Simpleclass vs Zoom for Education

A Closer Look at the Differences

Zoom is the most widely recognized video conferencing platform in the world, and for good reason. It's reliable, easy to use, and works well for everything from one-on-one calls to large webinars. During the pandemic, it became the default choice for remote education simply because everyone already had it installed.

Zoom's breakout rooms feature was a significant addition that made small-group work possible. Teachers can split participants into separate rooms, set timers, and broadcast messages to all rooms. For occasional group activities in a larger class, this works reasonably well.

The limitation becomes apparent when breakout rooms are your primary teaching format. Tutoring centers and language schools often run entire sessions in small groups—perhaps one teacher overseeing five pairs of students practicing conversation, or ten students split into groups working on different math problems. In Zoom, the teacher can hop between rooms, but they can only see and hear one room at a time.

This blind spot creates a fundamental problem. Teachers can't tell when students are stuck, when a group has finished early, or when someone needs help. The natural awareness that exists in a physical classroom—where a teacher can scan the room and notice confusion or disengagement—doesn't translate to Zoom's model.

Simpleclass was designed around this specific use case. The monitoring dashboard shows all rooms simultaneously, with live video and audio levels visible at a glance. Teachers can observe quietly without entering a room, or join visibly when they want to participate. Students can signal for help with a hand-raise that appears immediately on the teacher's screen.

There are also structural differences in how the platforms handle data. Zoom is a US company, and while they offer some data residency options for enterprise customers, the default routing and many backend services remain US-based. For European institutions—particularly those working with minors—this creates GDPR considerations that require careful attention.

Zoom remains an excellent general-purpose video tool. For webinars, large meetings, and occasional breakout activities, it's hard to beat. But for institutions where small-group tutoring is the core product, a platform built specifically for that workflow typically provides a better teaching experience.