Digipad is a free collaborative wall tool from La Digitale that functions much like Padlet: teachers create a shared 'pad,' share a link, and participants post text, files, images, audio, video, or links onto it - live during class or asynchronously over time.
Unlike most commercial pinboard tools, Digipad does not require participants to create an account to post, and it places no limit on the number of pads a teacher can create or files they can attach, making it a popular free alternative in budget-constrained education settings.
Key Features
Each Digipad wall is made of individual capsules that can hold files up to 25 MB, formatted text, or embedded links to videos and websites, and walls can be switched between open 'write' mode and curated 'read-only' mode depending on the activity.
Because no account is required to contribute, Digipad lowers participation barriers for shy students and works equally well for synchronous, in-class collaboration and asynchronous, take-home resource sharing.
Pricing
Digipad is entirely free, with unlimited walls and no feature-gated paid tier. The only optional paid layer in the La Digitale ecosystem is Digidrive, a donation-unlocked content-management dashboard that is not required to create or use Digipad walls.
Key Features
Unlimited collaborative walls — Teachers can create as many pads as needed with no cap on the number of boards.
Multimedia capsules — Each post can contain text, images, audio, video, documents (up to 25 MB per file), or embedded links.
No account required to post — Students and collaborators can contribute to a wall without signing up for an account.
Write or read-only modes — Walls can be opened for open contribution or locked to teacher-only posting for curated resource sharing.
Synchronous or asynchronous use — Works equally well for live in-class collaboration and take-home, self-paced resource review.
Easy link-based sharing — A pad is shared via a simple link or short code rather than an invite system.
GDPR-compliant EU hosting — Content is hosted on Infomaniak's Swiss servers, aligned with European data-privacy standards.
Padlet-style familiarity — Interface conventions mirror well-known pinboard tools, reducing the learning curve for new users.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free with no board or file-count limits
No account required for students to contribute
Flexible for both live collaboration and curated resource pages
Privacy-respecting, GDPR-aligned hosting in the EU
Cons
25 MB per-file upload limit can be restrictive for large videos
Lacks some of the polish and richer templates of commercial tools like Padlet
No built-in moderation tools beyond switching a wall to read-only
Primarily documented in French, which can slow onboarding for non-French speakers
Pricing
Free Free N/A
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Digipad really free?
Yes. Digipad has no paid tier; wall creation, posting, and file uploads up to 25 MB are all free.
How is Digipad different from Padlet?
Digipad offers unlimited free walls and account-free participation, while Padlet limits free accounts to a small number of boards and requires payment for unlimited use.
Do students need an account to post on a Digipad wall?
No. Students can contribute using just the shared link, without creating an account.
What file types can be added to a Digipad wall?
Text, images, audio, video, documents, and links to websites or interactive content, with a 25 MB limit per file.
Who develops Digipad?
Digipad is developed by La Digitale, an independent French education-tools initiative founded by Emmanuel Zimmert in 2020.
Where is Digipad's data hosted?
On Infomaniak's Swiss servers, chosen for GDPR-aligned, European data-residency compliance.