Did OpenAI buy Chalkie? No — here's what actually happened.
In April 2026 a viral post read like acquisition news, but OpenAI had bid on Chalkie's brand keyword in search ads, not bought the company — Chalkie is still independent. If the headlines sent you rethinking your AI stack anyway, here's an honest read: what Howay does, what Chalkie does, and which problems each tool actually solves. We're not going to pretend we're a drop-in replacement when we aren't.
What actually happened between OpenAI and Chalkie
Chalkie was not acquired by OpenAI. In April 2026, Chalkie's chief executive posted that “OpenAI just bought Chalkie” — a tongue-in-cheek line about OpenAI bidding on Chalkie's brand keyword in search advertising. Several outlets reported it as a real acquisition before correcting; Chalkie remains an independent company and its platform is unchanged.
So there is no shutdown and nothing to migrate away from. The comparison below stands on its own merits: two tools that touch different parts of a teacher's week. The Learning Standard's report has the full story.
Different tools for different parts of the day
Most teachers' AI workflow has two pressure points. Lesson preparation on Sundays. Marking during the week. Chalkie tackles the first. Howay tackles the second.
| Aspect | Chalkie | Howay |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI lesson-planning platform | AI writing-feedback platform |
| What it works on | Lesson preparation | Photos of students’ completed handwritten work |
| What you get back | Lessons, worksheets and resources | Curriculum-aligned next-step feedback |
| Time it gives back | Your Sunday evenings | Your marking time during the week |
Chalkie's marketing now says it's used by 1,000,000+ teachers worldwide.
Where the tools overlap, and where they don't
They overlap on who they are for and how they work. They diverge on what they touch: Chalkie your planning, Howay your students' writing.
| Capability | Chalkie | Howay |
|---|---|---|
| Built for primary teachers | Yes | Yes |
| Curriculum-aware | Yes | Yes |
| Frees your time, not your judgement | Yes | Yes |
| AI under the hood, not a pre-curated content library | Yes | Yes |
| Generates lesson plans, worksheets and slides | Yes | No |
| Curriculum mapping across weeks or half-terms | Yes | No |
| Resource sharing between teachers | Yes | No |
| Reads handwritten student work from a photograph | No | Yes |
| Child-facing feedback, not just teacher-facing summaries | No | Yes |
| Curriculum-aligned next steps for each individual piece | No | Yes |
| Surfaces curriculum standards on the work, not scores | No | Yes |
If you're searching for a Chalkie alternative
Be honest with yourself about what you used Chalkie for. The right next tool depends on it.
If you used Chalkie for lesson planning, Howay isn't your replacement. We'd rather say so now than disappoint you in week two. There are several other AI lesson-planning tools, and a quick search will surface them.
If marking is the part of your week you most want help with, Chalkie isn't really built for that, and you may not have realised AI could touch it. Howay can. Photograph a child's writing, get curriculum-aligned feedback and next steps in minutes. Free to start, designed by a teacher co-founder.
You don't have to choose
Howay and Chalkie sit on different days of your teaching week. If you stay on Chalkie for planning, you can add Howay alongside for marking. They don't compete. They complement.
Try Howay free. No card required.
Every account starts with 30 days of full Pro access — unlimited classes, assignments, and feedback.
Get startedSources: ETIH EdTech News, April 2026 · The Learning Standard, April 2026.
See also: AI marking for handwritten writing and Howay for teachers.