Canvas LMS vs ILIAS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted learning & courses options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Canvas LMS
Open-source learning management system by Instructure
VS
ILIAS
Powerful open-source LMS for education and training
| Feature | Canvas LMS | ILIAS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,763 | ★ 498 |
| First released | 2011 | 2000 |
| Replaces | Blackboard, Moodle | Moodle, Blackboard |
Why pick each one
Choose Canvas LMS if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Ruby
Choose ILIAS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Canvas LMS or ILIAS better?
Neither is universally better. Canvas LMS has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Canvas LMS and ILIAS free and open-source?
Yes. Canvas LMS is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ILIAS under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Canvas LMS and ILIAS with Docker?
Canvas LMS: yes. ILIAS: yes.