LMS · head to head
Canvas vs Claroline
Canvas
LMS
Open-source LMS for engaging learning experiences
- From
- $5/student-year
- Rated
- -
Claroline
LMS
Open source French-language learning platform, now developed as Claroline Connect
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Claroline has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Canvas basic analytics lack predictive intelligence or advanced student success insights; Claroline two products share the name and the abandoned original, last released in December 2021, dominates search results, so institutions regularly install unmaintained software believing it is current.
- They diverge on capability: Canvas covers Course management, Claroline covers Workspaces.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Canvas and Claroline actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (LMS).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Canvas
- Course management
- Assignment submission
- Gradebook
- Discussion forums
- Quizzes
- Mobile app
- Video conferencing
- Analytics
Only in Claroline
- Workspaces
- Resource model
- Learning paths
- Quizzes and evaluation
- Competency framework
- Planning and events
- Self-hosting
- SaaS option
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Canvas
- Online coursesnot Claroline
- Blended learningnot Claroline
- Course managementnot Claroline
- Student assessmentnot Claroline
Claroline
- A French or Belgian training organisation that needs a francophone platform where the interface and support are French-first rather than translated.not Canvas
- A public body required to keep learner data on European infrastructure under an open licence it can audit.not Canvas
- A training provider assembling learning paths from a shared library of reusable resources across many client workspaces rather than duplicating courses.not Canvas
- An institution already running the abandoned Claroline 13 line that needs to plan a migration onto the maintained Connect codebase before its dependencies become unsupportable.not Canvas
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Canvas
- Basic analytics lack predictive intelligence or advanced student success insights
- Course structure is traditional and may not support competency-based or adaptive learning paths without supplementary tools
Claroline
- Two products share the name and the abandoned original, last released in December 2021, dominates search results, so institutions regularly install unmaintained software believing it is current.
- The community is small compared with Moodle, so plugin choice, third-party integrations and the pool of people who can administer it in production are all thin.
- Documentation and community discussion are French-first and English coverage is partial and inconsistent, which raises the effort for any non-francophone team.
- The commercial hosting is offered by a small operator rather than a large partner network, so an institution depending on paid support has concentrated supplier risk.
- The workspace and resource model is different enough from a conventional course-based LMS that staff moving from Moodle or Canvas have to relearn how content is organised, and migrations do not map cleanly.
Pricing, plan by plan
Canvas
$5/student-yearNo published plan breakdown. See the Canvas review.
Claroline
Free- Claroline ConnectFree
- GPL licence, no fee
- Full source on GitHub
- You provide Symfony and PHP hosting and operations
- Hosted distribution$undefined/year
- Managed hosting, maintenance and updates
- Support from the commercial operator
- Quoted by user count
Which should you pick?
Choose Canvas if
- You need course management.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want assignment submission.
Choose Claroline if
- You need workspaces.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Linux.
- You also want resource model.
Questions people ask
- Is Canvas or Claroline better?
- Neither clearly leads. Canvas starts at $5/student-year and Claroline at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Canvas or Claroline?
- Claroline has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5/student-year for Canvas and Free for Claroline.
- Does Canvas or Claroline run on more platforms?
- Canvas runs on Web, iOS, Android. Claroline runs on Web, Linux.
- Can I use Claroline for free?
- Yes. Claroline has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Canvas starts at $5/student-year.
- What is Canvas best used for?
- Canvas is most often used for online courses, blended learning, course management, student assessment. Of those, online courses and blended learning are not what Claroline is typically brought in for.
- What can Canvas do that Claroline cannot?
- Canvas covers Course management, Assignment submission, Gradebook, Discussion forums. Claroline covers Workspaces, Resource model, Learning paths, Quizzes and evaluation.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Canvas: Does Canvas work offline?
Canvas has launched offline access for its student mobile app, allowing students to view pre-selected course content without internet. However, offline access is view-only and submissions require reconnecting to the internet.
SourceClaroline: Which Claroline should I install?
Claroline Connect, the Symfony and React codebase currently on version 15. The original PHP Claroline stopped at 13.1.3 in December 2021 and should not be deployed.
Canvas: What integrations does Canvas support?
Canvas supports hundreds of external applications through its App Center using LTI standards, including video platforms, plagiarism detection tools, and digital textbooks through a standardized integration framework.
SourceClaroline: Is it still maintained?
Yes. Point releases in the 15.0 line continued into 2026 with active commits on GitHub.
Canvas: How does Canvas handle course analytics?
Canvas provides built-in reporting that covers grades and student engagement, but lacks predictive analytics or advanced student success insights that some institutions require.
SourceClaroline: Is it free?
The software is GPL and free. Hosted distribution with maintenance and support is a paid service from the commercial operator.
Claroline: Does it work in English?
The interface has English, but documentation and community support are French-first, so a non-francophone team will hit gaps.
Claroline: How big is the ecosystem compared to Moodle?
Much smaller. If you need a wide plugin market or an easy administrator hiring pool, Moodle is the safer open source choice.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- Canvas vs Moodle
- Canvas vs Schoology
- Canvas vs Sakai
- Canvas vs Google Classroom
- Canvas vs ClassDojo
- Canvas vs Seesaw
- Canvas vs Edmodo
- Canvas vs Echo360
- Canvas vs LearnWorlds
- Canvas vs Padlet
- Canvas vs Absorb LMS
- Canvas vs Pear Deck
- Canvas vs Coursera
- Canvas vs Podia
- Canvas vs Udacity
- Canvas vs Cornerstone Learning
- Canvas vs Docebo
- Canvas vs Chamilo
- Canvas vs Totara
- Canvas vs CYPHER Learning
- Canvas vs LearnDash
- Canvas vs Schoox
- Canvas vs Weet
- Canvas vs Cornerstone OnDemand
- Canvas vs D2L Brightspace
- Canvas vs Degreed
- Claroline vs Moodle
- Claroline vs Schoology
- Claroline vs Sakai
- Claroline vs Google Classroom
- Claroline vs ClassDojo
- Claroline vs Seesaw
- Claroline vs Edmodo
- Claroline vs Echo360
- Claroline vs LearnWorlds
- Claroline vs Padlet
- Claroline vs Absorb LMS
- Claroline vs Pear Deck
- Claroline vs Coursera
- Claroline vs Podia
- Claroline vs Udacity
- Claroline vs Cornerstone Learning
- Claroline vs Docebo
- Claroline vs Chamilo
- Claroline vs Totara
- Claroline vs CYPHER Learning
- Claroline vs LearnDash
- Claroline vs Schoox
- Claroline vs Weet
- Claroline vs Cornerstone OnDemand
- Claroline vs D2L Brightspace
- Claroline vs Degreed