Proctorio vs Honorlock vs Respondus: What Every Student Needs to Know in 2026
Published: August 4, 2026
Your professor just announced your next exam will be proctored. Now you are staring at an email telling you to install Proctorio, Honorlock or Respondus LockDown Browser and you have no idea what any of them actually do, what they can see, or what happens if something goes wrong during your exam.
You're not alone. These three platforms monitor over 30 million exams per year across US colleges, and students have strong opinions about all of them. We've analyzed hundreds of Reddit threads, student forums, and real exam experiences to break down exactly how each platform works, what it monitors, what it can't detect, and what you should actually worry about.
Quick Comparison: Proctorio vs Honorlock vs Respondus at a Glance
Before diving deep, here's the summary:
| Feature | Proctorio | Honorlock | Respondus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Chrome extension | Chrome extension | Standalone app + Monitor |
| Monitoring | AI only (no humans) | AI + live human pop-in | AI recording (reviewed later) |
| Webcam | Yes (AI-analyzed) | Yes (AI + human-reviewed) | Yes (with Monitor add-on) |
| Screen Recording | Yes | Yes | Yes (with Monitor) |
| Phone Detection | No | Yes (patented) | No |
| Eye/Gaze Tracking | Yes | Yes | No |
| Audio Monitoring | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Browser Lockdown | Yes (via extension) | Yes (via extension) | Yes (standalone app) |
| Second Monitor Detection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Machine Detection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Real-Time Intervention | No | Yes (proctor can pop in) | No |
| Used By | 1,000+ institutions | 800+ institutions | 2,000+ institutions |
Now let's break down what this actually means for you as a student.
What Is Proctorio and How Does It Work?
Proctorio is a Chrome extension that activates automatically when you start a proctored quiz or exam in your LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, or Brightspace). Unlike Honorlock, there are no live human proctors everything is monitored and analyzed by AI.
What Proctorio Actually Monitors
Proctorio's monitoring is fully configurable by your instructor. Not every exam uses every feature. Depending on your professor's settings, Proctorio can:
- Record your webcam and use AI to track head position, eye movement, and facial expressions
- Record your screen to capture everything displayed during the exam
- Record audio through your microphone (detects voices, sounds in the room)
- Lock your browser to prevent tab switching, copy/paste, right-clicking, and screenshots
- Monitor system processes to detect screen sharing, virtual machines, and remote access tools
- Track clipboard activity and keyboard shortcuts
The key word is "can." Your instructor chooses which features to enable. Some Proctorio exams only lock your browser with no webcam. Others enable everything. You can usually see which settings are active when the Proctorio extension loads before your exam.
What Proctorio Can't Detect
- Your phone: Proctorio has no ability to scan for Bluetooth devices, WiFi signals or nearby phones. However, the webcam AI might flag you looking down at something repeatedly.
- What's on another device: It can only monitor the computer running the exam.
- Your thoughts: The AI tracks behavior, not knowledge. Looking away from the screen might get flagged, but Proctorio doesn't know why you looked away.
How Proctorio Reports Work
After your exam, Proctorio generates a suspicion score and highlights specific moments that exceeded behavioral thresholds. Your instructor gets a dashboard showing which students scored highest on suspicion metrics. Most instructors only review the top 5-10% of flagged students. If your behavior was normal, your recording likely won't be watched by anyone.
Reddit's Take on Proctorio
Students on Reddit generally view Proctorio as the most privacy-invasive of the three platforms because of its extensive AI monitoring and past controversies around data collection. However, many students also note that because there's no live human watching, it can feel less stressful than Honorlock's pop-in proctors.
What Is Honorlock and How Does It Work?
Honorlock is also a Chrome extension, but with one major difference from Proctorio: it uses a hybrid AI + live human proctor model. The AI monitors continuously, and if it detects something suspicious, a live proctor can pop into your exam session to ask questions or request actions.
What Honorlock Actually Monitors
- Webcam recording with AI behavior analysis (similar to Proctorio)
- Screen recording of everything on your display
- Browser lockdown preventing tab switching and external applications
- Audio monitoring through your microphone
- Secondary device detection: Honorlock has a patented technology that can detect if a phone or tablet near you is searching for exam questions. This is unique to Honorlock.
- Room scanning: the proctor may ask you to show your room before the exam starts
- ID verification: you'll be asked to show your student ID to the webcam
The Live Proctor Pop-In: What Actually Happens
This is what makes Honorlock different. If the AI flags something you looked away too many times, a second face appeared on camera, audio picked up another voice a live human proctor can intervene during your exam. They might:
- Send you a chat message asking you to adjust your camera
- Ask you to show your workspace again
- Request that you stop looking at something off-screen
- In severe cases, terminate your exam session
Most students never experience a pop-in. But knowing that a human could appear at any moment adds a layer of pressure that Proctorio and Respondus don't have.
What Honorlock Can't Detect
- Phones that aren't actively searching for exam content: The secondary device detection works by monitoring search queries on nearby networks. A phone that's just sitting in your pocket (powered off or in airplane mode) won't be detected.
- What you're thinking: Like all proctoring tools, it tracks behavior, not knowledge.
- Activity on other networks: It monitors your exam computer and nearby network traffic, not your home's entire internet.
Reddit's Take on Honorlock
Reddit opinions are mixed. Many students find the pop-in proctor feature intimidating and distracting. Others appreciate that having a human in the loop means fewer false-positive flags that go unreviewed. The secondary device detection is frequently discussed students are often surprised that Honorlock can catch phone searches during exams.
For a deeper dive into what happens when Honorlock flags you, read our full guide on what happens after an Honorlock flag.
What Is Respondus LockDown Browser and How Does It Work?
Respondus is fundamentally different from Proctorio and Honorlock. Instead of a Chrome extension, it's a standalone application that you download and install on your computer. It replaces your regular browser during the exam with a locked-down version that prevents access to other programs.
Respondus LockDown Browser vs Respondus Monitor
This distinction confuses many students:
Respondus LockDown Browser (LDB): Just locks your computer. No webcam, no recording, no AI. It simply prevents you from opening other apps, copying/pasting, or taking screenshots during the exam.
Respondus Monitor: An add-on that uses your webcam to record you during the exam. The AI flags suspicious moments (looking away, leaving the frame) for your instructor to review after the exam.
If your exam only requires LockDown Browser without Monitor, you are not being recorded. Check your syllabus or exam instructions to know which one applies.
What Respondus Actually Monitors (With Monitor Enabled)
- Webcam recording: continuous video of you during the exam, analyzed by AI after submission
- Browser lockdown: prevents all other applications, websites, and system functions
- Second monitor detection: LDB checks for connected displays and forces you to disconnect them
- Virtual machine detection: detects common VM software
- System process monitoring: checks for screen sharing and remote access tools
What Respondus Does NOT Monitor
- Eye tracking or gaze tracking: Unlike Proctorio and Honorlock, Respondus Monitor does not specifically track where your eyes are looking
- Audio: Limited audio monitoring compared to Proctorio/Honorlock
- Phone or secondary devices: No secondary device detection technology
- Real-time intervention: No live proctors. All review happens after you submit.
How Respondus Reports Work
If Monitor is enabled, your instructor receives a recording with AI-flagged moments. The flagging is less granular than Proctorio, it primarily looks for: face not detected, multiple faces detected and student left the frame. Instructors review flagged segments at their discretion.
Reddit's Take on Respondus
Students on Reddit generally consider Respondus the least invasive of the three, particularly when only LockDown Browser (without Monitor) is required. The main complaints are about technical issues, LDB sometimes conflicts with other software, forces computer restarts or crashes during exams. For a detailed breakdown of what Respondus can and can't see, read our guide on what Respondus LockDown Browser actually detects.
Which Proctoring Tool Is "Worst" for Students?
This is the question students actually Google. The honest answer depends on what bothers you most:
If privacy is your biggest concern → Proctorio feels worst. It has the most extensive AI monitoring with the least human oversight. The AI watches everything, scores everything and your instructor may never actually look at your recording.
If you hate being watched by humans → Honorlock feels worst. The live pop-in proctor feature means a real person could appear during your exam and ask you questions. For students with test anxiety, this is the most stressful scenario.
If technical issues scare you → Respondus feels worst. As a standalone application (not a browser extension), LDB has more potential for system conflicts, crashes and forced restarts. Students on older computers or non-standard setups report the most technical problems with Respondus.
If you just want to take your exam in peace → all of them feel unnecessary. That's the most common sentiment on Reddit, regardless of platform.
Can These Tools Actually Catch Cheating?
Here's what students actually want to know:
Can They Detect a Second Phone?
- Honorlock: Yes, patented secondary device detection monitors nearby network traffic for exam-related searches
- Proctorio: No direct detection but webcam AI may flag you looking at something off-screen
- Respondus: No
Can They Detect a Virtual Machine?
- All three: Yes, all detect common VM software (VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V). However, more advanced virtualization methods can bypass these checks.
Can They Detect Someone Else in the Room?
- Honorlock: Yes, AI + live proctor can identify additional faces and voices
- Proctorio: Yes, AI flags multiple faces and audio anomalies
- Respondus: Partially, Monitor flags multiple faces but doesn't monitor audio as thoroughly
Can They See Your Other Monitor?
- All three: Yes. All detect connected secondary displays and either block them or force disconnection.
What Happens If Your Internet Drops?
- Proctorio: Your exam may pause; you can typically resume when reconnected (depends on instructor settings)
- Honorlock: Similar, exam pauses, and the proctor may be notified
- Respondus: LDB may crash or lock you out, requiring instructor intervention to regain access
What About ProctorU and Examity?
While this post focuses on the big three, two other platforms are worth mentioning:
ProctorU uses fully live human proctors throughout your entire exam, not just pop-ins like Honorlock. A real person watches your webcam feed the entire time. This is common for professional certifications and some graduate programs.
Examity is similar to ProctorU with live human proctors and is notably used by Western Governors University (WGU) for all Objective Assessments. If you're a WGU student dealing with Examity, our WGU OA & PA assessment help page covers everything you need.
How to Prepare for Any Proctored Exam
Regardless of which platform your school uses, these preparation steps apply to all:
- Test your setup early: Run the system check at least 24 hours before your exam, not 5 minutes before
- Use a clean, well-lit space: Good lighting prevents webcam flags; a clean desk prevents room scan issues
- Close all other applications: Don't leave Spotify, Discord, or messaging apps running
- Put your phone in another room: Not face-down on your desk, in another room entirely
- Use a wired internet connection: if possible, WiFi drops during proctored exams cause the most student complaints
- Have your ID ready: For Honorlock especially, ID verification happens before the exam starts
- Don't wear headphones or earbuds: These are flagged by all three platforms
When Students Need Professional Help
Sometimes the issue isn't the proctoring platform, it's the exam itself. Students who are overwhelmed by course difficulty, time constraints or personal circumstances look for professional exam assistance regardless of which proctoring tool their school uses.
If you are in that situation, here's where to start based on your proctoring platform:
Honorlock exams: Our Honorlock exam specialists have handled thousands of Honorlock-proctored exams with a 98% success rate
Proctorio exams: Our Proctorio exam team understands every Proctorio configuration and AI monitoring feature
Respondus exams: Our Respondus LockDown Browser experts use specialized methods designed for LDB's unique architecture
Any proctoring platform: Our comprehensive proctored exam help page covers every platform including ProctorU, Examity, ExamSoft and more
No advance payment required on any of these services, you pay only after your exam is complete and graded.
Key Takeaways
Proctorio is AI-only with no human proctors, most configurable but most privacy-invasive
Honorlock is AI + live human pop-in, catches the most cheating methods but most stressful for students
Respondus is a standalone browser lockdown, least invasive (especially without Monitor) but most prone to technical issues
None of them can directly detect your phone (except Honorlock's secondary device detection for active searches)
All three detect virtual machines, second monitors, and screen sharing
Your best preparation is the same regardless of platform: test early, clean space, good lighting, phone in another room, wired internet
Have questions about a specific proctoring platform or an upcoming exam? Reach out via WhatsApp (+1 408-709-4522) or Discord (homeworkguy100) for a free consultation.
If your Honorlock exam requires a second webcam, read our complete guide to Honorlock Side Camera and Dual Camera Mode for setup steps, phone-as-webcam options and troubleshooting tips.
