What CodeGrade Free means for our existing customers

Over the past eight years, you’ve trusted CodeGrade to run your courses, support your students, and scale your teaching.

As we introduce CodeGrade Free, we want to be clear about one thing:

Nothing about your current experience is changing.

Your courses, your workflows, and the capabilities you rely on today remain exactly as they are.

Why We’re Introducing a Free Version

We’re launching CodeGrade Free to remove a barrier we’ve consistently seen in programming education: access.

Many educators want to improve their courses but face delays due to:

• Procurement processes
• Budget cycles
• Internal approvals

With Free, any instructor can get started immediately.

This doesn’t replace our existing model—it complements it. If you want to learn more about why we’re launching CodeGrade free, read this blog post.

What Stays the Same for You

If you’re already using CodeGrade through a paid plan:

• ✅ Your current features remain unchanged
• ✅ Your workflows and integrations continue as-is
• ✅ Your support level and SLAs remain in place
• ✅ Your data and courses are unaffected
• ✅ Your pricing and agreements are not impacted

There is no downgrade, no migration, and no loss of functionality.

What’s Different About Free

CodeGrade Free is designed as a starting point, not a replacement for advanced usage.

It includes:

• Core autograding functionality
• Basic assignment setup
• Structured feedback workflows
• Support for courses up to 50 students

It does not include many of the capabilities that larger courses and institutions rely on, such as:

• Advanced workflow configurations
• Scalable course management features
• LTI and SSO integrations
• AI capabilities
• Higher usage limits
• Institutional support

In short: Free makes it easy to start. Paid plans are designed to scale.

Why This Benefits You

While Free is aimed at new users, it also creates meaningful advantages for existing customers.

1. Easier Internal Adoption

Colleagues can now try CodeGrade in their own courses without requiring upfront approval.

This often leads to:

• Faster departmental alignment
• More consistent tooling across courses
• Reduced friction when expanding usage

2. Stronger Student Experience Across Courses

As more instructors within a program adopt CodeGrade:

• Feedback becomes more consistent
• Workflows become more standardized
• Students have a more cohesive learning experience

3. Better Pilots, Better Decisions

Departments can now run real pilots with real courses before making broader decisions.

That means:

• Less risk
• More data
• More confident adoption at scale

4. A Stronger Product Ecosystem

As more educators use CodeGrade:

• We receive more feedback from diverse teaching contexts
• We can invest more into improving the platform
• We can continue building features that support real classroom needs

Free and Paid Work Together

CodeGrade Free is not a separate product—it’s part of a broader model:

• Free removes the barrier to getting started
• Paid plans support scale, complexity, and institutional needs

This allows educators to:

• Start small
• Validate value in real courses
• Expand when it makes sense

Take a look at our pricing page here to see how our different models work together.

Our Commitment to You

We’ve built CodeGrade together with educators over many years. That hasn’t changed.

Introducing Free does not mean:

• Lowering the quality of the product
• Reducing investment in advanced features
• Shifting focus away from institutional customers

If anything, it allows us to:

• Strengthen the foundation of programming education
• Expand adoption responsibly
• Continue investing in the tools you rely on

Looking Ahead

We believe programming education works best when:

• Educators can adopt tools without friction
• Departments can scale what works
• Students receive consistent, high-quality feedback

CodeGrade Free is a step toward that future.

And we’re glad to be building it with you.

– Youri Voet
CEO of CodeGrade