Canvas LMS vs Scratch
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
Scratch
Programming language to create your own interactive stories, games,
| Feature | Canvas LMS | Scratch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Ruby | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,763 | ★ 4,811 |
| First released | 2011 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Blackboard, Moodle | — |
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 Scratch if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (4.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Canvas LMS or Scratch better?
Neither is universally better. Canvas LMS has the larger community, while Scratch is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Canvas LMS and Scratch free and open-source?
Yes. Canvas LMS is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Scratch under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Canvas LMS and Scratch with Docker?
Canvas LMS: yes. Scratch: check the project docs for container support.