Canvas LMS Reviews

“Organized classes and collaboration

Pros

Canvas keeps everything laid out in a way that makes sense to me. From the home page, I can quickly view all of my classes along with assignments and projects in order of priority which helps me stay on top of things. It also offers real-time communication with professors and classmates, making it really convenient to collaborate on assignments and group projects.

Cons

I don't have any real complaints. The platform is organized in a way that works well for me and is easy to understand so there's really nothing personal for me to criticize.

“Reliable course management tool

Pros

Navigating this tool is not a problem and it does an excellent job of keeping courses organized while supporting clear communication between students and instructors. The assignments, grading features and collaboration tools all work dependably and make day-to-day course management much easier.

Cons

A few features seem buried in the menus and there are occasional bugs when updates roll out. Courses with a lot of users or content can also take a bit longer to load.

“Has powerful customization options

Pros

Everything in this app is very well organized and simple to navigate. It also includes a wide range of features that make customization possible in lots of different ways.

Cons

The part I like least is that the price is pretty high. That said, the cost does reflect all of the customizable features it offers.

“fantastic course management platform

Pros

Navigating and managing student courses in it is very easy and team collaboration is simple to handle. I haven't run into any bugs or issues while using it which has made the experience even better. The customer support is excellent and it really offers great value for the price. On top of that organizing courses and finding exactly what you need is incredibly simple.

Cons

Honestly I cannot point to anything I dislike. It's an awesome platform and very easy to use and even if something does get confusing, help is always available when you need it.

“class management tool for everyone

Pros

One of the best parts is that admins, teachers, students and parents can all use this platform to keep up with classes and assignments in one place.

Cons

New freshmen can take a little time to get used to the software when they first start using it.

“organized and user friendly workflow

Pros

It is user friendly and well organized and it makes handling assignments, grades and communication really simple.

Cons

This tool can be slow, the menus feel cluttered and the notifications can get overwhelming. I can get confused when putting projects together.

“Allows complete course management

Pros

Working with Canvas at our school has been really convenient because it lets me manage multiple student courses in one place. Setting up a course shell and tailoring it for each class is also not a problem which saves a lot of time. The customer service team is also very responsive and helpful when supporting both teachers and parents.

Cons

The grading system is not the best as it can be difficult to navigate because there are so many grading options available. That tends to be confusing for parents. The symbols used for things like missing work or assignments that are still being graded also aren't very clear so parents often misunderstand what they mean.

“clean layout and helpful tools

Pros

Using this tool throughout my entire college experience at two different schools, I always thought the platform looked polished, clean and very user-friendly. It made keeping up with coursework for each class simple and communicating with instructors was just as convenient. I never had to pay separately to use this tool so I assume that cost was built into the course fees. There were occasional bugs or minor issues here and there but they were usually fixed within a day or even sooner.

Cons

There were a few times when I needed to reach out to customer support to sort out an issue and that process wasn't always the easiest. Still, compared with support teams from other platforms, their support was less frustrating to deal with.

“easy access and helpful gradebook

Pros

Whether I am on the website or checking things from my phone, I find it very accessible. The interface is also good and user friendly and I also like that schools can add their own logo to the sidebar so the platform feels branded for students. Another really useful feature is being able to enter scores for assignments in the gradebook and preview what my overall class grade would look like before the instructor has posted anything.

Cons

One thing that can be confusing is how it automatically labels assignments as late, even when the course never required an online submission in the first place. The instructor side could use better design here especially by prompting teachers to specify whether an assignment actually needs a submission so students know clearly if they are expected to turn something in or not.

“fantastic for assignments and grading

Pros

Canvas has been an excellent fit for our school. I have been using it for more than eight years and it has been extremely useful for both students and teachers. Keeping track of assignments, scoring work, collaborating and handling grading are all standout features of this tool.

Cons

The issue comes up when students want to look back at feedback on an assignment. Depending on the device they're using, that feedback can sometimes be difficult to see.

“versatile hub for class content

Pros

It works really well as a flexible platform for my classes especially since I can bring in my Google Docs and Slides without much hassle. It lets me link worksheets, videos and other materials quickly when I am putting together assignments.

Cons

One limitation is that a lot of the apps you can connect to it aren't always accessible, since availability often depends on having the right subscription.

“Helpful dashboard for classes

Pros

This tool has been proven excellent for my classes. The to-do dashboard really helps me stay on top of assignments and I appreciate that each instructor can set up their course in their own way which makes every class feel a little different and unique.

Cons

Graded work doesn't appear on the dashboard even though it's due weekly within the modules. I wish there were a way to assign certain pages to specific days as a kind of remember this task reminder, even when it doesn't automatically treat it as an assignment.

“clean design and smart layout

Pros

Compared with other learning management systems like Blackboard, this one looks much better and its ergonomic settings make it very comfortable to use.

Cons

After using this one for years, I'd still say the learning curve can feel pretty steep for newcomers.

“User friendly tools and navigation

Pros

The platform has a very user friendly, digital-first design and the navigation is also natural. The built-in notifications are also customizable which is something I really like.

Cons

One thing that gets frustrating is how many notifications still come through. Even after setting it up to allow only certain alerts on specific devices during certain times, I still end up getting too many notifications for small, minor updates.

“Great for teaching

Pros

Canvas is easy to use for both teachers and students. It offers many ways to share course content and keep people engaged. Moving courses from one year to the next or even between teachers is very convenient.

Cons

Setting everything up can take some work at the beginning. Building out modules and tailoring them for different teaching situations, like graduate versus undergraduate classes or online versus in-person formats, can be pretty time-consuming.

“helpful task list, annoying bugs

Pros

One thing that's really useful about Canvas is that it shows an overall list of everything you still need to do, instead of forcing you to open each course one by one to check for assignments.

Cons

It runs into a lot of bugs. There are times when it doesn't register that an assignment was submitted which creates confusion for users and usually leads to a lot of unnecessary emails to the instructor.

“organized and reliable software

Pros

I must say it has been excellent to use both in college and graduate school. The layout is well organized, everything is simple to access and it keeps assignments and grades across multiple classes clear and manageable.

Cons

The commenting and discussion board features work well enough but they could feel more collaborative. I have also run into upload issues with them before which can be frustrating.

“Provides everything in one space

Pros

Having everything in one central place with Canvas really makes a difference. The dashboard and overall interface are laid out in a way that feels familiar and after using it as a student at several different organizations over the years, I appreciate that they all look and work pretty much the same. That consistency is incredibly convenient.

Cons

At times the administrators using it didn't seem to have enough training and that affected how polished or user-friendly the experience was for the people on the receiving end.

“flexible dashboard and tracking

Pros

It runs really well on both my laptop and phone which makes it convenient to use anywhere. I also enjoy being able to customize my dashboard and the submission and scheduling tools work effectively and help me stay organized and on track.

Cons

I feel like the thing that could make it even better is adding a rewards-based system for younger students to help keep them engaged on the app.

“helpful for staying organized

Pros

This software keeps my classes organized and helps me stay on top of my work. I have used it to complete assignments and create practice tests and it does both really well.

Cons

There are times when it feels a little tricky to navigate but overall I enjoy using it and it rarely causes any problems.

“well-organized courses and pacing

Pros

Canvas keeps classroom materials very well organized. Assignments, announcements, quizzes and grades are all in one place which makes communication more efficient and helps students stay on top of things. Being able to schedule content and build courses with clearly defined modules has also made it much simpler to control pacing across the semester.

Cons

One problem I ran into was with quizzes not transferring properly from one course to another especially between school years. We eventually learned the quizzes were somehow stored on a different server than the rest of the course content. Unfortunately, it took nearly three years for that issue to get fixed.

“Useful for lecture scheduling

Pros

It makes it really simple to organize daily lectures and set schedules for assessments and exams which helps keep everything structured.

Cons

The software can be glitchy and updating certain things is not very easy. It's also frustrating that admin access is needed for some of the extra functions.

“helpful to-do tracking

Pros

One thing that really helps on Canvas is the To-Do feature. As it makes it much easier to keep track of which assignments need to be completed at any given time.

Cons

My biggest complaint is that the platform doesn't seem to have gotten any meaningful updates to improve usability. It feels like it has stayed mostly the same for years without any real changes or improvements.

“Amazing slide-style teaching tools

Pros

The feature set is excellent especially the way it works almost like a PowerPoint while showing all the slides in a much cleaner, more visually appealing layout.

Cons

From a teacher's side, one challenge is editing student work without making the changes directly for them. It would be much better if students could clearly see the edits and feedback made.

“Reliable software it is

Pros

I used it for school and it worked as a one-stop place for everything. Class materials were all there, including PowerPoints, tests, quizzes, exams and eventually the grading too.

Cons

The interface is a little complex and not very easy to follow and it comes across as inconsistent. I couldn't always tell whether that was because of each professor's setup or the platform itself. Finding documents was hit or miss and uploading assignments regularly caused problems so I often had to email professors backup copies just to make sure my work would actually be graded.

“Has great tools for everyday materials

Pros

Canvas has been useful for a lot of our day-to-day work, from printing things out and putting together flyers to making street signs, documents and invoices.

Cons

It did not feel very user friendly especially when creating flyers and the color choices and design options can feel limiting.

“clean layout and clear tracking

Pros

The clean layout makes it simple to navigate, the notifications are genuinely helpful and assignment tracking is very clear for students on a daily basis.

Cons

There are times when it feels a bit slow, messages can get buried and the grading tools may come across as confusing or somewhat limited.

“fantastic for employee management

Pros

Employee management has been the best. It's very simple to use, offers excellent value for the money and the customer support team stayed on top of every issue I ran into.

Cons

Nothing significant to complain about. I had a small issue with the software in the beginning but customer support walked me through it and got it sorted out.

“Top all in one training hub

Pros

Canvas works well for us as a training platform, with videos and other training content all housed in one place for both employees and managers.

Cons

The training videos on the tool do not load properly right when you try to start them.

“Simplifies course tracking

Pros

During my graduate program at the university, I used Canvas and appreciated having everything integrated into a single platform. It lets you keep track of practically everything in one place.

Cons

Coming into it as my first course management platform, this one felt pretty complex at the start for a beginner. On top of that as a Teaching Assistant, grading papers took some getting used to in the beginning.

“beginner-friendly and dependable tool

Pros

This tool is very user-friendly, with a clean interface that's welcoming for beginners. It works really well for employee management and the customer support has been helpful whenever needed.

Cons

I haven't run into any issues so far. Everything has been very simple and it has covered all the needs I use it for.

“helpful reports and SEO setup

Pros

With everything else going on, it was a relief that they managed to get the SEO side up and running without me needing to explain my business over and over again. The reports land in my email automatically and not having to think about them has been exactly what I needed.

Cons

Well the coding and development side dragged on much longer than I wanted and the pace felt pretty slow throughout. Communication with the offshore team was also difficult because of the time zone differences. On a much smaller note, the chocolate chip holiday cookie they sent was only about a 6/10 and noticeably dry compared to other cookies.

“It has a modern dashboard

Pros

A clean, modern dashboard makes Canvas very approachable for both students and instructors and it's especially helpful that instructors can switch to a student view. The mobile app is also easy to use and includes almost all of the core features. It also connects well with third-party tools like Zoom, Google Drive and other LTI plugins. Built-in features such as Turnitin and auto-graders save a lot of time by cutting down on manual checking and grading. On top of that there are plenty of extensions available for added customization.

Cons

The biggest annoyance is the amount of notifications, since if the settings aren't configured properly, you can end up getting alerts from both the app and email. There are also occasional bugs and sometimes it will show a message saying the tool is experiencing issues and the platform goes down which can be frustrating.

“announcements are a lifesaver

Pros

It has been a huge help when it comes to keeping our student information organized. It lets me structure learning content clearly and the announcements feature has honestly been a game changer. Not having to build and manage email groups anymore is such a relief.

Cons

Creating quizzes in it can take quite a bit of time, even though it's still manageable. I just wish that part of the system felt a little more user friendly.

“mobile app is very useful

Pros

Canvas does a great job with organization. The dashboard gives a clear snapshot of all my courses and the built-in calendar and to-do list make it simple to stay on top of deadlines. The mobile app is especially useful for checking progress and announcements while away from my computer so it works well as a central place for everything.

Cons

One thing that gets frustrating is the lack of consistency. A lot depends on how well each instructor sets up the course and when a class page is poorly organized, it becomes a pain to find anything. The interface also feels a bit outdated and the default notification settings tend to bombard you with emails over every small update.

“reliable for every course

Pros

This tool is accessible and fairly easy to navigate and students respond well to it. It has consistently worked really well for the courses I teach.

Cons

Honestly there's not much I dislike about it. I use it across all of my courses at CSUF and it has fit well for both of the classes I teach.

“helpful class management tools

Pros

Canvas has been really simple to navigate and the support is helpful. I can check my classes and grades without any hassle and it also works well for managing classes overall.

Cons

The thing that bothers me is that it can be buggy at times. There are moments when things do not load properly and the app occasionally crashes.

“user friendly with responsive support

Pros

Using it is fun and it is user friendly too. The customer support is also excellent so whenever something comes up, I know it'll be handled quickly.

Cons

A few of the grading tools can be a bit tricky to work with at times. I also wish there were a faster, more efficient way to upload grades into the gradebook.

“customizable and user-friendly

Pros

It's very user friendly and simple to tailor to the way I want to use it. I can turn notifications on or off without any hassle and the whole app is easy to navigate.

Cons

Whenever major updates roll out, it can take a bit of time to locate features or tools that used to be familiar. Smaller, more gradual changes would make those transitions a lot better.

“Simple layout and provide quick access

Pros

Canvas LMS is very easy to use, even without much prior experience. The layout keeps everything clearly organized so it's simple to scan through pages and find what you need quickly.

Cons

I don't really have any complaints about it. It's very user-friendly and makes pulling up documents and quizzes fast and convenient.

“All in one course hub

Pros

Having everything centralized in Canvas makes student life much more organized. As a learner I can check assignments, announcements, grades and messages all in one place instead of switching between different tools. The interface also stays pretty consistent from one class to another which cuts down on confusion. From the instructor side, it's also a great platform for handling courses, content and communication in an academic environment. It keeps materials, assignments and messages together and works reliably for structured learning. Overall it is very user-friendly.

Cons

The downside is that it can start to feel cluttered depending on how each instructor builds their course. Notifications may also become a bit too much and when a class isn't organized clearly, it can be hard to tell where certain materials are located.

“Top platform for courses

Pros

Using this tool is very easy whether I am taking courses or working as an instructor. The layout is simple to follow and it works really well as a platform for just about everyone.

Cons

At times the calendar can be a little confusing and I lose my place in it but most of the time the system is still easy to navigate and use in any situation.

“design is top class

Pros

Canvas is a very user-friendly learning management system with a visual interface that's simple to navigate. Plus it brings different types of learning together well and the variety of templates makes it much easier for new users to build assignments, quizzes and discussion prompts.

Cons

The gradebook in it can feel somewhat complicated and even a little overwhelming for new instructors at first. Its HTML editor also isn't strong enough for designers who want more creative control.

“assignment setup was easy

Pros

Updating and adding assignments is really easy. I am also able to link assignments directly to the home pages of the courses I teach without much effort. Uploading worksheets, whether they're PDFs or Word documents, into assignments is just as simple which makes managing course materials much more convenient.

Cons

Only thing that gets frustrating is when assignments need different open, due or close dates for separate course sections, because I have to set them up individually. It also makes me choose all three dates for every section, even in cases where the close date is exactly the same across all of them.

“well-structured and student-friendly

Pros

Everything is organized and clearly laid out from a student's perspective. It's very well structured and checking grades is simple which is honestly one of the most important things for students.

Cons

Updates or system maintenance bring the entire app down for a few hours. Instructors usually understand when that happens but it can still be frustrating sometimes.

“versatile pages and reliable tracking

Pros

Canvas works as a very flexible LMS especially when it comes to hosting and creating different kinds of files. The feature I appreciated most was being able to build pages that linked out to materials from multiple resources. As long as those links remained active, users could open and access them without trouble. Another big advantage was how much user activity it could track, including login times, session length and progress on required assignment items. It also kept up with scores which made record keeping really important and much more manageable.

Cons

One part that was less appealing was page creation, since getting pages to look exactly the way you wanted often required some coding knowledge. I was able to handle that because I have coding experience so I could set things up the way I wanted them to look and function. Still some of my colleagues struggled with this quite a bit. Without that technical background, they had a harder time creating the design they were aiming for.

“Offer great value

Pros

Considering the value for money, Canvas has been outstanding. It's user-friendly, the customer support has been excellent and both student course management and overall course management work really well. I also haven't run into any bugs or issues, though I cannot really comment on the employee management side.

Cons

There isn't anything I can say I like less about this software. Even the mobile app is useful and works really well.

“Like to have my coursework in one place

Pros

It does the best job of keeping all my schoolwork together in one place and letting me jump right back in where I stopped. As a college student, I rely on it a lot for my classes. The platform is also very simple to use and moving between courses while keeping everything organized in one spot is very easy too.

Cons

There have been a few glitches and bugs while using it. That said, I have never had to reach out to customer support for anything. Even with those issues, I still think it's better than a lot of other software out there.

“well organized classes and messaging now

Pros

Getting comfortable with Canvas didn't take long at all. Within about thirty minutes, I had a good grasp of how everything was laid out. Being able to email instructors directly from the platform is really convenient since I don't have to open a separate tab for my email. I also appreciate that every course has its own link which keeps all my classes organized nicely.

Cons

Honestly there isn't anything that comes to mind that I dislike. My school used a different platform before and it is much easier to navigate by comparison. The old system also seemed to update too often and those updates would sometimes lock users out which was really frustrating.

“organized courses all in one place

Pros

This tool is really easy to navigate and everything feels well organized. It keeps courses, assignments and communication together in one place which makes learning and collaboration feel simple and efficient.

Cons

At times the notifications can be overwhelming or just as easy to miss and some features like the grading and messaging tools can feel a little confusing at first.