Canvas vs. Discord

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Canvas
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Instructure is an educational software company based in Sandy, Utah. It is the developer of the Canvas learning management system, which is a comprehensive software package that competes with such systems as Blackboard Learning System, SumTotal and Saba.N/A
Discord
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Discord is an app designed to connect users with communities over voice, video, and text chat, via Discord servers, a gaming and game industry oriented app for growing communities around video games and allowing developers to communicate with their customer base; the app may yet also be used for business communications of other kinds.
$4.99
per month
Pricing
CanvasDiscord
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Discord Nitro
$0
Discord Nitro Classic
$0
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvasDiscord
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsMust contact vendor for pricing information.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CanvasDiscord
Features
CanvasDiscord
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
9.7
41 Ratings
17% above category average
Discord
-
Ratings
Course authoring9.941 Ratings00 Ratings
Course catalog or library9.638 Ratings00 Ratings
Player/Portal9.732 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning content9.734 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile friendly9.940 Ratings00 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications9.737 Ratings00 Ratings
Assignments9.941 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance management9.632 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning administration9.736 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics9.738 Ratings00 Ratings
Social learning9.733 Ratings00 Ratings
Gamification9.22 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning9.62 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
Discord
5.2
32 Ratings
38% below category average
Task Management00 Ratings3.810 Ratings
Gantt Charts00 Ratings3.23 Ratings
Scheduling00 Ratings5.99 Ratings
Workflow Automation00 Ratings4.710 Ratings
Mobile Access00 Ratings8.530 Ratings
Search00 Ratings8.027 Ratings
Visual planning tools00 Ratings2.76 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
Discord
7.3
32 Ratings
9% below category average
Chat00 Ratings9.532 Ratings
Notifications00 Ratings7.831 Ratings
Discussions00 Ratings8.932 Ratings
Surveys00 Ratings7.522 Ratings
Internal knowledgebase00 Ratings6.617 Ratings
Integrates with GoToMeeting00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
Integrates with Outlook00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
Discord
7.2
31 Ratings
10% below category average
Versioning00 Ratings5.613 Ratings
Video files00 Ratings6.729 Ratings
Audio files00 Ratings6.729 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings6.216 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings8.119 Ratings
Advanced security features00 Ratings6.413 Ratings
Integrates with Google Drive00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Device sync00 Ratings8.121 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CanvasDiscord
Small Businesses
iSpring LMS
iSpring LMS
Score 8.9 out of 10
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 9.6 out of 10
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 9.6 out of 10
HCL Connections
HCL Connections
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CanvasDiscord
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(83 ratings)
8.2
(32 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(9 ratings)
8.3
(11 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(11 ratings)
9.2
(3 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
CanvasDiscord
Likelihood to Recommend
Instructure
It is really well suited for school situations like knowing what [assignments] need to be done when, getting feedback, getting points, finding the slides that the teacher used for explaining an [assignment] or theory. I think It would be less suited in business situations because it's [primarily] made to be a [one-way] communication tool for schools. Businesses need more control on individual levels I think[.]
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Discord
Discord works phenomenally if you want a chat platform that is free, quick to set up, and very flexible in the ways you can start using it. It doesn't require a complex set of logins for different servers and confusion about adding new members, or tough pricing right out of the gate. If you prefer to view full conversations all in one place without them "splintering" off into branches that are missed, Discord works great for this. All in all, Discord is great for startup companies or lean working companies, but it does not lend itself as well for larger, traditional "corporate" enterprises.
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Pros
Instructure
  • Creativity options for teachers to create a virtual space that still has fun graphics and accessibility options.
  • Canvas has versatility in viewing options for assignment due dates such as the calendar built in feature as well as the dashboard options to display upcoming and due assignments.
  • Allowing teachers to create community with each other and collaborate in each-other's space.
  • Discussion platforms within classrooms for students to communicate with each-other and with their teachers.
  • Easy messaging portal within each virtual classroom.
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Discord
  • One to many Communications to ensure that we can quickly get messages out when we have to.
  • Quick polling of questions and issues
  • The ability to gate channels so we can focus on folks that we know are stakeholders gives them an added feeling of belonging and that they have a say in the direction of projects.
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Cons
Instructure
  • Their integration with Big Blue Button was a bust for distance learning. Would be great to see them collaborate with Zoom or Google Meets.
  • Their "feature request" process is slow and cumbersome at times because it relies on user "up votes" to get ideas addressed by the developers.
  • They seem to have a lot of turn-over with their staff. We get a new Customer Success Manager far more frequently than with other vendors.
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Discord
  • Better volume balancing between members on a call.
  • More customizability of the notification sound for each server. It would be nice to set each of my important servers with a different notification sound.
  • More expansive note section when you view another user's profile. I'd like to be able to contain more information there in a more organized way.
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Likelihood to Renew
Instructure
The other LMS tools have fallen behind. One reason is they are not able to update their systems, features, toolsets in a timely manner. While other LMS providers release bug fixes and new features several times a year, schools struggle to install and implement them in a timely manner. It is not uncommon for a school to take 6 months to a year to fully install and implement new releases on other LMS platforms. With Canvas, those features are released every 3 weeks, and there is nothing for a school to do other than choose to turn them on once released. This has allowed Instructure to innovate faster, and get new features and tools to customers quicker. Other factors include great pricing, customer support, and the innovative way in which LTI is implemented in the tool.
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Discord
No answers on this topic
Usability
Instructure
The functions in Canvas are well integrated and consistent across the application, and mostly intuitive. Overall navigation and setup is streamlined through integrated features and navigation. The feedback we've gotten from our program participants is that it is easy to learn to use. It also integrates well with third party software like Google Docs and Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing software
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Discord
It just works, and works well. Very rarely does anything go wrong, and I can't remember the last outage (sure there's been some but very rare and not something I even think about or worry about). Desktop clients, web access, mobile clients - the lot. Very happy with our easy it is to use.
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Support Rating
Instructure
I do not personally use Canvas support since we have a central office that helps us. However, our central office always has the answers we need and are always able to solve our issues - so I would assume that get great support from the Canvas team on their end. They also offer great training, which uses materials directly from Canvas
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Discord
There is plenty of online documentation and knowledge base articles. As well as having an open API to be able to tie it into other products makes it a really viable solution for any business. I have never had to contact support, any questions which I have need answered can be found in the documentation,
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In-Person Training
Instructure
The training sessions were broken down into several days as well as different levels depending upon the knowledge of the user
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Discord
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Instructure
The online tutorials and videos are very clear and addressed the issues/questions that I had about using the system.
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Discord
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Instructure
Once you purchase and sign the contract there is nothing to install or hardware to buy. You can almost immediately start using it and have courses up and going within weeks. We signed in December and had pilot courses online ready to go for the start of school in January
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Discord
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Instructure
Canvas is more secure, has a cleaner design, and has more features. For the features, they have in common canvas still stacks up against [Smart school] by going for the extra mile. Besidfor e that, [the] canvas looks a lot more [professional] than [Smart school]. I didn't make the decision myself to get canvas instead of [Smart school] but I'm happy they did.
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Discord
I like Slack for more professional settings, but Discord is excellent for casual groups, especially when a few people do not have iPhones. They're very similar, but I think there are a lot of Discord features I don't take advantage of, mainly because there seems to be so much in the sidebar that overwhelms me a bit.
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Return on Investment
Instructure
  • Canvas has helped us provide a more robust online component to our courses.
  • Canvas has helped us better adapt to a rapidly changing educational landscape.
  • Canvas has reduced the time that we have to spend training faculty on how to use our learning management system.
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Discord
  • Discord has allowed us to connect to students when typical email & text would not work.
  • Discord has allowed easy creation and communication for small group leaders and their students.
  • Discord is free and so many students have access to it.
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ScreenShots