CrowdGrader

CrowdGrader is a web-based peer-assessment tool for courses in which students submit and review one another’s work. It is best suited to instructors who want peer scoring to support learning while keeping authority over final grades. Its strongest case is the combination of structured reviews and instructor oversight; assignment-based fees and a strict age minimum narrow its fit.

Overview

Students review classmates’ submissions, and CrowdGrader combines those reviews into a consensus grade while removing outliers. A student’s own crowd-grade also reflects how accurately they assess other work. That makes reviewing part of the learning and scoring process, rather than an add-on, but instructors retain control of final marks.

Key features

Automatic review allocation, rubric scoring and moderation tools give instructors a structured way to run peer assessment. Reviews are anonymous: reviewers do not see submission authors’ identities, and uploaded files are renamed. This can encourage candid feedback, though the anonymity described is one-way.

Students can use a built-in editor for reports, math and code, or submit files, including ZIP archives. A monitoring page groups similar submissions and offers side-by-side comparisons, helping instructors identify work that merits closer examination; similarity is a signal to review, not a verdict.

Institutional subscriptions include optional integration with existing learning management systems, access monitoring and long-term retention for auditing. Student work is transmitted over HTTPS. Google handles authentication, and CrowdGrader says it uses only the user's email address to identify them, not other Google account information.

Pricing

The free instructor-sponsored plan costs nothing and covers up to 20 students. It is a practical fit for small classes, but instructors must move to a paid tier once enrollment exceeds that cap.

The instructor-sponsored Small plan costs $2.99 per assignment for up to 35 students; Medium costs $6.99 per assignment for up to 100; Large costs $13.98 per assignment for unlimited students. The step-up in price buys capacity rather than a different stated feature set, making Small or Medium the straightforward choices for instructors whose class sizes exceed the free limit. Large removes the stated student cap.

Student-supported assignment access costs $1.99 per six months. The fee is non-refundable, and the access period determines when students can submit, so it is less flexible than paying per assignment. The institutional license uses custom pricing based on predicted or past usage; affiliated instructors can use CrowdGrader without charge. The pricing model also includes a 21-day trial.

Platforms

CrowdGrader runs on the web. Google authentication is required, and institutional LMS integration is optional.

Who it's for

Instructors who want students to practice reviewing others’ work, give peer feedback and contribute to assessment are the clearest fit. The maker says there is no specific maximum class size, reports successful use for classes of about 800 and invites inquiries for classes of tens of thousands; the unlimited-student Large plan may therefore suit large enrollments, though the institutional license is the route for institution-wide use.

Students must be at least 13, and the terms prohibit use if any participating student is younger than 13. That makes CrowdGrader unsuitable for classes with younger students. The maker provides a contact email and phone number, and educator testimonials describe responsive help from the founder.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Peer grades account for reviewer accuracy as well as received marks, giving students a reason to assess carefully.
• Pro: Anonymous reviews, file renaming and moderation tools support a more controlled review process.
• Pro: Paid instructor-sponsored plans scale to unlimited students without a stated per-student cap.
• Con: The free plan stops at 20 students, and paid instructor-sponsored access is charged per assignment.
• Con: Student-supported access is non-refundable, with submission timing tied to the six-month access period.
• Con: The under-13 restriction rules out classes with younger participants.

Alternatives

Peer Assessment Software is the broader category to browse. Consider Eli Review for its free instructor access with unlimited courses and all platform features, or term-based student access. Kritik360 offers free educator access with course activation, instructional design and ongoing support. Choose Expertiza if a free, open-source option with Linux, macOS and self-hosted support suits your setup; ComPAIR is another free option with web and self-hosted platforms.

Peerceptiv offers campus-wide subscriptions with unrestricted campus use, an administrator dashboard and a custom API. peerScholar has a WCET promotional plan at $4,500 a year for unlimited courses, faculty, team members, students and activities. Marka is another freemium web option. PeerAssessment.com may suit courses needing Android or iOS access; its free trial covers one class, one term, one instructor, up to 100 students and up to 12 assessments.

Verdict

Choose CrowdGrader if you want peer review to affect scoring while instructors keep final control, especially for classes that need anonymous reviews, rubrics and monitoring tools. Look elsewhere if your class includes students under 13, or if a per-assignment model does not fit how you run courses.