Looking for a ClassDojo alternative?
ClassDojo made points-on-the-big-screen a normal thing in classrooms, and it earned that place. This page is for the teacher who likes the daily ritual but wants something lighter underneath it — no accounts, no parent app, no monsters. Here is an honest comparison, including the parts where ClassDojo is the better tool.
The short version
- Nothing to set up. Paste your class list and every student has a pet. Names and points stay in your browser — there is no roster on a server.
- The collection is the reward. Pets hatch from eggs, grow through ten levels, and earn badges and titles along the way. Students keep what they earn all year.
- Built for one big screen. Project the wall and the whole class watches the pets grow together — no student devices needed.
Where they differ
| ClassDojo | Class Pet Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free core; paid add-ons | Free for one class, every feature included |
| Accounts | Teacher account; students and families can join | No account at all — your browser, your data |
| What students collect | Points and a monster avatar | A pet that visibly grows through ten levels |
| Parent communication | The heart of ClassDojo — messaging, stories, updates | Not here. This is a points-and-rewards tool, not a family app |
| Devices | Phones, tablets, classroom screens | One screen: projector, smartboard, or a laptop |
| Setup | Create classes, add students, invite families | Paste a list and start scoring |
If parent messaging is the point for you, ClassDojo does that and this app does not. Class Pet Club is for the classroom where the point is the ritual itself: score the day, watch the pets grow, celebrate the week.
What a week looks like
- Monday — paste your list. Forty names become forty pets. Prefer to look around first? The demo class opens with a full year of history on it.
- All week — tap and feed. Score for anything your class already celebrates: homework, kindness, participation. Every point is food — pets level up, and a level-up mints a star students can spend in the reward shop.
- Friday — settle the week. The app works out who grew the most and who showed up every day, and you hand out the titles. The leaderboard celebrates the top five; nobody is named for having less.
Questions teachers ask
- Do my students need accounts or devices?
- No. Students watch the wall on the classroom screen. There is nothing to log into, and no student device is required — the pets are the show, the teacher drives.
- Where does my class data live?
- In your browser's local storage, on the computer you use. There is no server holding your roster, and no sign-up step. Setup has a one-click export that writes a backup file you keep.
- Is it really free?
- One class, every feature, free. We are building a multi-class tier for teachers who run several sections — the single-class app stays free when that arrives.
- Can I see it working before I type anything?
- Yes — press "Try a demo class" and a full class loads with pets, badges, and a year of scoring on it.
- Will it run on my smartboard or classroom tablet?
- Yes. It is a web page — open it full-screen on anything with a browser: a projector, a smartboard, a laptop, or a tablet passed around the room. Scoring is tap-tap-tap, so a touchscreen board is a natural home for it.
- What if I teach several classes?
- Today the app is built around one class, because that is the ritual — one wall, one group of pets. A multi-class tier for teachers who run several sections is in the works; until then, one class is free and complete.
That is the whole pitch: the points ritual you already run, with a collection underneath it that students care about keeping. Open the demo class and watch one afternoon of scoring — the difference reads on the screen.
Start your class pet club
Paste your list, give every student a pet, then feed them points all year.