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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

    Joomla

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/AJoomla! is a free and open source content management system used to publish web content. Included features are page caching, RSS feeds, printable versions of pages, news flashes, blogs, polls, a search function, and support for language internationalization.N/A
    Pricing
    CanvasJoomla
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    CanvasJoomla
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    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
    CanvasJoomla
    Considered Both Products
    Instructure
    No answer on this topic
    The Joomla Project
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    88%
    Would buy again
    21 Answers
    93%
    Would buy again
    14 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    18 Answers
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    13 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    88%
    Happy with the feature set
    21 Answers
    87%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    10 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    CanvasJoomla
    Learning Management
    Comparison of Learning Management features of Canvas and Joomla!
    Feature
    Canvas
    9.0
    42 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Joomla!
    -
    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
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Canvas and Joomla!
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Joomla!
    8.3
    51 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.351 Ratings
    Platform & Infrastructure
    Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Canvas and Joomla!
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Joomla!
    6.6
    48 Ratings
    17% below category average
    API00 Ratings7.246 Ratings
    Internationalization / multi-language00 Ratings6.047 Ratings
    Web Content Creation
    Comparison of Web Content Creation features of Canvas and Joomla!
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Joomla!
    7.7
    54 Ratings
    2% below category average
    WYSIWYG editor00 Ratings8.353 Ratings
    Code quality / cleanliness00 Ratings8.551 Ratings
    Admin section00 Ratings8.249 Ratings
    Page templates00 Ratings7.052 Ratings
    Library of website themes00 Ratings6.350 Ratings
    Mobile optimization / responsive design00 Ratings7.550 Ratings
    Publishing workflow00 Ratings8.450 Ratings
    Form generator00 Ratings7.546 Ratings
    Web Content Management
    Comparison of Web Content Management features of Canvas and Joomla!
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Joomla!
    7.6
    52 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Content taxonomy00 Ratings7.951 Ratings
    SEO support00 Ratings7.650 Ratings
    Bulk management00 Ratings8.049 Ratings
    Availability / breadth of extensions00 Ratings7.052 Ratings
    Community / comment management00 Ratings7.150 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    CanvasJoomla
    Small Businesses
    Google Classroom
    Score8 out of 10
    Umbraco CMS
    Score6.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Schoology Learning
    Score8 out of 10
    Square Online
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    D2L Brightspace
    Score7.8 out of 10
    RWS Tridion Sites
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    CanvasJoomla
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.3
    (84 ratings)
    8.2
    (75 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.3
    (5 ratings)
    10.0
    (28 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (10 ratings)
    8.0
    (14 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.9
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.8
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (11 ratings)
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    8.7
    (3 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.9
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    CanvasJoomla
    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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    The Joomla Project
    If your developers want to have some fun, Joomla offers the stability and friendliness to do custom coding. Certain marketing initiatives require us to get "cute" with the interface, and Joomla allows for that a bit easier than WordPress (and definitely easier than sites like Squarespace). The security of Joomla is also always a plus.
    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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    The Joomla Project
    • Security. Its got many new features in the new Joomla! 4 which make the already good security even better. I like the ability to use my Yubi keys to log in with the new webauth standard, I don't think any other CMS has that built in
    • W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (with AA compliance)
    • Really good SEO that gets our sites to the top of the search engines again without the need for any extra things
    • Speed, it gets a really good score (100%) in the google lighthouse on our server, can't beat that
    Read full review
    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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    The Joomla Project
    • Because Joomla's user community is smaller than WP, it lacks as many choices from 3rd party developers, meaning it can be a little more difficult to find the right extension for what you need to accomplish
    • Along the same vein, most of the best 3rd-party software for Joomla! is paid
    • Simple features such as Add to Menu and Cache cleaners should be adopted as part of the Joomla! core, though they are available as extensions
    • Joomla! could use a simpler and easier URL rewriting process
    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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    The Joomla Project
    I gave it a rating of 10 because I just love how Joomla! works, how it is set up and how it handles many users. Also it is very fast, and there is no overload on the MySQL database or servers ever.
    Incentivized
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    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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    The Joomla Project
    Joomla! 3.x is easily installed either manually or via a script provided by your host. It contains most of the tools needed to begin creating websites right from the start. Those features that it doesn't have are easily installed via links and buttons from the thousands of extensions available in the community
    Read full review
    Performance
    Instructure
    No answers on this topic
    The Joomla Project
    Today's Modern Joomla performs very well and is robust and durable. The pages load faster than they ever did in the past and Modern Joomla's integration into other software or systems has become seamless. Modern Joomla sites will last long and will stay running forever.
    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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    The Joomla Project
    Between the core Joomla developers who are excellent at answering questions and providing support, you have a whole community of developers who work with Joomla and are happy to help fellow developers out answering questions and supporting the Joomla project. Out of the many communities I am involved in for open-source software, Joomla's community is by far the best.
    Incentivized
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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
    Incentivized
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    The Joomla Project
    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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    The Joomla Project
    It is good if you know Joomla! if not it can get a bit confusing
    Read full review
    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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    The Joomla Project
    Joomla has gone through tremendous growing pains. It is now better than ever. But before, when it was going from 1.5-2.5, the templates and plugins would break over and over again. If you don't understand what Joomla was trying to do back then, you might have a bad attitude toward it. Today, those pains are over and things don't break like they used to during that time period.
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Read full review
    The Joomla Project
    We tested other platforms like WordPress, Magento and some local CMS. 
    But Joomla offered us better resources for generating content.
    Joomla is a CMS suitable for many types of projects, especially if you have several people editing content at the same time.
    It allows you to maintain visual standardization and offers many options for working with images.
    With its ability to control access to different articles, categories or even different components, it is a great tool, even if they are managed by different people.
    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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    The Joomla Project
    • Joomla has reduced our costs of rolling out a new website because it uses less developer time and can be rolled out by individual users as needed.
    • Joomla has a lot of extensions and add-ons that make it easy to create and implement advanced solutions quickly.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots