A Canvas LMS alternative for bilingual schools and universities
Canvas LMS is a widely adopted platform in schools, colleges and universities. Ilmoria is built for institutions that want Arabic and English throughout, and the school office in the same system: parents, admissions and payments. Here is how the two compare on needs, when Canvas may suit you better, and how a move works.
About Canvas LMS
Canvas LMS is made by Instructure, a company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Canvas is used by schools, colleges and universities. Its core code is published as open source under the AGPLv3 licence, while Instructure offers Canvas as a hosted service. In 2024 Instructure was acquired by investment firm KKR, alongside Dragoneer, and became a privately held company. Instructure also owns Parchment, a platform for academic credentials.
When Canvas LMS may suit you better
- Your teaching depends on a wide set of LTI tools today. On Ilmoria, LTI 1.3 is on the roadmap.
- You want an open-source core that your own team can inspect or run.
- Your faculty and students already know Canvas well, and you don't need parents, admissions or payments in the same system.
Why teams look for an alternative
You want Arabic and English with full right-to-left out of the box
Every screen in both languages, switchable per user, with Arabic wording your staff can correct.
You want parents, admissions and payments in the same system
Parent conversations, applications, placement tests, invoices and receipts sit next to courses and grades.
You run self-paced courses with individual timelines
Each student has an enrolment start date and a target completion date, can pause or withdraw, and works with a mentor.
You want several schools under one account
Each school or campus keeps its own branding, web address, users and data.
Where Ilmoria is a strong fit
Arabic and English on every screen
Each user switches language at any time. Arabic is fully right-to-left, and your staff can correct its wording.
Parents as part of the school
The parent portal covers progress, final grades, conversations with the school, invoices and receipts.
Admissions through to enrolment
Private registration links, applications with documents, placement tests and e-signed enrolment documents, all in admissions and enrolment.
Proven in a self-paced online school
Ilmoria grew out of the platform Ithraa School uses every day for self-paced courses, mentors and parents.
Records and certificates
Final grades with approvals and locking, transcripts with GPA and credits, and certificates with QR verification.
A checklist for your decision
Use this list to compare Ilmoria with Canvas LMS, or any other system, during demos.
| What you need | In Ilmoria |
|---|---|
| Arabic and English interface | Every screen in both, fully right-to-left Arabic |
| Parent portal | Progress, final grades, messages, invoices and receipts |
| Admissions and enrolment | Applications, placement tests, e-signed documents |
| Payments | Invoices and receipts per student, with payment statuses |
| Self-paced timelines | Start and target completion dates, pause and withdraw |
| Exam integrity | Integrity score per attempt, flagged for review |
| Several schools or campuses | Own branding, domain, users and data for each |
| LTI 1.3 | On the roadmap |
Moving from Canvas LMS
Moving from Canvas LMS usually takes four steps. Export users, courses and grades as CSV files and import them into Ilmoria. Upload files, videos and PDFs directly, then rebuild pages, quizzes and assignments in the course builder; Ilmoria does not import Canvas course exports automatically. Run a pilot with one grade, programme or campus for a term. Finally, train teachers, office staff, students and parents. Book a demo to map out the steps for your institution.
Questions buyers ask
Can Ilmoria import our Canvas courses?
Not automatically. Ilmoria does not import Canvas course exports. Users, courses and grades move across as CSV files, files and videos upload directly, and pages, quizzes and assignments are rebuilt in the course builder. Starting with a pilot group of courses keeps the work manageable and lets teachers learn the tools on real content.
Does Ilmoria support LTI?
Not yet. LTI 1.3 is on the roadmap. Today Ilmoria connects through Google and Microsoft sign-in, CSV import and export of users, courses and grades, and, on enterprise plans, SAML single sign-on and a REST API with webhooks. If your courses depend on many LTI tools now, factor that into your timing.
Does Ilmoria work for both K-12 and higher education?
Yes. Schools work with grade levels, sections, the parent portal, admissions and payments. Universities and colleges work with courses and sections, integrity-monitored exams, peer-reviewed discussions, and transcripts with GPA and credits. Both run on the same platform, and one account can host several schools or campuses, each with its own branding and data.
How do parents use Ilmoria?
Parents get their own portal. They follow each child's progress, grades and final grades, message teachers, the school office or administration in categorised conversations, and see and print invoices and receipts. Staff can close and reopen conversations, so every request has an owner and a clear status.
Is there a mobile app?
Ilmoria works in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers, and it can be added to a phone's home screen as an installable web app. Students, parents, teachers and staff get the same features on every device. Native iOS and Android apps are on the roadmap.
Other comparisons
- Moodle alternative
- Blackboard LMS alternative
- Google Classroom alternative
- Classera alternative
- CYPHER Learning alternative
Canvas LMS is a trademark of its respective owner. Information about other products is general and may change; check details with each vendor.
See Ilmoria with your own school in mind
A 30-minute call with a product specialist. Bring your timetable, your grading rules and your toughest question. We will show you how it works for you, in English or Arabic.