Canvas vs. Coursera

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
Coursera
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Coursera is a learning management platform from the company of the same name in Mountain View, California.
$400
Per User Per Year
Pricing
CanvasCoursera
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Team
$400
Per User Per Year
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvasCoursera
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
CanvasCoursera
Considered Both Products
Canvas
Chose Canvas
Canvas is much more robust, has more features, and is more accessible. In canvas it can be specified to your specific organization and have its own domain which I do not think that Coursera can do. Coursera is good for sharing a single course or CEU but does not have the same …
Coursera
Chose Coursera
We've looked at or used many different LMS platforms including Blackboard, Learnshare, Canvas, Cornerstone, SABA, and many others. Each has its pros & cons but I feel Coursera given its brand recognition and built-in following it's a great value for any organization. I would …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
CanvasCoursera
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
7.6
41 Ratings
7% below category average
Coursera
8.8
4 Ratings
4% above category average
Course authoring8.941 Ratings8.94 Ratings
Course catalog or library7.138 Ratings9.14 Ratings
Player/Portal8.032 Ratings8.94 Ratings
Learning content7.934 Ratings9.54 Ratings
Mobile friendly8.440 Ratings00 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications8.037 Ratings9.24 Ratings
Assignments9.041 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance management7.032 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning administration7.936 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics8.038 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Social learning7.733 Ratings8.94 Ratings
Gamification4.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning7.22 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CanvasCoursera
Small Businesses
Tovuti LMS
Tovuti LMS
Score 9.5 out of 10
iSpring Suite
iSpring Suite
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Sakai
Sakai
Score 8.7 out of 10
Infosec Skills
Infosec Skills
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Intellum
Intellum
Score 9.2 out of 10
Infosec Skills
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Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CanvasCoursera
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(83 ratings)
8.8
(17 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(5 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(8 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(11 ratings)
9.0
(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)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
CanvasCoursera
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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Coursera
The Coursera platform can be a useful part of your overall learning content portfolio if utilized correctly. It's fantastic for asynchronous courses that don't necessarily need a dedicated faculty member (though I'd highly recommend at least having some discussion moderators/student workers) and for offering MOOCs. The ability for the learners to contribute translations really makes it ideal for the international learning community - I am always amazed to see a course we launched with 2-3 languages to quickly have 10-12 more added. This feature really helps expand the audience reach and Coursera has such a large following already that it can grow seemingly overnight.
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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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Coursera
  • Interaction: the student learns by doing. For programming courses, this means programming!
  • Assessments: the courses I'd taken ask students to grade each others work with a rubric. This is hugely effective and permits tests and quizzes to be other than multiple choice.
  • Creativity and enthusiasm of the instructors. Some of the approaches demonstrated real out-of-the-box thinking by the instructors. For example, the Rice Python course was a self-contained website requiring no installation of IDE on one's computer, and the final project was a working version of Asteroids.
  • Low cost of entry: most of the course I enrolled in were free, with an optional fee for certifications. This really gives people the freedom to explore learning. It's almost like a Public Library of Learning.
  • Coursera forces a weekly discipline on the user with lectures and assignments and this really motivates one to put in the effort.
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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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Coursera
  • Some of the courses (very few) have some old information (more than 2 years), and in some areas like technology the information has to be very new and updated.
  • Some professors or people doing videos are not good in front of the camera, they should train their people a little bit more for those things.
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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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Coursera
Constantly renewing already. One of my favourite MOOC platforms.
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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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Coursera
User-friendly and developer-friendly Web UI.
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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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Coursera
I’ve used it a couple of times and... that did great. They take their time, but in the end they solve your issues.
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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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Coursera
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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Coursera
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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Coursera
Coursera is familiar, intuitive, compatible and easy to use and implement.
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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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Coursera
I think Coursera has the best overall interface. I think you will find that different platforms go in different directions, and have different specialities. For the most part the differences are more in the types of courses they offer than one being particularly better than the other, so it comes down to content for me.
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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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Coursera
  • The greatest benefit of Coursera is access to quality courses on various subjects that you can either browse or dive in deeply. Customizable, flexible and accessible.
  • Helps our department to recommend trainees courses on this website and gain important knowledge. Also, the courses are provided by big-name universities which helps students in their careers
  • Developing and exploring professional skills.
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