Canvas Account Comparison
This document compares the features available in paid Canvas accounts and Free-for-Teacher accounts.
Canvas offers a wide range of features depending on your educational needs. To introduce Canvas as a learning platform, Canvas offers a Free-for-Teacher account that is always free. Try Canvas for Free.
As of July 2020, Canvas Support only accepts support emails from Free-for-Teacher users regarding deleting accounts, restoring deleted courses, resetting passwords, and making courses public.
Canvas Features
Free-for-Teacher accounts do not contain all options available to paid Canvas environments. The following table shows feature availability in Free-for-Teacher accounts. For more information about a Canvas feature, please visit the Canvas Guides (guides.canvaslms.com).
Teachers using a Free-for-Teacher account have all the same default Teacher permissions listed here with the exception of the Grades - Select Final Grade for Moderation permission. View course permissions in Canvas.
|
Feature |
Paid Canvas |
Free for Teacher |
|
Course-level Features (Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Grades, People, Pages, Files, Syllabus, Outcomes, Quizzes, Modules, Conferences, Collaborations, Course Settings) |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Third-party/SSO Authentication |
Custom authentication with any available authentication provider |
Canvas authentication, Facebook, GitHub, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter |
|
Canvas-Enabled External Tools (LTIs) |
Chat, New Quizzes Quizzes tool, Roll Call Attendance, SCORM (Assignments) |
✖️ |
|
File Storage |
MB set by admin |
500 MB/course |
|
External Notifications |
Email, Slack |
|
|
Third-Party External Apps Management (LTIs) |
Account/course level |
Course level |
|
User Roles |
Student, Teacher, TA, Designer, Observer + Custom Roles |
Student, Teacher, TA, Designer, Observer |
|
Canvas Commons Resources |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
ePortfolios |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Canvas Customer Support/Admin Ticketing System |
✔️ | ✔️ ^ |
|
Blueprint Course Templates |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Individual Course Templates |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Account and Sub-account Management |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Account and Sub-account Branding (Theme Editor) |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Custom User Permissions |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Terms Management |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Canvas for Elementary Dashboard (K–6) |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
File Usage Rights Management |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
New Quizzes LTI |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Multiple Grading Periods |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Calendar Course Appointment Scheduler |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Admin Tools, Data, and Reports |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Student Information System (SIS) Imports |
✔️ | ✖️ |
* Student assignment submissions are not counted toward the user quota. Student group submissions are not counted toward the group quota.
^ As of July 2020, Canvas Support only accepts support emails from Free-for-Teacher users regarding deleting accounts, restoring deleted courses, resetting passwords, and making courses public.
Canvas Feature Options
Canvas includes several optional features that may affect the workflow of common account and/or course activities. The tables below indicates feature option availability in Free-for-Teacher accounts. For more information about each feature option, visit the Settings chapter in the Canvas Guides for the Admin Guide and Instructor Guide, respectively. You can also review the Canvas Feature Option Summary resource document.
Feature options in Free-for-Teacher accounts may be turned on at any time.
|
Account Feature Options |
Paid Canvas |
Free for Teacher |
|
Confetti for On-Time Submissions |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Confetti for Valid Links |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Comment Library |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Public Course Index |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Wrap Event Titles in Calendar Month View |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Student Context Card |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
New User Tutorial |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
New Quizzes Importing |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Product Tours |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Help for Unpublished Courses |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
View Ungraded as Zero View in Gradebook |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Microsoft Immersive Reader |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Encrypted Sourcedids for Basic Outcomes |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Content Security Policy |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Enable New SIS Integration Settings |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
K-12 Specific Features |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Account and Course Level Outcome Mastery Scale Management |
✔️ | ✖️ |
| Improved Outcomes Management
|
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Apply Score to Ungraded |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Rich Content Editor Icon Maker |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Scheduled Page Publication |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Self Service User Merge |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Temporary Enrollments |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Microsoft Group Enrollment Syncing |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Mobile Offline Mode |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Course Feature Options |
Paid Canvas |
Free for Teacher |
|
ePub/HTML Exporting |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Learning Mastery Gradebook |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Student Learning Mastery Gradebook |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
New Analytics |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Quiz Log Auditing |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Anonymous Grading |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Mastery Paths |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
External Collaborations Tool |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Anonymous Instructor Annotations |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Final Grade Override |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Allow Outcome Extra Credit |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Moderated Grading |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Outcome Service Results to |
✔️ | ✔️ |
|
Post Grades to SIS |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Restrict Students from Annotating |
✔️ | ✖️ |
|
Emojis in Submission Comments |
✔️ | ✖️ |
Last update: 2024-04-16
This resource can also be accessed from the following Canvas Guides:
