Explain Everything vs SMART Notebook (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Explain Everything grades higher than SMART Notebook: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Explain Everything grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Explain Everything
Teaching whiteboard with slides, video recording and collaboration
SMART Notebook
Lesson-building software for SMART Board classroom displays
Which one is for you
Pick Explain Everything if
- Fits if you record whiteboard lessons from an iPad or a browser
- Works for a school that hands out assignments through Canvas, Moodle or Blackboard
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: one slide per project and 3-minute videos run out fast
- Skip it if you want a Mac or Windows app, as none is named
- Watch out: free collaboration is one person for 15 minutes at a time
- Watch out: the $69 educator plan covers one educator account, and schools get custom quotes
- Watch out: deployment through MDM and group settings need the Team plan
Pick SMART Notebook if
- Fits if your classroom already has a SMART Board
- Works for teachers moving PDF and PowerPoint lessons onto an interactive board
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't own a SMART Board, as the pages frame it as free with one
- Not for you if you want a web or tablet version, since only Windows and macOS are named
- Too light for live work on student devices, which is the separate Lumio product
- Watch out: no price is given for the software on its own
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAExplain EverythingFair | 1.8GPASMART NotebookWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $7.49 a month billed yearly, between the category's cheaper quarter at $5 and the dearer quarter at $9.99. Education Advanced is $69 a year. | CThe vendor says it's free with a SMART Board and needs no subscription, but gives no price for the software alone. The board is the real cost. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plan has 3 projects, 1 slide each, 3-minute videos, 500 MB and 15-minute sessions with one collaborator. No card is needed. | DNo standalone free plan or trial is stated. The software is free only as part of a SMART Board purchase. |
| Features | CInfinite canvas, video recording and classroom tools. Gaps the listing shows: the free tier's size limits, and larger collaboration needs Team or a school plan. | CLesson building, PDF and PowerPoint import and a document camera link. Student-device collaboration is a separate product, Lumio. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build lessons slide by slide. | CNo store rating on record, and it's lesson-building software tied to a board, which takes some getting used to. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and Blackboard listed. No Mac or Windows download is named. | CWindows and macOS desktop only. No web or tablet version is listed. |
| Best for | teachers recording lessons on a whiteboard | lessons on a SMART Board |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Explain Everything and SMART Notebook. How we grade
Price against what you get
Explain Everything starts at $7.49 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SMART Notebook has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Explain Everything scores higher, and starts $7.49 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 13 score higher than Explain Everything for less, and none scores higher than SMART Notebook for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Explain Everything also covers screen recording.
At a glance
| Explain Everything | SMART Notebook | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $7.49 per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | Up to 3 projects with 1 slide each, 3-minute videos, 500 MB storage and 15-minute sessions for 1 collaborator. | Described by the vendor as free with a SMART Board, with no subscription required. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Promethean | SMART Technologies |
| Price read from | explaineverything.com | smarttech.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Explain Everything
- The Free plan allows 3 projects with a single slide each, 3-minute videos and 15-minute collaboration sessions.
- Group-wide settings, license deployment through MDM and larger collaboration need the Team plan or a custom school plan.
- The pricing page lists iPads, iPhones, Chromebooks, Android devices and a browser app, with no separate Mac or Windows download named.
- Schools buy custom plans with volume pricing; the $69 Advanced plan covers one educator account.
SMART Notebook
- The vendor frames it as free with a SMART Board; the pages read do not give a price for the software on its own.
- Desktop only: Windows and macOS are the platforms named, with no web or tablet version listed.
- Collaboration across student devices is a separate product, Lumio.
Key features
Explain Everything
- Infinite-canvas whiteboard
- All plans include the whiteboarding tools and an infinite canvas that takes PDFs, documents, images, presentations, audio and video.
- Video recording
- A project can be recorded as a video tutorial. Length is capped at 3 minutes on the free plan and unlimited on paid plans.
- Collaboration
- People can work in one project at the same time or at different times. Session length and group size depend on the plan.
- Classroom tools
- Education plans add polling, a timer and a spinner, and school plans can hand out assignments through Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and Blackboard.
- Projection and broadcast
- The whiteboard can be shown on a second display or shared into a video meeting app.
SMART Notebook
- Lesson creation
- Teachers build and deliver lessons on a SMART Board from desktop software.
- Object awareness
- The software is designed so a teacher can pick up a pen or eraser and start writing without changing a tool on screen.
- Content import
- PDF and PPT files and other curriculum content can be imported into lessons.
- Document camera link
- A SMART Document Camera can be connected to bring physical material into a lesson.
Plans
Explain Everything
Free$0
Up to 3 projects, 1 slide per project, 3-minute videos, 500 MB cloud storage, 1-on-1 collaboration for up to 15 minutes.
Pro$7.49
per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited projects and slides, unlimited video length, 20 GB storage, up to 8 people collaborating with no time limit, email support.
Team$7.49
per user / month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)
Pro limits for a company, plus team settings, shared folders, 20 GB pooled storage per person and a choice of data region.
Education Advanced$69
per year
For educators: unlimited projects, slides and video length, Promethean polling, timer and spinner, 7.5 GB storage, 30-minute collaboration.
SMART Notebook
With a SMART Board$0
Free with the purchase of a SMART Board; the vendor states no subscription is required.
Ways to pay less
Explain Everything
- Education
Education plans for teachers and schools
The pricing page has a separate Plans for Education view with an Advanced plan at $69 per year and custom pricing for schools and districts.
SMART Notebook
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Explain Everything or SMART Notebook?
As of Nov 12, 2026, SMART Notebook is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $7.49 a month for Explain Everything. Explain Everything starts at $7.49 per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly), and SMART Notebook is free.
Which has a free plan, Explain Everything or SMART Notebook?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Explain Everything and SMART Notebook have a free plan.
Which platforms do Explain Everything and SMART Notebook run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Explain Everything lists a web app and iOS and Android apps and only SMART Notebook lists macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.