Side by side

BrainPOP vs PBS LearningMedia

Both stand on educational video libraries. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

BrainPOP

Free trial iPhoneWeb

BrainPOP combines animated lessons with interactive activities across several grade bands and subjects. Families, teachers, and schools have distinct access options, though some teacher licenses omit student accounts and progress tracking.

Visit BrainPOP

PBS LearningMedia

Free plan Web

PBS LearningMedia combines a large, standards-aligned library with tools for lessons, assignments and sharing. Its free account unlocks all features, while print use has specific conditions.

Visit PBS LearningMedia

The facts

	BrainPOP	PBS LearningMedia
Free plan	A free trial	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	iPhone, Web	Web
Lowest paid plan	BrainPOP Jr. (Family): $119 a year	Free or on request
Plans published	9	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	brainpop.com	pbslearningmedia.org
On educational video libraries	#17 of 33	#13 of 33

BrainPOP: what it does well

Activities include quizzes, challenges, and drawing.
Family plans include two child profiles.
School subscriptions include assignments and progress reporting.
Supports Clever, ClassLink, Google SSO, and LTI.
Includes Microsoft Immersive Reader in three products.

What to know first

No free plan is listed.
One SSO integration per school.
Individual Jr. and 3–8+ teacher licenses lack student accounts and progress tracking.

PBS LearningMedia: what it does well

More than 30,000 classroom-ready materials
Content aligns with state and national standards
Search filters include grade, subject and language
Integrates with Google Classroom, Clever and Remind

What to know first

All features require a free account
Printed pages must show the website URL
Printed pages cannot be distributed for a charge

Alternatives to BrainPOP Alternatives to PBS LearningMedia The whole list