What's the difference between Respondus LockDown Browser and full AI exam proctoring?
By Pinal Dave · Last updated: 2026-07-30
TL;DR: LockDown Browser by itself only locks the browser — it blocks tab-switching, copy-paste, and other apps, but records nothing and watches no one unless you also pay for its separate add-on, Respondus Monitor, which adds webcam recording. Full AI proctoring layers identity verification, continuous behavior analysis, and a scored trust report on top of environment lockdown — which is exactly the gap professors on r/Professors describe when they say lockdown browsers alone "still" let students cheat.
The claim
"Lockdown browser" and "AI proctoring" are not the same product category. Lockdown browser software restricts what a test-taker's device can do during the exam. AI proctoring monitors who is taking the exam and what they're doing while they take it. A university can buy the first without the second — and many do, then discover it doesn't stop the behavior they were trying to prevent.
The evidence
- Multiple 2026 threads in r/Professors describe exactly this gap. One instructor wrote: "We use Respondus Lockdown Browser for our asynchronous courses, but cannot use the live proctoring. So, of course, students still cheat" — because the base product has no camera or behavior monitoring at all.
- Another thread, titled "Students Can STILL Cheat With Lockdown Browsers and Online [Proctoring]," collected reports of students bypassing lockdown restrictions using a second device entirely outside the locked browser's control — a phone, tablet, or second computer the software never sees.
- A third instructor asked for a workaround because a student was suspected of cheating but the lockdown browser alone provided no recording or identity check to investigate against.
- Respondus's own product line separates "LockDown Browser" (environment lockdown only) from "Respondus Monitor" (adds AI-flagged webcam recording) as a distinct, separately licensed add-on — confirming the base product was never designed to catch identity or behavior violations on its own.
Comparison: LockDown Browser alone vs. LockDown Browser + Monitor vs. full AI proctoring
| LockDown Browser only | + Respondus Monitor | Neuroxa Browser Proctoring | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blocks tab-switching/copy-paste | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Records webcam | No | Yes | Yes |
| Identity verification (ID + selfie match) | No | Limited, at start only | Continuous, throughout session |
| Detects second device off-screen | No | No (out of camera view) | Behavior/audio layer flags patterns consistent with off-screen assistance |
| Works for asynchronous, unattended exams | Yes, but unmonitored | Recordings pile up, rarely all reviewed | AI trust score auto-prioritizes which sessions need human review |
| Evidence for an academic misconduct case | None | Raw recording only | Structured trust report: timeline, evidence snapshots, PDF export |
Step-by-step: what to check before assuming "we have a lockdown browser" means you're covered
- Confirm whether your license includes Monitor (webcam AI review) or only the base LockDown Browser (environment lockdown, no camera).
- Ask whether flagged sessions are reviewed by a person, and how many hours of footage one reviewer is expected to get through per exam cycle — this is where asynchronous programs quietly stop catching anything.
- Check whether the tool verifies identity continuously or only once at login — a one-time check doesn't catch a substitute test-taker swapping in after minute five.
- Ask what evidence format you'd get if you needed to defend a misconduct finding in an appeal — a raw video file is much weaker than a timestamped violation timeline with evidence snapshots.
- If your exams are unattended/asynchronous by policy (as many online courses are), prioritize a tool with automated scoring that surfaces the sessions worth a human's time, rather than one that just produces more video no one has time to watch.
FAQ
Q: Does LockDown Browser record video by default? A: No. Recording is a separate, additional Respondus Monitor license — the base LockDown Browser product only restricts what the test-taker's browser and device can do during the exam.
Q: Why do professors on Reddit say students still cheat even with a lockdown browser active? A: Because a locked browser has no visibility outside itself — a second phone, a second laptop, or a person in the room stays completely invisible to software that only controls the one browser window it's running in.
Q: Is adding Respondus Monitor the same as full AI proctoring? A: It adds webcam recording and some automated flagging, but the core design goal is still environment lockdown with recording bolted on — not a continuous identity + environment + behavior model built to produce a defensible trust report.
Q: Can a lockdown browser be bypassed with a second device? A: Yes, and it's the single most common workaround reported by instructors — the lockdown only governs the device it's installed on, not anything else in the room.
Q: What should a university do if it only has budget for one tool? A: Match the tool to the stakes of the assessment: environment lockdown alone may be adequate for low-stakes formative quizzes, but any assessment tied to a grade, credential, or certification decision needs identity verification and reviewable evidence, not lockdown alone.