Canvas LMS vs Google Classroom comparison

Instructure and Google are both solutions in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category. Instructure is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.3, while Google is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.9. Instructure holds a 4.7% mindshare in LMS, compared to Google’s 3.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Instructure users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Google users who would recommend it.

Canvas LMS

Read 11 Canvas LMS reviews

695 Views
681 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Google Classroom

Read 26 Google Classroom reviews

1,442 Views
1,442 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Canvas LMS

Google Classroom

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Canvas LMS and Google Classroom are two leading e-learning platforms, with Canvas LMS offering more robust customization and flexibility, while Google Classroom is known for its simple user interface and seamless integration with Google Apps.

Features:Canvas LMS provides advanced customization, integration with Zoom, and powerful analytics tools, making it ideal for complex educational needs. Google Classroom offers seamless integration with Google Suite, allowing effortless use of Google Docs, Sheets, and more alongside intuitive usability, making it perfect for quick adoption and use in diverse settings.

Room for Improvement:Canvas LMS could enhance its user interface to reduce complexity for novice users and improve real-time collaboration features. Google Classroom could benefit from offering more advanced grading tools and better analytics, along with enriching offline accessibility options to enhance usability in varied teaching environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Google Classroom is favored for its easy deployment, leveraging existing Google Suite familiarity to quickly transition users online. Canvas LMS, while more complex, offers extensive customer support to assist with its deeper feature set and integration options, ensuring smooth implementation.

Pricing and ROI:Google Classroom is free and fits seamlessly within the Google ecosystem, resulting in minimal costs and immediate value. Canvas LMS, with its higher initial costs, justifies the investment for larger institutions through its extensive features and potential for high returns on educational deliverables, catering to more comprehensive institutional needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Canvas LMS vs. Google Classroom Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Canvas LMS vs. Google Classroom

July 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Canvas LMS

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

6th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Google Classroom

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category, the mindshare of Canvas LMS is 4.7%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Classroom is 3.4%, down from 10.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Featured Reviews

Lance Levin

Learning Magic Solutions | Managing Director at CTI

Comprehensive learning system transforms education with innovative features

The integration capability of Canvas LMS with other educational tools is probably the best for integration. They have thousands of apps that are already integrated with Canvas LMS. It uses a very simple API LTI method where you just have to input a number and then it's integrated. When assessing the analytics features and reporting features of Canvas LMS, they have comprehensive capabilities. They have reporting, attendance registers, and the back-end SIS system. The reporting is very easy and analytics is excellent. Regarding its mobile compatibility feature, Canvas LMS is probably the easiest to use. It's user-friendly and operates with simple copy and paste functionality. It operates similarly to Word, with no difficulty at all. It's extremely user-friendly. When speaking about scalability and flexibility, Canvas LMS is very scalable. Everything's on the AWS cloud, so content is not a problem offline. It's scalable because the largest universities in the world use it.

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Wafaa Salah

Professor at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

User-Friendly Platform with Valuable Features but Needs Improvement in Pool of Questions and Statistics

The integration with Google Workspace is great because we have many tools such as Google Meet, Google Sheets, and Google Drive. However, the space is very limited. We purchased extra space until it reached 100 gigabytes. I have been using Google since having a Gmail account in 2001 when I was a student. Google Classroom allows me to make quizzes and assignments for students with random ordering, but I would appreciate having a pool of questions feature. For example, having 1000 questions and extracting 20 for each student would allow every student to have a different version. Currently, while using quizzes, every question appears to every student, though the order might differ. Adding the pool of questions would be beneficial. Having statistics while students take their exams would be helpful - showing how many students submitted, how many are in progress, and how many have not started the quiz. Having a log file to track students who opened documents would be valuable. In Moodle, I can see which students opened files, downloaded them, or watched videos. This feature is not available in Google Classroom, which is why I prefer other applications with more powerful statistics to trace student performance.

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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

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

"Canvas LMS is user-friendly. Its assessment tools help to find the weaknesses and strengths of students."

"The solution is easy to access."

"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 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."

"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."

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

More Canvas LMS pros

"Company-wise, the most important feature is that it is a product of Google. It is a part of Google Suite. With Google Classroom, you can easily embed a Google Sheet, Google Doc, or Google Form. You can easily create a quiz in Google Form. It is integrated with Google Drive. So, everything is on Google Drive, and you can easily use it. With single sign-on, you can use it with Google Apps as well."

"I find Jamboard to be a great tool for supporting classroom activities."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its performance."

"Google Classroom is simple to use."

"Assigning a unique copy of Google Classroom to students and giving out information is what the solution excels at."

"A teacher can send assignments and upload results using the product."

"When a teacher uploads material, all students connected to that class will receive the same information at the same time. I have found this to be a valuable feature. I also like that the material remains in Google Classroom until the teacher removes it. The UI is user-friendly, and you don't have to have prior experience to use the solution."

"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is the ability for the lecturer to put in work. Additionally, the work can be graded after completion, and there can be feedback provided through the system which has a good interface."

More Google Classroom pros

Cons

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

"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."

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

"In our working, we are encountering many challenges with Canvas LMS. One of the major area is their business model which is having a very different pricing structure. The structure is made in such a way that the license fee is needed to be paid for the complete year even if the student has been enrolled for a programme of short duration. This structure is not conducive with our needs and hence, in the past few years, been increasing our costs manifold. Along with this, Canva LMS also lacks many functionalities such as notifications and adaptive learning. There is a specific issue with the licensing model that affects us in continuous education. The inability to reuse a license for the same course in different terms hinders our cost efficiency. For instance, if a program runs from January to April, we are required to pay for the license twice within the same academic year. This contrasts with other platforms like Hyper, where reusing a license is possible, allowing us to use the same license multiple times in different terms. Along with the use, we are exploring the integration of artificial intelligence into our processes, and Canvas LMS falls short in this regard. While some platforms allow connections with external AI services, Canvas does not currently offer built-in artificial intelligence capabilities, a feature we find valuable for enhancing the learning experience."

"The solution could be upgraded and improved."

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

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

More Canvas LMS cons

"Google Classroom could improve by being easier to use. For example, making it functional with only a few buttons. It's difficult to know how to connect with students and make a link and share it with them. I found it difficult, and this is why I didn't continue using it. Additionally, it should be available to be downloaded to the desktop for use, similar to Zoom."

"The product must provide different plans for different customers so that we can pay for only what we use."

"Students used to have points that were accumulated and the letter grades, such as A's, B's, C's, et cetera. Google Classroom should add a feature by which you can toggle in between both of them. It's more than only accumulated points, which are not going to mean that much for students unless there's a prize at the end or some type of reward for the effort. However, if there's a way to toggle in between allocating points versus allocating a grade, it would be nice."

"The product's UI needs improvement."

"I would like to see a better user experience, a more engaging interface, and more templates. Google should develop templates or at least encourage developers to share them. You'll only get a basic framework when you create a new course. You don't have different themes to choose from like you do in Moodle."

"We found that Google Classroom is it is missing a lot in current engagement. We know it has got guardian access, where it sends the reports to the guardian at the end of either the week or the month, depending on how you set it. However, it lacks collaboration between the teacher, student, and parents. The engagement is mostly between the student and the teacher. If you have a school similar to ours, where you're dealing with little children where the parent is supposed to be engaged, you need a system that can engage them as well. It's good for senior students, but not for our students."

"The product should provide features that allow teachers to be on video while taking the class."

"Google Classroom could improve by having better integration with other platforms, such as Google Meet."

More Google Classroom cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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 an affordable solution."

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

"The product is free."

"The tool is available for free."

"We did not need a license to use Google Classroom."

"The solution is affordable."

"The product offers a yearly based license."

"Google Classroom is a free solution. There is paid version that has more options, the cost is approximately eight dollars per student per month."

"We are an educational institution, and it is free of charge for us. Normally, if you are a private company, you have to pay a lot of money to get this service, but they are giving it for free to schools."

"My child's school made payments on a subscription-based model to use Google Classroom."

More Google Classroom pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

19%

University

19%

Manufacturing Company

Non Profit

Educational Organization

26%

Manufacturing Company

11%

University

11%

Computer Software 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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Canvas LMS?

There are some disadvantages with Canvas LMS and always improvements to be made. That comes with technology. As technology improves, the product will improve. Regarding features that Canvas LMS cou...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Canvas LMS?

Canvas LMS is the best solution because they have enabled scaleability and cutting edge technology transfer through Thomas Bravo, a multi-billion dollar company and will soon have the financial the...

See all answers

What do you like most about Google Classroom?

The product's UI is good and user-friendly.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Classroom?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Google Classroom?

I'm not creating classrooms using Google Classroom, as I join courses that other professors have created. Our university works with Outlook and Teams, but I still use Google Classroom when joining ...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 17% of the time

SAP SuccessFactors Learning vs Canvas LMS

Compared 13% of the time

Brightspace vs Canvas LMS

Compared 13% of the time

Cornerstone Learn vs Canvas LMS

Compared 10% of the time

Moodle vs Canvas LMS

Compared 9% of the time

More Canvas LMS Competitors

Moodle vs Google Classroom

Compared 52% of the time

Blackboard Learning Management vs Google Classroom

Compared 25% of the time

EduWave vs Google Classroom

Compared 10% of the time

More Google Classroom Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Canvas LMS

August 2025

Download Canvas LMS product report

Buyer's Guide

Google Classroom

August 2025

Download Google Classroom product report

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.

Instructure

Google Classroom is an online learning platform that allows teachers to create and manage virtual classrooms. With Google Classroom, teachers can easily distribute assignments, communicate with students, and provide feedback. Students can access their assignments, submit their work, and collaborate with their peers all in one place. The platform integrates seamlessly with other Google tools like Google Drive and Google Docs, making it easy for students to create and share their work. Google Classroom also provides a streamlined workflow for teachers, allowing them to save time and stay organized. Google Classroom is a user-friendly and efficient tool that enhances the learning experience of teachers and students alike.

Google

Sample Customers

Pragmatic Group, MRWED Training and Assessment, RedHill Education

Google Classroom is used in major urban school districts throughout the United States, including: * Los Angeles Unified School District * Chicago Public Schools * New York City Department of Education * Houston Independent School District * Miami-Dade County Public Schools * Dallas Independent School District * Broward County Public Schools * Clark County School District (Las Vegas) * Philadelphia School District

Buyer's Guide

Canvas LMS vs. Google Classroom

July 2025

Free Report: Canvas LMS vs. Google Classroom

Find out what your peers are saying about Canvas LMS vs. Google Classroom and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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