CuraCourseCuraCourse vs uCertify
uCertify sells a large catalog of ready-made IT, cybersecurity, and coding courses, with virtual machine labs, test prep, and proctoring. CuraCourse is for instructors who write their own lessons, with code, math, graphs, and simulations inside the reading, and it’s free to build.
We wrote this from each company’s public docs. Last checked .
When uCertify fits
uCertify fits if you teach toward an IT certification, like CompTIA, Cisco, or ISC2, and want a ready-made course mapped to the exam, with virtual machines, cyber ranges, practice tests, and proctoring.
When CuraCourse fits
CuraCourse fits if you want to write the course yourself, with runnable code, math answers, graphs, and your own simulations next to your explanation, and AI grading against your rubric.
The main differences
Ready-made courses or your own
uCertify’s catalog lists over 1,000 courses, many mapped to certification exams. Instructors can clone and change a course, or build one with uCertify Create. CuraCourse starts from lessons you write, in any subject, and you can also adopt shared courses from the CuraCourse bookstore.
Hands-on labs
uCertify’s labs include virtual machines, cyber ranges, hardware simulations, and coding labs. CuraCourse runs code inside the lesson, and cloud labs give students VS Code with git in the browser. For networking or security labs that need a full virtual machine, uCertify goes further.
Grading and AI
uCertify auto-grades its assessments, and its AI tutor answers from course material while instructors read the conversations. We couldn’t find rubric or AI grading in its docs. CuraCourse grades written work against your rubric, by hand or with AI you review, and you set how much the tutor helps in each lesson.
What a class of 30 costs
Published prices only, checked in October 2026.
| Option | Price | 30 students |
|---|---|---|
| CuraCourse Starter | $0 per student, per course | $0 |
| CuraCourse Core | $20 per student, per course | $600 |
| CuraCourse Pro | $45 per student, per course | $1,350 |
| uCertify course | $195.99 per student, with a year of access | $5,879.70 |
This is uCertify’s Certified in Cybersecurity course. Its catalog lists courses from $97.99 to $279.99, each with a year of access. Institutional prices aren’t published.
Each cell links to its guide or source.
| What you need to do | CuraCourse | uCertify |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Build lessons and tests in uCertify Create, or clone and change a course from the catalog. 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 Interactive lessons come with quizzes, flashcards, and pre- and post-assessments. 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 | Not in their docs MathsLAB has an equation editor. We couldn’t find whether equivalent answers count. Docs checked |
| 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 MathsLAB lets students plot functions. We couldn’t find whether graphs 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 Create has a simulation tool and media embeds. 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 Proctoring with ID checks and a locked-down browser is 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 CodingLAB lists 49+ languages, alongside virtual machine labs and cyber ranges in the browser. Source |
| Automatic code checks Grade code against tests you set. | Available Check student programs against the output you expect, on every plan. Guide | Not in their docs CodingLAB lists built-in code validation. We couldn’t find how to write your own tests. Docs checked |
| 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 | Not in their docs Assessments are auto-graded. Manual grading was announced in 2015, and we couldn’t find current docs. Docs checked |
| 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 | Not in their docs We couldn’t find AI grading of student work. Docs checked |
| 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 | Available An AI tutor answers from course material, and instructors can read and comment on conversations. 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 | Available Single sign-on, deep linking, and gradebook sync with your 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 | Per course Per-course prices are published, such as $195.99 for a year of access. Institutional prices aren’t. 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 uCertify
- List the uCertify lessons, labs, and tests you assign, and note which ones your course depends on.
- Rebuild one lesson in CuraCourse with your explanation, questions, and code, and take it as a student.
- uCertify content and grades don’t transfer. Keep certification prep in uCertify if you need it, and connect CuraCourse to your LMS so new grades sync back.
Common questions
Is CuraCourse a good uCertify alternative?
It is if you want to teach from lessons you write, in CS, math, or science. If you need a course mapped to a certification exam, with virtual machine labs and proctored practice tests, uCertify is the closer fit.
Does CuraCourse have labs like uCertify?
For coding, yes. Cloud labs give students VS Code with git in the browser for multi-file projects, with nothing to install. They come with Pro, or Core plus the $15 labs add-on. We don’t offer cyber ranges or hardware simulations.
How does pricing compare to uCertify?
uCertify publishes per-course prices, such as $195.99 for a year of access to its Certified in Cybersecurity course. CuraCourse is free for instructors, and students pay $0, $20, or $45 per course, or the school pays.
Sources
We checked these pages in October 2026. Some features depend on the plan or book, so ask uCertify about your setup. If something is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
- uCertify: Create
- uCertify: Learn platform
- uCertify: MathsLAB
- uCertify: Proctoring
- uCertify: Hands-on labs
- uCertify: Manual grading (2015)
- uCertify: AI Tutor
- uCertify: For educators
- uCertify: Certified in Cybersecurity course
CuraCourse entries in the table link to our own guides.