Interactive displays have become essential in classrooms, where technology meets teaching to foster engaging, dynamic learning environments. They’re not just for digital tools and games; they redefine how teachers instruct and how students grasp complex ideas. Among the leaders in classroom technology are SMART Technologies and ViewSonic, each offering displays that claim to elevate education.
But with so many options, how can schools make confident tech decisions, the first time?
Selecting the right interactive display is an important decision. It’s more than just a tech purchase - it’s an investment in your teachers and students ability to thrive in today’s modern classroom. The ideal interactive display should empower teachers to leverage tech tools in their teaching, reducing friction and adding value to every lesson.
This tech comparison between SMART Boards and ViewSonic displays helps to uncover the essential features that educators rely on daily, including:
- Student device integration
- Inking and file integration
- Collaboration and multi-user capabilities
- Whiteboard capabilities
- Android app functionality
If your school is operating within a tight budget, rest assured—this tech comparison focuses on functionality included at no extra cost, ensuring your investment maximizes educational impact without hidden fees.
By understanding the differences between these features, you can make a confident choice, selecting a display that meets your school’s specific needs while maximizing the return on investment.
1. How does the display integrate with other classroom tech?
In any effective learning solution, technology should make it simple for teachers and students to share content across devices, fostering collaboration and active learning. SMART Boards excel here, providing smooth, straightforward integration for student devices - right out of the box.
Both SMART and ViewSonic offer a fairly comparable screen share solution, so we looked one step further, into sharing the whiteboard, contributing content, and student collaboration.
With SMART displays powered by iQ, students can easily view the board’s content on their own devices and even interact with the material, all without additional steps, software or subscription. SMART’s iQ whiteboard app allows teachers to broadcast the live lesson to unlimited student devices, that join through QR code or web code - no student account required. Students can interact and contribute to the whiteboard content through whole-class whiteboards or individual activities.
ViewSonic’s myViewBoard android whiteboard doesn't include this as standard functionality with the purchase of their display. Teachers can switch to the vCast app to broadcast the display to devices, but without collaborative activities, students are left isolated and unengaged.
Schools with the budget for a subscription can implement a few different options for student collaboration. The Companion app lets students join the myViewBoard whiteboard, take polls and submit images, but teachers must individually admit each student. For teachers managing a busy classroom, asking students to sign in to an app just to share content can become a frustrating and time-consuming barrier. Valuable class time can easily be lost to technical hiccups that disrupt the flow of teaching.
Switching to the online “MyViewboardClassroom” tool provided the closest comparable experience to SMART, but that also requires a paid subscription, adding unexpected costs to what should be a one-time technology purchase, in my opinion.
For schools looking to minimize recurring costs and maximize classroom efficiency, SMART Boards stand out as the classroom technology choice that delivers device integration designed to support fast-paced, interactive learning—without the need for add-on subscriptions.
Point: SMART ✓
2. Can I leverage my existing lesson files with ease?
PDFs, PowerPoint, Google Slides - Oh my! Teachers use a plethora of learning assets and web pages to teach, and the ability to mark them up is central to any interactive display. This enables educators to bring lessons to life by illustrating ideas and fostering engagement through visual interaction. While both SMART and ViewSonic offer annotation features, the experience for the user diverges significantly.
All SMART Boards include SMART Ink, software that seamlessly integrates with Windows and Mac computers. Whether you’re writing, drawing, or interacting with an application, SMART Ink ensures that your annotations remain in place in any program as you navigate between different tabs and files. When programs have native inking tools - like PowerPoint or many PDF readers - SMART Ink can automatically switch to those tools, so markup and edits are saved in the file. This allows teachers to maintain their lesson flow without interruptions.
ViewSonic displays offer Android-based ink tools, accessible at any time from the pop-up menu. This creates an ink acetate layer that blocks interaction with the screen, meaning that any time the teacher needs to scroll a webpage or pause a video the tools need to be turned off, deleting all in-progress annotations.
Screenshots also save to the Android, not the PC, which adds unnecessary steps to locating and sharing your notes after class. Fortunately, ViewSonic will leverage any application’s native ink tools, though teachers have to remember to activate the application’s drawing mode instead of the Android tool.
SMART Boards lead in this area, thanks to SMART Ink which works automatically and doesn’t interfere with interaction. The tool activates and switches interactions automatically – write, move & erase – so teachers don’t even need to worry about a toolbar. The touch response is fast and accurate, delivering a smooth writing experience ideal for classrooms. This precision helps SMART Boards maintain their position as the best digital whiteboard for teachers who need reliable interactivity.
Point: SMART ✓
3. Can my students work together on the display, at the same time?
When it comes to interactive displays, educators expect a level of touch and inking that mirrors the intuitive experience of personal tablets. But unlike a tablet, a classroom display needs to handle multiple users working simultaneously. Unfortunately, many displays fall short when two or more students are actively interacting, causing the technology to become cumbersome to use or inaccurate.
One of the greatest advantages of classroom technology is the ability to foster collaborative and hands-on learning experiences. SMART Boards lead the way with their advanced multi-user touch capabilities, allowing several students to interact with the display simultaneously without any lag or interference. With up to 40 points of touch, SMART Boards let students and teachers work together on activities like sorting, annotating, and solving problems side-by-side, enriching lessons with real-time engagement and teamwork.
The SMART Board stands out with its intuitive multi-user experience, allowing teachers and students to interact simultaneously without disrupting each other’s work. It intelligently recognizes individual actions—whether writing, erasing, or interacting with content—so users can work independently on different tasks without interference, enabling a seamless flow in the classroom.
While the ViewSonic ViewBoard does allow multiple users to interact at the same time, when students start trying to do different things it quickly breaks down. If your users are doing the same thing at the same time (let’s use inking as an example) then great, the ViewBoard can support that - but when does that ever happen in a classroom? The biggest impact we found was that erasing took over from everything else, blocking writing and movement, which drew attention to mistakes in a big way.
This lack of flexibility can slow down the lesson, as students become distracted from learning tasks by taking turns with the technology.
In interactive settings, the SMART Board’s seamless touch and ink capabilities make it a better fit for learning solutions that foster active classrooms and collaborative work.
Point: SMART ✓
4. How can I make learning engaging with just the Whiteboard?
A digital whiteboard is the heart of any educational technology solution, and SMART Boards set the standard in this area, having pioneered interactive whiteboards for classrooms. SMART’s whiteboarding suite, available on both iQ and non-iQ displays, is thoughtfully designed to support dynamic learning and classroom collaboration.
SMART’s iQ whiteboard includes a rich variety of manipulatives, interactive activities, and ready-made content that teachers can use to enrich lessons on the fly. With just a few clicks, educators can bring in pre-designed templates, media, and engaging activities that make learning hands-on and interactive, helping students explore concepts more deeply.
SMART Boards also make it simple for teachers to save, share, and broadcast whiteboard content - including embedded video - directly to students’ devices, encouraging collaborative learning and providing students with instant access to lesson materials. This functionality ensures that learning is not only active but accessible to all, giving students and teachers seamless ways to connect and share.
In comparison, ViewSonic displays offer some media integration, with a built-in image search and a YouTube tool that will temporarily play a video over the whiteboard, but not embed in the lesson, and they lack the built-in interactive manipulatives that let SMART so easily boost interactivity with any subject. The pre-made lessons in “ViewSonic Originals” might help fill the gap, but require a paid subscription for collaborative activities. Teachers using ViewSonic may find themselves spending extra time trying to import or create similar resources manually — time that SMART Board users can spend directly on personalizing learning and engaging students.
SMART Boards clearly stand out as the superior digital whiteboard solution, providing teachers with a powerful set of tools that enhance learning and create more opportunities for meaningful classroom connections - all included with the purchase of the SMART Board, no extra subscriptions.
Point: SMART ✓
5. I just want to use Android Apps - Aren’t all Android displays the same?
Many interactive displays for education on the market today are embracing Google Mobile Services (available in EDLA-licensed displays), bringing Android apps directly to teachers' and students’ fingertips. However, no two Android-based systems are alike, and this is where SMART Boards with iQ truly excel.
Whether it’s Google Slides or other Android Apps, the inking tools on SMART’s Android OS allow users to write and interact with apps simultaneously. This is something that in all my years researching interactive displays, I have only ever experienced with SMART. Have they cracked the code on annotations and interactivity?
The best part, SMART’s Android ink tools turn on automatically when you start writing vs. having to turn on a tool or ink layer each time you change programs. This intuitive ink experience makes SMART Boards ideal for educators who want a fast, frustration-free Android experience that just works.
In comparison, teachers using ViewSonic displays often face hurdles with their annotation tools when interacting with Android apps. For example, in the fractions lesson below, a teacher uses the PhET app but must constantly toggle ink on and off to interact with the app. This disrupts the flow and can waste valuable classroom time, as teachers must select and deselect the tool just to perform simple interactions.
And, even if they do capture a screenshot, the ink on the image can’t be edited, limiting what the class can do with the content afterward.
Classrooms are dynamic, and educators need technology that will keep up. SMART Boards are built to keep up with dynamic classrooms, offering smooth transitions and consistent annotation that feels like second nature.
Point: SMART ✓
The Best Smart Board: The Original SMART Board!
After exploring SMART Boards and ViewSonic displays, it’s clear that SMART Boards are crafted with today’s classrooms in mind, offering the features and ease of use that educators and students expect.
From seamless student device integration that encourages collaboration, to precise and intuitive touch and ink interactivity that enhances lesson flow, and the rich whiteboard capabilities packed with ready-made resources, SMART Boards help teachers elevate the learning experience for all students. SMART Boards effortlessly keep up with the dynamic pace of teaching, allowing educators to focus on what matters most: student engagement and learning.
Educators deserve tools that are as intuitive and powerful as the lessons they bring to life every day. Choosing SMART means choosing technology that’s purpose-built for education, ensuring that teachers have what they need to inspire, engage, and empower their students. With SMART, you’re not just choosing a display; you’re choosing a partner in education that understands the classroom.
When you select SMART, you can feel confident that you’re making a choice that supports your teachers and students every step of the way.
Book a demo today and let us show you how SMART comes out on top: