Safe Exam Browser vs Respondus LockDown Browser on Mac
Safe Exam Browser (SEB) and Respondus LockDown Browser look nearly identical from the user side: launch the app, take a quiz inside its locked window, no app-switching allowed. Underneath, they take very different paths.
SEB is community-developed and used heavily in European universities, K-12 standardized tests, and some certification programs. Each exam ships a .seb config file that loads the school's exam URL with allowed shortcuts and quit conditions. Respondus is commercial, integrates as an LMS plugin, and sells Respondus Monitor as a separate webcam/recording add-on. On Mac both rely on Apple's standard capture stack; both filter out windows that have set the privacy flag. The overlay is invisible to either.
Key points
- SEB is open source and free; Respondus is commercial per-seat.
- SEB is preferred in Europe and K-12 testing; Respondus dominates US higher ed.
- SEB does not record by itself; Respondus Monitor adds webcam recording.
- Both use macOS standard capture APIs; both honor window privacy.
- SEB allows custom config per exam (.seb file); Respondus is one-config-fits-all.
How it works
┌── Safe Exam Browser ┐ ┌── Respondus LDB ┐ │ │ │ │ └────────────────────────┘ └────────────────────────┘
Compatibility on Mac
| License | SEB: GPL / Respondus: commercial | ~ |
| Recording add-on | SEB: none / Respondus: Monitor | ~ |
| Configuration | SEB: per-exam .seb / Respondus: per-LMS | ~ |
| Overlay invisible | Yes (both) | ✓ |
Common questions
My exam uses an .seb file. Is that SEB?
Yes. The .seb extension is SEB's config format. You launch SEB and it loads the file. The overlay works alongside SEB as it does alongside any user-space proctor.
Does SEB record my screen?
No, SEB only locks down. Recording requires a separate proctor (often configured to launch a partner like SMOWL or ProctorExam after SEB starts).
Why do European universities prefer SEB?
It is free, open source, audited by data-protection officers, and can be self-hosted - all advantages under EU privacy law.