# Brightspace Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra > With the help of Capterra, learn about Brightspace Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Higher Education products and more. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/122854/Brightspace/pricing --- # Brightspace Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on March 13, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Brightspace ## What is Brightspace? Many institutions are frustrated by their LMS that forces a one-size-fits-all approach to learning and is difficult to use. The Brightspace platform combines powerful tools that go beyond basic course management to let faculty teach engaging courses the way they want - whether blended, fully online, or competency-based learning. The intuitive, mobile-friendly interface makes it easy for faculty and students to start using it on the laptops, tablets, and smartphones they use every day. ## What is Brightspace used for? [Higher Education](https://www.capterra.com/higher-education-software/)[Learning Management System](https://www.capterra.com/learning-management-system-software/)[Virtual Classroom](https://www.capterra.com/virtual-classroom-software/) Recognitions Shortlist Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 235 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 87% Neutral 8% Negative 5% Contact vendor for pricing Free trial not available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... - Learning Management System / 2026 - Training / 2025 Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Brightspace?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=https://www.d2l.com&name=Brightspace) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Brightspace 4.3 (235) VS. [4.5 (341)](https://www.capterra.com/p/61763/Absorb-LMS/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price Contact vendor Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.1 (234) Ease Of Use 4.5 (4,316) Value For Money 4.0 (99) Value For Money 4.4 (2,498) Customer Service 4.1 (129) Customer Service 4.5 (2,693) ## Brightspace alternatives [4.7 (190)](https://www.capterra.com/p/144871/iSpring-Learn/reviews/) Starting price $3.58 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [4.8 (165)](https://www.capterra.com/p/135075/Classe365/reviews/) Starting price $100.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.3 (232)](https://www.capterra.com/p/150446/Cornerstone-LMS/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 88% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) [4.6 (4,321)](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/122854/Brightspace/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Brightspace Overview ### What problems does Brightspace solve? Brightspace solves fragmented online teaching and course administration by centralizing course materials, assignments, grading, discussions, and communication in one organized workspace. Instructors, academic admins, and students benefit most from easier course setup, fewer manual data-entry tasks, flexible remote access, and clearer progress tracking across online and hybrid classes. Answer based on 78 reviews Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Brightspace? Brightspace is most used by students, instructors, professors, and faculty who need a central hub for coursework, assignments, grading, and class communication. Instructional designers and academic administrators use it to build learning experiences, standardize course delivery, and support online or blended education across departments. Answer based on 220 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Brightspace built for? Brightspace is built for small businesses first, with 46% of reviewers, and most commonly serves education organizations, led by Education Management at 21%. It is used across higher education, K-12, enterprise, and associations, with strong reviewer representation in Primary/Secondary Education at 20%, Higher Education at 15%, and enterprises at 31%. Answer based on 235 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Brightspace? Brightspace includes core LMS features such as course management, assignment management, gradebook, student progress tracking, and discussions/forums. Differentiating features include self-paced online courses, release conditions and intelligent agents for personalized learning paths, plus analytics dashboards that track engagement, viewed content, and learner performance. Answer based on 138 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Brightspace integrate with? Brightspace integrates with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Zoom Workplace, Zoom Meetings, and Kaltura Video Platform, with additional cataloged connections such as Adobe Connect, Canvas, and Ellucian. It supports over 50 integrations overall, spanning video conferencing, classroom collaboration, student information systems, and credentialing tools. Answer based on 17 reviews Getting Started and Support ### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on Brightspace? Brightspace offers in-person training, live online sessions, webinars, videos, and documentation, which helps teams get started quickly. Reviewers say instructors, students, and users familiar with other LMS tools often onboard fast, while admins and teams setting up complex customizations, integrations, or advanced features usually need more time and guided training. Answer based on 29 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Brightspace offer, and how do users rate the experience? Brightspace offers email/help desk, FAQ/forum, knowledge base, 24/7 live rep, and chat. Users often describe support as helpful, fast, and available, with clear resources and tutorials. Some, however, report slow ticket resolution, uneven issue handling, limited documentation for complex tasks, and frustration when known bugs persist. Answer based on 42 reviews Student grade ### How well does Brightspace handle student grades? Brightspace makes grade tracking easy for many students and instructors, with clear gradebook access and course visibility. Teachers often like managing assignments, comments, and grading in one place, while some report cumbersome grade publishing, confusing rubric behavior, mobile app limitations, and occasional delays or bugs during grading workflows. Answer based on 138 reviews ## Features Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically. Learning Management 4.3 (35) 62.86% of 35 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Organize and track educational activities Activity Dashboard 4.1 (34) 70.59% of 34 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities Course Management 4.6 (27) 85.19% of 27 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Create, organize, and assign courses to users Student Information/Records 4.4 (24) 66.67% of 24 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Create lists of student grades, transcripts, class lists, course schedules, etc. to be shared with instructors and administration Assessment Management 4.4 (23) 69.57% of 23 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Creation, administration, and evaluation of assessments or tests Asynchronous Learning 4.4 (23) 69.57% of 23 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Supports flexible learning at different times (i.e., learners can access course materials at their own pace) Brightspace 59 features Software specialized for schools (K-12 & Post-Secondary) Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases Creation, administration, and evaluation of assessments or tests Assign issues and tasks based on availability or required skills Supports flexible learning at different times (i.e., learners can access course materials at their own pace) Supports learning paths that combine in-person classes with online/virtual courses Tools that allow users to create and publish courses and course material/content LMS functionality built-in for content delivery Enables management and tracking the certification/licensing requirements of learners, employees, or stakeholders Provides a channel for team members to share media files, communicate, and work together Manage and track all internal and external communication conducted via calls, email, text, or chat Centralized repository to store content and assets Handles digital content throughout its lifecycle, from creation and storage to distribution and archiving Software specialized for corporate use Create, organize, and assign courses to users Publish finished eLearning course in a compatible eLearning format (e.g., SCORM, xAPI). Track which progress and course materials have been completed by each user Map out the subjects that comprise courses of study Assembly of graphs and charts for visualizing and tracking statistics/metrics Online forums/groups where users can ask questions, share ideas, best practices, etc. Assemble applications and processes by dragging over and arranging pre-built components Software specialized for companies that sell courses/content Tracks metrics that provide insight into how a user interacts with any interface or product Confirmation of the enrollment of a student in a course, class, activity, or program Track and manage staff profiles, recruitment, schedules, productivity, career development and performance Collecting, analyzing, and utilizing feedback from users or customers to improve a product or service Software designed for higher education organizations Games or game-like elements to track progress and reward accomplishments Track student's scores and grades on course materials Allow the audience to interact or engage with the content Software designed for kindergarten through 12th grade schools Students can access materials and communicate with instructors via their online student profile Organize and track educational activities Designing course materials to be completed in a sequential order for personalized learning purposes Import various types of media (e.g., images, presentations, videos, music, etc.) to be used in eLearning courses Access for students to complete learning materials on mobile platforms Portal for parents to see and update childrens' info, track progress & more Document and report the progress of ongoing projects Reporting on how each user, task or process has advanced since its initiation Broadcast live video streams View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data Adherence to the standards outlined in the SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) framework Digitally share screen view with others Identifying your own learning needs, setting goals, finding the necessary resources, and evaluating your own knowledge Create tools to promote social interaction and learning between students/trainees and instructors/trainers Dictate the order and pace of an eLearning course, including the logic for how different learners progress Create lists of student grades, transcripts, class lists, course schedules, etc. to be shared with instructors and administration Database of students to track personal information of individuals and families Real-time, interactive learning experiences where participants engage in learning activities simultaneously Create tools to measure student retention of learning material and lessons Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes Back-office tasks (i.e. schedule courses, organize resources, course registrations, and email reminders) Track employee/learner's progression through training programs Connect with meeting participants remotely over video Store and manage online video content Supports various video file formats Classes/sessions accessible via web browser of built-in video conferencing Allows multiple users to simultaneously annotate on a digital whiteboard Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.2 (229) 4.2 Based on 229 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.0 (99) ### Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Free trial not available Value for money 4.0 (99) 4.0 Based on 99 reviews ## Integrations [ Google Workspace](https://www.capterra.com/p/247901/Google-Workspace/)[ Zoom Workplace](https://www.capterra.com/p/144037/Zoom-Video-Conferencing/)[ Microsoft 365](https://www.capterra.com/p/227157/Microsoft-365/)[ Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/)[ Microsoft OneNote](https://www.capterra.com/p/227211/Microsoft-OneNote/)[ Adobe Connect](https://www.capterra.com/p/203963/Adobe-Connect/)[ GoReact](https://www.capterra.com/p/210474/GoReact/)[ Poll Everywhere](https://www.capterra.com/p/127096/Poll-Everywhere/) Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.1 (129) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.1 (129) 4.1 Based on 129 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.3 Based on 235 reviews Filter by rating 5(105) 4(94) 3(24) 2(5) 1(7) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent KK Kanika K. Technical Manager Education Management ### "A Smooth and Integrated Learning Experience with Brightspace" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 7, 2026 Overall, my experience with Brightspace has been very positive. It offers a smooth and well-structured learning management environment that makes it easy to handle courses, assignments, grading, and communication in one place. Both students and instructors benefit from its simplicity and organized workflow. A major advantage is its integration with Orbund, which is a real boon for institutional operations. This integration allows seamless synchronization of data and makes course and student management much more efficient, reducing manual effort and improving accuracy. Despite minor occasional issues, Brightspace remains a reliable and effective platform that significantly streamlines academic and administrative processes, making overall management much smoother. Pros It is very user-friendly and organized online learning environment. It makes course management simple by keeping assignments, grades, discussions, and learning materials easily accessible in one place for both students and instructors. The platform is also very easy for instructors to use when managing courses, tracking student progress, grading students and sharing learning content. Additionally, its strong security features and access controls help institutions manage student accounts safely. Overall, Brightspace provides a reliable and flexible platform for effective online and hybrid learning. Cons One of the main drawbacks of Brightspace is that it can occasionally experience minor bugs and performance issues, such as slow loading times or delays when accessing course content or submitting assignments. At times, the interface may also feel slightly inconsistent across different modules, which can affect the overall user experience. However, these issues are generally not frequent and do not significantly impact core functionality. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JN Jean-Pierre N. Instructional Designer Higher Education ### "D2L is a powerful Learning Management System" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 December 22, 2025 D2L is a powerful Learning Management System with a powerful backend for experienced designers, and it is easy to navigate. Pros I like the fact that D2L is user-friendly, including mobile and PC users, and accommodates the accessiblity to all users. D2L has improved the HTML templates for the designers. Cons The graphic interface can be complex for instructors or new users. In addition, the customization of certain tools requires the help of the Technical Support. Switched from [Blackboard](https://www.capterra.com/p/14500/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business/) It was very affordable and easy to learn. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. CS Claire S. Intake Worker Mental Health Care ### "Brightspace (D2L) " 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 6/10 December 3, 2025 Pros Brightspace was a simple tool to use for course management when completing online courses. The courses were clear and detailed. Cons Brightspace had some bugs and functioning issues around discussion threads and boards. When going to post some threads would not allow you to respond due to and error. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. EB Ethan B. Detailer Automotive ### "D2L review" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 7/10 December 1, 2025 Good especially for a program that is so diverse in the amount of things it can support as a program Pros I liked how it is able to be used not just for management but also in the eduction space for schools Cons It is a little wonky for programming wise, inconsistent with how it manages documents and assignments Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. EB Erika B. Massage Therapist Alternative Medicine ### " Detailed yet easy to navigate! " 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 October 14, 2025 I used Brightspace as an employee at an organization that implemented Brightspace for training and compliance purposes. As an employee it was annoying because you had to actually click through during the training and couldn’t fast forward or just let it play. However as someone who has also had compliance responsibilities in the past, as annoying as it may have been as an employee, from a training and compliance aspect Brightspace was an excellent platform. Pros The learning modules were well put together and clearly conveyed the information and knowledge that was important for each module. It was also easy to track and see what was or wasn’t completed. Cons It seemed like it was glitchy at times, my log in occasionally needed to be updated more than it seemed like it should because my credentials weren’t recognized. However that may have been more of an issue with our HR administrator and not actually any issue on the part of Brightspace. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Joe R. IT Director Education Management ### "A real review of brightspace " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 October 8, 2025 Overall I'm very happy with Brightspace and would recommend it to anyone that may be looking for a web based learning platform Pros Brightspace is a great tool for advancing online learning. It offers great value and has very good customer support. Cons Brightspace can be a little clunky and laggy at times. I have also noticed that sometimes it will not fully load causing you to have to manually refresh. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AU Anonymous User Student Education Management ### "Brightspace Review" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 October 3, 2025 Overall Brightspace is a pretty good platform for course management. I really like that I can use it very easily without having to dive deeper into the specifics of the platform. Pros I like that D2L is a centralized place to keep all my courses and I can switch between courses very quickly. Anything posted on D2L by my professor can be seen pretty quickly. The quizzes I take on D2L are also in a good format Cons Its not for the website but the app does not show number grades or all the different days where the things are posted. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. LA Louis A. Adjunct Instructor Higher Education ### "Worst LMS ever" 1.0 Overall Rating 1.0 1.0 Ease of Use 1.0 1.0 Features 2.0 2.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 July 31, 2025 It wastes so much of the instructor's time as well as the students. All my students hate BS. Canvas was much easier to navigate, setup and use. Pros There is nothing that I like about Brightspace. It is poorly designed, non-inuitive, and a general mess to get anything done. Cons D2L Brightspace is the worst LMS that I have ever used. As an instructor it is not intuitive. Everything I need to do takes way too long, too many clicks and then it makes such a mess on the student end of things because it is full of bugs and no one at D2L cares. There is no reason why in 2025 I would need to contact our BS administrator every week for help. Their Help manuals make no sense and use a word-salad of vocabulary to describe something any normal person can say in 3 words. It is like they are desperately trying to sound smart; or they are so out of touch with the real world that they don't care how confusing and obtuse it all is. I would say to anyone considering using it, don't. Switched from [Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) School decided to switch, it was not my decision Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. CM Catherine M. CEO Graphic Design ### "Lifesaver as a Student " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 30, 2025 I still love Brightspace. I find it easier than Moodle or Canvas. The experience is user friendly that even an older adult could use. Pros Brightspace makes my life easier as a student. Everything I need for my class is right there. It is very easy to navigate. Cons Sometimes when you need a book like Connect, it is difficult to load the book. Also logs you out after inactivity. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. TC Teresa C. Student E-Learning ### "Please let us toggle the menu bar along the top" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 2/10 March 28, 2025 Pros When used well it is great to have everything I need all in one place, course readings, assignments and lecture content is easily accessible Cons The bar along the top takes up so much space on IOS that it is difficult to read PDFs, I wish this was a feature I could toggle on and off. Switched from [Sakai LMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/124698/Sakai-CLE/) My University made the switch to Brightspace Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/122854/Brightspace/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [Canvas vs Brightspace](https://www.capterra.com/compare/122854-127214/Brightspace-vs-CANVAS)[Moodle vs Brightspace](https://www.capterra.com/compare/80691-122854/Moodle-vs-Brightspace)[Blackboard vs Brightspace](https://www.capterra.com/compare/14500-122854/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business-vs-Brightspace) [Thinkific vs Brightspace](https://www.capterra.com/compare/122854-132888/Brightspace-vs-Thinkific)[Google Classroom vs Brightspace](https://www.capterra.com/compare/122854-186631/Brightspace-vs-Google-Classroom)[Teachable vs Brightspace](https://www.capterra.com/compare/122854-147019/Brightspace-vs-Teachable)