ispring Free is a specific version of the larger ispring ecosystem that's designed to help make courses, and lesson creation, a simple process. Crucially, this offers a way to help teachers make digital interactive lessons using their own skills.
The idea here is to work as an add-in with Microsoft PowerPoint so that educators can build slides into lessons easily. This means using a platform that may already be familiar, only now with the option to add questions and more before outputting to an LMS for use.
The powerful free version lets you get going with lesson making right away, but you also have some other paid features including AI-driven tools to enhance the offering even further.
This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about ispring Free, primarily, with those extra paid tools mentioned later on so you know what else is available too.
What is ispring?
ispring is an elearning creation tool that works directly within Microsoft PowerPoint. This adds extra teaching and publishing features right there within a tool that many educators already know how to use.
Teachers can create lessons using standard slides, then enhance those with quizzes, embedded video, audio, YouTube clips, web objects, and interactive elements. Once finished, the presentation can be exported as HTML5 content or packaged as a SCORM course for use within an LMS.
You can also use PowerPoint animations, transitions, triggers, and layouts as these are preserved during conversion. Consequently, existing classroom presentations can often be repurposed rather than rebuilt from scratch.
The free version includes three quiz types: multiple choice, multiple response, and short answer. These are enough for many classroom assessments and knowledge checks, plus you can pay for the more premium features if needed.
How does ispring work?
ispring Free appears as an additional tab inside PowerPoint. Teachers build lessons as they normally would, then use ispring’s tools to add interactive and assessment elements.
To publish, educators can export lessons as SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004 packages for upload into LMS platforms, or simply create HTML5 lessons that can be shared via links or websites.
Courses are responsive, so these automatically adapt for phones, tablets, and desktop devices without extra work. That's very useful for homework, remote learning, or flipped classroom teaching so students can then access content on different devices.
Teachers can track learner progress when using an LMS. Quiz scores, completion rates, and learner participation data can all be monitored through these systems.
This is built to be quick and easy to pick-up and use. So while there are limitations in terms of complexity, for a lesson building tool that works with ease, this does the job well.
What are the best ispring features?
ispring is integrated into PowerPoint, which is one of the main appeals here for ease of uptake and simplicity of creation. No training is going to be needed here in most cases.
SCORM publishing is another major appeal. Lots of other free tools struggle with LMS compatibility, but ispring Free supports SCORM 1.2 and 2004 output, allowing courses to work with platforms such as Moodle and Blackboard.
Courses automatically resize for different screens, which helps students access lessons on phones or tablets -- something that's rare to find in free tools such as this.
Quiz creation is simple but effective, with built-in knowledge checks that can include timers, shuffled answers, and feedback. In addition, there's support for embedding web objects and multimedia directly into lessons, helping otherwise less engaging slide decks feel more interactive and enthralling.
The biggest limitation is depth. The paid ispring Suite adds far more advanced interactions, branching scenarios, drag-and-drop tasks, AI tools, narration features, and richer quiz options.
How much does ispring cost?
ispring Free is just that, without any cost to use. It has no limits on time or slides, and does not include forced branding.
It's worth noting that the free version is very much intended as a gateway into the paid ecosystem. Those who want advanced quiz types, video creation tools, AI features, role-play simulations, or content libraries will need to upgrade to ispring Suite.
Individual accounts for the full suite start in the hundreds but for education institutions there are bespoke prices available on request.
ispring best tips and tricks
Reuse old presentations
Convert existing PowerPoint lessons into interactive online resources rather than rebuilding content from scratch.
Add quick knowledge checks
Use the built-in quizzes after key slides to reinforce understanding and keep learners engaged.
Publish for mobile learning
Export lessons as responsive HTML5 content so students can revise on phones and tablets.
