Learning Management System software such as Canvas and Moodle are mostly used by educational institutions and corporations in ensuring that the learning and training within an organization are efficient. Many LMS products, like Canvas, were specifically built to help schools, colleges, and universities improve the way they manage learning processes within their establishment. However, because of the benefits LMS software products provide educational institutions, corporations began using the software to enhance the training procedures in their workplace, too. Moodle is one of the LMS that caters to both academic and corporate clients. Canvas, on the other hand, remains to be exclusively available to schools, colleges, and universities. In this article, we’ll check the features of Canvas and Moodle and find out why these products have received such positive feedback from LMS users all over the world. We’ve chosen Canvas and Moodle to compare, but those aren’t your only options. TechnologyAdvice can help you narrow your research to software that meets your needs. Use our Product Selection Tool to get your list of recommendations based on your feature requirements.

Canvas vs. Moodle: A quick review

Canvas was originally known as Instructure and was founded in 2008. Prior to the official launch of this LMS software, it was tested in Brigham Young University and Utah State University. In 2019, Thomas Bravo acquired Canvas. Today, Canvas continues to be one of the top-rated LMS used by thousands of schools and establishments. Moodle stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. This LMS was developed by Australian computer scientist Martin Dougiamas for the creation of online courses. Moodle was introduced in 2001 as an open-source platform LMS. Since its launch, Moodle has become one of the most popular LMS used by schools and businesses alike.

Comparing features of Canvas vs. Moodle

Dashboards

Whenever a Canvas user logs in, they get a customizable view of the dashboard. The most recent information about their online courses is displayed, along with the user’s to-do list. The Moodle dashboard displays all the courses a user is enrolled in. A timeline shows the deadlines of activities. Users can customize the blocks that appear on their dashboards to display information such as recently accessed items or starred courses. Past, current, and future courses can be displayed as well.

Course creation

New courses can be created and imported in Canvas. Users or educators can set the visibility of the course they’ve created. The description and summary of the course syllabus can also be displayed in Canvas. Moodle also gives users ability to create, import, and delete courses. Bulk course creation and multiple import is possible with Moodle. The speed of upload in Moodle can be adjusted for bulk imports.

Calendar

The calendar feature for Canvas shows users important dates related to courses, events, or even personal tasks. Canvas’s calendar may be linked with Google Calendar and Outlook. Deadlines for assignments and quizzes as well as global, course, and personal events are displayed in the Moodle calendar. Particular events can be moved to another date using Moodle’s drag and drop functionality.

Gradebook

Canvas has the SpeedGrader, where instructors can add or modify grades of learners. Once the instructor has completed grading, the grades will be reflected on Canvas’s Gradebook page. All the changes made to a student’s grade will appear on the Gradebook History page. For Moodle, the Grader report is used to add or alter grades of students. Users can edit grades of students one-by-one or in bulk. Read also: The Best LMS Options for Employee Engagement

Integrations for Canvas vs. Moodle

There are numerous apps and platforms that can be integrated with Canvas. Some of these integrations are Google Suite, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Blackboard Collaborate, and Zoom. Moodle has a set of pre-selected integrations to maximize its functionalities. These integrations are Intelliboard, BigBlueButton, Bongo, SimCheck, and GO1.

Which LMS to go for

There are many similarities regarding the features and capabilities of Canvas and Moodle. The decision will greatly depend on the type of organization you plan to use the LMS for. For example, Canvas is strictly for academic use — therefore, if you are looking for an LMS to use for your business, then Canvas is clearly not an option. The size of your organization should also be factored in when choosing the LMS more suited for you. Some Moodle plans have limited number of users allowed. Moodle is more ideal for small organizations, while Canvas is more suitable for medium to large establishments. Look back at the differences in the features of Canvas and Moodle so you can decide which features are more important to you. For instance, Canvas has more integrations than Moodle, giving users more freedom to customize the LMS to their needs. However, Moodle has special functions, like the bulk action for grading and uploading or importing courses. It comes down to which features and integrations your business needs in order to grow. Need more options for HR software? Use our HR Software Buyers Guide.