Clever vs ClassLink: choosing a K-12 single sign-on provider
Both are tier-1 district identity providers used across US K-12 — a student or staff member clicks through from a district app portal without a separate password. Neither is, by itself, a rostering product: class lists and enrollments are a different capability that each vendor addresses with a separate product (Clever Secure Sync, ClassLink’s own OneRoster feed). Here is how the two compare as JobCannon integrations specifically.
| Clever | ClassLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol | Clever Instant Login (Clever’s own OAuth-based protocol) | SAML 2.0 — the same district-SSO system JobCannon also uses for Feide, Skolfederation and VIDIS |
| Setup path on JobCannon | Added as an Instant Login app inside your Clever district portal | Ops-provisioned per district from your ClassLink SAML metadata while our Application Library listing is under review |
| Roster / class-list sync | Not included — Clever Secure Sync is a separate Clever product, not integrated here | Not included — ClassLink’s own OneRoster feed is reachable separately via JobCannon’s generic OneRoster connector, not through this SSO connection |
| District-domain safety | First sign-in from a verified district domain auto-matches to that org | Same domain-verification model — an unrecognised domain is refused, not guessed at |
| JobCannon status | Available on request | Available on request |
Status is read live from the same flag each integration page reads — it will change here automatically if it changes there, never the other way around.
Which one does your district need?
Pick Clever if
Your district’s students and staff already launch apps from a Clever portal. Setup is adding JobCannon as an Instant Login application inside that existing portal.
See the Clever integration page →Pick ClassLink if
Your district runs ClassLink LaunchPad or OneClick. JobCannon consumes the same SAML assertion your other ClassLink apps already rely on — no separate protocol to stand up.
See the ClassLink integration page →Frequently asked
Do Clever and ClassLink import our class rosters?+
Not through the JobCannon integrations described here. Both connectors are tier-1 identity providers — they authenticate who someone is. Clever has a separate roster-sync product (Secure Sync) and ClassLink separately exposes a OneRoster feed; JobCannon has not built against either of those roster paths through this SSO connection. Class rosters come through JobCannon's own generic OneRoster connector instead.
Can a district use both Clever and ClassLink at once?+
Yes — they are not mutually exclusive on JobCannon's side. Most districts run one as their primary app-launch portal, but nothing in JobCannon's district-SSO system limits an organisation to a single identity provider kind.
Which one is available on JobCannon today?+
Status differs and is worth checking directly rather than assuming: Clever Instant Login is currently "Available on request", and ClassLink SAML SSO is currently "Available on request". Both are real, working code paths — the difference is self-serve availability, not whether the integration exists.
Is one more secure than the other?+
Both run on standards-based identity assertions rather than a shared password store — Clever Instant Login through its own OAuth-based protocol, ClassLink through SAML 2.0. Neither stores a JobCannon-specific password for students or staff signing in this way.
Tell us which portal your district runs
Email partners@jobcannon.io with your Clever district ID or ClassLink SAML metadata and we’ll confirm the fastest path for your district.