Canvasvs
Moodle
Moodle: Open-source LMS with flexible, self-hosted deployment for institutions preferring maximum control
Canvas
Open-source LMS for engaging learning experiences
As of 30 August 2026, Canvas starts at $5/student-year. Canvas is an open-source, cloud-based learning management system (LMS) designed to help teachers create engaging learning experiences and support student succes. Softwr lists it under LMS. Canvas is made by Instructure, launched in 2008, available on Web, iOS, Android.
Overview
What Canvas does
Canvas is an open-source, cloud-based learning management system (LMS) designed to help teachers create engaging learning experiences and support student success. With intuitive course management tools, real-time feedback capabilities, and extensive integration options, Canvas makes it easy for educators to deliver quality instruction and for students to collaborate effectively.
What people use it for
- Online courses
- Blended learning
- Course management
- Student assessment
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Canvas
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- CanvasvsBlackboard
Blackboard: Enterprise-grade LMS with extensive integrations and traditional interface familiar to large institutions
- CanvasvsSchoology
Schoology: K-12 focused LMS with intuitive interface and mobile-first design similar to Canvas
Capabilities
Features
Course management
Assignment submission
Gradebook
Discussion forums
Quizzes
Mobile app
Video conferencing
Analytics
Zoom
Integration with Zoom
Microsoft Teams
Integration with Microsoft Teams
Google Workspace
Integration with Google Workspace
Turnitin
Integration with Turnitin
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
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.
SourceWhat 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.
SourceHow 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.
SourceBehind it
Who makes Canvas
- Company
- Instructure
- Based in
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Founders
- Brian Whitmer, Devlin Daley
Timeline
Canvas over time
- Acquisition2024-11-01
KKR and Dragoneer Investment Group acquire Instructure for $4.8 billion
Source - Acquisition2020-03-01
Thoma Bravo acquires Instructure for approximately $2 billion, taking company private
Source - Milestone2015-03-01
Instructure IPO at $18 per share
Source - Funding2011-04-01
Series B $8 million led by OpenView Venture Partners
Source - Launch2011-01-01
Canvas LMS launched
Source
Keep looking
Where to go from Canvas
- Canvas alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Canvas pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Canvas badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All LMS softwareThe full category
- Best LMS softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best LMS software for
Compare Canvas with
- Moodle
- Schoology
- Sakai
- Google Classroom
- ClassDojo
- Seesaw
- Edmodo
- Echo360
- LearnWorlds
- Padlet
- Absorb LMS
- Pear Deck
- Coursera
- Podia
- Udacity
- Cornerstone Learning
- LearnWorlds
- Pear Deck
Other LMS software
Open source learning management system governed by the Apereo Foundation
Open source13 researched notesLecture capture, video management, polling and exam authoring for universities
Pricing on request12 researched notesCreate and sell online courses with interactive experiences
Free, then $24/mo13 researched notesCreate and sell online courses with interactive experiences
Free, then $24/mo13 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Canvas, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Canvas
Canvas alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Canvas pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Canvas
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Canvas badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best LMS software alternatives
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