Edmodo was a free, hosted learning management system for K-12 education. It’s Facebook meets classroom management, frankly minus the drama or privacy nightmares.

Founded in 2008 by three public school workers (Nic Borg, Jeff O’Hara, and Crystal Hutter), Edmodo was born out of frustration. Schools censored social media, but teachers had seen how engaged students were online. So they built something that would catch that energy for learning.

Does Edmodo Exist?

No Edmodo was finally closed on September 22, 2022.

All accounts teachers, students, parents were deleted. Every assignment, discussion thread and nuance of curriculum was gone. The platform offered users approximately five weeks to download their data before everything vanished.

The company that owned Edmodo, NetDragon, shut down the free consumer version to focus on pursuing government contracts in certain countries. At the fire sale, Edmodo accounted for 45% of K-12 LMS usage in North America which meant millions of teachers were suddenly looking at alternatives.

The Best Edmodo Alternatives You Can Actually Use

When Edmodo shut down, there wasn’t time for teachers to mourn they had classes to teach. Here are the platforms that rose to the occasion and some honest evaluations of what does (and doesn’t) work.

Google Classroom: The Zero-Budget Solution

Market Share : 24% of K-12 school schools

Google Classroom emerged as the easy choice for one reason: It’s totally free and dead simple.

What It Does Well:

Perfectly works with Google Workspace(disk, document, sheet and meet)!

Zero setup time if you have a Google account, you’re pretty much set.
Sleek and intuitive interface that students can grasp in minutes
Apps that run without crashing on mobile
Instant collaboration for documents and projects

Where It Falls Short:

Basic features
Limited number of assessment tools (vs complete LMS platforms)
No gamification or student accomplishment badges built-in
It’s a bit too basic if you have had a lot of experience with course management

Best For: Schools looking to implement now for free especially if they are already using Google services. Great for easy task management.

Schoology: The Closest Thing to the Spirit of Edmodo

Market Share: About 22% of K-12 schools

PowerSchool acquired Schoology in 2019 for over $70 million, and it’s more or less Edmodo’s spiritual successor.

What It Does Well:

Social media-style interface with recognizable news feeds and discussion boards
Full assessment tools, gradebook Grade pass-back functionality
Badge system for student achievements/gamification
Rich analytics to monitor student progress/engagement
Extensive third-party integrations for added features
Seamless integration with PowerSchool student information systems

Where It Falls Short:

More complex than Google Classroom high learning curve
Some advanced capabilities require paid upgrades
Can be overwhelming for teachers seeking simplicity

Best For: Schools that need a robust LMS course management platform (includes social learning). It’s what you do if you adored Edmodo for the community, ayeeee?

Canvas LMS:

The Leader in Premium, Online Learning Canvas is the online learning platform of choice for Americans, known especially for its affordable pricing structure.

Market Share: 28% of K-12 schools (market leader) Canvas takes the lead because of their consistent output and they don’t leave you hanging with a shutdown.

What It Does Well:

Modern, user-friendly interface with a polished appearance
Many third-party integrations with educational tools
Customer service that’s reliable when you ask for help)
Strong analytics and reporting
Mobile apps for iOS and Android that are easy to use Scales from elementary schools to universities without issue

Where It Falls Short:

Subscription-based pricing can be taxing on smaller school budgets
Less customization than open-source alternatives
Some schools find it “complicated” when they need it simple

Best For: Institutions looking to pay for a premium platform instead of focusing on self-support. You’re buying quality and trust.

Moodle: The Customizable Powerhouse

Market Position: Top open-source LMS worldwide Moodle is also the kind of DIY offering

A free, open-source piece of software that can be adjusted endlessly.

What It Does Well:

Totally free, no licensing fees ever
Insane amount of flexibility and customization
Huge plugin ecosystem to add functionality
Supports multiple languages out of the box
Strong global community with support and enhancements
Built-in Detailed assessment and grading tools

Where It Falls Short:

Technical knowledge is required to set up and run
Steeper learning curve for teachers/students (and sometimes admins)
Interface might feel “old” if you don’t customize heavily
You’ll need IT help for maintenance.

Best For: Schools that have internal technical staff who aren’t afraid of working on their LMS without focusing on licensing costs. Not great if you have to get something working tomorrow.

Microsoft Teams for Education: The Hub for Teaching and Learning

If your school is rooted in Microsoft, Teams puts it all together under one digital roof.

What It Does Well:

Comes with video conferencing, chat, file sharing etc.
Seamless integration with Office 365apps
Assignment management with grading tools
Collaboration beyond what LMS can offer
Free to schools with Microsoft 365 Education

Where It Falls Short:

Can seem overwhelming with so many functions
Complex interface if you’re not used to Microsoft universe
Some users have reported occasional hangups when using massive classes

Best For: K–12 schools with Microsoft investments looking for an all-in-one communication and learning platform.

The Bottom Line

Edmodo is dead; long live learning. The platforms that succeeded it learned its lessons they have a business model, better security, and respect for the time teachers spend.

What matters most? Choose a good thing, learn it and focus on teaching not jumping tools.

Need help deciding? Begin with Google Classroom if you want simplicity or Schoology if features are important to you. You can always change later if you need to but really the best platform is the one that you’ll actually use consistently.