Wakelet vs Padlet – Which Is Better?

Nothing gives you more joy than organizing your content as a student or a teacher. Organizing your content helps you achieve a logical flow of your content. It also enables you to avoid delays and confusion.

Luckily, tools like Wakelet and Padlet give you control over the content that inspires you and are robust platforms serving millions of people. They are also rich in features that provide elements of a digital wall, onto which you can apply your digital notes.

With you in control, you can create and curate visually engaging content from across the web with Wakelet.

At the same time, Padlet is an excellent tool that works like a whiteboard that students and teachers can use to organize their thoughts and reflect on learning.

While the two tools point in the same direction of organizing ideas and content, they are distinct from each other in terms of functionalities and features.

I know you are eager to know which tool would work best for your needs, so let’s understand how these tools stand up against each other.

Wakelet vs Padlet – What Are They?

Wakelet

Wakelet is one platform with infinite possibilities. It is relatively new to the market, having been founded in 2014. The platform gives you control over your collections.

Wakelet collections refer to a set of notes that you create, and they include videos, texts, links, and pictures. As a digital curation platform, Wakelet allows teachers and students to organize this mix of content for easy access and is a creative way to engage with students.

This platform brings online resources to a central place called a wake, which can be shared as a link to be accessed online by anyone. Teachers create wakes to a pool of resources on a specific topic to allow students to explore information ahead of their lessons.

It is an open platform and works with various educational technologies, including OneNote, Microsoft Teams, Buncee, Flip Grid, and more.

Wakelet can be used individually or by a collective group and doubles up as a digital platform and allows you to export to PDF so you can print it out and use it in a physical classroom.

The Wakelet mechanism bridges the gap between humans and algorithms to personalize beautiful and functional content. It can be beneficial to anyone struggling to tell engaging, organized, and inspiring stories and is also a great tool to keep research projects social and interactive.

It has an easy-to-use and clean interface that is mobile and cross-browser compatible. Wakelet is best for ages 13 and above and works best for remote and in-person learning.

Padlet

Padlet is an exciting content-organizing platform that allows you to create single or multiple walls to house posts you wish to share. The platform looks familiar and fun even if you’ve never used productivity software before and supports almost every file type.

Padlet takes care of spreadsheets, selfies, links, and uploads. With Padlet, you can upload files directly from your computer and post images, videos, documents, music, or files from Photoshop, AutoCAD, and Illustrator.

This platform is a collaborative tool that involves teachers and students, teachers, and even parents and guardians. With Padlet, you are the moderator, so you can choose what and who to share with.

You can make your content public or place a password on the wall. The tool only allows invited members to use your wall, which is an ideal setup for education. Once the tool is up and running, you can access Padlet on nearly any device or via the Android or iOS app.

Padlet also functions as a classroom bulletin board. As a student, you can reference lessons or topics, keep up with school events, or use it as a class document hub. Padlet has limitless options.

It is easy and intuitive, universal, and inclusive enough to meet you where you are. The tool is available in 42 languages, with more to come. You don’t need any design experience to enjoy Padlet, so be ready to make your content as beautiful as you are.

Enjoy the beautiful attachment previews, colorful wallpaper options (cute animations, chalkboard, or professional wood), a theme that suits your writing sensibility, and beautiful typography to unleash the blogger in you.

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Wakelet vs Padlet – Getting Started

Wakelet

  1. Visit www.wakelet.com
  2. Click on sign up, which is free
  3. Go to Get it now, then Click on install now
  4. Go back to the site www.wakelet.com
  5. Click on create a collection
  6. Set up a collection and choose a background image for your collection
  7. Go to the search engine and type search collections and people
  8. Start searching for content in your web browser

Padlet

  1. Go to www.padlet.com
  2. Click sign up, which is free
  3. The screen will prompt you to enter your email address and create a password. Choose a strong password with at least eight characters. Alternatively, you can sign up using Microsoft, Google, or Apple ID.
  4. Select a plan that will work for you. You can start with a free plan and then upgrade later.
  5. Once done, click on let’s go and start working on your first Padlet.

If you’d like to set up your Padlet mobile app;

  1. Download the app from the Android play store or AppStore.
  2. Create an account using the above steps (provide an email address and a strong password)
  3. Select a plan that works for you, and at this point, it’s equally fine to choose the basic plan, which is free, and you are good to go.

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Wakelet vs Padlet – How Do They Work?

Wakelet

Wakelet allows you to start using it upon signing in. you can log into Wakelet through a web browser on nearly any device and start building your wakes. Additionally, the platform has a Chrome browser extension.

You can browse various resources and hit the Wakelet icon in the upper right corner and your link on a wake of your choice.

As a student, you can use Wakelet as a place to collate your research resources. It is also a great way to start a project, review, and revisit learning once a topic is covered.

Wakelet works in a story-based way. For this reason, it is helpful for teachers as they can use it as a professional development tool. In a single stream, Wakelet can enable you to deliver your development program story and share information and best practices with colleagues.

This platform works to transform the classroom to meet the needs of contemporary students. It facilitates and supports educational communities through presentations of engaging content in an easy-to-follow format.

Overall, Wakelet is the future of the classroom research process and a source of student success in the digital era.

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Padlet

Padlet can be accessed through its official website or can work as an app on phones. It is easy to set up an account on Padlet, and the platform has a function that integrates your account to a Google Classroom account, eliminating the need for more login details.

This platform allows teachers to send out unique QR codes or links to add students to the board. It is also simple to add elements to your Padlet board using the drag and drop function.

Padlet functionality is straightforward; students can either upload media, type, search Google for images, or add links to their posts.

It allows teachers and students to use their imagination to find the most creative ways to use the Padlet board. Teachers can choose any board layouts, including Canva, Stream, grid, map, or timeline, to create a board suitable for their target.

Before posting, teachers can customize all functions, like changing the background or allowing students to comment or like each other’s posts. Post the board and share the link with students.

If you are a student, scan the QR code or click on the link sent by your teacher to access the Padlet board. Once you access the board, click on the + icon at the bottom right corner to add your section.

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Wakelet vs Padlet – Features

Wakelet 

Collections 

Wakelet allows you to collaborate by adding collections. Then, you can download your collection in PDF and share it with others. All items in the collection have live links that redirect you to specific items online.

Besides downloading collections, you can also make a copy of a collection. The option to ‘make a copy’ is to the bottom left of the collection, so select and retain a replica of the collection in your Wakelet home area.

You can also enable this feature for others to make a copy of your collection by selecting ‘Enable Copy’ when creating a collection.

Easy Reorder Mode

This feature allows you to change the order in which items appear in your Wakelet collection. Select ‘Edit Collection,’ then ‘Easy Reorder Mode’- this option is found above the first item in your collection.

Use your mouse to drag selected items to where you wish them to appear or use options like Move to the Bottom or Move to the Top of your collection. And when all this is done, don’t forget to save your work.

Collaborate on Wakelet

Whether you are working on a team project with your colleagues, working with students on a collaborative assignment, or just making a photo album with friends, Wakelet offers a safe place for collaboration and keeps on updating and improving in ways to collaborate.

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With Wakelet collaboration, you can invite colleagues to a group collection so that they all can contribute texts, videos, sources, and files.

Wakelet can help you unlock teamwork in your remote class by using sub-collections, a new and secure way for students to work together without signing up.

Share Learning Resources in Seconds

Wakelet allows you to capture and share multimedia resources with colleagues and students in ways that make sense to you. You can share your Wakelet resources through a link, collection code or QR code, Google Classroom, or embedding it in a website.

Once you share your collection with your students, they can access the collections by inputting the code on the Wakelet homepage and adding text, items, or even sub-collections.

Padlet

Collaboration

Padlet has perfected the art of collaboration. Padlet allows you to collaborate on Padlets from around the globe and is always working towards giving you greater accessibility.

With Padlet, you can collaborate with your best friends, family, colleagues, and any other person who may grumble about being left out. Invite them to contribute without signing up; updates will appear instantly across devices.

The platform does not limit you on the number of contributors; you can choose who can only read, write, moderate, or be given admin access.

The best thing is that you can revoke these roles at any time. You can also allow your contributors to redo your work and use your work as a template.

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Search Information and Inspiration

Padlet’s internal search engine knows what you are looking for. Find your Padlets or Padlets you’ve contributed to from the dashboard or search Padlets on specific topics.

You can also make your own Padlet discoverable using searchable tags, and you can get this from a gallery of preexisting templates or redo any Padlet you admire. You can also connect with fellow Padlet users through their community features.

Use Almost Every File Type

Padlet supports almost every file type. They take care of all your links and uploads, from Spotify to selfies. You can upload files from your computer, link content from the web, or take a photo or video from your phone.

You can also embed from Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo, The New York Times, and 400 other apps. When you attach links and files, they will appear in a beautiful contextual preview so that viewers can catch a glimpse of what you’re presenting.

Personal Profile

Your profile on Padlet will look less free-spirited than Facebook and less pruned up than LinkedIn. Your profile displays a public feed of your Padlets, and you can use it as a portfolio for your best creations.

From your profile, your followers and contributors can get to know more about you, and you can also participate in community activities by following Padlet users with common interests. You can personalize your profile using custom wallpapers and colors.

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Wakelet vs Padlet – Pricing

Wakelet

Wakelet allows you to organize and save content in wakes or folders for free.

Padlet

Padlet offers simple school plans for $1000. By school, they mean educational institutions, which include kindergarten, elementary schools, middle schools, vocational schools, high schools, colleges, and universities.

It also has pro plans that work for single teachers without administration.

Wakelet vs Padlet – Pros and Cons

Wakelet

Pros

  • It allows you to curate and share media and content easily.
  • It has a variety of layouts for creative displays.
  • The Wakelet software is safe to use.
  • The support is good and offers an intuitive way to save and organize content online.
  • No coding is required.
  • It has a built-in Immersive Reader feature for inclusivity, accessibility, and language translation.

Cons

  • It lacks two-way communication, feedback, and tagging features.
  • Kids can easily stumble on and share inappropriate content.

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Padlet

Pros

  • It is easy and intuitive with a customizable interface.
  • It gives you an easy option to log in with your Google account.
  • Allows you to share your wall with other social media sites.
  • Padlet will not sell your information.
  • It has privacy settings that enable you to control what others can do on your wall.
  • Padlet saves your posts automatically.
  • The platform promotes the engagement of the entire class.

Cons

  • There is no regulation for what students can post, so inappropriate content may be created by other users.
  • Your Padlet account can enable Google to sell your information.
  • Privacy may vary as everyone’s posts are visible.

Wakelet vs Padlet – Similarities and Differences

Similarities

Both Wakelet and Padlet are digital bulletin boards that have recently become popular platforms for sharing media and ideas. These platforms help you organize mixed media resources found on the web.

It is easy for students to learn and use these platforms, which can be customized. You can customize your profile and collection on Wakelet to better your search options.

You can also customize your Padlet page using different backgrounds or titles and make your Padlet look beautiful with custom wallpapers and themes.

Both Padlet and Wakelet allow collaboration. Padlet is an excellent platform to help you get started with online collaboration as it gathers ideas and information from other people.

Padlet can also enhance student collaboration in a lecture or group setting as a virtual wall that lets students post images, ideas, links, and comments in real time.

You don’t need an account to collaborate on Wakelet; you can invite a student to add content to a collection without creating a class.

It is easy to use Wakelet and Padlet. Padlet has an easy, beautiful, fun, and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate even if it’s your first time using the tool.

With Padlet, you can add posts, copy-paste, and drag and drop in one click. Any changes you make on Padlet are AutoSaved, and its simple link-sharing capability allows for quick collaboration.

Wakelet features a UI design that anticipates what users might need to do and ensures that its elements are easy to access, use, and understand to facilitate collaboration. Wakelet has a friendly way for users to interact; you don’t need to learn to use it.

Aside from having a user-friendly interface, Wakelet offers seamless integrations with other cloud-based applications for a better experience.

Both Padlet and Wakelet encourage student participation in organizing content.

One of Wakelet’s latest collection developments allows teachers to create collections, share the link or unique code with the students, and students use the code or link to access the collection, then add their content in the form of sub-collections.

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Padlet allows students to add valuable resources to the board once assigned a project and create individual Padlet boards where they can post articles and assignments.

Both Wakelet and Padlet have mobile apps that let you organize and save your content on the go. The apps are available for Android and iOS devices and offer you a complete experience. The good thing is that millions of users are already using the apps.

Differences

If you are familiar with Padlet, you’ll agree that it is the best-known example of a digital wall that digitizes the notice board to create a rich media space to make educational communications much more accessible.

Wakelet, on the other hand, is often referred to as the academic version of Pinterest, which helps you organize resources easily. Wakelet also works as a teacher’s bookmark manager, allowing teachers to organize content and bookmarks into visual collections.

The free Padlet plan is limited to three boards, and the platform caps file uploads for files over 25MBs.

On the other hand, Wakelet is free to sign up and use. There are no hidden costs and don’t need scaling with the number of users. However, Wakelet has a file upload limit of 20 MB; if uploading PDF files, it must be less than 150 MB or 500 pages.

While both Padlet and Wakelet allow for brainstorming and parent communication, Padlet goes a notch higher with its Live Session feature that uses its streaming function to communicate with parents.

With Padlet, parents can post their burning questions in a session, while teachers can add classroom updates. This feature is also instrumental in event planning, discussing a field trip or class party, or sending reminders to students.

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Conclusion – Wakelet vs Padlet

Padlet takes the day as the best content organizing platform.

Despite the higher fees, the platform is excellent for students as it allows them to communicate with teachers, interact outside the classroom, and help each other expand their horizons.

Besides, the platform offers a 30-day free trial, and you’ll enjoy using it as it is simple, intuitive, and likely not to run into errors while using it.

Padlet is also visually appealing and has an exciting way of allowing you to search for images, gifs, websites, and videos, among others.

About Author

Scott L. Macarthur is a marketing consultant and an online author. He is mostly engaged in providing his expertise to startups and SMBs. He is also an author on TheNextWeb.