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Google Classroom vs Totara Learn comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Classroom
Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Totara Learn
Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)
9th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category, the mindshare of Google Classroom is 1.9%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Totara Learn is 1.1%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Learning Management Systems (LMS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Google Classroom1.9%
Totara Learn1.1%
Other97.0%
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
 

Featured Reviews

Sanket-Shinde - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Engineer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Seamless collaboration has improved how I manage assignments, deadlines, and class resources
Google Classroom has the very best feature of assignment workflow, which is its core strength. I can create it, assign it, submit it, and have a grade on it all in one flow, so there is nothing to be changed. It also has real-time collaboration, allowing multiple students to work on the same documentation or assignment simultaneously, and the teacher can also see that and comment live. It has an automatic file management system where I can save my work, which is important because sometimes I do an assignment and forget to save, losing those assignments. This feature includes built-in video learning, allowing me to directly join classrooms via Google Classroom. It also supports Google Forms, Google Slides, and is very mobile-friendly. Google Classroom has reduced time in task tracking because I can have clear ownership and deadlines for everything. It has helped me to appreciate structured workflows by ticketing systems and improved collaborations, allowing many people to work together. I can understand that time has also been reduced. It has a limited impact on deep technical skills, but that is also good. It has helped me to understand structured workflow and utilize real-time features through Google Docs and Drive.
SK
Developer, Tech Lead at iT corner
Plug-and-play LMS and allows for separate instances for different organizations or departments
The look and feel is not good. Totara Learn needs to improve its look and feel and make it easier to use and more user-friendly. The interface is okay, but sometimes it's messy. Totara needs to improve the UI part as well and make it easier to use for the admin side. AI capabilities are in beta phase. I think they have implemented some AI features in the model, but right now, I'm not aware of what AI features have been implemented. So, Totara also needs to implement some AI things in the model, like suggesting courses according to users' needs or interests.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The features I found most valuable in Google Classroom are live chatting, sending messages, notifications, and accessing documents, which is very easy, simple, and user-friendly."
"The product is easy to use."
"What I liked most about Google Classroom is it was very easy to communicate with the students and simple for me to learn even though it was the first time I was using it. I was able to learn the features very well by navigating through the different discussions forums and becoming proficient, not necessarily a master but knowledgeable in using the solution. The ease of use was the best feature."
"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is the ability for the lecturer to put in work. Additionally, the work can be graded after completion, and there can be feedback provided through the system which has a good interface."
"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is security."
"I can see all the submissions in a central place."
"If you're only looking at it from the standpoint of assigning a unique copy to students and giving out information, then Google Classroom is the best."
"Google Classroom is a good start if you are only starting with VLE."
"The tool's deployment is not complex."
"The multi-tenancy features of Totara Learn are the most useful for training efficiency."
 

Cons

"The stability of the product is an area with certain flaws where improvements are required."
"Google Classroom could benefit from tools that help correct coding errors for students, thereby enhancing learning."
"There are a lot of things that need to be fixed in order for it to be called a learning management system."
"The product must provide different plans for different customers so that we can pay for only what we use."
"Technical support from Google has been very frustrating in unrelated areas like Google Pay and Google Wallet. It has been quite challenging, with unresolved tickets and a lack of response creating lots of frustration."
"This feature is not available in Google Classroom, which is why I prefer other applications with more powerful statistics to trace student performance."
"We found that Google Classroom is it is missing a lot in current engagement. We know it has got guardian access, where it sends the reports to the guardian at the end of either the week or the month, depending on how you set it. However, it lacks collaboration between the teacher, student, and parents. The engagement is mostly between the student and the teacher. If you have a school similar to ours, where you're dealing with little children where the parent is supposed to be engaged, you need a system that can engage them as well. It's good for senior students, but not for our students."
"The user interface of Google Classroom could improve by being more user-friendly."
"Totara Learn needs to improve the look and feel, and make it easier to use, more user-friendly."
"The challenge was understanding the entire solution, particularly its capabilities for managing training within a distributed organization. As part of a group of companies, some with training hubs and others working differently, the need for different tenants arose. This helps organize the training offerings centrally, addressing the challenge of a multi-tenant solution, which wasn't fully grasped initially."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For Google Classroom, you don't need to pay for its license because they offer free access to the platform."
"If you do a certain size and build, it's like any Google solution. You have to pay for storage, but you don't need to pay extra to use the interface. There may be Google Classroom partners that provide more integrated solutions, but I don't know. I'm strictly DIY."
"The product is free."
"Google Classroom is a free solution."
"Google Classroom is free to use."
"The product offers a yearly based license."
"I use the free version of Google Classroom."
"The tool is available for free."
"It's not expensive. It's user-based."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
12%
University
11%
Construction Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
13%
Healthcare Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Google Classroom?
While Google Classroom is easy to use, it could benefit from more advanced reporting and analytics to track performance in detail. Managing a larger environment of assignments or classes can become...
What is your primary use case for Google Classroom?
I mainly use Google Classroom to manage and organize learning activities efficiently. I create separate classes for different subjects or teams where I upload study materials, assignments, and anno...
What advice do you have for others considering Google Classroom?
My advice for everyone considering Google Classroom is to fully leverage its integration with Google tools such as Docs, Drive, and Slides to gain more value. Start by organizing your classes and m...
What needs improvement with Totara Learn?
The look and feel is not good. Totara Learn needs to improve its look and feel and make it easier to use and more user-friendly. The interface is okay, but sometimes it's messy. Totara needs to imp...
What advice do you have for others considering Totara Learn?
For people who need a highly scalable, multi-tenant LMS on a low budget, this is a good option. It's a very good option in the market, low-priced, and a very good LMS. Overall, I would rate it an e...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Totara Learn?
It's not expensive. It's user-based. If you want to plug in, you can use that plan. It's not expensive. I think it's around $100 or something if you want to use it. You can buy the system and imple...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Google Classroom is used in major urban school districts throughout the United States, including: * Los Angeles Unified School District * Chicago Public Schools * New York City Department of Education * Houston Independent School District * Miami-Dade County Public Schools * Dallas Independent School District * Broward County Public Schools * Clark County School District (Las Vegas) * Philadelphia School District
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Classroom vs. Totara Learn and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.