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LMS · head to head

D2L Brightspace vs Sana

D2L Brightspace logo

D2L Brightspace

LMS

The LMS built to focus on the learning moment

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sana logo

Sana

LMS

AI-native learning and knowledge assistant, acquired by Workday in 2025

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: D2L Brightspace no pricing tiers, subscription costs, or feature pricing published; requires contacting sales; Sana workday completed its acquisition on 4 November 2025, so Sana is now an HCM vendor's capability; if you do not run Workday, the roadmap will be shaped around a platform you do not use and standalone availability is not guaranteed long term.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which D2L Brightspace and Sana actually diverge.

Attributes where D2L Brightspace and Sana differ
AttributeD2L BrightspaceSana
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 D2L Brightspace

Nothing recorded that Sana does not also cover.

Only in Sana

  • Sana Agents
  • Sana Learn
  • Enterprise search
  • Live collaborative sessions
  • Content generation
  • Permission-aware retrieval
  • Analytics
  • Workday integration

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

D2L Brightspace

  • Learning management system for educational institutionsnot Sana
  • Online course management and deliverynot Sana
  • Student engagement and retention trackingnot Sana
  • Course content creation and distributionnot Sana
  • Learner achievement and certification managementnot Sana

Sana

  • An organisation whose employees repeatedly ask the same policy and process questions in Slack and where the answer already exists in a document nobody findsnot D2L Brightspace
  • A Workday customer wanting learning and an internal assistant on the same employee record rather than a separate LMS contractnot D2L Brightspace
  • Onboarding at a fast-growing company where content goes stale faster than the training team can rewrite coursesnot D2L Brightspace
  • Sales enablement where reps need an answer about a product or a contract term during a call, not a course to complete next weeknot D2L Brightspace

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

D2L Brightspace

  • No pricing tiers, subscription costs, or feature pricing published; requires contacting sales
  • Quote-based pricing model with no transparent cost information available
  • Multiple add-on modules (Lumi, Creator+, Achievement+, Performance+, Course Merchant, D2L Link) available but pricing not disclosed

Sana

  • Workday completed its acquisition on 4 November 2025, so Sana is now an HCM vendor's capability; if you do not run Workday, the roadmap will be shaped around a platform you do not use and standalone availability is not guaranteed long term.
  • Answer quality depends entirely on the state of your internal content, so an organisation with contradictory or outdated documents gets a confident assistant citing the wrong version, which is worse than not having one.
  • Permission-aware retrieval across many source systems is difficult to get exactly right, and a misconfigured connector can surface content to employees who should not see it, which makes the security review substantial.
  • Compliance-heavy training needs, such as certification tracking, regulator-mandated evidence and SCORM-based external content, are handled less thoroughly than in traditional learning management systems built for that purpose.
  • Pricing is unpublished and now negotiated in the context of a Workday relationship, which reduces a non-Workday buyer's leverage and makes a like-for-like comparison against a standalone LMS difficult.

Pricing, plan by plan

D2L Brightspace

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the D2L Brightspace review.

Sana

On request
  • Sana$undefined/year
    • Per-employee annual subscription
    • Agents and Learn licensed together or separately depending on the agreement
    • Connector scope affects pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose D2L Brightspace if

Nothing in the data separates D2L Brightspace from Sana on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

D2L Brightspace review

Choose Sana if

  • You need sana agents.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want sana learn.
Sana review

Questions people ask

Is D2L Brightspace or Sana better?
Neither clearly leads. D2L Brightspace starts at On request and Sana at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, D2L Brightspace or Sana?
D2L Brightspace starts at On request and Sana at On request.
Does D2L Brightspace or Sana run on more platforms?
D2L Brightspace runs on Web. Sana runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is D2L Brightspace best used for?
D2L Brightspace is most often used for learning management system for educational institutions, online course management and delivery, student engagement and retention tracking, course content creation and distribution. Of those, learning management system for educational institutions and online course management and delivery are not what Sana is typically brought in for.
What can D2L Brightspace do that Sana cannot?
Sana covers Sana Agents, Sana Learn, Enterprise search, Live collaborative sessions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

D2L Brightspace: How much does D2L Brightspace cost?

D2L Brightspace does not publish pricing on its website. Prospective customers must request a demo or contact D2L sales to receive pricing quotes customized to their institution's needs.

Source
Sana: Is Sana still an independent company?

No. Workday completed its acquisition on 4 November 2025 for approximately $1.1bn; the integrated experience begins rolling out in 2026.

D2L Brightspace: What add-on modules does Brightspace offer?

Brightspace offers multiple add-on modules including D2L Lumi, Creator+, Achievement+, Performance+, Course Merchant, and D2L Link. Specific pricing and features for each are available by contacting D2L.

Source
Sana: Is it an LMS or a search tool?

Both, but the emphasis is on answering questions from your existing content. Traditional course delivery and completion tracking are secondary.

D2L Brightspace: What is D2L Brightspace's retention rate?

D2L reports an 82% retention rate among customers, though this does not reflect pricing or costs.

Source
Sana: Does it work if we are not a Workday customer?

Currently yes, but the product direction now serves Workday's platform strategy, so weigh that in a multi-year commitment.

D2L Brightspace: Can I see D2L Brightspace before purchasing?

D2L Brightspace is available by demo request only. Contact D2L directly to schedule a demo and discuss pricing options for your institution.

Source
Sana: How is it priced?

Per employee per year, unpublished, and increasingly negotiated as part of a Workday agreement.

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