Blackboard Vs Moodle Vs Canvas: The Better LMS

The popularity of the learning management system (or LMS) is growing, and all for the right reasons.

A Learning Management System (LMS) offers a centralized platform whereby educational institutes and companies can conduct their online training sessions. It makes the whole process of imparting education to students, onboarding employees to training, and developing different skills cost-effective.

There are many vendors available in the market. So we understand that it can get hard to choose. Currently, these three LMS – Blackboard, Moodle, and Canvas, are making quite a buzz in the market. 

But which one is best suited for your business? We have compared the features of these three LMS so that you can make your pick. Let’s begin.

Blackboard vs Moodle vs Canvas

1. Basic Overview

Blackboard is a modern, intuitive learning management model that facilitates virtual platforms for learning. It delivers a course management system that has an open architecture. You can combine the system with a student information system and authentication processes.

Moodle is an open-source learning management solution that is based on a modular design. It enables administrators and teachers to build their own courses using the plug-in. It gives a robust set of functionalities and a collaborative learning environment that help facilitate both teaching and learning.

Canvas is another open-source LMS that is one of the fastest-growing systems today. It is specifically created for educational institutes – for grades K-12 and higher education. This platform aims to better engage users in their teaching and learning processes.

2. Devices Compatibility

We live in a globally connected world, thanks to the internet. The whole aim of the system is to allow learners and trainers to connect from anywhere across the world.

That’s why it’s essential that the system is compatible with major devices, if not all, so that users can access the system from anywhere. You must be able to access the system on-the-go, using your desktop, mobile, or tablet.

Blackboard offers a fully responsive design for all devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and tablets. It offers dedicated mobile apps for Android and iOS to support activities like collaboration and grading.

Moodle offers a dedicated mobile as well as desktop app. Using the mobile app, you can have offline access to your content, notifications, calendar reminders, and quick navigation to content. Besides, once you have the Branded Moodle App, you can request a Branded version of the Desktop App. It is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems.

Canvas can be used on both mobile and web browsers. It also has a full suite of mobile user apps for true mobile learning and teaching experiences. Moreover, it has a video conferencing feature called Arc.

3. Integration Capability

Integration is important to expand application functionality. Besides, it should be a seamless process so that it doesn’t disrupt the on-going processes already.

Blackboard can be easily integrated with a various number of tools, including BrainHoney, Epsilen, Pearson LearningStudio, Moodle Learning Management System, Sakai Collaborative and Learning Environment, itsLearning, and more.

Moodle provides an all-in-one learning platform by allowing you to configure your preferred teacher modality. It can easily integrate with a range of other applications and programs to meet your specific needs.

Canvas is a perfect platform for blended learning. It offers an open architecture that results in limitless integration. It can easily connect with comprehensive educational tools as well as the existing student information system. In fact, it currently leads to LTI integrations among LMS vendors.

4. Functionality

Functionalities are what defines an application. However, it is not necessary that every system will have all of the features. Then again, you don’t need all of them. Every type of business has unique needs and so you need to identify your requirements first.

Blackboard provides a platform that can be used by educational institutes, business houses, and government agencies. It offers a comprehensive set of features, such as data management, student previews, collaborative integrations, SafeAssign, calendars, and much more.

• Interface: It offers a rich and intuitive interface so that students in K-12 grade can also use it without any difficulty.
• Language: It only supports the English language.
• Clients: Some of its prominent clients are Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Lawrence Public Schools, and more.
• Available Support: Phone, tickets, and training.

Moodle’s features list include reporting and analytics, personalized dashboards, data management, admin-based control, and more. It creates a private learning space for students. Besides, it allows sharing and uploading interactive courses on the system.

• Interface: Its default interface is generally referred to as old-school style. But it covers this shortcoming with its huge theme collection.
• Language: The official language of Moodle is English. But if you want to change it, you will need to download their Language package.
• Clients: Some of its top clients’ names include Cisco, Bank of America, McDonald’s, and more.
• Available Support: Live support, phone, email, and tickets.

Canvas provides a learning platform for K-12, higher education, and business houses. It facilitates blended learning with its flexible and easy-to-scale solution. It supports reliable connectivity and real-time data updates. Other than that, it supports recording or uploading audio and video, collaborative platforms, and more.

• Interface: It has an intuitive interface that makes the whole learning process engaging and effective.
• Language: It is multilingual and can support languages like English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, Polish, and more.
• Clients: Some prominent clients are Utah State University, Oregon State University, and, more.
• Available Support: Live support, phone, email, tickets, and training

Here’s a comparison chart to give you a brief glance:

5. Blackboard vs Moodle vs Canvas: Quick Comparision

 So, Which Is Better?

Every model has different useful features. When it comes to blended learning, Canvas can be a great choice. But if you want offline access to the content, Moodle should serve you that. In similar ways, Blackboard can be an ideal choice for government or business houses as it offers dedicated platforms.

So begin by sorting your requirements, and then you will be able to pick the best-suited one easily.

Supriya Bajaj

Supriya is a highly skilled content writer with over 8 years of experience in the SaaS domain. She believes in curating engaging, informative, and SEO-friendly content to simplify highly technical concepts. With an expansive portfolio of long-format blogs, newsletters, whitepapers, and case studies, Supriya is dedicated to staying in touch with emerging SaaS trends to produce relevant and reliable content.