Canvas vs. Microsoft Teams

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
Microsoft Teams
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Teams combines video conferencing software with team collaboration tools. The communications platform allows MS Office users to conduct conference calls and share files via SharePoint, and join or initiate a group chat.
$5
per month
Pricing
CanvasMicrosoft Teams
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Free
$0.00
per user/per month
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
$5.00
per user/per month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$12.50
per user/per month
Office 365 E3
$20.00
per user/per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvasMicrosoft Teams
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.Discounts are available for non profit organizations.
More Pricing Information
Features
CanvasMicrosoft Teams
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
7.7
41 Ratings
7% below category average
Microsoft Teams
-
Ratings
Course authoring8.941 Ratings00 Ratings
Course catalog or library7.138 Ratings00 Ratings
Player/Portal8.032 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning content7.934 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile friendly8.540 Ratings00 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications8.037 Ratings00 Ratings
Assignments9.041 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance management7.032 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning administration8.036 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics8.038 Ratings00 Ratings
Social learning7.833 Ratings00 Ratings
Gamification4.22 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
Microsoft Teams
7.1
182 Ratings
10% below category average
Task Management00 Ratings7.5137 Ratings
Gantt Charts00 Ratings6.270 Ratings
Scheduling00 Ratings7.9153 Ratings
Workflow Automation00 Ratings6.695 Ratings
Mobile Access00 Ratings7.9174 Ratings
Search00 Ratings7.3160 Ratings
Visual planning tools00 Ratings6.6111 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
Microsoft Teams
7.7
191 Ratings
4% below category average
Chat00 Ratings8.8190 Ratings
Notifications00 Ratings8.0189 Ratings
Discussions00 Ratings8.5177 Ratings
Surveys00 Ratings7.2104 Ratings
Internal knowledgebase00 Ratings7.0117 Ratings
Integrates with GoToMeeting00 Ratings7.047 Ratings
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts00 Ratings6.143 Ratings
Integrates with Outlook00 Ratings8.8156 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
Microsoft Teams
7.4
177 Ratings
9% below category average
Versioning00 Ratings7.0122 Ratings
Video files00 Ratings7.4150 Ratings
Audio files00 Ratings7.6152 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings8.1164 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings7.5148 Ratings
Advanced security features00 Ratings7.0110 Ratings
Integrates with Google Drive00 Ratings6.253 Ratings
Device sync00 Ratings8.0124 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CanvasMicrosoft Teams
Small Businesses
Tovuti LMS
Tovuti LMS
Score 9.5 out of 10
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Jenzabar ONE
Jenzabar ONE
Score 9.5 out of 10
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 9.2 out of 10
HCL Connections
HCL Connections
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CanvasMicrosoft Teams
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(83 ratings)
8.0
(269 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(5 ratings)
5.7
(9 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(8 ratings)
7.1
(52 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(11 ratings)
8.3
(113 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(2 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
6.2
(7 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
6.9
(7 ratings)
User Testimonials
CanvasMicrosoft Teams
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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Microsoft
Positive: The virtual workspace created for a work team within the same company, for the resemblance of information and communications in one place.Negative: The access for members of a non-profit organization who have external emails from the host but need the same access as an internal person since their volunteer work is part of the very core of the federation.
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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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Microsoft
  • Virtual meetings - ease of set up and execution
  • File sharing! We build channels for projects, and being able to invite only project members is huge!
  • Peer-to-peer communications - being able to "ping" one of my colleagues, either text, video or call-only, on-demand, is what runs our business.
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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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Microsoft
  • The feature of notifications in the mobile application could be improved. Sometimes notifications of different teams are not visible and are only visible when the application is opened.
  • It uses lots of computational resources while running and thus, slows down the system sometimes.
  • It allows a few channels per team. The number of channels could be increased for better productivity.
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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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Microsoft
Microsoft Teams is included with our Office 365 subscription and we have no intention of migrating off of Office 365 and Microsoft products. Since Microsoft Teams is included for free with our Office 365 subscription, and since we enjoy all the features, benefits, and functionality, there is no question that our team will continue to use the product
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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
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Microsoft
User experience has been much better than the previous Skype for Business app. It has an easy-to-use interface with persistent chats. The search feature is very fast and useful. MS Teams has mostly focused on Collaboration and team building features which are very useful for organizational communications. Since Teams is accessible from multiple platforms like Laptop, Desktop, Mobile phones, etc it has been very convenient from a Mobility perspective.
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Reliability and Availability
Instructure
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Rare, but outages do happen
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Performance
Instructure
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Sometimes about once a week I get a message that says "Sorry, there seems to be something wrong". But it goes away in a few minutes.
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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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Microsoft
Using Microsoft Teams has resulted in much faster business communications with both co-workers and consultants. There has been little need for support with this software as the interface is very intuitive and the product is overall very well designed. We did encounter an issue with the built-in phone service, however, this was quickly resolved by the support team.
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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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Microsoft
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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Microsoft
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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Microsoft
I find everything I need for my day-to-day work.
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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.
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Microsoft
Our company and IT department previously used Skype for our communication needs. Skype was not dependable in my opinion, because it seems each time I used it during a call and/or a meeting, I and several other team members would get disconnected more than once. This caused a great interruption of our meeting, caused team members to have to ask others to repeat themselves and caused a general lack of interest in employee attendance during meetings.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Instructure
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Honestly, this tool is worth every penny. Yes, it's not free and you pay for the quality of services and the license. But the ROI and the benefits are all there. Also, the renewal, negotiation, and contract terms are all very well explained by our Microsoft account manager, and she's a charm.
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Scalability
Instructure
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
It does not appear to have a limit to how many teams and employees we can have using it
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Professional Services
Instructure
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
I used Skype for Business to take calls, hold conferences, and provide remote assistance to users. Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, is superior to Skype for Business in my opinion. My job entails a lot of screen sharing.
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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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Microsoft
  • I'm not sure I can point to a specific ROI, but it has improved our ability to communicate and work more effectively together.
  • It's also nice to have records of every interaction, photo, and document that has been shared. Less chance of something completely disappearing.
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ScreenShots