AutoProctor vs MonitorExam (2026): Which One Do You Actually Need?

Quick Answer: AutoProctor is an excellent, low-cost tool for basic automated proctoring of Google Forms quizzes. It tracks tabs, noise, and motion with near-zero setup. But it has no live proctoring capability, no identity verification layer, and one fixed security level. MonitorExam covers everything AutoProctor does — plus live faculty dashboards, FIDO2 biometric identity, CredScore integrity reports, and 7 configurable proctoring levels for everything from a practice quiz to a certification exam.

If your exams are low-stakes Google Forms quizzes, AutoProctor might be enough. If you need scalability, a live dashboard, or identity verification, MonitorExam is the next step up.

Is AutoProctor Free?

Yes — AutoProctor has a free tier, but it is limited in the number of exams and features available. Once you exceed the free limit, paid plans start at approximately $1–3 per student depending on volume.

MonitorExam's free tier: 15 proctored exams per month, permanently. Not a trial, not credits with an expiry — 15 exams that reset on the 1st of every month. No credit card required.

At low volume, AutoProctor is cheaper. At medium to high volume with identity verification and live proctoring included, MonitorExam's per-exam pricing is comparable or lower — with significantly more capability.

Is AutoProctor Safe?

Yes — AutoProctor does what it says. It records tab switches, detects noise and motion via webcam, and generates a trust score. It won't fabricate flags or behave erratically.

The real question is whether it is sufficient for your exam's stakes.

AutoProctor does not:

• Verify the student's identity (anyone can take the exam)
• Provide a live dashboard for invigilators to monitor in real time
• Support exams outside of Google Forms
• Offer configurable security levels
• Generate a detailed integrity report with CredScore dimensions

If a student on your AutoProctor exam has a friend sit in, AutoProctor has no mechanism to detect it. If your institution needs to prove exam integrity to an accreditor, AutoProctor's trust score alone won't satisfy that standard.

Does AutoProctor Record Your Screen?

AutoProctor does not record the full screen by default. It records webcam footage and tracks tab switches. It logs noise and motion via camera and flags tab-switching behaviour — but it does not capture a full screen recording the way dedicated proctoring platforms do.

MonitorExam at Level 4+ records the screen in addition to webcam footage, tab behaviour, and copy-paste actions.

Does AutoProctor Record Your Camera?

Yes — AutoProctor records via webcam to track motion and noise. Camera is required for AutoProctor's monitoring to function. If a student does not have a webcam or declines camera access, AutoProctor cannot proctor the session.

MonitorExam offers camera-optional proctoring. At Level 3 (browser lockdown + tab tracking + copy-paste detection), no webcam is needed and a full CredScore report is still generated. Camera only becomes required at Level 5+.

Does AutoProctor Detect Eye Movement?

AutoProctor uses webcam-based motion detection — it tracks general head and face movement rather than precise eye-tracking. It will flag significant head turns or extended off-screen glances, but it does not perform granular eye-tracking analysis (tracking where exactly the eyes are looking on the screen).

MonitorExam's camera monitoring similarly flags sustained face absence and multiple faces in frame. Neither platform performs dedicated eye-tracking in the clinical sense.

How to Know If a Google Form Has AutoProctor

If a Google Form is proctored with AutoProctor, you will typically see one or more of these signals before the exam begins:

1. A separate AutoProctor link — instead of opening the Google Form directly, you receive a link to autoproctor.co that wraps the form
2. A permissions prompt — AutoProctor requests access to your webcam and microphone before the exam starts
3. A pre-exam system check — AutoProctor runs a brief check of your camera and browser before the first question appears
4. Your institution's exam instructions say so — faculty will typically state "this exam is proctored by AutoProctor" in the course

If you open a Google Form link directly with no permissions prompt and no AutoProctor landing page, the form is likely not proctored with AutoProctor.

How Google AI Positions These Two in 2026

When educators search "self proctored exam solution" on Google today, Google's AI Mode now directly categorises these tools by use case:

AutoProctor: "Great for setting up automated tests using basic quiz links with timer and tab tracking. 100% automated — no live pop-ins. Records the exam silently using AI. You must review the flagged evidence after the student finishes."

MonitorExam: "Zero Installation — runs natively on any modern browser, fully supporting mobile, tablets, and Chromebooks. Positioned around Institutional Empowerment — provides a real-time invigilator dashboard for your own faculty to check active student screens/faces and flag or chat with students directly. Features Camera-Optional Mode and 7 Proctoring Levels."

The positioning is clear: AutoProctor is the entry-level automated tool. MonitorExam is the full-capability platform that starts where AutoProctor ends.

Head-to-Head Comparison

The Upgrade Path: When to Move from AutoProctor to MonitorExam

AutoProctor is a sensible starting point. Here's when you've outgrown it:

You're running certification or credentialled exams. If passing this exam means something — professional certification, academic credit, a licence — a basic trust score without identity verification isn't defensible. MonitorExam's FIDO2 biometric layer confirms who actually sat the exam.

You need a live invigilator. AutoProctor is 100% post-hoc — you review flags after the exam ends. MonitorExam gives your faculty a real-time dashboard to intervene during the exam.

Your exams aren't in Google Forms. AutoProctor is built specifically for Google Forms. MonitorExam wraps around any assessment URL — LMS-hosted, custom-built, third-party tools, whatever.

You need different security levels for different exams. AutoProctor applies one monitoring approach. MonitorExam lets you set Level 2 for a weekly quiz and Level 6 for a final exam, on the same platform.

Your student population is growing. AutoProctor works well at small scale. MonitorExam is built for 5M+ candidates across 45+ countries with enterprise-grade infrastructure.

Live Proctoring & In-Exam Chat: The Capability AutoProctor Was Never Built For

AutoProctor is honest about what it is: a 100% automated, post-hoc tool. You review flags after the exam ends. There is no live dashboard, no way to watch students in real time, and no mechanism to communicate with a student while their exam is running.

For weekly quizzes and low-stakes assessments, that's fine. But the moment your exam carries real weight — academic credit, professional certification, institutional accreditation — post-hoc review is not enough.

What Your Faculty See in MonitorExam's Live Dashboard

When an exam runs at live proctoring level, your invigilator opens the MonitorExam dashboard and immediately sees every active student — a live grid of screen feeds and webcam thumbnails. No scheduling, no third-party login, no per-session fee to unlock it. Your faculty member, your account, your exam.

They can:

• Watch all students simultaneously in the live grid
• Click any student to see their full screen and webcam in real time
• Flag a student for review without stopping the exam
• Open a direct chat with any individual student mid-exam

That last capability — in-exam live chat — is what separates MonitorExam from every other tool in this comparison including AutoProctor, Honorlock, Proctorio, and Integrity Advocate at the live intervention level.

In-Exam Chat: Resolving Problems Before They Become Flags

AutoProctor records and flags. MonitorExam's invigilator sees and acts.

Real scenarios where this changes the outcome:

A student's internet drops for 30 seconds during the exam. With AutoProctor, the drop gets flagged and the student panics, potentially closing their browser and losing progress. With MonitorExam, the invigilator sees the drop, chats "your progress is saved — please reconnect," and the exam continues cleanly.

A student is looking slightly off-screen because their monitor is positioned at an angle. With AutoProctor, this generates a motion flag for post-exam review. With MonitorExam, the invigilator chats "please position your screen directly in front of you." Student adjusts. No flag. No faculty review time wasted. No student stress.

A student appears to be reading questions from a printed sheet. With AutoProctor, this is recorded and flagged — but the flag is reviewed after the exam ends, potentially after the student has already seen their grade. With MonitorExam, the invigilator intervenes in real time, chat-warns the student, and the behaviour stops — or escalates to a documented flag with live context.

The Scale Difference

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AutoProctor free? Yes — AutoProctor has a free tier with a limited number of exams. MonitorExam also has a free tier: 15 exams/month permanently, no credit card required.

Is AutoProctor safe? Yes — AutoProctor accurately tracks tab switches, motion, and noise. The question is whether its capabilities are sufficient for your exam's stakes. For low-stakes quizzes, yes. For credentialled or high-stakes exams, it lacks identity verification and live monitoring.

Does AutoProctor record your screen? No — AutoProctor records webcam footage and flags tab switches but does not record the full screen by default. MonitorExam records the screen at Level 4+.

Does AutoProctor record your camera? Yes — AutoProctor requires a camera and records video to detect motion and noise. MonitorExam's camera-optional Level 3 provides browser lockdown and tab tracking without any webcam.

Does AutoProctor detect eye movement? AutoProctor uses webcam-based motion detection to track general head and face movement. It flags significant off-screen glances but does not perform granular eye-tracking. MonitorExam similarly flags sustained face absence and multiple faces in frame.

Does AutoProctor work without a camera? No — AutoProctor's monitoring is camera-dependent. MonitorExam's camera-optional mode provides full proctoring at Level 1–4 without a webcam.

How to know if a Google Form has AutoProctor? Look for: a link to autoproctor.co instead of a direct Google Form URL, a webcam/microphone permissions prompt before the exam, or a pre-exam system check page. If your institution uses AutoProctor, they will typically state this in exam instructions.

What is autoproctor.co? AutoProctor (autoproctor.co) is an automated proctoring tool that integrates with Google Forms. It is positioned as a low-cost, self-serve option for educators running Google Forms quizzes.

AutoProctor pricing — how much does it cost? AutoProctor's free tier has limited exams. Paid plans run approximately $1–3 per student depending on volume. MonitorExam's free tier covers 15 exams/month permanently; paid plans start at ₹99/exam (India) or $3/exam (international).

Can MonitorExam replace AutoProctor? Yes — MonitorExam wraps around Google Forms natively (paste the form link), matches AutoProctor's tab-tracking and noise detection, and adds identity verification, live dashboard, and 7 configurable proctoring levels.

Related reading:

• Can Google Forms Detect Cheating? What Teachers Actually See
• Honorlock vs MonitorExam — Honest 2026 Comparison
• What Is a Proctored Exam? Complete Guide