Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Adobe Connect vs Blackboard Learning Management comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Adobe Connect
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Meetings (14th)
Blackboard Learning Management
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
Learning Management Systems (LMS) (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Adobe Connect and Blackboard Learning Management aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Adobe Connect is designed for Virtual Meetings and holds a mindshare of 1.6%, down 2.7% compared to last year.
Blackboard Learning Management, on the other hand, focuses on Learning Management Systems (LMS), holds 2.5% mindshare, down 2.6% since last year.
Virtual Meetings
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
 

Q&A Highlights

JC
Jul 24, 2020
 

Featured Reviews

Emad Mokhatab - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 7, 2024
Stable product but hard to integrate
Adobe Connect is not bad for connecting and integrating for remote connecting and video streaming. I think it was not bad, actually.  I don't integrate it in my project. Some other guys work on that. But I think they had some sort of problems with integration with that product. But, they managed to…
James Phelps - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 2, 2022
Expandable with good real-time live interactions but is very expensive
Initially, Blackboard had problems for faculty members who were forced to use it to try to get it set up and running. That said, over time, they improved that. Unfortunately, due to its licensing requirements on standalone systems, like at a university on our servers, we run into problems where we can only set it up in one way. The way you teach a biology class is not the way you teach a social science class, for example. It's not flexible. Often you are forced into compromising in such a manner that neither group would be happy. If you need help, the help desk in-house will provide 24-hour help to both students and faculty. That means you have eight people, eight hours a day, supervisors, and an overall manager. It takes at least 12 people to handle maintenance for a 10,000-person campus for 24-hour coverage.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most critical feature is the POA, but Breakout sessions are definitely my favorite."
"The product has valuable communication features. It also has good performance and stability."
"It is a stable product."
"I like Adobe Connect because of its flexibility."
"It trains providers for on-premise deployment in several locations."
"The solution can scale well."
"It is straightforward to set up."
"Screen share and document share are good features."
"One of Blackboard's strengths is its historical prominence as a leading LMS for universities in the US and Europe a decade or more ago."
"One of the most important features is the possibility of creating unlimited subdomains."
"Blackboard enables instructors to collectively gather all the grading data into one place. If students upload content or post it to a Google Doc, I can do my grading and calculate the grades. It is an excellent holding place for all of that data"
"The solution is easy to use."
"It is scalable."
"The modules and courses are flexible."
"It encompasses various components, including course delivery modules, content management, community engagement features, digital classrooms, and mobile integration."
 

Cons

"Other solutions have more marketing and more visibility. Nobody knows Adobe Connect exists."
"We would like to see support for exportable files that have been uploaded into Adobe Connect as templates for activities."
"The price is a problem."
"It needs faster and easier upgrades."
"I would like to see btter integration."
"Adobe's products are difficult to grasp."
"We encounter issues while connecting headphones via Bluetooth. This particular area needs improvement."
"Interface and layout options could be improved."
"The solution is not flexible."
"Blackboard has limitations in terms of delivering content and assessing student assignments because it can't handle large file sizes. It's also limited in its ability to track student activity. Instructors can see the student's most recent login, but they can't follow the activity."
"The solution must provide better integration with third-party software."
"It would be ideal to create a more responsive or more intuitive template for access from telephones or tablets."
"The system falls short in terms of managing assessments and exams effectively."
"Blackboard could benefit from significant improvements in its data storage and software functionality to remain competitive with more innovative LMS solutions."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is expensive."
"The purchasing process is complicated. It would be beneficial if it were more simplified."
"Adobe Connect is free of cost."
"At the beginning, you can choose a basic plan. As your users grow you can buy a more expensive license."
"The product pricing tends to be higher than alternatives."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

JC
Jul 24, 2020
Jul 24, 2020
If you're looking for just a basic meeting tool, Zoom will do just fine. You can also share your screen as well as choose the option to share presentations ( in your case, its the Digital manual). Cisco Webex is more for making video calls but some use it for training as well due to the fact that it was already used but I have experienced some latency (lag) with it. Anyone in the group viewing ...
2 out of 4 answers
SH
Apr 7, 2020
For training session Webex is best the best solution.
CW
Apr 8, 2020
If you're looking for just a basic meeting tool, Zoom will do just fine. You can also share your screen as well as choose the option to share presentations ( in your case, its the Digital manual). Cisco Webex is more for making video calls but some use it for training as well due to the fact that it was already used but I have experienced some latency (lag) with it. Anyone in the group viewing may correct me on this one. In terms of popularity, its Zoom and webex which are the most popular tools Blackboard and Adobe connect are more considered the virtual classroom technologies for teaching. They have many advanced features offering multi-classroom features which encourage students to engage differently. They are far less popular than zoom or webex. According to your requirements, I would encourage you to go towards Zoom. You can start by the free version and upgrade to the pro version depending on your requirements Also, it works seamlessly on laptop, IOS and Android devices Hope this helps. Also, note that this was a quick review and we are doing a more comprehensive review based on a per -component basis.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Government
17%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
24%
Educational Organization
20%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Adobe Connect?
The product has valuable communication features. It also has good performance and stability.
What needs improvement with Adobe Connect?
I would like to see btter integration and better features on integrating, especially in the UI, because it's so obvious when you use Adobe Connect.
What is your primary use case for Adobe Connect?
Adobe Connect is not bad for connecting and integrating for remote connecting and video streaming. I think it was not bad, actually. I don't integrate it in my project. Some other guys work on that...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Blackboard Learning Management?
The product pricing tends to be higher than alternatives like Canvas, making Blackboard more suitable for larger universities with substantial budgets.
What needs improvement with Blackboard Learning Management?
Blackboard could benefit from significant improvements in its data storage and software functionality to remain competitive with more innovative LMS solutions.
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Blue Sky Broadcast, Wiley and Georgetown University, New South Wales (NSW) Schools, BMO Financial Group, The Ministry of Education, Church, Culture & Gender Equality in Greenland, HealthSTAR Communications, IDEXX Laboratories, Philips Healthcare
University of Derby, University of Warwick, John Moore's University
Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings. Updated: October 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.