Canvas vs. Open LMS

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
Open LMS
Score 4.2 out of 10
N/A
Open LMS (formerly Moodlerooms) is an open source learning management system for educational institutions, formerly supported by Blackboard, and now part of the Learning Technologies Group.
$999
per year
Pricing
CanvasOpen LMS
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Innovator
$999
per year
Professional
4,599
per year
Enterprise
Contact for custom quote
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvasOpen LMS
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
Features
CanvasOpen LMS
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
7.6
41 Ratings
7% below category average
Open LMS
9.2
1 Ratings
12% above category average
Course authoring8.941 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Course catalog or library7.138 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Player/Portal8.032 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Learning content7.934 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Mobile friendly8.440 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications8.037 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Assignments9.041 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Compliance management7.032 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Learning administration7.936 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics8.038 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Social learning7.733 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Gamification4.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning7.22 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CanvasOpen LMS
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
Intellum
Intellum
Score 9.2 out of 10
Intellum
Intellum
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CanvasOpen LMS
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(83 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(8 ratings)
-
(0 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
CanvasOpen LMS
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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Moodlerooms
I currently use, talk about and promote all educators using Moodlerooms. The functionality that Moodlerooms provides is unmatched in most software. It is well suited in all educational realms. Teachers that teach all online electronic courses could use this to post assignments online, separate the classes and post a variety of assignments, tasks, and activities. Additionally, in blended situations where some students are face to face and sometimes working at home, the Moodlerooms makes it easy to education and be a hands-on teacher and a hands-on learner. Less appropriately, I find using Moodlerooms in some of the private sector industries could be tougher. Moodlerooms provides people and content management, and to use it in advertising or marketing and accounting, it could be difficult to find an easy use and function for it.
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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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Moodlerooms
  • Something that Moddlerooms does very well is that it allows teachers to structure their online classroom as one focused curriculum.
  • Moodlerooms also allows for customization of the layout. Being able to add and remove certain functions that Moodlerooms can perform definitely helps.
  • Moodlerooms is able to add different types of activities to the rooms for increased interaction.
  • Moodlerooms provides large chat opportunities to all students that are online at the same time.
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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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Moodlerooms
  • Easier to change permissions.
  • Adding the ability to tweet.
  • Decrease bandwidth to improve back end loading times.
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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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Moodlerooms
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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Moodlerooms
No answers on this topic
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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Moodlerooms
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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Moodlerooms
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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Moodlerooms
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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Moodlerooms
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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Moodlerooms
I would select Moodlerooms over many competitors as a result of what it offers in terms of functionality and control. Google classrooms has a definite place in education; however, Moodlerooms provides significantly more control for authors. As the owner and manager of the content, and as someone familiar with technology, I can incorporate a lot more functions and create different layouts with functionality boxes
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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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Moodlerooms
  • Moodlerooms has given classes of mine a positive ROI because it improves the educational experience for all students. It has helped all of our students, and with this, we can even help students who can not get to the classroom for some reason.
  • It helps to improve student scores, GPAs, and college attendance.
  • The positive impact can be directly correlated with the improvement of grades for students. Being able to access work in person and via Moodlerooms helps students to learn anywhere and any time. Grades have improved, and that is due to Moodlerooms.
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