CuraCourseCuraCourse vs CodeHS
How CuraCourse and CodeHS compare on writing your own lessons, coding practice, grading, AI, and cost.
We wrote this from each company’s public docs. Last checked .
When CodeHS fits
Go with CodeHS if you want ready-made CS courses and a classroom coding environment for your whole school. Some features need a paid plan.
When CuraCourse fits
Pick CuraCourse if you want to write your own lessons, with code tracing, Parsons problems, coding exercises, math answers, graphs, and your own simulations on the same page.
The main differences
Where the lessons come from
CodeHS is built around its own computer science courses, and you can add custom assignments and quizzes. CuraCourse starts from lessons you write, in any subject, with the explanation and practice on the same page.
Where students write code
CodeHS has a classroom IDE with block coding and custom autograders, which suits beginners and K-12 classes. CuraCourse runs code inside the lesson and checks the output. Paid plans add cloud-based labs with VS Code in the browser for multi-file projects.
Who pays, and for what
CodeHS has a free tier. AI features and some grading tools need a paid school or district plan. CuraCourse is free for instructors. Students pay $0, $20, or $45 per course, or the school pays.
Each cell links to its guide or source.
| What you need to do | CuraCourse | CodeHS |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive lessons | ||
| Author your own material Write content and organize it for your class. | Available Write lessons with explanations, video, equations, and activities in one editor. Guide | Available Create custom assignments and add them to a course. Source |
| Questions alongside teaching material Ask questions while students learn a concept. | Available Multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, open response, sorting, and ordering, right after your explanation. Guide | Available Create multiple-choice quizzes within course lessons. Source |
| Custom Activities | ||
| Build your own interactive activity Put a simulation or tool you made in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript inside a lesson, with saved progress and scores. | Available Build it yourself or with CuraAI. It saves each student’s progress and score. Guide | Not in their docs Browser coding is documented. We couldn’t find a way to embed your own activity with saved progress and scores. Docs checked |
| Exams | ||
| Timed exams Give students a set amount of time. | Beta Set a time limit, how students move through questions, and when grades are released. Guide | Not in their docs Custom quizzes are documented. We couldn’t find an exam time limit setting. Docs checked |
| IDE | ||
| Write and run code in the browser Students code without installing anything. | Available Code exercises run inside the lesson on every plan. Cloud-based labs need Pro, or Core with the labs add-on. Guide | Available Browser IDE with multiple languages and block coding. Source |
| Automatic code checks Grade code against tests you set. | Available Check student programs against the output you expect, on every plan. Guide | Available Write your own autograders or use presets. Source |
| Grading | ||
| Manual scoring and feedback Grade work yourself and leave comments. | Available Grade with your rubric, and move through submissions quickly with Lightning Grader. Guide | Varies by plan Grading tools vary by plan. Source |
| AI rubric grading AI scores work against your rubric and gives feedback. | Available Write the rubric, then review the AI’s scores and feedback. On every plan, and free Starter courses include a few AI credits. Guide | Pro AI-suggested rubric scores and feedback on Pro. Source |
| AI | ||
| AI help you control Decide how much AI helps students. | Available Turn on the AI tutor per lesson and choose how much it helps. Off by default. Guide | Pro Optional AI student hints on Pro. Source |
| Adoption & cost | ||
| LMS launch and grade sync Students open work from your LMS, and grades go back automatically. | Available LTI 1.3 with grade passback. Works with Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard Ultra, Brightspace, Schoology, and more. Guide | Varies by plan Connects to LMSs through LTI. Support varies by plan and LMS. Source |
| How access is priced What a course costs, including paid features and usage. | Free to start Free for instructors. Students pay $0, $20, or $45 per course, or the school pays. Guide | Free + paid Free tier, plus paid classroom, school, and district plans by quote. Source |
“Available” means it’s documented, though it may need a certain plan. “Not in their docs” means we couldn’t find it in the linked pages. It may still exist.
Switching from CodeHS
- Pick one assignment you already teach and rebuild it as a CuraCourse lesson.
- Take it as a student, with right and wrong answers, to see how it’s graded.
- CodeHS courses, rosters, and grades don’t transfer, so leave past grades in CodeHS.
Sources
We checked these pages in October 2026. Some features depend on the plan or book, so ask CodeHS about your setup. If something is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
- CodeHS: Creating custom assignments
- CodeHS: Creating a custom quiz
- CodeHS: Classroom IDE
- CodeHS: Custom autograders
- CodeHS: Plan comparison
- CodeHS: Integrations
CuraCourse entries in the table link to our own guides.