LessonUp vs LectaMe: searching in a library or building with AI?

LessonUp and Lectame are both Dutch educational tools, but they solve the lesson‑preparation problem in fundamentally different ways. LessonUp offers an extensive library of ready‑made lesson materials that you can search and adapt; Lectame generates a complete lesson with AI based on your topic. Two philosophies, two types of teachers who use them. Here is the honest analysis — including when LessonUp really remains the more logical choice.

The two philosophies in one sentence

LessonUp's philosophy: reusing is faster than building. Other teachers have already created good lessons — find, copy, adapt. Lectame's philosophy: generating is faster than searching. AI builds a complete lesson based on your topic, you adjust it until it fits. Both philosophies have their moment.

What LessonUp does — honestly

LessonUp has grown into a major player in Dutch education, especially in primary education and VMBO/HAVO/VWO. Strong points that can be mentioned without reservation:

• Library size. Hundreds of thousands of lessons, uploaded and shared by fellow teachers. For teachers who prefer to find and adapt five lessons rather than create one from scratch, that's gold.
• Aligns with curricula. Many lessons are linked to widely used school curricula (e.g., Numbers & Space for mathematics) — which makes matching your subject plan easier.
• Interactive elements. Polls, word clouds, multiple choice — comparable to what Lectame offers.
• Strong focus on primary and secondary education. That’s where most of the content is.

For primary and secondary teachers who work within an established curriculum pathway, LessonUp is often the more logical choice. We have to be upfront about that.

What Lectame does — honestly

Lectame's positioning is different: AI generation of complete lessons, with a focus on MBO, HBO and corporate training. Strong points:

• AI builds based on your topic. No search time, no “seems close but doesn’t fit” frustration. You provide the topic, you get a complete lesson with didactic structure.
• Layered depth for differentiation. Basic level for everyone, enrichment for those who can handle more — built‑in natively.
• Theory / Case / Quiz Flow. Pre‑defined didactic sequence, not “a collection of slides with interaction”.
• EU data, GDPR‑safe. Students do not give an e‑mail, a session code is sufficient.

For MBO, HBO and L&D teachers who deliver new or variable material weekly, Lectame’s generation approach is usually more logical.

Three dimensions you can base your choice on

1. How stable is your curriculum?

LessonUp’s library works best when you have a stable curriculum: the same material in consecutive years, method‑based, linkable to proven lesson examples. Lectame’s AI works best when your curriculum is variable — new topics each quarter, alignment with current events (cyber security, AI developments, sector changes), or when no ready‑made material exists.

Who wins: LessonUp for stable, method‑driven curricula (often PO/VO). Lectame for variable/current curricula (often MBO/HBO/L&D).

2. How do you want to work didactically?

LessonUp’s philosophy is “collect and adapt lessons”. The didactic structure varies per uploaded lesson, depending on who created it. Lectame’s philosophy is “didactic structure in advance”. Theory/Case/Quiz Flow are pre‑defined based on constructive alignment (Biggs).

Who wins: LessonUp if you value different lessons having different didactic approaches. Lectame if you want a consistent didactic structure across all your lessons.

3. Who creates the material?

LessonUp = community-driven. Material comes from thousands of teachers — quality varies. Lectame = AI-driven. Material is generated based on didactic principles; you remain ultimately responsible for the content check.

Who wins: LessonUp if you want to harness the wisdom of many teachers. Lectame if you want AI as a brainstorming colleague while you are the final editor.

5 scenarios: which tool do you choose?

Scenario 1: Secondary school Dutch teacher, established curriculum

Anna teaches Dutch to HAVO 4. The curriculum is stable, linked to a textbook. She mainly looks for inspiration and ready‑made practice material.

More logical: LessonUp. The library with secondary Dutch material is extensive; alignment with the textbook is already taken care of.

Scenario 2: Vocational ICT teacher, rapidly changing subject

Tim teaches programming in a vocational ICT program. Last year Python was central, this year TypeScript has been added, next year AI tooling. He rarely finds up‑to‑date material in libraries.

More logical: Lectame. AI generates material based on current topics, even without a library update.

Scenario 3: Higher education teacher with large groups

Esther gives a lecture to 120 first‑year students. She wants to test understanding in real time during the lecture.

More logical: Lectame. Live interaction via session code scales to hundreds of participants; LessonUp’s interaction is more suited to classroom size (20‑30 learners).

Scenario 4: Primary school teacher group 7, method “Veilig Leren Lezen”

Sander teaches at a primary school. He wants lessons that directly match the group 7 method used by the school.

More logical: LessonUp. The primary‑school method integration is strong there. Lectame is not specifically designed for primary education.

Scenario 5: L&D trainer, compliance training for 200 employees

Marieke leads compliance training in a large company. The topic varies each quarter (privacy, occupational health, cybersecurity).

More logical: Lectame. LessonUp does not focus on corporate L&D; Lectame has a user group and feature set for that (per‑participant reports, learning‑path mode).

Migration step‑by‑step plan: from LessonUp to Lectame

For teachers who are considering switching — only if the scenarios above match:

Step 1 — Identify which lessons you actually reuse

Open your LessonUp dashboard. Select the 3‑5 lessons you have taught more than twice this year. Those are your evergreens — migration starts there.

Step 2 — Try Lectame's AI with the same topics

Give Lectame's AI the same topic + target audience + level. Compare the generated lesson with your LessonUp lesson. Which do you find didactically stronger? Which is easier to adapt?

Step 3 — Keep both tools side by side during the transition

Don’t overhaul everything at once. In the next quarter deliver 50% Lectame lessons, 50% LessonUp. Evaluate which work better for your situation.

Step 4 — Import critical LessonUp lessons via a PowerPoint intermediate step

LessonUp has no direct export to Lectame. However you can export a LessonUp lesson as PowerPoint and import it into Lectame. Then add Lectame interaction and layered depth.

Step 5 — Decide definitively after half a school year

Only after about 4‑6 months of experience is there enough data to make the final choice. Do not decide earlier — first impressions are often misleading.

Price comparison

Plan	LessonUp	Lectame
Free	Limited features, ads	Up to 5 presentations, 10 AI generations/month, no ads
Pro individual teacher	~€7-12/month (varies)	€9/month — unlimited presentations
School licence	Per student/year — request a quote	Per teacher/month — request a quote via info@lectame.com

Both tools are affordable. The difference lies in the licensing model: LessonUp often charges per student (scales with class size), Lectame charges per teacher (fixed price regardless of class size). For schools with large classes that gap can add up.

When LessonUp remains the more logical choice

• You work in primary or secondary education with a method‑bound curriculum.
• You value a large library of existing material over generation.
• Your colleagues already use LessonUp — knowledge sharing is built‑in.
• Your pedagogical preference is to reuse and adapt, not build from scratch.
• Your school already has a LessonUp licence with SSO integration.

When Lectame is the more logical choice

• You work in vocational education, higher education or corporate L&D.
• Your curriculum is variable or driven by current topics.
• You want a consistent pedagogical structure across all lessons.
• Differentiation through layered slides is a desired feature.
• Large groups (50+) with live interaction are a weekly thing.
• Blended learning (live + self‑study) is part of your workflow.

Can you combine both?

Yes, and many teachers do. LessonUp for recurring method‑based lessons, Lectame for new or current content. The tools are not mutually exclusive — they serve different parts of your work.

Practical example: an MBO teacher uses LessonUp for the basic citizenship lessons (stable curriculum, method‑linked) and Lectame for the specialization modules (variable, up‑to‑date, sector‑specific). Both tools contribute to other lessons.

Conclusion

The choice between LessonUp and Lectame is not about “which is better”. It is about which philosophy matches how you work. Stable curriculum + method alignment? LessonUp. Variable curriculum + didactic structure + AI as a brainstorming colleague? Lectame. Somewhere in between? Combine.

For most MBO and HBO teachers — and L&D trainers in companies — Lectame offers the greatest time savings. For primary/secondary teachers with method‑driven curricula, LessonUp usually makes more sense.

Want to try it yourself? Generate a Lectame lesson with your subject area and compare it directly with a LessonUp lesson from your archive. The difference in didactic structure and differentiation possibilities becomes clear within 10 minutes.

Further reading

• LessonUp alternative — Lectame landing page
• Mentimeter vs Lectame — for interaction add‑ons
• Kahoot vs Lectame — for classroom quizzes
• For MBO — subject examples from care/technology/economics/ICT
• For HBO — sector page with blended learning

Sources

• Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for Quality Learning at University (4th edition). McGraw-Hill — on constructive alignment.
• Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning. Routledge — meta‑analyses on feedback and lesson planning.
• SLO (Stichting Leerplanontwikkeling) (2023). Curriculum architecture in vocational education — on method linkage versus open curricula.
• LessonUp pricing (accessed May 2026): lessonup.com/nl/prijzen