--- title: "Brightspace Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Brightspace the right Higher Education solution for you? Explore 236 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/122854/Brightspace/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Brightspace 4.2 (236) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/122854/Brightspace/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 26th, 2026 # Reviews of Brightspace Ease of use 4.1 Customer Service 4.1 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews KK Kanika K Technical ManagerEducation Management, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It offers a smooth and well-structured learning management environment that makes it easy to handle courses, assignments, grading, and communication in one place.“ May 7, 2026 KK Kanika K Technical ManagerEducation Management, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “At times, the interface may also feel slightly inconsistent across different modules, which can affect the overall user experience.“ May 7, 2026 KK Kanika K Technical ManagerEducation Management, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The platform is also very easy for instructors to use when managing courses, tracking student progress, grading students and sharing learning content.“ May 7, 2026 SA Sameer A StudentEducation Management, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Its not for the website but the app does not show number grades or all the different days where the things are posted.“ October 3, 2025 KK Kanika K Technical ManagerEducation Management, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Overall, Brightspace provides a reliable and flexible platform for effective online and hybrid learning.“ May 7, 2026 EB Erika B Massage TherapistAlternative Medicine, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “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.“ October 14, 2025 JN Jean-Pierre N Instructional DesignerHigher Education, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I like the fact that D2L is user-friendly, including mobile and PC users, and accommodates the accessiblity to all users. “ December 22, 2025 LA Louis A Adjunct InstructorHigher Education, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “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.“ July 31, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 236 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Heather W. Student E-Learning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Hands down the best learning software to date " January 5, 2023 5.0 My other experience with this software it has made me love to learn again maybe love school again it’s so easy to use. It’s so user-friendly I can’t say that enough it is hands-down, the best learning software there is. Pros Everything about this software is super user-friendly they think about the student when they made this it’s not hard to years. It’s not hard to follow as long as you do the tutorials and follow what they say. At the beginning you can’t go wrong there’s nothing negative I can say about it. I’ve never had any issues using this and I’ve used this software at two different colleges. Hands down the best. Cons There’s only one thing that I kind of don’t really understand is the virtual classroom thing I’ve still not understood why some places use the virtual product classroom and sign the right space software and some don’t but I think that’s more of a college preference instead of a software preference to bright space Review Source CR Carol R. Adjunct Professor E-Learning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "User friendly!" February 4, 2025 5.0 Logical and easy to use, especially coming off of programs like Canvas and Blackboard. Pros It's easy to add content and grade. Organization of a course is logical, and it doesn't require a lot of training to use, whether from an instructor or student standpoint. Cons Zeros are entered automatically for quiz and test questions that must be manually graded, which causes my students to stress at their initial grades. Keeping the initial grade hidden until those questions can be addressed would be nice. Switched from [Blackboard](https://www.capterra.com/p/14500/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business/) My college chose to move from Blackboard to Brightspace due to better functionality and features. Review Source RN Razi N. Professor Higher Education Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Worst Learning Management System" November 17, 2024 1.0 This is the worst LMS I have experienced as a teacher or student, considering four different systems that I have used. It is not intuitive and the simplest thing takes many steps. It is very poor in organizing what you see on the screen. Pros Nothing. See comments below about experiences. Cons Everything. See comments below about experiences. Switched from [Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) Higher management decision, faculty had no choice. Review Source AK Amber K. Administrative Specialist Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "D2L LMS Review" November 1, 2021 5.0 My overall experience with D2L is a great experience. I enjoy using this product as a staff, as well as a student. There are also many tutorial videos out there to search through when having an issue. Pros What I like most about this product is the ease of navigating each feature of the product. There are quite a few features, all of them being outstanding and easy to use. Cons There seem to be quite a few bugs for us with this product. However, the product has been integrated going on two years, so there is bound to be some issues going forward. Alternatives considered [Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) Reason for choosing Brightspace Brightspace was cheaper than others, with a much better quality. Switched from [Blackboard](https://www.capterra.com/p/14500/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business/) The other LMS was going away, and we had to look for a new product, also one that was cheaper. Review Source NB Nathan B. Principal E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Aesthetically Pleasing and Easy to Use" June 11, 2021 5.0 We have been able to boost productivity consistency, and quality using Brightspace. It is easier to build out courses and map them in a simple hierarchy. Course templating allows us to ensure consistency when building copies of courses or new versions. Brightspace has also allowed us to automate a number of functions we would normally need to perform in terms of student management, which has freed up personnel for other tasks but also removed human error from the equation. Pros Brightspace is very intuitive; users can jump into the LMS and figure out what they need to do with little to no instructions. I like the power it gives admins to build in automation and customize how students work through the course. This is done via intelligent agents and release conditions. Brightspace just looks great. Is the most aesthetically pleasing LMS on the market as far as I have seen. Cons The platform seems more geared toward traditional schooling systems rather than asynchronous models at times. For example, there is no easy way for students to add their own due dates to assessments; they can only be added for the entire course, which does not work when students are all pacing differently. Brightspace for Parents is also not as strong as I would have expected. There seems to be limited features and out parents are just not really interested in using it. Alternatives considered [Edsby](https://www.capterra.com/p/122855/Edsby/)[Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/)[Schoology](https://www.capterra.com/p/128481/Schoology/) Reason for choosing Brightspace We felt Brightspace packed in the most functionality and also looked (and felt the best). Switched from [Moodle](https://www.capterra.com/p/80691/Moodle/) We were looking for something that worked well out of the box. D2L manages all of the updating of the system, hosting, etc. Using something like Moodle requires at least one person on the team with a strong tech background. Brightspace can be run with little to no tech experience. Review Source SR Shanyce R. student Medical Practice Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "One of the Best Softwares to Use as a Student" May 24, 2022 5.0 Pros What I liked most was the simple and effective organization. It was a software that was definitely created in mind to set students up to succeed. Firstly, the way the Chapters, sections, topics, and individual assignments were organized on the side was something that was consistent for each of the subjects I was studying. Then on the top bar, you were able to click on pages that would essentially "filter" the types of class material. You could see all the assessments in one place, all the assignments in one place, and your grades. On top of that, every single thing was linked back to the corresponding item. For example, if you couldn't recall what "assignment 2" was when looking at it in the gradebook, you were able to click it and redirect it to the original post. There was also notifications for when assignments were open and reminders for when exams and homework was due. As someone who has used canvas, blackboard, google classrooms, and a few other softwares for school, these functions were not common. There were also times where it would be extremely hard and confusing to navigate. However I never ran into that issue with D2L. Cons It is hard to find any qualms about D2L Brightspace, there is nothing negative I've noticed the entire time I have been using the software. Switched from [Class for Web](https://www.capterra.com/p/141222/Blackboard-Collaborate/) Not my choice, the school decided to switch to using Brightspace on their own. Review Source LL Lucy L. Associate E-Learning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Easy to Use, Could Be Improved" August 20, 2024 4.0 I do enjoy Brightspace, however certain functions could be improved. It would be nice if it had an "Upcoming Assignments" section on the dashboard. Pros I enjoy the way in which the content or each class is organized. Cons I am not a fan of the amount of email notifications sent by Brightspace (discussions, announcements, etc.). If you do not want to receive any of these notifications, you have to unsubscribe from each thread. It is timely and clutters the inbox. Switched from [Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) Switched due to changing higher education institutions. Review Source DM Danilo M. Digital Products Manager Latam E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Canadian Masterpiece like a Lego with 3000 pieces" March 26, 2024 4.0 I used for almost ten years, in 2013 help me to replace a huge straming infra strutucture , sattelites and big antesnas, was update by caption, just me a web cam and my note could increase the opportunitties to offer content to k12 schools that we never dreamed before, after that we use almost all D2L portfolio. was amazing. Pros Very trustable Visibility of team productivity Helpful students reports Cons Hard to assemble Negotiation complicated Small support Review Source TD Teddy D. Director of Recruiting Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Alright There are better options" May 27, 2023 5.0 My experience with Brightspace has been somewhat positive although I would go researching more alternatives Pros One of the features I like most about Brightspace is the progress tracking. If a student is behind on an assignment or more than it highlights on their course. Cons At the time I was introduced to Brightspace, the previous learning environment stopped operations resulting in everyone having to adjust to Brightspace. One of the features I like the least about bright space is not being able to access Brightspace on mobile. It is difficult to view it on mobile and other classroom tools are able to view it on mobile Switched from [Blackboard](https://www.capterra.com/p/14500/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business/) Blackboard was ceasing operations resulting in institutions to find an alternative within a short span of time. Review Source TC Teresa C. Student E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Please let us toggle the menu bar along the top" March 28, 2025 4.0 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 SW Steve W. Contract Instructor Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Complicated work made simple!" December 20, 2024 5.0 Helps me keep a good grip on assignments my students have completed, as well as grades for the term at a glance. Easy to use and covers pretty much every function that a professor or instructor is likely to need. Pros Using the program means you don't have to re-invent the wheel. It's a great and well-designed educational program that I use as a university prof. Cons There are a few little things such as color coding for certain assignments that I still don't fully understand. But it's not critical. Review Source MP Michael P. Financial Analyst Government Administration Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great educational product" March 27, 2025 5.0 Great product that helped me advance my career. Pros Very easy to navigate classes and learn without combatting technology Cons Seemed a little outdated for some other classes I have taken Review Source ES Ed S. Professor of Aviation Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 2+ years ### "D2L - Academic Freedom!" September 18, 2024 5.0 I have used it as a Faulty member for the last 10+ years without any assistance for regular use. Now I am using Widgets, Icon's, and Homepage design without involving the Administrator Pros D2L is always looking ahead and improving and adding new features Cons Some features have a few got ya's such as not being able to manage due dates in discussions Review Source RM Renata M. Science Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "An Educators Review of Brightspace" December 16, 2022 4.0 Overall Brightspace has allowed for easy and efficient course taking and an organized space for students and educators to communicate and work well together as a team. Pros Overall, Brightspace allows educators to design useful online courses that enable students to succeed and achieve a degree from the comfort of their homes if reaching a campus is not a possibility. Cons Brightspace has attempted to integrate a video feature where a course can be held online through a video platform however this feature is constantly lagging and still needs much work before it will function well. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Assistant Adjunct Professor Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Good LMS Option" November 5, 2023 5.0 The school made the right choice in switching to Brightspace. It's quick and easy to understand Pros It has many of the same features of other LMS options, such as Blackboard and Angel. It has many advantages over a product such as Moodle. It's easy to understand and the cleanest user interface of all major college LMSs Cons It needs a video class option, similar to Blackboard UltraCollaborate Review Source DS David S. Adjunct Professor Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Brightspace Brightens my Class" February 28, 2022 5.0 Pros Brightspace is very easy to navigate and customize. It looks very nice and many uses familiar with something like Wordpress will have a pretty easy time. It is also in many ways similar to other popular social media platforms for students, I imagine, they are pretty comfortable with a platforms like this. Managing grades, assignments and embedding external links is very organic. There are some great tutorials too form D2L. It's also similar enough to other platforms that if you are migrating from another system, this shouldn't have too much of a learning curve. I love how easy it is to build a template course and transition various components or modules to a new one. Cons My only con is purely subjective, but I have had issues with embedded links like videos. I find it very hard to remove items from the Grades section (the gradebook). I constantly have to view a tutorial because it is so roundabout to remove an item from that section. Review Source MVL Maria Victoria L. Asst. Professional Lecturer Hospitality Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Brightspace user (Bigsky)" January 24, 2024 5.0 I love using Brightspace (Bigsky). It is easy to learn, and I even volunteer to assist other faculty members. As a retired faculty member, I would look for the features I enjoyed with Brightspace when given the opportunity to use other LMS. Pros It has gamification, and once the course has been set up, everything is like clockwork. Cons Just the setting up at the start of every semester, BUT, it is worth the time. Review Source DF Daniel F. STEM Teacher Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A Powerful, Though Complicated, Online Teaching Platform" September 27, 2021 4.0 Brightspace has a wealth of features I’ve found helpful when using it in my Pre-K through 5th grade classrooms, but I can’t help but feel that this is more focused for older students. The interface can be overwhelming for young students, and creating and accessing tools such as quizzes and assignments can have a steep learning curve. When compared to Google Classroom, Brightspace has more capabilities, but can take more effort to set up and use properly. In elementary schools, I don’t know if Brightspace outweighed Classroom, but I can see middle and high schools getting much more out of it! Pros Brightspace has tons of features and capabilities that teachers and students can use in learning! Through assignments with release conditions, video and audio recording for instructions and responses, homepage customization, and much more. There are few things that you are limited to with Brightspace. Cons Though there are many features in Brightspace, they can often be tedious and complicated to create and use. For example, creating tests/quizzes in brightspace is a very important tool for teachers to give formative assessments. The creation tool works, but takes many more steps and work when compared to other quiz creation tools, such as Google Forms. This applies to almost all features on Brightspace. When using this with younger students - Pre-K through 5th grade - that can take a toll on time and learning. Review Source RV Reka V. Jr. HR Specialist Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Online Learning Resource" February 13, 2023 5.0 Good, highly recommend for any online learner. Pros I love how user friendly this software is. As a daily user, I can easily navigate the different portals on this software and find all my class's resources quickly. It is very organized, and has great assessible features such as clear text, and high contrasting colours. Grades are easily accessible, and there offer all features necessary to succeed in your course, eg. discussion boards, class list, attendance, course content etc. Cons The notifications are quite overwhelming, every time any professor makes any adjustment to their course you get a notification that piles up throughout the day. Moreover, the notifications for upcoming assignments are sometimes inconsistent, as assignments not done through the D2L will not show up at all, causing confusion for upcoming work to be done for the student. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Social Studies/U. S. History/World Geography/World History Teacher E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BrightSpace is amazing!" January 20, 2018 5.0 My students (middle and high school) are able to become proficient in the navigation of the system in just a few days with minimal questions and challenges. Pros BrightSpace includes all of the typical features of any LMS. However, D2L has improved the platform over time and has made the system more intuitive and user friendly. I also use CourseDen (the higher ed version of BrightSpace) for my college courses and the features are essentially the same with a few differences. However, the two platforms are enough alike that, once you know one system, learning to use the other one is a cinch. The features allow for very specific customization of assessments, discussions, and other features. I have built my own courses within the LMS, so I am familiar with a majority of the features and capabilities of the LMS. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Lecturer, Researcher Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good LMS but not all-encompassing" September 26, 2018 4.0 Brightspace by D2L was useful for implementing a live course's online material, but the program lacks important components that are necessary for online courses. Pros This Learning Management System is GOOD but not the best. It is great that D2L and Brightspace have an easy-to-use portal that differentiates between student, instructor, and even TAs. However, the options that come with competitors like CANVAS are far superior... Cons CANVAS, a competing LMS, provides more external resource use, such as Virtual Office Hours during Conferences, and even grouping students into smaller groups to use MS Office through Collaborations. Brightspace is user friendly for students but more difficult to manage for administrators/teachers. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Instructor of English Higher Education Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A platform for learning with its own learning curve" November 21, 2018 4.0 Brightspace has allowed our students to access course information online and in hybrid environments. The LMS is powerful and can produce quality courses that are highly customizable and interactive. I have used it for around six months now as an instructor and have noticed that while it is powerful, you might want to trial it out alongside a couple of other competitors to find one that fits you. Pros I like the complex features that are offered by this LMS. Course creators can embed external sources, create several nested modules and access plenty of documentation. Users can also access content on nearly all browsers and operating systems. Cons There is a steep learning curve, and it can be difficult to even access basic course information as a learner, or to even find out how to create a single module for students as an administrator. The issues related to mobile access, Safari, and flash are still present in this LMS as well. It will be difficult to access certain pages, and some external links do not allow you to access them either. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Instructor Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Course Building and Grading with D2L" March 17, 2019 4.0 Overall, D2L Brightspace is relatively easy to use and robust. It's not always intuitive, but that seems to be the case with all LMS I've used. Pros I use D2L, Moodle, and Blackboard in my multiple jobs. D2L is the most visually attractive of these, and the "drag and drop" functionality of course building makes things much easier than in Blackboard, for example. Cons When grading, I wish the rubrics appeared in the margin of same tab as the assignment, rather than a separate pop-up window, though this is already an improvement from earlier iterations. Review Source ER Elizabeth R. Course Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to use and wide variety of options" July 9, 2019 5.0 I love Brightspace! When it was first introduced I was skeptical because of the system we had been using so long and having to train everyone on new software is time-consuming and exhausting. But I found that it was an easier transition than I imagined, although there are so many features it can be a bit overwhelming for some. Overall, I really enjoy using the software and know that it benefits my students as well. Pros I really like the feature where you can open up quizzes or surveys for individual students. I use this when I have set a time/date for an item to close by and then students give me a valid excuse, then I can open it back up for them for whatever length of time I choose for them to complete the assignment. I also like that it is easy for a skilled user to navigate. Cons Even though I know how to navigate through the online set up now, it is sometimes troublesome for my students because there are just so many different options and different ways to navigate to the same thing. I usually have to do a short run through on how to use the software before the class begins and then I always have those that reach out with numerous questions regarding how to find something. This too has to do with the laziness of some students since I had no problem teaching myself how to use it. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Marketing Consultant E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Brightspace is user friendly from a faculty perspective" February 12, 2019 5.0 Pros The ease of use. Some of it may be how my university has set it up for the faculty, but I can jump right into a classroom and figure out what to do next. Grading is easy. Cons I think the Discussion area could be set up a little more user friendly. For instance, It's a little hard to see what discussions have been responded to and where I need to put my focus in responding back to students. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.