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D2L Brightspace vs. Google Classroom vs. Zoom Events & Webinars

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    D2L Brightspace

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/ABrightspace is an academic and corporate learning management platform. It provides core e-learning features, as well as mobile accessibility and granular personalization and analytics insights.N/A

    Google Classroom

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AN/A

    $0

    per month

    Zoom Events & Webinars

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AZoom Events and Webinars are part of Zoom’s event solutions that uses existing Zoom products to produce interactive and engaging virtual experiences. It combines Zoom Meetings, Chat, and Video Webinars in one solution that enables event organizers to produce ticketed, live events for internal or external audiences of any size.

    $89

    per month 300 attendees

    Pricing
    D2L BrightspaceGoogle ClassroomZoom Events & Webinars
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Education Fundamentals
    $0
    per license/per month
    Google Workspace for Education Standard
    $3
    per student/per year
    Teaching and Learning Upgrade
    $4
    per license/per month
    Google Workspace for Education Plus
    $5
    per student/per year
    Zoom Webinars
    starting at $89
    per month starting with 300 attendees
    Zoom Events
    starting at $149
    per month starting with 100 attendees
    Zoom Webinars Plus
    starting at $99
    per month starting with 100 attendees
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    D2L BrightspaceGoogle ClassroomZoom Events & Webinars
    Free Trial
    YesYesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsMust contact vendor for pricing information. 30-day free trial is available.Education Fundamentals Version - 30-day free trial for qualifying institutions.Plans supporting up to 10k attendees available. Discount available for annual billing. Pay-per-attendee available for Zoom Webinars Plus and Zoom Events.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    D2L BrightspaceGoogle ClassroomZoom Events & Webinars
    Considered Multiple Products
    D2L
    Chose D2L Brightspace
    In looking at Brightspace versus its competitors currently, it continues to provide the widest functionality, great value, and better ability to tailor the user experience of it to our organizations needs. The longer that our institution has had Brightspace, the more we've been …
    Incentivized
    Chose D2L Brightspace
    This is the only other LMS I've used other than Schoology. I used Blackboard many years ago.
    Incentivized
    Chose D2L Brightspace
    Compared to Blackboard, Brightspace is a much more powerful application that allows instructors to share more content, customize their courses, and design courses in a more intuitive wizard style if desired. Brightspace is also designed to work well on mobile devices and …
    Incentivized
    Google
    Chose Google Classroom
    Google Classroom beats all these other tools in how they can integrate with other websites and educational resources.
    Incentivized
    Zoom
    Chose Zoom Events & Webinars
    Zoom Video Webinar is one of the simplest platforms for video conferencing. You do not require [an] account to join a meeting and you do not need to install the app as it can also be used on the web browser. The functions are clear and straightforward, one of the most …
    Incentivized
    Chose Zoom Events & Webinars
    Zoom allows us to connect with multiple users in a conference method, which is more to what we need.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    60%
    Would buy again
    3 Answers
    97%
    Would buy again
    37 Answers
    98%
    Would buy again
    44 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    37 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    37 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    4 Answers
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    34 Answers
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    44 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    34 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    29 Answers
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    34 Answers
    Features
    D2L BrightspaceGoogle ClassroomZoom Events & Webinars
    Learning Management
    Comparison of Learning Management features of D2L Brightspace and Google Classroom and Zoom Events & Webinars
    Feature
    D2L Brightspace
    7.4
    11 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Google Classroom
    7.4
    60 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Zoom Events & Webinars
    -
    Ratings
    Course authoring3.011 Ratings8.752 Ratings00 Ratings
    Course catalog or library8.07 Ratings7.639 Ratings00 Ratings
    Player/Portal9.08 Ratings6.538 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning content9.010 Ratings8.141 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile friendly9.010 Ratings7.757 Ratings00 Ratings
    Progress tracking & certifications9.010 Ratings7.244 Ratings00 Ratings
    Assignments6.011 Ratings7.158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compliance management8.01 Ratings6.934 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning administration8.010 Ratings7.346 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning reporting & analytics8.011 Ratings6.842 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social learning5.010 Ratings8.751 Ratings00 Ratings
    Gamification00 Ratings3.98 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning00 Ratings9.812 Ratings00 Ratings
    Online Events Marketing
    Comparison of Online Events Marketing features of D2L Brightspace and Google Classroom and Zoom Events & Webinars
    Feature
    D2L Brightspace
    -
    Ratings
    Google Classroom
    -
    Ratings
    Zoom Events & Webinars
    9.9
    33 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Branding options00 Ratings00 Ratings10.033 Ratings
    Virtual Event
    Comparison of Virtual Event features of D2L Brightspace and Google Classroom and Zoom Events & Webinars
    Feature
    D2L Brightspace
    -
    Ratings
    Google Classroom
    -
    Ratings
    Zoom Events & Webinars
    9.2
    7 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Registration, RSVP, and ticketing00 Ratings00 Ratings8.77 Ratings
    Email marketing00 Ratings00 Ratings9.35 Ratings
    Livestreaming00 Ratings00 Ratings9.55 Ratings
    Audience engagement00 Ratings00 Ratings9.77 Ratings
    Event recording00 Ratings00 Ratings9.17 Ratings
    Virtual booths00 Ratings00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Networking00 Ratings00 Ratings9.94 Ratings
    Event analytics00 Ratings00 Ratings9.56 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    D2L BrightspaceGoogle ClassroomZoom Events & Webinars
    Small Businesses
    Google Classroom
    Score8 out of 10
    Teachable
    Score9.4 out of 10
    BigMarker
    Score6 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Schoology Learning
    Score8 out of 10
    Schoology Learning
    Score8 out of 10
    RingCentral Events
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Schoology Learning
    Score8 out of 10
    D2L Brightspace
    Score7.8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    D2L BrightspaceGoogle ClassroomZoom Events & Webinars
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.0
    (46 ratings)
    8.1
    (80 ratings)
    8.8
    (87 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (25 ratings)
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    2.0
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (12 ratings)
    8.1
    (11 ratings)
    9.7
    (13 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    1.9
    (14 ratings)
    7.2
    (7 ratings)
    Online Training
    4.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    1.6
    (3 ratings)
    2.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    D2L BrightspaceGoogle ClassroomZoom Events & Webinars
    Likelihood to Recommend
    D2L
    If you're an educational institution (K-12, Higher Ed, etc.), this is an amazing tool, and it will provide you all the functionality to support anything you may want and need it to do. If you are looking at Brightspace as a tool for corporate training, I'm not sure exactly how good or bad it will be for you. My guess would be that it likely depends on your organization's size. Along that line, what I can speak to is how we use it for our customized training and in-house professional development/training, and it works fantastically for that. While we primarily use it for normal higher ed coursework, we regularly do training and professional development for all of our employees and I manage those along with our HR department. Because we use it for many other things as well, all of our employees are familiar with the product, which makes our trainings go that much smoother and makes my job that much easier.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    Google Classroom allows teachers to post for daily lessons and assignments. It also allows teachers to be able to communicate with students easily outside of class. Students are able to stay connected and know where to find all information and resources easily in a streamlined manner for all of their classes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoom
    Zoom is well-suited for all companies. The functionality can range from basic to supercharged with all the bells and whistles; it is just a matter of what package level works best for you and your company. Having used multiple iterations of Zoom, it really relies on you and your company’s use case.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    D2L
    • Allowing users to embed content links from YouTube or Google Drive enables learners to experience a richer lesson.
    • Providing a powerful editor that allows developers to also include content from Adobe Stock as well as textbook publishers and cloud storage companies gives more power and creative ability to instructors.
    • Providing scaling for mobile and traditional computer systems ensures students will not have issues on the go.
    • The customization of home pages and groups enable courses to be used for small training sessions with breakout groups, large courses with separate sections, and even just more engaging courses that present themed icons and logos.
    Read full review
    Google
    • Student-teacher communication - I love using Classroom for this because my students can always go back and check what was on Classroom by looking through the stream. This way they don't have to go dig through emails to find what they're looking for.
    • Posting to multiple classes - I can post the same announcement or assignment to multiple classes at once without having to repeat the process or send separate emails.
    • Streamlining grading - when students turn work in on Classroom, it all goes to one place and then when I'm grading I can open their documents directly from Classroom or my Drive folder. This way, I'm not looking through emails and Google Doc shared files for their assignment.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoom
    • Zoom calendar integration is a great way to see what calls are upcoming
    • Ease of use for screen sharing and video call settings
    • Zoom Workplace is reliable at blocking out external noise that should be muted from actual conversation taking place in calls
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    D2L
    • One can feel a bit rushed on the Brightspace platform during the log-out period. Security requirements may require this, but it makes end-users more conscious about getting through content than taking notes.
    • From my experience, there is not a direct connection between the platform and Outlook.
    • Some content on the platform can feel redundant.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • The content management of the Classroom is not that good. The sub-section for notes, syllabus, or discussion is missing.
    • It doesn't have parental control feature.
    • It converts the excel output into a normal file. All the formulas and pivots got changed into plain text.
    Read full review
    Zoom
    • I wish there were more polling options available in Zoom in general, and this extends to both webinar polling and post-webinar surveys. Could certainly do with a more robust polling feature set.
    • Setting up Registration for Zoom webinars can be very tricky, and I usually advise against webinar registration. The fact that users have to manually download an .ics to add it to their O365 calendars after registering means lots of issues with users attempting to join after registering early.
    • I would have complained about lack of breakout rooms for webinars, or the fact that the practice room can't be turned back on after it was turned off, but Zoom recently implemented webinar breakout rooms plus the Backstage feature, so both of these common complaints are now fully addressed!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    D2L
    I would never give any system a perfect score. In the technology environment today we need to be constantly looking at ways to improve the user experience and LMS companies like Desire2Learn need to know that we have options today with other systems and they need to stay current with features and listen to their customers.
    Read full review
    Google
    Testing is particularly important in online learning, and Google Classroom falls far short of other learning management systems in this regard. Security is also a concern: while account control is reasonable for the account used with Google Classroom, the person controlling a particular account is often able to, for example, forward or download proprietary materials.
    Read full review
    Zoom
    We will be renewing with Zoom as long as it continues to meet our needs for client and lead outreach needs in a robust manner. With little error and an easy to use interface, Zoom has met our needs and exceeded our expectations. The cost is right and with a short learning curve, Zoom has been an easy decision to make and maintain.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    D2L
    Overall, the learning environment works as expected. However, there are plenty of bugs. For example, for a few versions, trying to print out a PDF from the Content screen in several browsers would produce a blank page. We inform D2L support about these issues, most of which are known issues. However, they are very slow to respond. D2L seems to spend more time selling than actually coding and testing their product. Most of the issues are not major -- however, there have been a few that are unbelievable. In fact, this past week we had a sudden issue where the "Submit" button in quizzes would not appear if users had a certain browser/operating system combination. This is a major problem, if students cannot submit their exams! D2L is slow to respond to these kinds of situations, which do occur more often than I would like.
    Read full review
    Google
    Simple design and seamless integration with Google tools and drive, but missing some key features. However, since it is limited in overall functions and ability to truly personalize / customize, it is quite user friendly and easy to set up and get going, other than sending out the code to your course or dropping students in via their gmail account. Users of Google Forms and sites will find the layout similar in design.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoom
    Zoom Events is complex, but gets "almost easy" with experience and good guidance. I tell people, "Hosting a meeting is like driving a car; hosting a webinar is like driving an 18-wheeler; and hosting a Zoom Event is like flying a commercial airliner." You need experience, training, and ongoing guidance to be good at Zoom Events. Zoom has staff that knows everything there is to know about Zoom Events, but finding them and reaching them isn't easy. There aren't many consultants out there that are affordable and experienced.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    D2L
    Both students and instructor enjoy the 24-hoiur access. After, all isn't that the point of online learning. As an instructor located in an Eastern time zone state it is great to connect with students located in a Pacific time zone state. I have gotten comments about the early hours I am in the course room grading assignments . . . 4:00 a.m. PST; 7:00 a.m. EST So, it's sleep time for my students and "first cup of coffee" time for me.
    Read full review
    Google
    We have had very little trouble in accessing Google Classroom. Our issues, if any, have risen from our server and not the Google servers.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoom
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    D2L
    Easy to navigate; little to no delay from one section of the course room to another; actually fun to use after overcoming the learning curve.
    Read full review
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Zoom
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    D2L
    I have had excellent support from Desire2Learn. Any ticket that I submit is acknowledged immediately and the correction is usually almost as quick. We use this for thousands of classes and it is pretty well liked by both faculty and students. We have been using it for almost 4 years now and most of our instructors have become pretty proficient with it.
    Read full review
    Google
    Since this platform is provided by Google, the technical support is better than any others, and we are not required to bother about the space constraints for adding the contents. If we have a good uninterrupted internet facility we can access Google Classroom without any delay or lag. They have app support in both Android and iPhone.
    Read full review
    Zoom
    Zoom [Video Webinar] has online web portal where user can take control of the meetings and their settings. It provides details of all the meeting happened and also provides participants list. It has support for webinars and recording also. Zoom [Video Webinar] gave special cloud permissions for paid users also from web portal and that can help in saving disk space.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    D2L
    Did not participate in the in-person training due to distance; training was completed online
    Read full review
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Zoom
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    D2L
    The training provided online did not, necessarily, fit the version of the system that I was using. Screens were somewhat different and not all options were readily available. This could have been due to customization on the part of my institution however, I rather believe it was due to version changes and training materials not yet being updated.
    Read full review
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Zoom
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    D2L
    The D2L implementation team listened to our concerns and built a system based upon our needs. We wanted to keep them after the initial implementation.
    Read full review
    Google
    It was relatively easy to implement due to the simplicity of the platform. Even our more technology challenged teachers found it easy to get started with Google Classroom.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoom
    Implementation was very feasible during our initial usage of the Zoom after COVID-19.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    D2L
    I have used Blackboard Learn 8 and 9. I am currently learning about Canvas. Blackboard is overall much clunkier and lacks the intuitive feel in some parts of D2L. Its grade book is much harder to control and manipulate than D2L's. Its navigation menu can be more radically modified from the default than D2L's, but this doesn't seem that useful to me. Discussions in Blackboard can be more easily reorganized than in D2L, but no grading of discussions is possible. Blackboard Assignments is a good innovation which allows markup directly in the students' submissions, but it displays student work in a confusing manner that doesn't allow for any customization, and its markup options need further tweaking. Furthermore, no rubrics can be used in Blackboard in any way to grade any kind of work (that I am aware of). Overall, I would choose D2L over Blackboard.
    Read full review
    Google
    I haven't tested or evaluated another digital classroom website or application. I feel like Google Classroom is convenient for many reasons such as compatibility to Google docs, slides, etc. I also love the ability to link to YouTube and other sites. I don't know if there would be a site that is easier to maneuver.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoom
    Zoom Workplace stacks up better than Microsoft Teams in terms of general meeting capabilities, webinar and live event capabilities, user experience, and how slick it is generally - it's a nicer environment where things feel more intuitive and professional. Teams is laggy and slow, feels outdated. Google Meet doesn't have as many filtering options and nuanced capabilities. Zoom integrates well with a wider tech stack.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    D2L
    During my first semester working with Desire2Learn the integrated learning management system was more down than up. This meant reconfiguring assignment due dates, frustration for both the instructor, students, and help desk staff. After an upgrade, Desire2Learn has been reliable.
    Read full review
    Google
    It is very easy to push out this program across our buildings. Teachers are able to use it without much trouble.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoom
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    D2L
    • I cannot speak to whether this system is less expensive than the more fully featured Blackboard, but employees are far less efficient, frustrated, and require frequent calls to the help center to set up fairly simple course templates.
    • I have been asked to consider teaching courses which will be completely online at my current institution. I have done such online courses several times at other universities, but I have decided Desire2Learn is too frustrating and cumbersome to do so. I am now exploring using Google Drive to teach a course online. Otherwise, I will not teach online until required or I find an alternate system.
    Read full review
    Google
    • Students are able to continue learning in a remote environment
    • Parents have a single, consistent organization structure to make it easy to track assignments and progress for multiple children
    • Much better solution than the quickly assembled Zoom-and-gloom of the previous spring when school abruptly went remote with no planning
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoom
    • Being able to quickly set up and run webinars for our teammates using the templates saves us time which equals money.
    • Using our saved Webinar templates ensures we are keeping on brand and adding the items requested by our legal and branding teams which saves time and frustration for all involved.
    • Webinars allow us to upskill our teammates faster without having to create a stand alone training. We can invite them to a hot topic webinar where they can learn, ask questions, and immediately take action on the topic.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    D2L Brightspace Screenshots

    Product screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshot

    Zoom Events & Webinars Screenshots

    Screenshot of features available for Zoom Events & WebinarsScreenshot of features available for Zoom EventsScreenshot of new and enhanced features