freeform, plus slideshow view and PDF export |
| Free plan | $0 CAD. Discussion Board is included. The teacher workspace supports up to 5 active classes, 1 active unit plan and 3 active tasks, with new workspace edits saved in the current browser. | Up to 3 padlets (boards or sandboxes), 20 MB per file upload and 2-minute built-in video recordings. |
| Paid plans | The first group of Pro buyers locks in $20 CAD per year. New subscriptions will cost $30 CAD per year after the founder offer ends. Pro adds live workspace sync, Remote Control, Guest Teacher Mode and higher workspace limits. | Platinum is a single-user plan with unlimited padlets. In the US, Classroom starts at $160 USD/year for 2 teachers and 100 managed student accounts. School & District lists pricing from $1,000 USD/year for 10 teachers. |
| For schools and districts | Volume pricing: $18 CAD per teacher per year for 5-24 licenses, $17 for 25-99, $16 for 100-299, and $15 for 300+ | School & District adds LMS integrations, SSO and invoice billing |
| Beyond the board | Day and unit planner, timers, group maker, seating chart, printable substitute plans and phone Remote Control (Pro) | Focused on boards and content collection |
| Where data lives | Discussion Board posts and uploads are stored online on Free and Pro. Free roster edits and other workspace edits save in your browser. | Boards and contributions are hosted online. Padlet's privacy policy describes how it handles student content. |
Reviewed November 7, 2026. See Padlet's pricing by region, student account guide and moderation guide.
Padlet Free fits teachers who need up to three boards or sandboxes with a choice of layouts. Its education plans add managed student accounts and school features. HomeRoom Free fits teachers who want a live discussion board alongside their day plan, timers and other classroom tools.
Yes. HomeRoom has a live Discussion Board where students join with a code and can post notes, comments and photos. Teachers can require post approval, edit or remove posts and remove comments. The board sits alongside the classroom dashboard and planner.
No. Students join with a class code, so there are no student accounts to create or manage.
Yes. A teacher can open a Discussion Board on the $0 CAD Free plan. The teacher needs a HomeRoom account and an internet connection. Students join with a code.
Yes. You can edit or remove posts, remove comments and require students' posts to be approved before they appear.
Padlet Free includes up to 3 padlets. In the US, Classroom starts at $160 USD per year for 2 teachers and 100 managed student accounts. School & District lists pricing from $1,000 USD per year for 10 teachers. See Padlet's pricing for your region.
If you want several board layouts, or your school needs LMS integration, SSO or school-wide licensing, Padlet is built for that. HomeRoom's board is one tool in a classroom dashboard.