Businesses today greatly enjoy the benefits of software technology. Various areas of business are automated, leading to better services, customer relationships, more accurate data, trends forecasting, and more. Various software products that provide B2B solutions have been developed to help businesses with their processes and cut the time they spend on manual tasks, so they can better focus on more pressing issues. These software products target different areas of business operations, including customer relationship management (CRM), human resource (HR) and workforce management, and learning management system (LMS).
We compare two of the popular software options for LMS and examine how they differ in areas such as features, pricing plans, and grade level suitability.
Not ready to narrow it down to just Canvas and Thought Industries? No problem. Use our Product Selection Tool to get 5 free recommendations of LMS software tailored to your needs from our Technology Advisors.
Canvas vs. Thought Industries LMS: An overview
Canvas and Thought Industries LMS are both learning management system software products that aim to make e-learning easier. They simplify teaching and put all digital tools in one place that is accessible and secure at the same time.
Canvas LMS is a product of Instructure, designed for K5 and higher-education institutions. It’s cloud-based, making it accessible to users wherever they are. As it is scalable, it can be used by education organizations across the globe, regardless of their size and type. Canvas LMS supports large universities, individual classrooms, and even mix and full virtual learning set-ups. The software comes with complete tools and full LMS functionality, including formative assessment, mobile communication, integration, and standards-based grade books. Users can also add new functionalities into the application from the Canvas App Center.
Thought Industries LMS is the world’s first Learning Business Platform and is an end-to-end business solution that helps businesses manage their learning requirements. It uses cloud-based tools that facilitate and monetize learning and is applicable to various areas, including consumer education and professional enterprise learning. It also has a microsite and page builder and built-in course authoring tools. Thought Industries LMS also boasts a responsive interface that allows users to run the software and its materials and courses from any device.
Canvas vs. Thought Industries LMS: A comparison of features
Both Canvas LMS and Thought Industries LMS offer the core features of an LMS software product.
Canvas is applicable to different grade levels, specifically for K-5 and higher.
- Outcomes: This is the software’s term for standards or competencies that describe what a learner should be able to do. It’s also a tool used to measure ability and knowledge.
- MasteryPaths: This feature automatically releases course content to students based on their performance, providing differentiation between and among students.
- Speedgrader: This feature is an app available on both iOS and Android platforms that teachers can use to preview student submissions and provide feedback and homework annotations within a single frame.
- Integrated Media Recorder: Teachers can use this tool to record video and audio messages for use in the digital classroom.
- Web conferencing: This is an important feature that teachers use to set a meeting time for class or one-on-one online discussions.
- Mastery GradeBook: Instructors can use this tool to assess the Outcomes in Canvas and measure the students’ learning for standards-based learning and accreditation.
- Canvas Parent: Canvas provides access to parents through this tool to allow them to check their child’s performance by reviewing past and upcoming assignments, receiving course requirements, and checking grades.
- Canvas on Mobile: Students can take their entire course from their mobile device.
Thought Industries also has its own suite of features; we summed up the most important ones:
- Customer information: This feature provides users with information on the overall satisfaction score of each customer and allows them to create customer profiles that are based on data from various sources. It can also segment customers to provide them with the personalized and specific attention they require.
- Platform content: Platform content includes a pre-built library of usable content and tools that facilitate peer-to-peer interactions on the platform. It also has built-in assessment and administration tools.
- Course authoring: This feature allows users to create courses and provides templates that allow course creation based on your role and industry. Moreover, course authoring enables users to design and administer quizzes and tests.
- Platform: Thought Industries LMS’s platform is scalable, which means it can grow with the company and still support its growing customer and user base. It also ensures that the data and information stored in the platform are kept confidential and hosted in a safe environment.
- Course delivery: This feature ensures that courses are ready and accessible 24/7, and that notifications and communication are sent to users in a timely manner. Also, Thought Industries LMS creates sequences of classes that have to be taken in a particular order.
Canvas vs. Thought Industries LMS: A comparison of prices
These software options for LMS come at a price, which is another important point to look into.
Canvas does not publicly provide specific pricing models for the product. However, it charges an annual subscription fee and a one-time implementation fee that is based on the total number of users per organization. There is also a free account for teachers, which only requires them to sign up to use the software. It doesn’t contain all the features that paying customers get. Interested users can also take advantage of the free two-week trial, which has all the features and functionalities.
Thought Industries LMS does not publicly provide information on their pricing plans, but they do provide a free demonstration of the software.
Read also: 7 of the Best Payroll Management Tools for Your Business
Canvas vs. Thought Industries LMS: A comparison of grade level suitability
Canvas is suitable for K-5 through higher education institutions. This is also the same target grade level for Thought Industries LMS.
Choose your LMS software
These two LMS software products have made education more accessible geographically. It eliminates obstacles like time zones and locations. You can try their free trial and free demonstration to see which software suits your business’s needs based on its features and integrations.
Want more LMS software options? Use our HR Software Buyers Guide.