Best Online Exam Software in 2027: 10 Platforms Compared
The best online exam software depends on how high the stakes are, how many candidates sit each exam, and whether you need to brand, embed or self-host the platform. This guide compares 10 platforms using facts their own vendors publish, as of November 2026, so you can shortlist by exam type and cost model instead of by feature count. It is written for training providers, certification teams and L&D managers who need to run assessments online. It also shows what each pricing model costs in practice when proctoring is switched on.
Disclosure: SimpliAssess is our product, and it is included here as one option, listed in alphabetical order with the rest. Every fact about every platform comes from that vendor’s own pages, read in November 2026. Nobody ran these products for this article, so there are no scores or rankings, and “not published” means only that the pages we read did not say.
Key takeaways
- Decide the exam stakes first. Low-stakes knowledge checks, certification exams and licensure programs need very different security, standards support and pricing.
- Published pricing falls into four patterns: free starter or open-source editions, annual plans with credits, per-organization licenses, and quote-only pricing.
- With credit-based pricing, proctoring is the biggest cost lever. In the illustrative examples below, one sitting can use between 2 and 6 times the credits of an unproctored one.
- Test content portability before you buy. Export a sample set of items during the trial and see what format comes out.
How were these 10 online exam software platforms chosen and compared?
The 10 platforms mix vendors that appear in current roundups and directory listings for this search with a few chosen to cover different exam types: credentialing, higher education and white-label delivery. The list is not exhaustive and nothing is scored. Each fact comes from the vendor’s own site, read in November 2026, and anything unclear is left out.
Existing results on this topic are mostly directory pages with star ratings, vendor landing pages, vendor buyer’s guides and scored top-10 lists. Several show ratings or scores without the plan limits behind them. This comparison keeps the same columns for every platform and reports published limits, including where our own product’s pages are silent.
What should online exam software do before you compare prices?
Start with the exam stakes, then check six things: content portability, security that matches the stakes, accessibility, integrations, pricing model and evidence for your scores. Feature lists look alike across vendors. These six areas are where published pages actually differ, and where a wrong choice is expensive to undo.
- Content portability. 1EdTech describes QTI as a specification that “enables the exchange of item and test content and results data between authoring tools, item banks” and other assessment systems. The newest final release it lists is QTI 3.0, dated 11 May 2022.
- Security that matches the stakes. A staff quiz needs a passcode and a timer. A certification exam may need lockdown, camera monitoring or test centers. Our exam security settings checklist maps each control to a stakes level.
- Accessibility. Ask which version of WCAG the vendor targets. WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 12 December 2024.
- Integrations. Look for named LMS connections, LTI (1EdTech calls it a technical standard for connecting learning tools to a learning environment), SSO, an API and webhooks.
- Pricing model. Per candidate, per credit, per assessment, per active user, or a flat organization license each produce a different bill at the same volume.
- Evidence for your scores. If results will support a certification or hiring decision, the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing from AERA, APA and NCME are the reference. The site describes the 2014 edition.
For a broader definition and a scorecard, see our guide to what an online assessment platform includes.
Pro tip: Export Twenty Items Before You Pay. During any trial, build 20 items of different types, export them in the format the vendor names, then try to re-import them somewhere else. Lock-in shows up in that test, long before it shows up in a contract.
How do the 10 online exam software platforms compare on published facts?
The table below uses the same five columns for every platform and lists only what each vendor’s own pages state as of November 2026. A blank or “not published” entry means the pages we read were silent. Order is alphabetical and is not a ranking.
| Platform | Built for (vendor wording) | Security and proctoring (published) | Integration and standards (published) | Pricing as published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClassMarker | Businesses, trainers, educators and HR | Monitor: tab switching detection, camera monitoring, face detection, ID card requirement | API and webhooks for LMS or CRM; QTI not mentioned on pages read | Subscription plans plus credit packs; 30-day free trial; no free plan listed |
| Exam.net | Training assessments, course exams, recruitment screening | High-security mode keeps test takers in full screen; real-time monitoring; three security levels | Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams; 8 question types | One license per organization, invoiced annually, price on request; 30-day trial |
| ExamSoft | Higher and secondary education, certification and licensure | Offline delivery on a locked-down device | Not described on the page read | Not published |
| Janison | Education authorities, professional associations, licensing bodies | Remote proctoring and invigilation services; ISO 27001 logo shown | Canvas, Moodle and Blackboard named; APIs | Custom quote |
| Questionmark | Certification, academic and Workday learning programs | “Proctoring solutions”; secure browser not mentioned on the homepage | LMS connection; Questionmark for Workday | Not published |
| SimpliAssess | Training companies and SMBs wanting white-label, headless delivery | No specific proctoring controls named on pages read | API-first; LMS and SIS integration; payment gateways; QTI and SSO not described | Plans exist, no figures published; non-profit discounts |
| Surpass | Credentialing, licensure, K-12, higher education, government | Online proctoring (live and record-and-review); test center network; ISO 27001:2022 | QTI named; API resources | Contact sales |
| Synap | Exams and courses sold per assessment or per active user | Passcodes and copy-paste blocking on all plans; proctoring is a paid add-on; IP restriction on Business | APIs and webhooks from Pro; LTI and SSO on Business | From £1,200 a year with 500 credits, or £149 a month; 14-day trial |
| TAO | Programs from free open source to enterprise | Remote proctoring and lockdown browser: add-on on Ignite, included in Elevate and Enterprise | QTI 2.2 and 3.0 import and export; LTI 1.3 | Free Starter and Community Edition; Author from $149 a month; Ignite from $990 a month |
| TestInvite | HR, certification bodies, academic entrance, L&D | Secure exam mode, tab blocking, webcam recording, photo ID check, live dashboard | SSO/SAML readiness; API page; 99.9% uptime SLA | Free trial; annual plans from $900; credit-based |
Which online exam software suits which kind of exam program?
Match the platform type to the exam program before you compare individual products. The table below is our reading of the published pages, grouped by situation. It points to where to look first and does not rank anyone.
| Your situation | Check first | Platforms whose pages point this way |
|---|---|---|
| Licensure or certification with test centers or adaptive forms | Test center delivery, adaptive options, security certifications | Surpass, Questionmark, Janison |
| University or school exams on locked-down devices | Offline or full-screen lockdown, outcome reporting | ExamSoft, Exam.net |
| Training provider delivering exams under its own brand | White-labeling, API, payments, branded domain | SimpliAssess, Synap (Pro and above), TAO (branded URL on Ignite) |
| Small team with occasional proctored exams | Credits used per proctoring level | ClassMarker, TestInvite, Synap |
| Need to own content or host it yourself | QTI export, self-managed hosting | TAO |
What does each platform’s page say, and where are the limits?
Each entry below says who the platform suits and one published limit worth checking. Facts are as of November 2026 and come from vendor pages only. Prices and limits change, so confirm them with the vendor before you budget.
ClassMarker: credit-based exams with optional camera monitoring
ClassMarker suits trainers and small teams that want a link-based exam maker with instant grading. Its pages list an API, webhooks and Monitor proctoring. Its pricing page says camera monitoring uses 10 credits per attempt, and the pages we read show no prices. For a detailed comparison, see our ClassMarker vs SimpliAssess breakdown.
Exam.net: browser-based exams with a per-organization license
Exam.net suits organizations running training assessments, course exams or recruitment screening that want a fast start. Its high-security mode stops test takers leaving full screen, and its pricing page lists eight question types and an AI question generator. Skip it if you need a permanent free plan: the page says there is none, only a 30-day trial.
ExamSoft: offline exams on locked-down devices
ExamSoft, by Turnitin, suits higher education and licensure programs that want exams delivered offline on a locked-down device, with question tagging for outcome reporting. Its page publishes no pricing and does not describe accessibility features, so ask for both. Confirm how the device model fits remote candidates.
Janison: authoring, delivery and managed exam services
Janison suits education authorities and licensing bodies that want a vendor to help run delivery as well as supply software. Its education page names Canvas, Moodle and Blackboard, Azure hosting and says it can support “hundreds of thousands” of concurrent candidates, which is a vendor claim. Pricing is by custom quote only.
Questionmark: certification, academic and Workday programs
Questionmark suits certification, academic and Workday learning programs. Its homepage says delivery is powered by Learnosity, mentions AI-assisted authoring and cites more than 600 customers. It does not mention a secure browser, standards or prices, and it sends buyers to “Talk to the team,” so raise those in a demo.
SimpliAssess: white-label, headless delivery for training companies
SimpliAssess suits training companies and SMBs that want to deliver tests under their own brand or inside their own apps. Its pages describe item banking, bulk import, AI-assisted authoring, API-first delivery and delivery online or as printable PDFs. They do not describe proctoring controls, SSO, QTI support or prices, so get those in writing.
Surpass: credentialing programs with test centers and proctoring
Surpass suits credentialing, licensure and national testing programs. Its page lists a test center network, live and record-and-review proctoring, adaptive and LOFT forms, paper delivery and ISO 27001:2022. It publishes no prices, so a team that needs a listed price this week should look elsewhere in this list.
Synap: exam credits with features that depend on the tier
Synap suits training and certification providers that want published prices. Skip the Standard tier if you need an API, white-labeling, SSO or LTI: its pricing page lists API access and white-labeling from Pro, and SSO and LTI on Business only, which is £8,000 a year with 1,000 credits.
TAO: a free starter plan, an open-source edition and enterprise tiers
TAO suits teams that want a free way in or control over hosting. The free Starter plan has one author seat and up to 50 learner test attempts a month, so busier programs need a paid tier. TAO also lists a free open-source Community Edition and TAO Cloud, private cloud or self-managed hosting.
TestInvite: point-based pricing with proctoring add-ons
TestInvite suits HR, certification and L&D teams that want a live proctoring dashboard and per-sitting pricing. Its page lists 20+ question types, photo ID checks and a 99.9% uptime SLA. The Starter plan caps stored questions at 250 and tests you create at 5, so check the tier against your item bank.
How much does proctoring change the cost of online exam software?
Credit-based pricing makes the proctoring mode your biggest cost lever. In the illustrative examples below, built from published TestInvite and Synap rates, a locked-down or monitored sitting uses between 2 and 6 times the credits of an unproctored one. Price your real mix of exams, not the plan name.
| Scenario (illustrative: 1,000 candidates, one sitting each) | Credits used | Illustrative arithmetic |
|---|---|---|
| TestInvite, unproctored | 1,000 | About $500 at $0.50 a credit (the 5,000-credit pack rate) |
| TestInvite, lockdown browser (+2) and webcam photo (+3) | 6,000 | About $3,000 at the same rate |
| Synap Standard, unproctored | 1,000 | £1,200 plan with 500 credits, plus 500 extra at £1.50 = £1,950 |
| Synap Standard, lockdown mode (2 credits) | 2,000 | £1,200 plus 1,500 extra at £1.50 = £3,450 |
The arithmetic uses the rates on the TestInvite pricing page and the Synap pricing page as of November 2026. It excludes taxes, VAT, add-on fees and any volume discounts, and the two vendors define credits differently, so compare the modes within each vendor, not the totals across them.
Pro tip: Ask for a Quote at Your Real Proctoring Mix. Send every vendor the same scenario: candidates per year, the share sat unproctored, locked down and camera-monitored, and whether a retake counts as a new credit. Quotes then become comparable line by line.
What should you do next?
Pick your exam stakes, shortlist three platforms from the decision table, and write one scenario for all of them: candidates per year, proctoring mix, integrations and branding. Run the same 20 items through each trial. Our assessment platform RFP checklist gives a scoring method you can reuse.
If the headless, white-label approach described in the SimpliAssess entry fits your plan, you can request a SimpliAssess demo and bring the questions from the table above.
Frequently asked questions
What is online exam software?
Online exam software lets you build questions, store them in an item bank, deliver timed exams to candidates in a browser and score the results. Many platforms add security controls such as lockdown, camera monitoring or passcodes, plus reports. Some also manage certificates, user accounts and integrations with a learning management system.
How much does online exam software cost?
Published pricing varies widely. As of November 2026, TAO lists a free Starter plan, Synap lists plans from £1,200 a year, TestInvite lists annual plans from $900, and several vendors publish no price at all. Costs depend on candidate volume, proctoring mode, branding and integrations, so ask each vendor to quote the same scenario.
Can online exam software stop cheating?
No software removes cheating risk. Controls such as randomized questions, time limits, full-screen lockdown, camera monitoring and photo ID checks make cheating harder and easier to spot. The right level depends on the stakes of the exam, and stronger controls usually add cost and candidate friction, so match the control to the risk.
Is there free online exam software?
Yes, with limits. TAO’s pricing page lists a free Starter plan with one author seat and up to 50 learner test attempts a month, and a free open-source Community Edition. Exam.net says it has no free plan, only a 30-day trial. Check attempt caps, item limits and proctoring access before relying on any free tier.
What is QTI and do I need it?
QTI is a 1EdTech specification for exchanging items, tests and results between assessment tools. You need it if you may move your item bank between platforms or share content with partners. Ask each vendor which QTI version it imports and exports, and test it with a sample set of items during the trial.
How is online exam software different from an LMS quiz tool?
An LMS quiz tool is built for in-course checks. Online exam software usually goes further, with item banks, secure delivery, detailed score reporting and content reuse across clients or programs. If you only run short, low-stakes knowledge checks inside courses, your LMS quiz tool may be enough.
