Gradebook
Gradebook is a free, student-built web application for tracking grades, calculating GPA, and determining required scores across courses. It serves individual students via self-serve Google sign-up and offers enterprise partnerships with schools for LMS integration and custom theming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersCollege Station, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Gradebook does
Gradebook is a free web-based grade-tracking application built for individual students. Founded in 2018 in College Station, Texas by then-student Josh Costa, the product lets users log courses, categories, and assignments; computes weighted averages, letter-grade cutoffs (including +/- scales and decimal cutoffs), and GPA; and projects the scores required to hit each letter grade. A visual semester dashboard surfaces progress across all courses, and an "experimental mode" lets students simulate grade scenarios without saving. The application is built on a modern JavaScript stack with Google authentication for sign-up, a versioned protected API (e.g., /api/v0/), HTTPS encryption, and per-school configurable settings. A companion product, Course Search (cs.gradebook.app), functions as a template marketplace where students at participating schools (starting with Texas A&M University) can publish and import pre-built course structures; a beta advisor-collaboration feature allows partner-organization staff to request temporary account access with student approval.
The company operates a dual go-to-market. The consumer motion is product-led growth: zero-friction Google sign-up, fully free access, viral spread through course sharing via QR codes and links, and top-of-funnel content via a blog and changelog. The B2B motion targets schools and educational institutions through an enterprise partnerships page offering custom theming, LMS integration via the school's backend and API, and access to anonymized academic statistics — pricing is undisclosed and appears to be structured as an annual subscription. Gradebook monetizes through three streams: randomly served ads from local advertisers, voluntary user donations ($5-$100 via the website or Venmo), and enterprise licensing to schools.
Operationally, Gradebook remains a three-person bootstrapped team (Josh Costa, Vikas Potluri, Ramsay Smith) with no disclosed institutional funding, supporting "thousands of students" globally. Product development has been continuous since 2020, with versioned releases adding features such as custom cutoffs, GPA progress, drop-lowest, points/percentage toggles, a redesigned grade editor, bonus points, an enterprise launch, Course Search, embedded course search, and a Southern Hemisphere season setting in v3.28.0 (January 2025). The company explicitly disclaims status as an official academic record and does not assert FERPA-regulated handling of student-submitted data.
Gradebook firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gradebook
- Legal name
- Gradebook
- Website
- https://gradebook.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Gradebook is a free, student-built web application for tracking grades, calculating GPA, and determining required scores across courses. It serves individual students via self-serve Google sign-up and offers enterprise partnerships with schools for LMS integration and custom theming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gradebook industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Student Grade Tracking Software
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Classroom Assessment & Grading (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC), Automated Scoring, Grading & Feedback (AI/ML) Systems (EDAFADAE)
Keywords
Where Gradebook is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- College Station
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Gradebook business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising: Gradebook displays ads from local advertisers to generate revenue. Ads are randomly shown and no personal or activity information is used to determine which ads to show. This model keeps the service free for students.
- Enterprise/LMS Licensing: Schools and educational institutions can partner with Gradebook for enterprise access. Schools can integrate Gradebook's frontend tools into their LMS's backend and API, or use it as a standalone student-facing resource. Partner schools receive custom theming.
- Donations: Voluntary donations from users ($5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or custom amounts) via the donation page or Venmo (@gradebook). Described as helping the small team build new features and support students.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free student plan |
| Other | One-time | Optional donations |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise partnerships for schools |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Gradebook product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gradebook is a free, web-based grade tracking application for individual students that automates course grade and GPA calculations through a visual dashboard, "What's Needed" letter-grade calculator, experimental mode, and tailored GPA insights. The service supports multiple grading schemes (points, percentages, +/- scales, decimal cutoffs) with per-school configurable settings and course sharing via QR codes or links. For schools and educational institutions, Gradebook offers an enterprise partnership program providing custom theming, anonymized statistics, and frontend integration into existing LMS backends via its versioned API.
Product overview
Gradebook is a single, unified free grade tracking web application designed specifically for students. The core product centers around the main Gradebook application at gradebook.app, which provides visual dashboards for tracking course progress, automated grade calculations, and GPA insights. The platform also includes a complementary Course Search tool (cs.gradebook.app) that enables users to discover and import pre-built course templates created by other students. For institutional clients, Gradebook offers an Enterprise Partnerships program that provides custom theming, LMS integration capabilities, and advisor collaboration tools. The platform is entirely free for students and monetized through donations and enterprise partnerships with schools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gradebook Web Application Free web-based grade tracking application for individual students that provides a visual dashboard across all courses, a "What's Needed" letter-grade calculator, experimental mode for grade scenario testing, GPA Insights, points/percentage toggles, custom cutoffs, bonus points, drop lowest grades, and course sharing via QR codes/links.
- Course Search Searchable catalog of hundreds of Gradebook course templates created by classmates that allows students to import pre-configured course structures instead of manually setting them up.
- Enterprise Partnerships Partnership program for schools and educational organizations that provides custom theming, LMS backend/API integration, anonymized statistics, and advisor collaboration tools so students can use Gradebook as a standalone resource or as a layer on top of an existing LMS.
Companies that use Gradebook
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Gradebook technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature13 records
Gradebook partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Schools and Educational InstitutionscoreGradebook partners with schools and organizations to provide students with free grade tracking tools. Schools can use Gradebook as a standalone student-facing resource or integrate it with their existing LMS. Partner schools receive custom theming and access to anonymized statistics. Schools' staff such as academic advisors can request temporary access to view student accounts (with student approval). The company maintains partnerships with some organizations to remain free for students.
- GooglecoreGoogle authentication is used for user login to Gradebook. Users sign in with their Google account, and the Google identifier is used to associate grade information with the user's Google account.
- Local AdvertisersminorGradebook works directly with local advertisers to display randomly selected ads to users. No personal or activity information is used to determine which ads are shown. This advertising partnership keeps the service free for students.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gradebook competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Blackboard: Legacy enterprise LMS with gradebook, assessment, and analytics modules widely deployed in higher education. Comparable as the established grade-tracking infrastructure Gradebook must coexist with via LMS integration.
- Schoology (PowerSchool): K–12 LMS and assessment platform now part of PowerSchool. Comparable as an LMS gradebook incumbent whose student experience Gradebook explicitly tries to out-design.
- Canvas (Instructure): Largest US higher-ed LMS with built-in gradebook and analytics. Comparable because Gradebook's enterprise pitch is explicitly positioned as a student-facing layer on top of LMS backends — Canvas is the incumbent it must integrate with or displace.
- PowerSchool: Dominant K-12 student information system whose gradebook is the system-of-record for most US school districts. Comparable because schools must integrate with (or compete against) their grade-tracking module when evaluating Gradebook's enterprise offering.
Emerging players
- Edmodo: Education platform combining LMS, assignment, and gradebook functionality for K–12. Comparable as a historical competitor in the student/teacher grade-tracking category that Gradebook differentiates against on student-centric design.
- Gradescope (Turnitin): AI-assisted grading and feedback tool for instructors that automates rubric-based scoring. Comparable because it sits in the same 'automated grading/feedback' category, though on the instructor side of the workflow rather than the student side.
- Teacher Aid / Additio: Teacher-facing gradebook and classroom management app with rubric grading and analytics. Comparable as a gradebook specialist in the broader K-12 ecosystem, addressing the same workflow Gradebook serves from the student side.
Direct peers
- Power Planner: Mobile-first student app combining grade calculation, GPA tracking, homework, and a class schedule. Comparable because it sells the same core promise — 'handle the grade math so students don't have to' — to the same student segment.
- myHomework: Student planner app with grade tracking, class schedules, and homework reminders, used by millions of K–12 and college students. Comparable because it competes head-to-head as a free consumer-grade grade-tracking utility for the same student persona.
- iStudiez Pro: Cross-platform student planner with grade tracking, GPA calculation, and assignment weighting. Comparable as a premium student-facing grade tracker with overlapping features (category weighting, GPA forecasting) targeting the same buyer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Gradebook social profiles
Digital presenceGradebook compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Gradebook financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gradebook leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Gradebook funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gradebook M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gradebook
What does Gradebook do?
Gradebook is a free, web-based grade tracking application for individual students that automates course grade and GPA calculations through a visual dashboard, "What's Needed" letter-grade calculator, experimental mode, and tailored GPA insights. The service supports multiple grading schemes (points, percentages, +/- scales, decimal cutoffs) with per-school configurable settings and course sharing via QR codes or links. For schools and educational institutions, Gradebook offers an enterprise partnership program providing custom theming, anonymized statistics, and frontend integration into existing LMS backends via its versioned API.
Is Gradebook a public or private company?
Gradebook is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Gradebook founded?
Gradebook was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Gradebook based?
Gradebook is headquartered in College Station, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gradebook make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are enterprise/LMS Licensing and donations.
Who are Gradebook's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Blackboard, Schoology (PowerSchool), Canvas (Instructure) and PowerSchool. Emerging players are Edmodo, Gradescope (Turnitin) and Teacher Aid / Additio. Direct peers are Power Planner, myHomework and iStudiez Pro.
Does Gradebook have an API?
Yes. Gradebook exposes a protected API for communicating between the user's browser and their database. The API uses versioned endpoints (e.g., /api/v0/) for session management, including OAuth-based login (Google) and course-related operations. Specific endpoints referenced include session initiation (/api/v0/session/begin) and OAuth callback (/api/v0/session/cb). No public developer documentation or SDK is provided.
What industry is Gradebook in?
Gradebook's product category is Student Grade Tracking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAFAC, Classroom Assessment & Grading (Formative/Summative), with a secondary code of EDAJAMAC, Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative). Its SIC code is 7372.