Teachers love ClassDojo — with good reason. But "free classroom app" and "school management platform" solve different problems. Here's a factual comparison for South African schools weighing the two.
Last reviewed: 5 September 2026 — all claims about ClassDojo are sourced from classdojo.com. See sources →
At a glance
| MyEncore | ClassDojo | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | MyEncore (Pty) Ltd, South Africa | ClassDojo Inc, United States |
| What it is | Whole-school management platform | Classroom communication + social-emotional learning tool |
| Pricing | R50/learner/year (under 1000 learners), published — all modules included | Free for teachers; ClassDojo Plus paid subscription for families |
| Scale | 18 SA schools in active daily use, 12,000+ learners | "Loved by more than 45 million students and parents" (global) |
| South African focus | ✅ SA-SAMS, ZAR fees, Netcash, Afrikaans, SA hosting | Global/US-centric product |
Source for ClassDojo rows: classdojo.com retrieved 2026-09-05.
Feature comparison
| Feature | MyEncore | ClassDojo |
|---|---|---|
| Parent messaging | ✅ Push, SMS & WhatsApp from one place | ✅ Messages, auto-translated into 190+ languages |
| Classroom photo/update sharing | ✅ News, notes & photo galleries in the parent app | ✅ Stories private feed |
| Behaviour points / SEL | Awards & merits module | ✅ Points, Big Ideas, Portfolios — its core strength |
| Official attendance registers | ✅ Registers with automatic absent-parent notifications | Toolkit attendance sheets (classroom-level) |
| School fee billing & statements | ✅ Invoicing, statements, instalment arrangements | Not stated on classdojo.com |
| South African payments (ZAR / Netcash) | ✅ Opt-in, flat R250/month, 0% of payments | Not stated on classdojo.com |
| Marks, report cards & AI marking | ✅ | Not stated on classdojo.com |
| SA-SAMS integration | ✅ | Not stated on classdojo.com |
| Sports: live streaming, scoreboards, fixtures | ✅ Full sports module | Not stated on classdojo.com |
| Tuckshop / marketplace / event tickets | ✅ | Not stated on classdojo.com |
| Transport & hostel management | ✅ | Not stated on classdojo.com |
| Data hosted in South Africa | ✅ | Not stated on classdojo.com |
"Not stated" means we couldn't find a claim about that capability on ClassDojo's public site — it may exist; we don't claim otherwise.
Where ClassDojo is strongest
- Free for teachers, forever — an individual teacher can start today at zero cost.
- Classroom engagement UX — Stories, Points and Portfolios are polished and genuinely loved.
- Automatic translation into 190+ languages for parent messages.
- Scale and trust — 45 million+ students and parents, 2 million+ reviews.
If a single teacher wants a free classroom-engagement tool and the school's admin runs elsewhere, ClassDojo is a fine choice.
Where MyEncore is different
It runs the school, not just the classroom. Attendance registers, fees, marks, sports, transport, tuckshop and hostel live in the same platform parents already open daily.
Built for South Africa. SA-SAMS integration, ZAR fee billing with optional Netcash (flat R250/month, no percentage of parent payments), Afrikaans and English, data hosted in South Africa, POPIA-first PII encryption.
One app for parents. Fee statements, homework, live-streamed matches, tickets and news in one login — not one app per teacher tool.
Transparent pricing. R50 per learner per year, published here →. A school pays for a platform; teachers don't pay at all.
Which is right for your school?
ClassDojo may fit better if:
- Individual teachers want a free classroom engagement tool with no school-level commitment
- Behaviour points and social-emotional learning are the main goal
- Your school's admin, fees and compliance already run happily on something else
MyEncore likely fits better if:
- You want the school — not just classrooms — on one platform with one bill
- You need SA fee billing, SA-SAMS and official registers, not just parent updates
- You want school sport live-streamed and scored in the same parent app
- You'd rather parents install one school app than several classroom tools
Sources
- classdojo.com — retrieved 2026-09-05
If you spot an inaccuracy in this comparison, please contact us — we'll update it.
Trademark disclaimer
ClassDojo, ClassDojo Plus, Dojo Islands, Dojo Tutor and Dojo Sparks are trademarks of ClassDojo Inc. MyEncore is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ClassDojo Inc. All product claims about ClassDojo on this page are sourced from ClassDojo's public marketing materials at classdojo.com as of 5 September 2026. This page exists to help South African schools make an informed comparison.
Last reviewed: 5 September 2026. We update these comparisons quarterly or when ClassDojo's public information materially changes.