Comparison
AutoMark vs CoGrader
Both grade essays with AI, and in both the teacher reviews every score before students see it. This is how they differ on the questions Texas schools ask most, from each company’s public pages.
CoGrader details checked on November 10, 2026.
Side by side
Canvas LTI 1.3 and grade passback
AutoMark
Yes. The school installs AutoMark in Canvas as an LTI 1.3 app; it is listed in the Instructure partner marketplace. Teachers open it from the course, import submissions, and send approved scores and feedback to the Canvas gradebook.
CoGrader
Canvas integration on school plans: teachers sign in with Canvas and import File Upload assignments, and “Send to Canvas” attaches a feedback PDF to each submission. LTI 1.3 and writing scores to the gradebook are not stated. External tool (LTI) assignments cannot be imported. [3]
Calibration to state-released scored samples
AutoMark
Yes. A STAAR setup for each grade from 3 through English II, built from the scored papers in TEA’s released scoring guides and tested on released papers from other years. Schools can also calibrate grading to their own scored samples.
CoGrader
Its STAAR page says scoring is calibrated to TEA rubric language and reports agreement figures from its own study of Texas responses. Building the scoring from TEA’s released scored papers is not stated. [2]
Score locking
AutoMark
Yes. A school can lock the rubric scores a calibrated setup gives, so a teacher who disagrees flags the score for review instead of changing it.
CoGrader
Not stated. Its STAAR page says teachers can adjust any score before it is returned. [2]
School and district insights
AutoMark
Class Insights for every teacher, by rubric criterion and by student. School installs add a school report and an admin dashboard.
CoGrader
A class performance dashboard on the Individual plan, and institution-wide analytics and reporting on school and district plans. [1]
Pricing model
AutoMark
Free: 30 credits, no credit card (one credit grades one paper). Pro: $15 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly, for 150 credits a month. Schools: 6-week pilots from $1,500, credited toward year one.
CoGrader
Free for teachers, up to 150 submissions a month. Individual: $15 a month billed yearly or $19 billed monthly, 350 submissions a month. Schools and districts: a quote based on size. [1]
Where CoGrader is ahead
- A larger free plan: up to 150 submissions a month, where AutoMark’s free plan is 30 credits.
- More papers on the individual plan: 350 submissions a month, where AutoMark Pro is 150 credits a month.
- It returns feedback and grades to Google Classroom. AutoMark imports from Google Classroom but does not write grades back to it.
- It publishes the results of its own STAAR agreement study, with figures.
Where AutoMark is different
- Installed in Canvas, Brightspace or Blackboard by the school, so teachers grade inside the LMS and approved scores go back to the gradebook.
- STAAR scoring built from TEA’s released scored papers for each grade, not only from the rubric wording.
- Score locking, so every teacher in a school scores on the same calibrated setup.
FAQ
AutoMark and CoGrader
Does CoGrader work with Canvas?
Yes, on its school plans. Teachers sign in with Canvas, import File Upload assignments, and attach feedback PDFs back to submissions. AutoMark is installed in Canvas as an LTI 1.3 app and sends approved scores and feedback to the gradebook.
Which is cheaper for one teacher?
CoGrader’s free plan is larger. For paid plans, CoGrader Individual is $15 a month billed yearly for 350 submissions; AutoMark Pro is $10 a month billed yearly for 150 credits.
Can I try AutoMark on a STAAR essay without signing up?
Yes. Paste one response into the free scorer on the STAAR page and get a score on the TEA rubric with the reasoning for each part.
Is this comparison up to date?
It was checked against CoGrader’s public pages on November 10, 2026. Products change; if something here is out of date, email holden@automark.io and we will correct it.
Sources
- [1] CoGrader pricing, read on November 10, 2026.
- [2] CoGrader STAAR ECR grader, read on November 10, 2026.
- [3] CoGrader help: Canvas integration, read on November 10, 2026.
CoGrader is a trademark of its owner. AutoMark is not affiliated with CoGrader.
For school leaders
Comparing tools for a campus or district?
Run AutoMark with one department for six weeks, on your own prompts and in your own LMS, and see the results before you decide.
- Six weeks with one department or a small group of teachers
- Personalized onboarding and support from Holden
- A results review with your team at the end
Prefer to talk first? Book a demo
Here as a teacher? Free for 30 credits, no credit card. Start grading free