Canvas vs. Trakstar Learn

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
Trakstar Learn
Score 8.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Trakstar Learn (formerly Mindflash) is an online training platform. Users can create courses, add quizzes and track results. Users can upload external content and access the platform via mobile devices. It also provides user management and reporting for internal and external training and scaling purposes.
$149
per month
Pricing
CanvasTrakstar Learn
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Basic
249/mo
Advanced
599/mo
500 trainees
Pro
1,199/mo
1000 trainees
Enterprise
Call for details
Unlimited
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvasTrakstar Learn
Free Trial
YesYes
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
CanvasTrakstar Learn
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
7.6
41 Ratings
7% below category average
Trakstar Learn
9.3
4 Ratings
13% above category average
Course authoring8.941 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Course catalog or library7.138 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Player/Portal8.032 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Learning content7.934 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Mobile friendly8.440 Ratings5.03 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications8.037 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Assignments9.041 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Compliance management7.032 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Learning administration7.936 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics8.038 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Social learning7.733 Ratings00 Ratings
Gamification4.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning7.22 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CanvasTrakstar Learn
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
Bridge Learning Platform
Bridge Learning Platform
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Intellum
Intellum
Score 9.2 out of 10
Bridge Learning Platform
Bridge Learning Platform
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CanvasTrakstar Learn
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(83 ratings)
10.0
(13 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(5 ratings)
10.0
(5 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(8 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(11 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(2 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
CanvasTrakstar Learn
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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Mitratech
We use Mindflash for a lot of our internal training needs, and it is very versatile to accomplish your needs in training employees in a variety of different areas. I've never tried to use it for external needs, but I feel like the software at the advanced level wouldn't suit that need very well at all. At the Pro level, you get a lot more flexibility, but the cost is prohibitive for the size of our company.
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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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Mitratech
  • Mindflash is very clean and user-friendly. Very easy for learners to navigate and understand.
  • Mindflash’s reporting tool is unmatched. You can pull any type of report you could want or need.
  • Customer service is top-notch. From our Sales Executive to our CSM, all the way up to the VP, our experience has been amazing.
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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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Mitratech
  • Integration with Salesforce using professional level software. Mindflash's limited integration to only work with the higher level of Salesforce product.
  • More brand customization for multiple product line trainings.
  • Communication of trainers using Mindflash and sales team. We have multiple trainers sending invitations for training with no way for them to communicate with our sales team when a person has completed training.
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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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Mitratech
The number of people using Mindflash is only going to rise and we need a system that remains easy to use for everyone involved. [update] This is especially vital now that we've lost head count in critical departments. Getting all of our training and Safety objectives met would be impossible without Mindflash.
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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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Mitratech
The interface is just so simple to understand. It's clean and efficient. We showed Mindflash off to the Safety group, who are not computer gurus and they were beyong excited to use it.
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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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Mitratech
Any problems or questions we have had with Mindflash have been handled promptly and effectively. I normally use the online chat option but have had to correspond with them through email and phone as well. We have never had an issue languish for weeks or months with Mindflash. They either fix the problem or let you know that the software isn't capable to handle the need at that point.
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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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Mitratech
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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Mitratech
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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Mitratech
If you're going to develop a short course to demo the product internally, don't bother avoiding your own topics. Mindflash rolls whatever content you create during the trial into your production environment when you decide to buy. The time taken to go from not having a system to being live with Mindflash is virtually instant. What you'll be wanting for is time to develop content and people to test it out.
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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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Mitratech
This is an alternate software that we have looked into, right now we don't have the need for the increased flexibility that Lesson.ly provides with learning from your mobile or tablet. We haven't seen a lot of those things as particularly useful for our current training methods, but we see the quality to be similar.
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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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Mitratech
  • Mindflash has had a positive impact on our business because it allows us to train more new users with less effort, and ensure that trainees have access to the course materials for a period of time after they have started using our software to do their daily jobs. Review of the course materials allows them to get answers to common questions without having to submit requests to our support team, thereby reducing the administrative burden on our resources.
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ScreenShots

Trakstar Learn Screenshots

Screenshot of Trainer home - Get key information on how a program is doing with real-time graphs on the new Trainer Home. From here, viewers can dive into the details on users, courses and series using the convenient and persistent left navigation bar.Screenshot of Personalize the view - On every grid, the settings cog can be used to select the columns to view. This will be the new view even when logging in from a different computer. To maximize the content, collapse the left navigation bar to reveal just the icons.Screenshot of Filters - Advanced filters on users, courses, series and catalogs help get to just the list of items to focus on.Change, reset or keep these filters while moving across items.Screenshot of Bulk Actions - Once the list is filtered down to just the trainees to focus on, a couple of clicks a couple of clicks are required to take actions like setting a new deadline, reminding or dropping users.Screenshot of Export - Extract the whole list or the filtered list of trainees to Excel for further analysis.Screenshot of Trainer Photo - Take a photo in Mindflash and use it as a trainer photo.