Canvas vs. Edsby

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Canvas
Score 8.6 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
Edsby
Score 8.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Edsby is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) for K-12 school districts that uses web and mobile technologies to connect teachers, students, parents and administrators in new ways. This LMS allows students and parents to check grades, attendance, homework and more from a browser, tablet or mobile phone. The vendor says what sets this LMS apart from others is that Edsby is designed specifically for the special requirements and needs of K-12. To make district-wide…
$5
per user/per year
Pricing
CanvasEdsby
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Edsby
5+
per user/per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvasEdsby
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional DetailsMust contact vendor for pricing information.Edsby charges an up-front fee for initial integration. There are also annual costs, variable with the number of students. Parent, teacher and administrator accounts are free. Certain other features are charged for annually. Special pricing applies for private schools. Contact Edsby for details.
More Pricing Information
Features
CanvasEdsby
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
7.6
41 Ratings
7% below category average
Edsby
9.0
1 Ratings
10% above category average
Course authoring8.941 Ratings00 Ratings
Course catalog or library7.138 Ratings00 Ratings
Player/Portal8.032 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Learning content7.934 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile friendly8.440 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications8.037 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Assignments9.041 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Compliance management7.032 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning administration7.936 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics8.038 Ratings00 Ratings
Social learning7.733 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Gamification4.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning7.22 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CanvasEdsby
Small Businesses
Tovuti LMS
Tovuti LMS
Score 9.5 out of 10
Tovuti LMS
Tovuti LMS
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Sakai
Sakai
Score 8.7 out of 10
Sakai
Sakai
Score 8.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 9.1 out of 10
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CanvasEdsby
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(83 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(8 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(11 ratings)
-
(0 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
CanvasEdsby
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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Edsby
Edsby is well-suited for day-to-day communication with students, either in the classroom, or at home. It makes planning course progression easier because of the built in day-by-day calendar for the semester. It is transferable, so the work one does in one semester can be copied over to the next, and modified as needed. Students can see the Lesson Plan which is projected onto the SmartBoard, but the font is quite small so they cannot read it from where they are sitting, so I use SmartNotes which has a larger font and then, if needed, attach that note to the Edsby day lesson planner.
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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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Edsby
  • Edsby is extremely easy to learn and use.
  • Students love the "social media" feel to Edsby.
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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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Edsby
  • Edsby shows the last time a user logged on. Unfortunately, if someone doesn't log out you have no way of knowing if someone has seen a recent post or is really using Edsby to its potential.
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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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Edsby
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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Edsby
Everything is easy to use and well as being overly user-friendly to your average student.
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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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Edsby
No answers on this topic
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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Edsby
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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Edsby
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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Edsby
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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Edsby
EDSBY was piloted at the school last semester, and I found it made my job easier, which is a boon since time is fleeting and I could get more done with less effort with Edsby. After the pilot the entire school district was signed up to use Edsby. I like it very much. I did use a blog on First Class which was extremely difficult to learn, and a blog on WordPress which was easier to learn how to use but not interactive like Edsby is. To my mind, Edsby is far superior to the former.
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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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Edsby
  • For the most part, teachers, parents and students love the system. It provides easy access to the information that they need when they need it.
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ScreenShots

Edsby Screenshots

Screenshot of Student's dashboard view in EdsbyScreenshot of Private teacher observations of students in Edsby, taggedScreenshot of Mobile Edsby clients available for iOS and AndroidScreenshot of A teacher's view of an Edsby class, the heart of the Edsby learning and analytics platformScreenshot of Teacher's view of a class gradebook in the Edsby learning and analytics platformScreenshot of A student eportfolio in the Edsby learning and analytics platform