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Moodle vs Canvas LMS: catalog facts
Moodle	Canvas LMS
Free Free open-source software to host yourself.	Freemium Self-hosting the AGPL code is free; Instructure's hosted Canvas is sold to institutions.
Web, Self-hosted	Web, Self-hosted
Open source and self-hostable Keeps course data on your own server	Widely used LMS with a large ecosystem Integrates with more than 1000 external tools
Requires a server and ongoing maintenance More than an individual learner needs	Self-hosting a production instance is complex Product website focuses on the paid hosted service
Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Hosted service
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: AGPL-3.0
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
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

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