Google Classroom vs. SumTotal (legacy)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Google Classroom
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
N/A
$0
per month
SumTotal (legacy)
Score 7.9 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
The SumTotal Talent Expansion Suite included SumTotal (LMS), and was supported by Skillsoft since the October 2014 acquisition. Acquired by Cornerstone OnDemand in 2022, it is a legacy product, and Cornerstone recommends upgrading to their modern platform.N/A
Pricing
Google ClassroomSumTotal (legacy)
Editions & Modules
Education Fundamentals
$0
per license/per month
Google Workspace for Education Standard
$3
per student/per year
Teaching and Learning Upgrade
$4
per license/per month
Google Workspace for Education Plus
$5
per student/per year
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google ClassroomSumTotal (legacy)
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsEducation Fundamentals Version - 30-day free trial for qualifying institutions.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google ClassroomSumTotal (legacy)
Features
Google ClassroomSumTotal (legacy)
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Google Classroom
7.6
60 Ratings
8% below category average
SumTotal (legacy)
6.5
1 Ratings
8% below category average
Course authoring8.652 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Course catalog or library7.839 Ratings4.01 Ratings
Player/Portal7.238 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Learning content7.641 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile friendly7.257 Ratings00 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications7.344 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Assignments7.458 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Compliance management7.334 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Learning administration7.546 Ratings4.01 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics7.342 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Social learning8.551 Ratings00 Ratings
Gamification4.88 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning9.512 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Google Classroom
-
Ratings
SumTotal (legacy)
8.2
2 Ratings
12% above category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Google Classroom
-
Ratings
SumTotal (legacy)
8.8
1 Ratings
18% above category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Google Classroom
-
Ratings
SumTotal (legacy)
8.2
2 Ratings
18% above category average
Performance plans00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Google Classroom
-
Ratings
SumTotal (legacy)
7.0
1 Ratings
3% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Google Classroom
-
Ratings
SumTotal (legacy)
7.8
2 Ratings
9% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Google ClassroomSumTotal (legacy)
Small Businesses
iSpring LMS
iSpring LMS
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paycor
Paycor
Score 7.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 8.0 out of 10
Engagedly
Engagedly
Score 8.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 8.0 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Google ClassroomSumTotal (legacy)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(77 ratings)
7.5
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(4 ratings)
6.0
(5 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(8 ratings)
2.0
(2 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.9
(14 ratings)
3.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
2.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google ClassroomSumTotal (legacy)
Likelihood to Recommend
Google
Google Classroom allows teachers to post for daily lessons and assignments. It also allows teachers to be able to communicate with students easily outside of class. Students are able to stay connected and know where to find all information and resources easily in a streamlined manner for all of their classes.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
Very good for learning and development and training of employees. For Applicant tracking, recuirement, onboarding, and enablement, I prefer SAP SuccessFactors or Skillate. I also found that the SumTotal app is not very friendly on android and crashes sometimes and it is not optimized for mobile. Hence I end up never using it.
Read full review
Pros
Google
  • Student-teacher communication - I love using Classroom for this because my students can always go back and check what was on Classroom by looking through the stream. This way they don't have to go dig through emails to find what they're looking for.
  • Posting to multiple classes - I can post the same announcement or assignment to multiple classes at once without having to repeat the process or send separate emails.
  • Streamlining grading - when students turn work in on Classroom, it all goes to one place and then when I'm grading I can open their documents directly from Classroom or my Drive folder. This way, I'm not looking through emails and Google Doc shared files for their assignment.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
  • Assign complete learning plans to users so they don't have to spend time searching for courses.
  • Export learner's transcripts so managers can easily see their employee's progress.
  • Embed Social Media feeds that are relevant to their business.
Read full review
Cons
Google
  • The content management of the Classroom is not that good. The sub-section for notes, syllabus, or discussion is missing.
  • It doesn't have parental control feature.
  • It converts the excel output into a normal file. All the formulas and pivots got changed into plain text.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
  • Reporting
  • Mass importing of manual checks to be issued in California
  • Ability to fund pay cards immediately
  • Perform gross-up calculations within the payroll system automatically
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Google
Testing is particularly important in online learning, and Google Classroom falls far short of other learning management systems in this regard. Security is also a concern: while account control is reasonable for the account used with Google Classroom, the person controlling a particular account is often able to, for example, forward or download proprietary materials.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
I have transitioned from a position who supported the product to a position where I use the product. I continue to be impressed with the robustness of the product and how efficient it is. It is a user friendly software that can be used to navigate and accomplish tasks to meet organizational requirements.
Read full review
Usability
Google
Simple design and seamless integration with Google tools and drive, but missing some key features. However, since it is limited in overall functions and ability to truly personalize / customize, it is quite user friendly and easy to set up and get going, other than sending out the code to your course or dropping students in via their gmail account. Users of Google Forms and sites will find the layout similar in design.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
I do not find SumTotal to be intuitive. I feel we need to adjust our needs to meet the functionality available in the tool.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Google
We have had very little trouble in accessing Google Classroom. Our issues, if any, have risen from our server and not the Google servers.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Google
Since this platform is provided by Google, the technical support is better than any others, and we are not required to bother about the space constraints for adding the contents. If we have a good uninterrupted internet facility we can access Google Classroom without any delay or lag. They have app support in both Android and iPhone.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
We have our own IT support to assist in SumTotal issues, however, we have had to log in cases directly. Support is mediocre at best.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Google
It was relatively easy to implement due to the simplicity of the platform. Even our more technology challenged teachers found it easy to get started with Google Classroom.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Google
I haven't tested or evaluated another digital classroom website or application. I feel like Google Classroom is convenient for many reasons such as compatibility to Google docs, slides, etc. I also love the ability to link to YouTube and other sites. I don't know if there would be a site that is easier to maneuver.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
When I came to my company, they had been using a "light" LMS called Articulate. It was cheap and bare bones; i.e. not a lot of features, really just a platform to launch eLearning from and not real interface for student to utilize. When I began to overhaul the training department, this was one of the first things I changed. Articulate would only run courses built in their software, and the software was not 508 compliant. In addition, we had no ability to create learning plans, house transcripts, customize the interface, or manage the students. I made the choice to select and LMS that was a true LMS with all of the features that were critical to our clients' needs. Thus far, SumTotal has been able to support all of our needs, except one; mobile learning that is media rich
Read full review
Scalability
Google
It is very easy to push out this program across our buildings. Teachers are able to use it without much trouble.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Google
  • Students are able to continue learning in a remote environment
  • Parents have a single, consistent organization structure to make it easy to track assignments and progress for multiple children
  • Much better solution than the quickly assembled Zoom-and-gloom of the previous spring when school abruptly went remote with no planning
Read full review
Discontinued Products
  • Clean front-end user interface for easier course catalog management.
  • Reporting has been more difficult than previous LMS.
  • Audience building has more variables making it more difficult to manage.
  • Slower overall client turnaround due to admin side interface.
Read full review
ScreenShots

SumTotal (legacy) Screenshots

Screenshot of SumTotal Learning Management: Deliver the learning your organization needs including skilling/upskilling/reskilling, career planning & development. All delivered with our engaging learner experience across all modalities (desktop, tablet & mobile) and in the flow of workScreenshot of SumTotal Onboarding: Foster learning before day one with our robust onboarding solution. Build culture, complete necessary paperwork and begin the path to productivity for all your new and returning employees.Screenshot of SumTotal Performance: Performance management that meets the needs of today’s forward-thinking organizations. Align the goals and performance of your entire workforce with those of the broader organization for better business outcomes.Screenshot of SumTotal Succession: Make succession planning an organizational strength. SumTotal allows you to better understand your workforce now and better plan for your future with our intuitive succession planning tools.Screenshot of SumTotal Recruiting: A modern recruiting solution that delivers a powerful candidate experience, recruiter productivity, job matching and internal mobility.Screenshot of SumTotal Compensation: SumTotal makes compensation planning easier and less time consuming. Build a pay for performance culture that meets your organizations goals and objectives while keeping you competitive in the ever-changing marketplace.