All great speakers were bad speakers at first.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

VoiceThread is a place for warm, asynchronous conversation. Students practice their speaking skills and experience being heard by real human peers and teachers.

The Free Educator account is the quickest way to get started with VoiceThreading. Free, with no expiration.

Get a Free Educator Account
What's included

Everything you need to get started

The Free Educator account is not a trial. It's a real account with real capabilities, and it never expires. Here's what you can do with it.

200
VoiceThreads
Interactive presentations with up to 25 slides each, where you and your students can comment using voice, video, or text. Upload slides, images, videos, or documents as the starting point.
10 min
Recording per comment
10 min recording limit per comment. More than enough for focused explanations across videos, images, documents, and presentation slides.
1
Course
Organize a class with VoiceThread Courses. Add members, assign work, and track participation in one place.
∞
Comments
No limits on commenting. Your students can respond as many times as they need to, in voice, video, or text.
  • ✓ Organize students into groups and subgroups
  • ✓ Share VoiceThreads with a link or embed them in a website
  • ✓ Works on desktop, tablet, and phone
  • ✓ Students can create free accounts and start participating immediately
Who it's for

Any educator, anywhere

The Free Educator account is available to anyone who teaches, trains, or facilitates learning at an educational institution. Elementary school, high school, community college, university, graduate school, professional development, continuing education. If you teach, you qualify.

You don't need your institution to have a VoiceThread license. You don't need IT approval. You don't need a purchase order. This is your account, and it goes where you go.

Getting started

How to get the upgraded account

Three steps. Takes a few minutes.

  1. 1

    Sign in or create an account

    If you already have a VoiceThread account, sign in. If not, register for a free one. New accounts get a confirmation email with a link to activate.

  2. 2

    Apply for the upgrade

    Once you're signed in, click "Get a Free Educator Account" on this page and fill out a short form telling us where you teach and what you teach.

  3. 3

    Start creating

    Upload a presentation, image, video, or document. Record your narration. Share it with your students and invite them to respond.

Common questions

Good questions, quick answers

Does this account expire?

No. The Free Educator account is yours to keep as long as you're teaching. It is not a trial.

I already have a VoiceThread account. What happens?

If you already have a VoiceThread account under the same email, it will be upgraded to a Free Educator account. Your existing VoiceThreads, groups, and contacts stay exactly where they are.

Do my students need to pay?

Not for most things. Your students participate in any VoiceThread you share with them at no cost. If you use VoiceThread Courses to organize a class, there is a small per-student seat fee. You can purchase seats yourself ($4 each) or let students purchase their own ($12 each).

I teach K-12 students. Is there anything I should know?

Yes. The Free Educator account is available to you, but please don't direct your students to create their own free VoiceThread accounts. K-12 students need special accounts with additional protections and controls, which can only be created by school officials. Learn more about K-12 accounts.

Does my institution need a VoiceThread license?

No. The Free Educator account is independent of any institutional agreement. If your institution later adopts VoiceThread, your existing content and account can be connected to the institutional license.

Can I use this with my LMS?

The Free Educator account works as a standalone tool. Full LMS integration (with single sign-on and grade passback) requires an institutional license. You can still share VoiceThread links inside your LMS for easy student access.

What happens if I hit 200 VoiceThreads?

You can archive or delete older VoiceThreads to free up space, or upgrade to Pro Educator for unlimited VoiceThreads.

I'm not at a traditional school. Do I still qualify?

If you teach or facilitate learning at an educational institution of any kind, you qualify. That includes tutoring centers, training academies, religious schools, homeschool co-ops, and professional development programs. If you're unsure, apply and we'll work it out.

Ready to get started?

It takes about two minutes. No cost, no commitment, no expiration.

Get a Free Educator Account