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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Canvas

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/AInstructure 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

    Google Workspace for Education

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Workspace for Education includes Google products like Classroom, Meet, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, to create an online ecosystem for learning. The Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals edition is available at no per student cost to available institutions.

    $3

    per month

    Pricing
    CanvasGoogle Workspace for Education
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Google Workspace for Education Standard
    $3.00
    per student, per year
    Teaching and Learning Upgrade
    $4
    per month per license
    Google Workspace for Education Plus
    $5.00
    per student, per year
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    CanvasGoogle Workspace for Education
    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
    CanvasGoogle Workspace for Education
    Considered Both Products
    Instructure
    No answer on this topic
    Google
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    88%
    Would buy again
    21 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    18 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    88%
    Happy with the feature set
    21 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    Features
    CanvasGoogle Workspace for Education
    Learning Management
    Comparison of Learning Management features of Canvas and Google Workspace for Education
    Feature
    Canvas
    9.0
    42 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Google Workspace for Education
    -
    Ratings
    Course authoring8.142 Ratings00 Ratings
    Course catalog or library9.838 Ratings00 Ratings
    Player/Portal9.932 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning content9.035 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile friendly9.041 Ratings00 Ratings
    Progress tracking & certifications8.138 Ratings00 Ratings
    Assignments8.142 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compliance management9.033 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning administration9.037 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning reporting & analytics9.039 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social learning9.034 Ratings00 Ratings
    Gamification9.62 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    CanvasGoogle Workspace for Education
    Small Businesses
    Google Classroom
    Score8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Schoology Learning
    Score8 out of 10
    Class for Web
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    D2L Brightspace
    Score7.8 out of 10
    Class for Web
    Score8.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    CanvasGoogle Workspace for Education
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.3
    (84 ratings)
    9.5
    (6 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.3
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (10 ratings)
    9.0
    (4 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
    CanvasGoogle Workspace for Education
    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[.]
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Google [Workspace for Education (formerly G Suite for Education)] is pretty darn good [at] meeting the needs for educators and students. It is not designed to run your business office, transportation group, or lunch services. It doesn't need to be good at those. Focus on teachers and students. They do that really, really well. The Google folks continue to add features that help serve teacher and students. For example, they have really done a good job of adding Google Meet features such as polling and breakout rooms. Those features required a paid subscription to Workspace, but it makes sense since those features compete with Zoom, which requires a subscription for those services.
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    • Email: The best email experience, period. It's fast, has the best mobile apps and tons of addons that extend it.
    • Office suite: The Google editors might not have all the features of their MS Office counterparts, but they have most of them and the apps are surprisingly performant.
    • Domain management: The Google Admin Console, coupled with the GAM command line tool, is very powerful, easy to use and simplifies any admin's work.
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    • The admin console regularly feel sluggish
    • Require third party tools to make changes to bulk devices
    • Support could be a little better
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    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
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Always up, never down. Compatible with so many different platforms, OSes, and tools. For instance, someone can be on a phone, tablet, laptop, and all of those tools are compatible with Google apps like Meet, Docs, Slides, and anything else Google based. It's flexiblity is fantastic and meets our changing hardware and software requirements
    Incentivized
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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
    Incentivized
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    Google
    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
    Incentivized
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    Google
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    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
    Incentivized
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    Google
    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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    Google
    Google has a simpler approach to its apps. With all applications being online, things like auto-save being a default have been helpful for many staff in our organisation. Compare this to Microsoft where much of the admin has to be managed by the ICT Team, Google allows for a portion of control to the user to manage permissions of areas. This type of user empowerment helps people see how important ICT is to a business.
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    • There has been a steady evolution of new features coming out that reduced the need for third party tools
    • We have been able to sign agreements to lock in annual renewal costs for up to 5 years
    • It's a ubiquitous platform, finding support is generally pretty easy
    Incentivized
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