CuraCourseCuraCourse vs Gradescope
Gradescope is built for grading: scanned exams, online assignments, and code, with rubrics that stay consistent across a class. CuraCourse is where students learn and practice, with grading built into the same lessons and feedback while they work.
We wrote this from each company’s public docs. Last checked .
When Gradescope fits
Gradescope fits if you give paper exams or handwritten problem sets and want fast, consistent rubric grading, or you need a Docker autograder for programming projects. It usually runs alongside your LMS and textbook.
When CuraCourse fits
CuraCourse fits if you want lessons, practice, and grading in one place, so students get feedback while they work instead of after they turn something in.
The main differences
Teaching or grading
Gradescope grades work students did somewhere else: on paper, in an online assignment, or in their own code editor. We couldn’t find a way to write lessons in it. In CuraCourse, practice sits inside your lessons and is graded there.
Handwritten work
Gradescope is ahead for paper exams. You scan them, grade each question with a rubric, and AI can group similar handwritten answers. CuraCourse is built for work students do in the lesson, like math on a math keyboard and graphs they draw.
Grading code
On its Institutional plan, Gradescope runs your autograder on code students upload or push from GitHub. CuraCourse runs code inside the lesson and checks the output on every plan, and cloud labs give students VS Code in the browser.
Graded where students practice.
Math answers like this one are checked right in the lesson, and you decide whether equivalent forms count as correct.
How to set it upEach cell links to its guide or source.
| What you need to do | CuraCourse | Gradescope |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not in their docs Gradescope is for assignments and grading. We couldn’t find a way to write lessons. Docs checked |
| 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 | Institutional (beta) Online assignments have short-answer, multiple-choice, and free-response questions, still marked beta. Source |
| Math & graphs | ||
| Math answers checked for equivalence Students type a math expression, and equivalent forms count as correct. | Available Students answer on a math keyboard. Accept the exact form, any equivalent expression, or a value within a tolerance. Guide | Numbers only Online short answers can accept numeric equivalents, like 2/1 for 2. We couldn’t find symbolic algebra. Source |
| Students draw graphs Students plot points, lines, and curves, and the graph is checked automatically. | Available Students plot points, lines, curves, and constructions on a board you set up, checked against your answers. Guide | Not in their docs Students can upload drawings to grade by hand. We couldn’t find graphs that are checked automatically. Docs checked |
| 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 Questions use Markdown and LaTeX. We couldn’t find a way to embed your own activity. 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 | Available Assignments can have a time limit, with extensions for individual students. Source |
| 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 | Not in their docs Students upload code or submit from GitHub or Bitbucket. We couldn’t find a code editor in the browser. Docs checked |
| Automatic code checks Grade code against tests you set. | Available Check student programs against the output you expect, on every plan. Guide | Institutional Write autograders in any language that run student code in Docker. 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 | Available Grade uploaded or scanned work question by question, with rubrics that update every graded answer. 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 | Answer grouping AI groups similar answers on PDF assignments so you grade each group once. We couldn’t find AI rubric scoring. 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 | Not in their docs We couldn’t find AI help for students. Docs checked |
| 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 | Institutional LTI 1.3 with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L, and Sakai, with grade sync. 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 + quote Basic is free. The Institutional plan is priced 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.
“Usually you finish an assignment, turn it in, and get feedback a week or two later, after you’ve already moved on. With instant AI feedback in CuraCourse, I keep working on something until I actually understand it, so what I submit is my best work, not just work that’s done.”
Student
Central Falls High School, Rhode Island
Switching from Gradescope
- Keep Gradescope for paper exams if you need it. The two can run side by side.
- Move one problem set into a CuraCourse lesson, with the explanation and questions together.
- Gradescope rubrics and grades don’t transfer. Connect CuraCourse to your LMS so new grades sync back.
Common questions
Is CuraCourse a Gradescope alternative?
For work students do online, yes. CuraCourse grades code, math, graphs, and written answers inside your lessons, and students get feedback while they work. For scanned paper exams, Gradescope is the better tool, and you can keep using it alongside CuraCourse.
Does CuraCourse have an autograder like Gradescope?
Yes. Coding exercises check student programs against the output you expect, on every plan, and cloud labs add VS Code in the browser for bigger projects. Gradescope’s autograder runs your own test scripts in Docker on its Institutional plan.
Can I use Gradescope and CuraCourse together?
Yes. Both connect to your LMS, so you can grade paper exams in Gradescope and teach and assign practice in CuraCourse.
Sources
We checked these pages in October 2026. Some features depend on the plan or book, so ask Gradescope about your setup. If something is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
- Gradescope: Assignment types
- Gradescope: Online assignments
- Gradescope: Uploading drawings
- Gradescope: Time limits
- Gradescope: Submitting code
- Gradescope: Autograder specifications
- Gradescope: Pricing
- Gradescope: AI-assisted answer groups
- Gradescope: Help center assistant
- Gradescope: LMS integration
CuraCourse entries in the table link to our own guides.