Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Notion VS Canvas by Instructure

Compare Notion VS Canvas by Instructure and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Notion logo Notion

All-in-one workspace. One tool for your whole team. Write, plan, and get organized.

Canvas by Instructure logo Canvas by Instructure

The Canvas LMS is the world's fastest growing learning management system. Check out favorite features and schedule a live demo!
  • Notion Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12
  • Canvas by Instructure Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-11

Notion features and specs

  • All-in-One Workspace
    Notion combines note-taking, task management, databases, calendars, and collaboration features in a single platform, reducing the need for multiple tools.
  • Highly Customizable
    Users can tailor Notion to fit their specific workflow with customizable templates, pages, and databases, making it versatile for various use cases.
  • Collaboration Features
    Notion offers seamless collaboration with real-time editing, comments, mentions, and shared workspaces, enhancing teamwork and productivity.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Notion is available on multiple platforms, including web, desktop, and mobile, providing flexibility and accessibility from anywhere.
  • Integration Capability
    Notion supports integrations with various third-party applications like Google Drive, Slack, and Trello, allowing for a more interconnected workflow.

Possible disadvantages of Notion

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and customization options, new users might find Notion challenging to learn and navigate initially.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report that Notion can become slow or experience lag, especially with large databases and complex pages.
  • Offline Limitations
    While Notion offers some offline capabilities, its functionality is significantly reduced without an internet connection, which can be inconvenient for some users.
  • Pricing for Teams
    Though Notion offers a free version, its premium plans can be expensive for larger teams, which may be a constraint for startups or small businesses.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based service, there are potential privacy and data security concerns, especially for users handling sensitive information.

Canvas by Instructure features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Canvas is designed with a simple, clean interface that is easy for both instructors and students to navigate, reducing the learning curve.
  • Customizable
    Canvas offers extensive customization options, allowing institutions to tailor the platform to their specific needs and branding.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Canvas supports a wide range of third-party integrations, including popular educational tools and services, increasing its adaptability.
  • Mobile App
    Canvas provides a robust mobile app that allows students and teachers to access course materials, submit assignments, and engage in discussions on the go.
  • Active Community and Support
    Canvas has a large community of users who share resources and strategies, as well as extensive support options including guides, tutorials, and customer service.
  • Robust Analytics
    Canvas includes powerful analytics tools that allow educators to track student performance and engagement, facilitating data-driven decisions.

Possible disadvantages of Canvas by Instructure

  • Cost
    The pricing for Canvas can be high, particularly for smaller institutions, and additional costs may be incurred for certain premium features or integrations.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic features are straightforward, more advanced functionalities can have a steeper learning curve, requiring time and training to utilize fully.
  • Occasional Downtime
    Some users have reported occasional downtime or slow performance, which can be disruptive to the teaching and learning process.
  • Limited Offline Access
    Canvas's offline access features are somewhat limited, making it difficult for students and instructors to work without a stable internet connection.
  • Support Response Time
    While Canvas offers comprehensive support, some users have experienced slower response times for resolving issues, especially during peak usage periods.
  • Complexity for Large Courses
    Managing very large courses with many students can be complex and require more administrative effort, which can be cumbersome without adequate support.

Notion videos

The Most Powerful Productivity App I Use - Notion

More videos:

  • Review - I switched to Notion for a week... Here's what happened!
  • Review - Notion is Truly an All-in-One Productivity Tool (App Review)

Canvas by Instructure videos

CANVAS BEAUTY HAIR GROWTH SERUM 💕 PRODUCT REVIEW!

More videos:

  • Review - Canvas Beauty Brand | 3 Month Product Review Update
  • Review - Canvas Beauty Hair Growth Serum RESULTS| 30 Day Challenge Results

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Notion and Canvas by Instructure)
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
Education
0 0%
100% 100
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
LMS
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Notion and Canvas by Instructure. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Notion and Canvas by Instructure

Notion Reviews

  1. jk22
    · consultant at GFI ·
    Notion has helped in documenting our business

    It's been very very helpful to streamline different people on our team, especially remote workers to help them understand what's going on in our business without 100s of meetings.

    👍 Pros:    Ui is very attractive|Easy to use|Great for collaboration|Good customer service|Free to use
    👎 Cons:    Steep learning curve
  2. Ramesh Kumar
    · Product Manager at Aerial ·
    Extremely helpful- made life easier

    My remote-first start-up has eliminated more than 200+ hours of meetings and 1000s of mismanaged documents because our entire communication happens through Notion.

    👍 Pros:    Clean ui|File sharing|Modular
    👎 Cons:    Learning curve
  3. Boyd Richardson
    · Writer at SE ·

    As someone who's always on the lookout for the perfect productivity app, I was excited to try out Notion. It promises to be an all-in-one tool for everything from note-taking to project management to personal wikis.

    From the moment you open Notion, you can tell that it's different from other productivity apps. The interface is sleek and modern, and it's easy to navigate. The app is divided into pages, which can be customized with different templates to fit your needs. You can create to-do lists, databases, wikis, calendars, and more.

    One of the things I love about Notion is the ability to create relationships between pages. For example, you can create a database of your favorite books and then link to a page with your book reviews. Or you can create a to-do list and link to a page with notes about the task. This feature makes it easy to keep all of your information in one place and to connect related items.

    🏁 Competitors: Microsoft Loop
    👍 Pros:    Highly customizable|All in one|Collaboration|Cross platform
    👎 Cons:    Steep learning curve

Top 10 Notion Alternatives for 2025 and Why Teams Are Choosing Ledger
If you're looking for a Notion alternative that supports real, scalable teamwork, you're not alone. Whether you’ve outgrown Notion or are just exploring more robust, team-friendly platforms, here’s a breakdown of the top 10 alternatives in 2025—and why Ledger is becoming the go-to choice for modern teams.
How Tight-Knit Teams Get More Done with Innovative Project Management Tools
Notion: More than a task manager, it acts as a knowledge base. You can store guidelines, references, wikis, and to-do lists all under one roof.
Source: medium.com
11 Popular Knowledge Management Tools to Consider in 2025 
Notion AI (Optional Add-on) – $8 per user/month (billed annually). Available for all plans (including the free plan)
Source: knowmax.ai
11 Best Google Keeps Alternatives for 2024
Unlike other note-taking apps, Notion stands out for its endless customization. It’s like an all-in-one workspace structured by pages and blocks.
Source: upbase.io
20 Obsidian Alternatives: Top Note-Taking Tools to Consider
Notion is a popular alternative to Obsidian for its simplicity, minimalistic interface, and large community. On top of note-taking, you can use Notion as a task management tool to create simple to-dos or build a personal knowledge base. You can also embed links, images, videos, code snippets, etc. Notion also has bi-directional functionalities enabling you to interconnect...
Source: clickup.com

Canvas by Instructure Reviews

We have no reviews of Canvas by Instructure yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Notion seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 441 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Notion mentions (441)

  • Cool SHIT you can do with docker
    Two of the most popular open source note taking app are affine (basically notion but open source) and obsidian (which stores notes in markdown). - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2024)
    Notion | https://notion.so | Android Engineer | SF | hybrid (in office 2x a week) | Full time
      Level: Mid/Mid+ (4-6yrs experience).
    - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Karyam: Simples everyday writing app
    Advanced Notion and Google Doc writing editor. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • My blog post workflow
    I manage my non-work and work-adjacent tasks in Notion. Whenever I have an idea, regardless of how big or small or silly or achievable it is, I'll add it to Notion, and use labels to categorise it by type of output (e.g. blog, silly project, website update). Today I wanted to write a short post for my site. I clicked on the filtered blog post view, and selected this one (because I hoped it would be a quick one!). - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • 6 AI tools that feels illegal to know🤖
    Notion.so redefines workspaces. With its intelligent organization and collaboration features, it's more than a productivity tool—it's a digital haven. Discover the art of streamlined and efficient teamwork. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

Canvas by Instructure mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Canvas by Instructure yet. Tracking of Canvas by Instructure recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Notion and Canvas by Instructure, you can also consider the following products

Trello - Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It's free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.

PowerSchool - PowerSchool provides a K-12 education technology platform for operations, classroom, student growth, and family engagement.

Asana - Asana project management is an effort to re-imagine how we work together, through modern productivity software. Fast and versatile, Asana helps individuals and groups get more done.

Teachable - Create and sell beautiful online courses with the platform used by the best online entrepreneurs to sell $100m+ to over 4 million students worldwide.

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

Claroline - Claroline is a collaborative eLearning and eWorking platform.