Anchor

Anchor suits schools running managed or bring-your-own Windows laptops that want teachers to guide classroom focus without continuous monitoring. Its strongest case is a school willing to host and manage the service; it is a poor fit for mixed-device classes or classrooms that require hard lockdown.

Overview

Teachers select a class, start a session and set the apps and websites students may use. They can revise those allowances live, check student states and events on a dashboard, and end enforcement for the class. This is useful when lesson resources change as a class progresses, but Anchor is a classroom focus tool rather than a full device-management system.

Off-list apps are set aside, not closed, and blocked pages in Edge offer students a way to request access. That keeps a route open for legitimate exceptions, while making the controls less suited to schools that need restrictions students cannot bypass.

Key features

Live session controls

Selectable bundles include Microsoft 365, Smartschool and GeoGebra, and teachers sign in with existing school Microsoft accounts. Teachers can adjust bundles during a lesson rather than setting an allowlist once and leaving it unchanged. The controls apply during teacher-started sessions, so Anchor is suited to lesson-by-lesson focus, not continuous oversight.

Limited session monitoring

Anchor does not capture approved work, keystrokes, page contents, screenshots or passwords, and it does not monitor browsing outside sessions. During a session, the extension sends off-allowlist page visits, unblock requests, integrity signals and liveness heartbeats to the school backend. Schools control retention; the default is to prune raw session events after 30 days while keeping summaries. This bounded approach limits what is collected, though schools still need to decide how their retention settings fit their policies.

Soft enforcement and public code

The maker acknowledges that a determined student can bypass Anchor; tampering appears as an integrity signal rather than being made impossible. That candour matters: teachers gain visibility into some off-list activity, not a guarantee of compliance. GPL-3.0 licensing, self-hosting and public source code give schools the option to audit and adapt the software, but product questions go to GitHub issues and there is no support ticket queue.

Pricing

Anchor costs nothing, billed Free. There is no licence fee or per-seat charge, and the free plan includes a self-hosted backend for one school per deployment. Azure hosting costs may apply, so free software does not mean a cost-free deployment: the school must run the backend in its own Azure subscription and account for hosting.

There is no free trial because the plan is free. The single-school deployment boundary makes the plan a straightforward fit for one school evaluating or adopting Anchor, but schools seeking a centrally hosted, multi-school service should look elsewhere.

Platforms

Anchor supports Windows 10 version 1809 or later and Windows 11 student laptops, with Microsoft Edge as the supported student browser and a web dashboard for teachers. The maker says there is no student agent for Mac, Chromebook, iPad or phone, and other browsers are outside the student-device scope. A class using those devices or browsers cannot rely on the same controls across its roster.

Who it's for

Anchor is best for schools using Windows laptops that can operate an Azure-hosted, single-tenant backend and want session-bounded classroom focus. It is less appropriate for schools that need centralized multi-school hosting, broad device coverage, dedicated support, or enforcement designed to resist determined bypass attempts.

Pros and cons

• Pros: No licence or per-seat fee makes the software accessible to a single school prepared to cover Azure hosting.
• Pros: Teachers can change allowed bundles during a session and students can request access to blocked Edge pages, supporting lessons that need occasional exceptions.
• Pros: Session-only observation and public GPL-3.0 source code give privacy-conscious schools a bounded, auditable approach.
• Cons: Windows and Edge scope excludes common classroom devices and other browsers, limiting usefulness in mixed-device settings.
• Cons: Soft enforcement can be bypassed, so it is not a substitute for hard lockdown.
• Cons: Each school must host its own backend, and product questions rely on GitHub issues rather than a support ticket queue.

Alternatives

Classroom Management Software is a useful category starting point for comparing classroom tools.

• LiveSchool is worth considering for broader device coverage and a school-year pilot with SSO and rostering, though its paid Starter plan is $1,960 a year.
• Classwize is another paid option for schools seeking classroom software across its listed extension, iOS, macOS, web and Windows platforms.
• Lightspeed Classroom may suit schools looking for an option included in Lightspeed’s integrated ecosystem; it uses personalized quotes.
• GoGuardian Teacher is an alternative for schools prepared for custom pricing based on enrollment, bundles, contract length and professional services.
• Piazza is a freemium alternative with web, iOS and Android support.
• Securly Classroom is a paid alternative for web, Windows and macOS.
• Apple Classroom is a free alternative for iOS and macOS environments.
• ClassDojo is a freemium alternative for web, iOS and Android.

Verdict

Choose Anchor if your school uses supported Windows laptops, can host its own Azure backend, and wants no-fee session controls with limited monitoring and auditable source code. Look elsewhere if your classes span devices and browsers, require stronger enforcement, or need a hosted service with a formal support queue.