Compare software

Canvas LMSOpenOlat
Freemium

Self-hosting the AGPL code is free; Instructure's hosted Canvas is sold to institutions.

 Free

The software is open source; hosting and support are offered commercially.

Web, Self-hosted Web, Self-hosted
  • Widely used LMS with a large ecosystem
  • Integrates with more than 1000 external tools
  • Modular course building with many didactic tools
  • Built-in testing and assessment
  • Self-hosting a production instance is complex
  • Product website focuses on the paid hosted service
  • Main website is largely in German
  • Requires running a Java server stack
Self-hosted, Hosted service Self-hosted
Open source Open source
License: AGPL-3.0 License: Apache-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline Not stated if it works offline

Checked October 2, 2026

Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.