Lumio vs Top Hat

Lumio9.1Visit Top Hat8.1Visit

Higher score Lumio #1 in Interactive Classroom Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Lumio

vs

Top Hat #7 in Interactive Classroom Software 8.1/10 5-day trial Free trial✓ 1 of 6 features Visit Top Hat

• Lumio fits best

  Schools using mixed lesson file formats

• Top Hat fits best

  Higher education with assessment workflows

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Side by side

Feature	Lumio 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Top Hat 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.1
Ranking	#1 in Interactive Classroom Software	#7 in Interactive Classroom Software
Best for	Schools using mixed lesson file formats	Higher education with assessment workflows
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$59/user/yr	$35/unit/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	5 days
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations	10 integrations	5 integrations
Features Lumio 5/6 · Top Hat 1/6
Interactive presentations	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Live polls	✓	✓
Quiz activities	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Audience questions	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Assessment reports	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
LMS integration	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Max participants	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Imports and edits PDF, Google Slides, PowerPoint and SMART Notebook files Combines quizzes, polls, discussions, collaboration and formative assessment Supports Google, Microsoft, major LMS platforms and school rostering tools	Combines polls, quizzes, discussions, attendance, and gradebook tools Supports Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, Moodle, and Sakai Adds interactive readings, insights, and AI study support tools
Cons	Free plan limits lesson storage to 100MB Team libraries and co-editing require the Spark plan Web-only access may not suit schools needing a native desktop app	Paid access starts at $35 per 4-month term Department and institution pricing is custom Participation requires internet-connected student devices
Our verdict	Lumio is a web-based interactive classroom platform for K–12, higher education and professional development. Educators can create, import and edit lessons, deliver them live or asynchronously, and involve students through games, quizzes,… Read the review →	Top Hat is an interactive learning platform for college and university educators who need more than live polling. It combines interactive slide presentations, live polls and quizzes, discussions, anonymous responses, upvoting, word clouds,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Lumio — where it wins

  • Imports and edits PDF, Google Slides, PowerPoint and SMART Notebook files
  • Combines quizzes, polls, discussions, collaboration and formative assessment
  • Supports Google, Microsoft, major LMS platforms and school rostering tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Free plan limits lesson storage to 100MB
  • Team libraries and co-editing require the Spark plan
  • Web-only access may not suit schools needing a native desktop app

• Top Hat — where it wins

  • Combines polls, quizzes, discussions, attendance, and gradebook tools
  • Supports Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, Moodle, and Sakai
  • Adds interactive readings, insights, and AI study support tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid access starts at $35 per 4-month term
  • Department and institution pricing is custom
  • Participation requires internet-connected student devices

• Lumio9.1/10 · Free plan

  A broad browser-based classroom workspace for mixed lesson files and interactive teaching.

  Visit LumioFull verdict →
• Top Hat8.1/10 · 5-day trial

  A broad classroom platform for live participation, assessment, and learning insights.

  Visit Top HatFull verdict →