Skie vs GoGuardian

Classroom visibility and web filtering for Chromebooks and laptops, compared with device-owner control on Android

Facts checked 12 November 2026 · Liminex, Inc. (trading as GoGuardian), United States

Summary

GoGuardian makes classroom and safety software for schools: Admin for web filtering, Teacher for live classroom tools and Beacon for signs of self-harm or violence. As of November 2026 its documentation lists ChromeOS, Windows, macOS and iPadOS, and no native Android client. It is not a device manager. Skie manages Android 12 or newer phones and tablets as the device owner, with schedules, location and lost mode, so the two do different jobs.

GoGuardian watches and filters the screen in class; Skie locks down and locates the Android device itself, and the two can sit side by side where platforms overlap.

Side by side

What you are comparing	GoGuardian	Skie
What it is	A suite of classroom monitoring, web filtering and student-safety tools. It is not an MDM.	Android device management software for schools, hostels, parents and organisations. It runs as the Android device owner.
Main audience	K-12 schools and districts, mainly in the United States.	Schools, institutes, hostels and companies (Skie for Enterprise) and families (Skie for Parents).
Platforms	ChromeOS, Windows, macOS and iPadOS in the Admin docs. No native Android client is documented.	Any Android 12 or newer phone or tablet. No iOS, Windows or Chromebook.
Hardware or mobile plan from the maker	Software only. No hardware or mobile plan documented.	None. Skie is software, so customers use devices they already own or buy their own, and keep their own carrier. No SIM or plan is included.
Works on devices you already own	Yes, on supported platforms, usually through a Chrome extension or a native app.	Yes. The device needs one fresh setup or reset to become managed, and any Google account must be removed first.
Level of control on Android	Not applicable as a device manager. Android is covered only through network-level DNS filtering.	Device owner, so the rules are enforced by Android itself.
Can the student remove it or reset around it	Browser-level tools. Whether a student can work around them depends on the platform and the school's device management.	Built to be tamper-proof. Factory reset from Settings, safe mode, developer options, adb, uninstalling Skie and force stop are blocked by default, and Factory Reset Protection ties a wiped device to the Skie admin account. If anything ever got through, the admin is alerted down to the exact device.
App control	Teacher can steer students to allowed sites. It does not manage which apps install on an Android device.	Allow lists per group, with blocked apps hidden or suspended rather than deleted. An install guard silently removes apps that were not allowed. Apps come from Google Play only.
Web filtering and safe search	Admin is the web filter, with AI-based detection, policies across operating systems and reporting.	Filtering DNS locked on the device so it works on any Wi-Fi or mobile data, SafeSearch and YouTube restricted mode forced in Chrome, and more than 50 other browsers, VPN and proxy apps always blocked. Per-website allow and block lists are not available yet.
Schedules and school-hour modes	Teachers run live sessions. Time-of-day device modes are managed by the school's device tool, not documented here.	Yes. Windows with days, start, end and allowed apps, including overnight, switch app sets on their own for school hours, study blocks, breaks and night mode. Hostel night mode keeps calls allowed.
Location and geofences	Not publicly documented as a feature.	Live location, fresh location requests, geofences and a go-to directions button, set per group.
Lost or stolen device handling	Not publicly documented.	Lost mode locks the device, shows a contact message, tracks it and builds evidence for a police report (IMEI, serial, SIM details, location trail). Remote erase is not available yet.
Replace or reassign a device	Not publicly documented.	Replace a device keeps the student, group and history and frees the old seat. Reassign and force remove are also available.
Alerts and who gets them	Teachers see off-task alerts. Beacon sends safety alerts to school staff, with custom escalation paths.	A breach centre covers organisation, school, branch, group and device. A missing check-in counts as a breach, and a bypass of the web filter is reported. Email alerts to parents are not available yet.
Roles and organisation structure	Admin, Teacher and school-level roles in the products.	Organisation, school, branch, group, student and device, with roles from organisation admin to class teacher and a read-only parent. Rules flow down and the most specific level applies last.
Reports and per-app limits	Filtering and activity reports. Per-app limits on Android are not documented.	A compliance score after every apply, daily group snapshots and pattern detection. Screen time reports and per-app time limits are not available yet, and the team is working on them.
Message or social media monitoring	Beacon scans online activity for warning signs of self-harm or violence, and escalates to school staff.	None. Skie does not read private messages or call logs, does not record audio or video, and has no hidden mode.
Kiosk or single-app lock	Not a device kiosk. Teacher can focus students on selected sites.	Yes. Full-screen kiosk mode, and a one-app allow list also locks a device to one app.
Tablet support	iPadOS is supported. Android tablets are not listed for Admin and Teacher.	Yes. Phones and tablets get equal weight, including Wi-Fi-only tablets for most features.
Pricing model	Quote-based, usually per student per year. An old 2022 reseller sheet is the only figure found and is out of date.	Seat-based licence, one device per seat. Pricing is on request.
Countries available	Used in the United States and elsewhere. Specific countries are not on the pages read.	Worldwide, subject to local law, wherever the device has Google Play services.
Setup effort	Typically a Chrome extension or native app deployed by the school's IT team.	Provision with the Skie Provision app from Google Play or a laptop with adb. Devices are set up per group with a one-time enrolment token.
Data and privacy approach	A school-data product. Details are in the maker's privacy terms, which we did not summarise.	Data is stored in an India region (Mumbai). Skie provides location controls; the organisation provides the notices and written policy.
Best suited for	Schools that need in-class screen visibility, filtering reports and student-safety signals on Chromebooks and laptops.	Android phones and tablets that an institution or family already owns, in any country.

As of November 2026 GoGuardian does not publish prices. Quotes are usually per student per year, and the only figure we found was a 2022 reseller sheet, too old to rely on. Skie is a seat licence, one device per seat, and pricing is on request.

Where GoGuardian is strong

Live classroom tools: teachers see what students are doing and can steer them back on task.
A mature web filter with reports for administrators.
Beacon adds student-safety signals that school staff can act on.
The company says it serves about half of US K-12 students, a vendor claim.

Where Skie stands out

Skie enforces rules on Android as the device owner, which a classroom monitor cannot do.
Hostel night mode, school-hour windows and per-lesson app sets are built in.
Live location, geofences and lost mode with police-report evidence.
A Skie filter travels on the device over any Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Worldwide availability and rollout support through a provisioning app.

What GoGuardian does

GoGuardian sells software for schools in several parts. Admin is a web filter with AI-based threat detection and reporting. Teacher gives classroom tools: teachers see student activity, keep students on task and send private messages. Beacon flags warning signs of self-harm or violence for staff to assess. The company also lists Hall Pass, Visitor, Discover and Pear Deck.

None of these is a device manager. They watch and filter what happens in a browser or app on the screen. The school still needs something else to decide which apps are installed, whether a student can reset the device, or where a lost tablet is.

Platforms

GoGuardian's Admin overview lists ChromeOS, Windows, macOS and iPadOS. Teacher adds iOS. The native app table lists Windows, iPadOS and macOS, and Chromebooks use a Chrome extension. We found no native Android client in the documentation. The DNS FAQ says any device on a filtered network, including Android phones, is covered at the network level, which is not the same as software on the device.

What Skie adds

Skie manages the Android device itself. As the device owner it blocks factory reset from Settings, safe mode, developer options and adb, and the student cannot uninstall Skie or force-stop it. Apps are allowed per group, and an install guard removes anything not approved. Chrome is locked to SafeSearch and YouTube restricted mode, and a filtering DNS stays on the device on any Wi-Fi or mobile data.

It also provides schedules, hostel night mode, live location, geofences and lost mode. Skie does not show a teacher the student screen, and it does not read messages. Remote screen view is not available yet.

Using them together

A school with Chromebooks and Windows laptops can keep GoGuardian for those. Android tablets and phones can be managed by Skie. If both products run on the same non-Android device type there is no conflict, because Skie does not run on those. For Android, a classroom monitor would need a native client, which GoGuardian does not document, so Skie handles the device-level controls.

Cost

GoGuardian is quote-based. Skie is seat-based, one device per seat, with pricing on request. Skie does not sell hardware, so a school can use the Android tablets it already owns, after a one-time setup or reset of each.

When each one is the better fit

GoGuardian is the better fit in these situations. Your class devices are Chromebooks, Windows laptops, Macs or iPads and teachers want to see screens. You need a filter with detailed reports for administrators. You want a student-safety alert service like Beacon.

Skie is the better fit in these situations. Your devices are Android phones or tablets that need enforcement at device-owner level. You need hostel or night modes, location and lost mode. You want the school to set which apps work at which hours. You work outside the US K-12 market.

How setup with Skie works

Skie is Android device management software for parents, schools, hostels and organisations. It runs as the Android device owner, so the rules are enforced by Android itself. It works on any Android 12 or newer phone or tablet, in any country where the device has Google Play services. Skie is software, so a school uses the devices it already owns or buys its own.

Android only allows device-owner management on a device that has not been set up, so each device needs one fresh setup or reset, and any Google account must be removed first. New device models go through a one-time model review. The school creates a group, opens a provisioning session for it, and uses the Skie Provision app from Google Play or a laptop with adb. Each device gets a one-time enrolment token, and Wi-Fi profiles are stored encrypted. Live progress and failure reasons show on screen.

After that the group's policy and app list apply, schedules run on their own, and the dashboard shows a compliance score for each device. Skie does not include a mobile plan, so Wi-Fi-only tablets work for most features and phones keep the carrier the school already uses.

What we could not verify

Some facts were not public when we checked in November 2026: Current GoGuardian price list. Any native Android client for Admin or Teacher. Countries served outside the United States. Location and lost-device features. Where a feature is marked as not documented, it may exist, so ask the maker directly before deciding.

Choose GoGuardian if

Your class devices are Chromebooks, Windows laptops, Macs or iPads and teachers want to see screens.
You need a filter with detailed reports for administrators.
You want a student-safety alert service like Beacon.

Choose Skie if

Your devices are Android phones or tablets that need enforcement at device-owner level.
You need hostel or night modes, location and lost mode.
You want the school to set which apps work at which hours.
You work outside the US K-12 market.

Verdict

GoGuardian is a strong choice for in-class visibility, filtering reports and student-safety alerts on Chromebooks, Windows, Mac and iPad. It is not a device manager and it does not list an Android client. Skie fits where the devices are Android phones or tablets and the school needs device-owner enforcement, schedules, location and lost mode. Where a school has both kinds of device, the two can be used side by side.

Questions people ask

Skie vs GoGuardian: which is better for a school?

They do different jobs. GoGuardian is classroom monitoring and filtering for Chromebooks and laptops. Skie manages Android phones and tablets as the device owner.

Does GoGuardian work on Android tablets?

The Admin and Teacher docs list ChromeOS, Windows, macOS and iPadOS. Android is covered only by network DNS filtering.

Is GoGuardian an MDM?

No. It is classroom management and filtering software. A school still needs a device manager for enrolment and lock-down.

Can Skie show a teacher the student screen?

Not yet. Remote screen view is something the team is working on.

Can I use GoGuardian and Skie together?

Yes, on different device types. GoGuardian for Chromebooks and laptops, Skie for Android devices.

Sources

Not publicly documented when we checked: Current GoGuardian price list.; Any native Android client for Admin or Teacher.; Countries served outside the United States.; Location and lost-device features..

This comparison was prepared from publicly available information and was last checked on 12 November 2026. Product features, prices and availability change, and anything we could not find is marked as not publicly documented. GoGuardian and other product names belong to their owners and are used here only to identify their products. Skie is not affiliated with or endorsed by Liminex, Inc. (trading as GoGuardian). If something here is out of date or wrong, email contact@knowphone.in and we will check and correct it promptly.