Canvas LMS vs Moodle comparison

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Canvas LMS

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Canvas LMS and Moodle based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Learning Management Systems (LMS) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Canvas LMS vs. Moodle Report (Updated: October 2024).

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Canvas LMS vs. Moodle

October 2024

Helped 816,406 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Canvas LMS

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

6th

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Moodle

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category, the mindshare of Canvas LMS is 4.3%, down from 5.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Moodle is 15.5%, down from 16.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Featured Reviews

James Phelps

Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University

Intuitive, easy to learn, and easy to adapt to various teaching methodologies

It is scalable. There must be 20,000 people using it on that campus. We run a medical college, a public health department, and the hard sciences department. We also have a lot of things that are spread out across the state of Florida through Canvas. So, it is pretty scalable. In terms of our plans to increase its usage, I don't know what the university is going to do, but right now, the university is saturated with Canvas. Even if you're doing classes in a regular standard classroom, all of your exams, all of your quizzes, all of your practicals, and all of your teaching are recorded and loaded into the Canvas system for future review by accreditors. So, it is pretty well saturated on that particular campus.

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James Phelps

Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University

Inexpensive and pretty easy to use, but not easily adaptable for an individual

It does have some problems that are hard to work around, but they can be worked around once you figure out how to make it function or how to work with specific components. The ability to input modified, individual, independent grades in a grade center component is not just hard. It almost always requires you to get tech involved. When you're dealing with a learning system where you have people in an open enrollment with all different levels of learning modes or methodologies, and as well as a worldwide student body, you end up with situations where you have to absolutely exempt somebody from a grade or an assignment and enter a new, different kind of assignment because of their skillset or lack thereof. You can't do that in Moodle. It is virtually impossible to do that in Moodle without having a tech do it for you, and when you have to have that level of tech support, it becomes problematic. They need to fix the grade book center. It is the part where you do evaluations. They need to fix it so that the individual professors can make changes directly without having to get a hold of tech support to do it for them.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The integration with Zoom is a notable feature. It allows for seamless access to live class sessions directly from Canvas after authentication, enabling quick entry into Zoom calls. You can also schedule Zoom calls or private recordings directly within Canvas, making it convenient, especially for situations like self-recording exams. Additionally, Canvas excels in collaboration and discussion capabilities. Users can engage in discussions on various topics, and there's the option to create custom groups for more focused interactions. These groups provide a level of privacy and isolation from the broader class, which is a significant advantage."

"The product's flexibility is exceptional."

"It's easy to follow. It flows well, and it's easy to use."

"They have a more extensive support base in terms of infrastructure."

"The assessment tools in Canvas significantly contribute to educational outcomes by allowing instructors to create and manage assessments effectively."

"The solution is easy to access."

"I used a lot of other systems in my IT career and Canvas LMS truly has everything that I would look for in an enterprise system."

"We have been using Canvas LMS, and overall, it has served our needs well for managing courses and general settings."

More Canvas LMS pros

"Cost-effective and intuitive."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"The ability to insert a variety of tools, create and organize course content, and share large volumes of materials, written, audio, or visual, is very valuable."

"Moodle integrates with many third party plugins, which has enabled us to make use of the latest technology. During the Covid 19 period, we used a plugin called BigBlueButton to facilitate online learning which was quick and easy to do."

"The solution is stable."

"It is relatively easy to use to build processes for establishing and conducting work within the templates that are used. It is not that hard to follow along or use, and it is pretty simple to pick it up and run with it."

"The best thing about Moodle is that it is open source and has many useful plugins. It is a great solution for an organization that needs modifications and customization."

"Since it's an open-source product, you can integrate it with many other things."

More Moodle pros

Cons

"It would be nice to be able to do more real-time comprehensive reporting with Canvas LMS."

"Integrating more AI capabilities for the product could enhance its functionality, particularly in automating repetitive tasks and personalizing learning experiences."

"There are a couple of areas that could be improved. Firstly, the discussion feature is not very interactive and can be slow to respond, making it less intuitive at the moment. This is an aspect that needs substantial improvement. Another point to consider is related to the cost of the LMS system. It's perceived as relatively expensive, which has led to discussions about transitioning away from Canvas, potentially to a more cost-effective alternative. This cost-related aspect is a significant factor to consider when implementing such a system."

"The learning curve is not steep, but it is intermediate."

"The solution could be upgraded and improved."

"The product could be integrated with a talent management system."

"It would be good to be able to do teleconferencing within the LMS."

"The high-tech interactivity with other software, like ArcGIS or RSA Archer, can be better. It is not as easily compatible with them. You can put apps in it that the students can then access, but the routing of apps through the Canvas system slows down functionality on the other types of products."

More Canvas LMS cons

"The solution architecture could be improved."

"It would be good to have a feature that would ensure that students are the ones performing the given assessment."

"Setting up groups and allocating privacy settings to different groups is quite complicated."

"The customization of the interface could be improved."

"An improvement would be to have it support physically challenged students, who we think should be able to participate in some of our courses."

"Everything is very text heavy. There are no videos or moving images. For a visual learner, there's not a lot of visual content so Moodle is not suitable for all types of learners."

"One aspect that I found a bit confusing was the dual editing system, where you could edit the layout of the course separately from editing the content."

"The biggest area for improvement is the UI. They should also make the navigation simpler to understand. They've recently introduced a new way of having navigation work in Moodle, but they all look very similar."

More Moodle cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The platform can be expensive for smaller organizations with fewer students."

"Canvas LMS is an affordable solution."

"The pricing of Canvas is satisfactory for my university. We have negotiated a good price, especially considering that we are a large university with twenty-six campuses across the country. Canvas offers a favorable pricing model for academic institutions, and the cost is reasonable. However, in continuous education, the challenge lies not in the price itself but in the business model. The requirement to pay for the entire year when our students may only use the license for a shorter duration creates challenges. The inability to adjust the licensing based on actual usage is a significant drawback for us, making the effective cost higher compared to other platforms like Hyper Learning"

"Canvas LMS is low-priced compared to other vendors."

"This solution offers a free-to-use version which can be deployed only on-premises and is what we are using. Moodle also offer support based and cloud based subscriptions. Organizations can select the appropriate package based on their needs. Moodle offer reasonable pricing for the use of their solution."

"This particular organization is a relatively small academic institution. It is a single campus, not very big, with 4,500 to 5,000 total students. It is not a big faculty. There are no hard sciences other than undergraduate-level hard sciences. So, Moodle is functional, and it is relatively simple because it is open-source software. It has sub advantages, and it is inexpensive. Small schools with small enrollment numbers just can't afford the more expensive ones."

"It varies depending on the partner you're going with. It depends on whether they are a certified partner or not. It also varies depending on the demand. Usually, with Moodle and other LMSs, there is concurrent licensing. It's hard to figure out the best way to do it at the company that is selling the LMS. Moodle is usually one of the most cost-effective LMSs you can get."

"Moodle offer a 14 day free trial and then requires payment."

"Moodle is a free online learning platform, but it also offers a paid version of it."

"Moodle have a very robust licensing system that is user friendly. It's not very expensive."

"In terms of cost, it is available at no charge."

"It is a free-of-cost solution."

More Moodle pricing and cost advice

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Learning Management Systems (LMS) solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

23%

University

11%

Government

Non Profit

Educational Organization

15%

Comms Service Provider

13%

University

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Canvas LMS?

We have been using Canvas LMS, and overall, it has served our needs well for managing courses and general settings.

What needs improvement with Canvas LMS?

Integrating more AI capabilities for the product could enhance its functionality, particularly in automating repetitive tasks and personalizing learning experiences.

What advice do you have for others considering Canvas LMS?

I rate Canva LMS a nine out of ten.

What do you like most about Moodle?

The customization features of Moodle significantly enhance the learning experience for our users.

What needs improvement with Moodle?

The customization of the interface could be improved. Although we can load and change themes, it still always looks like Moodle. We have not found a way to significantly alter its appearance.

What is your primary use case for Moodle?

We use Moodle to manage our students' information, the classes, and the course catalog, which are mainly related to education. It serves as a learning management system for teaching in class.

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Download Canvas LMS product report

Canvas LMS

November 2024

Download Moodle product report

November 2024

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Instructure

Overview

Canvas LMS is a comprehensive learning management system that enhances the educational experience. It offers a user-friendly interface that allows educators to create and manage courses, assignments, and assessments. Canvas enables seamless communication and collaboration between students and teachers. It supports various multimedia formats, making it easy to incorporate engaging content into lessons. Canvas also provides a mobile app, ensuring accessibility on the go. Its built-in analytics and reporting allow educators to track student progress and identify areas for improvement. Canvas LMS can integrate with other educational tools and platforms, enhancing its functionality. Canvas LMS is a powerful and versatile platform that empowers educators to deliver effective and engaging online learning experiences.

Moodle is a comprehensive learning management system offering various features to facilitate online education. With its user-friendly interface, Moodle allows educators to create and manage courses, deliver engaging content, and assess student progress. The platform supports various multimedia formats, allowing users to integrate videos, audio, and interactive activities. Additionally, Moodle provides communication tools, such as forums and messaging, fostering collaboration and interaction among students and instructors. The system also includes assessment tools that enable teachers to create quizzes, assignments, and surveys to evaluate student performance.

Moodle's customizable and flexible environment lets institutions tailor the platform to their needs and branding. With its mobile app, Moodle ensures accessibility and convenience for learners on the go.

Moodle is a powerful and versatile learning management system that empowers educators to deliver effective and engaging online courses.

Sample Customers

Pragmatic Group, MRWED Training and Assessment, RedHill Education

Acacia University, Alliant International University, American University of Health Sciences, Anaheim University Online, Aspen University, Cal State University San Bernardino, California State University Los Angeles, Chattanooga Fire Training, City of Humble Fire Department, George Washington University, Georgia Institute of Emergency Medical Services, Michigan Online Classroom, Virginia Beach Sheriffs Office, Washington Post