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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

    Planful

    Score8.4 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    Planful is a cloud-based enterprise performance management (EPM) suite. It includes financial applications for modeling, planning, consolidation, reporting and analytics.N/A
    Pricing
    CanvasPlanful
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    CanvasPlanful
    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.Pricing is highly dependent on the complexity and scope of the implementation.
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    CanvasPlanful
    Learning Management
    Comparison of Learning Management features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    9.0
    42 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Planful
    -
    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
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    6.1
    64 Ratings
    21% below category average
    Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings6.933 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards00 Ratings5.057 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings6.555 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    7.5
    104 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Drill-down analysis00 Ratings8.4103 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities00 Ratings7.0104 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings7.197 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    7.4
    86 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Publish to Web00 Ratings8.433 Ratings
    Publish to PDF00 Ratings6.477 Ratings
    Report Versioning00 Ratings6.555 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.566 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    6.1
    51 Ratings
    19% below category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings5.040 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings6.42 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics00 Ratings6.044 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings7.33 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    8.9
    103 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings8.496 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.894 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.595 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings8.855 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings9.778 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    2.3
    42 Ratings
    105% below category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings2.540 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings2.230 Ratings
    Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
    Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    8.7
    156 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Long-term financial planning00 Ratings8.7139 Ratings
    Financial budgeting00 Ratings9.0155 Ratings
    Forecasting00 Ratings9.0146 Ratings
    Scenario modeling00 Ratings7.8131 Ratings
    Management reporting00 Ratings9.0149 Ratings
    Consolidation and Close
    Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    8.0
    118 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Financial data consolidation00 Ratings9.3107 Ratings
    Journal entries and reports00 Ratings7.886 Ratings
    Multi-currency management00 Ratings7.470 Ratings
    Intercompany Eliminations00 Ratings7.773 Ratings
    Minority Ownership00 Ratings6.939 Ratings
    Local and consolidated reporting00 Ratings7.789 Ratings
    Detailed Audit Trails00 Ratings9.187 Ratings
    Financial Reporting and Compliance
    Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    7.6
    152 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Financial Statement Reporting00 Ratings8.8133 Ratings
    Management Reporting00 Ratings8.8143 Ratings
    Excel-based Reporting00 Ratings7.0141 Ratings
    Automated board and financial reporting00 Ratings6.5114 Ratings
    XBRL support for regulatory filing00 Ratings7.13 Ratings
    Analytics and Reporting
    Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    5.9
    104 Ratings
    24% below category average
    Personalized dashboards00 Ratings5.191 Ratings
    Color-coded scorecards00 Ratings2.555 Ratings
    KPIs00 Ratings7.476 Ratings
    Cost and profitability analysis00 Ratings6.975 Ratings
    Key Performance Indicator setting00 Ratings6.963 Ratings
    Benchmarking with external data00 Ratings6.410 Ratings
    Integration
    Comparison of Integration features of Canvas and Planful
    Feature
    Canvas
    -
    Ratings
    Planful
    8.9
    140 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Flat file integration00 Ratings9.5105 Ratings
    Excel data integration00 Ratings7.8130 Ratings
    Direct links to 3rd-party data sources00 Ratings9.596 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    CanvasPlanful
    Small Businesses
    Google Classroom
    Score8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Schoology Learning
    Score8 out of 10
    IBM Planning Analytics
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Enterprises
    D2L Brightspace
    Score7.8 out of 10
    Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
    Score7.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    CanvasPlanful
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.3
    (84 ratings)
    8.8
    (164 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.3
    (5 ratings)
    8.7
    (23 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (10 ratings)
    8.2
    (21 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (4 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (11 ratings)
    9.0
    (22 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    7.3
    (9 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.3
    (4 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.4
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    CanvasPlanful
    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
    Read full review
    Planful
    Planful is initially easy to setup and if a company is already using a mid layer to transform and standardise GL data, management reports can be set up in days, not weeks or months. Budgeting template setup does get some getting used to but the training provided by Planful is sufficient to get going and learn along the way. Building custom reports is straightforward and the interface is user-friendly, therefore the accounting team can get going without the need for technical specialists getting involved. Budget and forecasting is flexible and drivers of revenue and cost can be created in Planful and customised by Unit or Geography.
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Planful
    • It aggregates data from different sources well, allowing me to report on a wide variety of metrics that interrelate.
    • I can build detailed reports so that my monthly and weekly reporting is done more efficiently
    • I like the tools that I am using to create dedicated models for forecasting and budgeting purposes
    Incentivized
    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
    Read full review
    Planful
    • Dashboarding could be more flexible and easier to use.
    • Dynamic Reporting has room for flexibility with nesting, dimension names showing up instead of “All,” and overall flexibility.
    • Make Analyze view in Spotlight more intuitive.
    • A high-level onboarding guide to understanding the different components of Planful, data flows, and tips & tricks.
    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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    Planful
    Our new Comptroller understands the value of Planful, and we plan to utilize it further in the organization to enhance external reporting. Strangely enough, Planful had not previously been embraced by the former CFO, who argued that we were running two sets of books (of course, we were not). Fortunately, the before mentioned reconciliation of EBITDA to Net Income demonstrated that to the banks.
    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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    Planful
    The tool is extremely adaptable, and it enables very quick querying to give us opportunity to gain live insights into the business. Given its adaptability, we are also able to create scenario analyses very quickly in rapidly changing environments. The formatting also enables us to provide this information in a very consumable manner.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Instructure
    No answers on this topic
    Planful
    I only give a 9 rating rather than a 10 rating because it seems that every day around 2pm we see a slowdown in the use of Planful. I have requested our internal IT department verify that it is not an internal issue and have been assured it is the tool. We have not yet reached out to Planful to do extensive research to solve this issue.
    Read full review
    Performance
    Instructure
    No answers on this topic
    Planful
    Again, the system is very reliable and, for the most part, runs very quick and smooth. When running larger queries, it does take some time, and during budgeting season our users experienced slower loading times, but nothing that raises concerns outside of normal network issues. Occasionally, as with any software we use, it will crash and you have to restart, but that does not happen very often.
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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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    Planful
    Sometimes we get great help when using Planful's support team and other times we don't. In particular, there is one person that often responds to our support tickets who is less than helpful, hence the reason for the 5 out of 10 rating. As a result, most of the time we reach out to our Planful consulting group as they provide faster and better support
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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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    Planful
    My team has attended training offered several times before/during the Planful Perform conference. This training has been extremely useful and we always learn something we didn't know prior to the training. The trainers are always very knowledgeable and more than willing to help each and every user after the training with specific questions regarding their environment. Planful also offers training and certifications on their training hub. I have completed a couple of the certifications. The courses are easy to follow along with and very informative. Additionally, Planful schedules webinars pretty regularly. They'll email their customers and allow you to register to participate live. They also record these sessions so you can refer back to them at a later date or if you are unable to attend at the time the webinar is offered, you can register anyway and get access to the recording. Their training has improved year over year!
    Incentivized
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    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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    Planful
    Planful provides a lot of online training support. There's so many options for training. Admin Learning Courses, User Learning Courses. Plus they have several webinars devoted to the tool and the new features they release. New Releases can be practiced in a Sandbox Environment prior to going live in Production
    Incentivized
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    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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    Planful
    After going through the initial implementation with Host Analytics and a re-implementation with Cervello (due to an ERP change, not due to a poor initial implementation), I've learned that you really must rely on your internal staff to bear most of the implementation burden. Use the vendor or partners for ideas and best-practice suggestions, and some of the easy-but-time-consuming work. Since you will ultimately be using and maintaining the application, you should be able to do most of it yourself.
    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.
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    Planful
    Prior to joining the company, we tried to implement Vena but were unsuccessful. There we're a few reasons it didn't work out, but a lot of it related to the implementation team they provided. In just the first week with Planful, we achieved more progress than we did in several months with Vena.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Instructure
    No answers on this topic
    Planful
    From our experience, Planful is only used in 2 overhead departments in our organization. We easily added another overhead department, but they decided against using Planful for their workforce and financial planning. Removing them from our environment was extremely easy.
    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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    Planful
    • Has allowed users to view a real-time P&L in a way they weren't able to do with Qlik.
    • Budget to Actual analysis has become much more streamlined and actionable
    • Long-range plan process has been significantly streamlined and a lot of time has been cut out of the process.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Planful Screenshots

    Screenshot of the Planful Planform DashboardScreenshot of Planful for FinanceScreenshot of Planful for MarketingScreenshot of ReportsScreenshot of a Capacity Planning TemplateScreenshot of Integrations