--- title: "Blackboard Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Blackboard the right Higher Education solution for you? Explore 537 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/14500/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Blackboard 4.1 (537) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/14500/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business/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 Blackboard Ease of use 3.9 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews JN Jean-Pierre N Graduate Student, InstructorHigher Education, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It has strong features, including grading learners' assignments, communication, the management of assignments, and providing activity feedback.“ December 16, 2025 MC Mohamed C LecturerEducation Management, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “I still have something against cloud-based solutions as the file size with Blackboard Learn does not allow large files, which is weird, educators often need large files. “ December 23, 2024 KB Kimberly B College ProfessorEducation Management, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Blackboard helps me organize my classes in a Week by Week format, while also keeping within the structure of other classes at the same school. “ September 12, 2025 CG Carly G Adjunct FacultyEducation Management, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “What I like least about Blackboard was the lack of capability for page and template design.“ November 20, 2025 MC Mohamed C LecturerEducation Management, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “In fact, introducing Ai tools brought Blackboard Learn to the fore: you can generate texts, activities, tests and assignment away from ChatGPT based platforms.“ December 23, 2024 LG Li G StudentHigher Education, 5,001 - 10,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “At times the interface lacks aesthetic value, especially when it comes to writing your own responses on the platform and using it on a mobile device.“ August 30, 2024 SS Scott S Project ManagerHuman Resources, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “What I liked is the ability of Blackboard to organise the trainings in a very structured way courses“ March 3, 2026 JN Jean-Pierre N Graduate Student, InstructorHigher Education, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The Blackboard interface can be intimidating for new users. “ December 16, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 537 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Eduardo R. Student Renewables & Environment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Blackboard, learn in a complex fashion " September 7, 2022 5.0 If you compare this to operating systems, blackboard provides a more linux/windows experience. The platform is robust and complex with a lot to offer, but this pro at the same time makes it a downside since it is not user friendly compared to other market competitors. As a student who used it for 3+ years. I understand and appreciate what the platform provides but I prefer simplicity over complexity. Pros The big scale design of the platform is ideal to have all your academic needs in one. Access to a combine calendar allowing for easy visualization of homeworks, projects and tasks. Easy view of currents classes and course materials. With the years of experience this platform is reliable and complete. Cons Even though the complexity is robust, sometimes it can be overwhelming for students and ease of access across the platform is not the best compared to other market competitors. Switched from [Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) User friendly experience is a key point for me as a student. Review Source CG Chantal G. Software Developer Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Blackboard Learn for Reliable Services. " November 24, 2024 5.0 Blackboard Learn is the profound choice in making all knowledge shared. Pros Blackboard Learn equips all stakeholders with a reliable information through learning Cons Blackboard Learn is determined and no demerit. Switched from [LearnDash](https://www.capterra.com/p/130248/LearnDash/)[Learn Amp](https://www.capterra.com/p/171968/Learn-Amp/) Blackboard Learn is remarkable and it offers reliable services. Review Source MM Madison M. Speech Language Pathology Assistant Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Blackboard has Potential! " May 6, 2025 3.0 I think Blackboard has good potential but it is intimidating for some students who switch from competitors. Pros Blackboard is a good software for educators and for higher education students, and it has the functions for many different aspects of higher education. Cons Blackboard Learn is difficult to navigate in comparison to its competitors. It is harder to pick up on than other software. Once it is figured out, it is good software but it is more difficult. Review Source MB Michael B. Presidential assistant Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The teacher's friend" June 27, 2024 5.0 Blackboard is a teacher's friend! It stores work securely and lets the user add grades to the gradebook when work sometimes finds it way through outside email systems. Blackboard also has tutorial videos for dealing with new issues. Pros I must admit wrestling with Blackboard in 2015 when first encountered, but I've learned it to be reliable and fairly simple to use. Everything about it makes sense and navigation is easy. The system does the math for accurate grade recording and stores information for as long as needed in order to verify work submitted and grades recorded. Cons My least favorite thing was being thrust into Blackboard initially after using only Moodle. Our school offered some group training and I took advantage of several help sessions, too. The systems are different, but I believe Blackboard to be superior in every way. Switched from [Moodle](https://www.capterra.com/p/80691/Moodle/) The previous workplace used Moodle, so this was my only experience. The new school uses Blackboard, so I changed in 2015. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Office Administrator Management Consulting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Perfect and always saves time" October 7, 2022 5.0 Pros The softwares capacity to synchronize contacts and users information. Cons Near to perfect but it has little hitch when it comes to support. Alternatives considered [Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) Reason for choosing Blackboard Canvas tend to favour learning institutions only. Review Source MM Michael M. Director of the Global Stuudio Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BlackBoard Learn is a Relic of a Bygone Era" April 24, 2022 2.0 I have used BlackBoard Learn for 5 years now, and I can report that it's a tool that I've tolerated with a fair degree of frustration, as opposed to a tool that I'd relish and recommend to others. Pros BlackBoard Learn is a reliable tool for basic communication, content collection, and assessments. There are convenience factors baked into its framework in the sense that instructors can readily copy and reuse materials from earlier semesters, but other capabilities have far surpassed the benefits of this complacency factor. Also, the price point of BlackBoard Learn is extremely compelling, and they have reliable customer support and service. Cons Doing anything on BlackBoard Learn requires significantly more clicks and testing than competing products. The design is clunky, and it directly contradicts the instructional delivery of faculty who know what else is out there, as well as the learning-design preferences of Gen-Z students. Alternatives considered [Sakai LMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/124698/Sakai-CLE/)[Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/)[Moodle](https://www.capterra.com/p/80691/Moodle/)[Schoology](https://www.capterra.com/p/128481/Schoology/) Reason for choosing Blackboard I was not part of the committee that made the decision to continue with BlackBoard Learn, but I believe the continuation was justified because of its low-cost and the challenge of switching to a competing model. Upgrading the LMS is a bit like updating your operating system. You can kick the can down the road and keep your status quo in place, but when you eventually update, you gain new capabilities, efficiencies, securities, and collaborative synergies. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Professor of Science Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A decent LMS, but there are better ones out there that have less workability issues" October 7, 2019 4.0 I have used both Blackboard and Moodle in the past, and I found them very similar for what they offered. I would have been fine using Blackboard indefinitely had I not found out about Canvas, which is what we are using now and I am absolutely it's biggest fan! Pros I used Blackboard for almost 10 years, and it was a decent LMS for my needs. When Blackboard Collaborate came out, it was even better because it added a new layer of possibilities (I could have several webinar/conversations going, merge conversations, and/or present to different groups at one time). However, there were always bugs in the system, even though we updated constantly. The Blackboard app was also very limited. Cons Too many bugs and freezes; many of my students had issues with accessing links when they used different internet browsers. Good for a small school or business, but not larger ones. Reason for choosing Blackboard Statistics for Blackboard showed that it was the most user-friendly for a variety of ages, and we have students of all backgrounds and ages, so it was imperative to find something adaptable. However, I have to say that since finding Canvas as our new LMS, it is MUCH easier for our techno-challenged students. Switched from [Moodle](https://www.capterra.com/p/80691/Moodle/) Cost effectiveness, although now that we use Canvas the cost is even lower Review Source Jamie C. Salesforce Developer + Admin Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Reliable where it counts" October 20, 2022 4.0 Pros Blackboard is a rather intuitive learning platform, packed with a huge amount of features. If you need it for your school, it can be done. There were also a number of training materials and good customer support. It's reliable, which means students and instructors will know when to expect outages and prepare accordingly. Cons The UI, until recently, was a bit stale and outdated in appearance. Thankfully this has been updated and seems more modernistic now. It is also a bit more expensive than alternatives. Alternatives considered [Moodle](https://www.capterra.com/p/80691/Moodle/) Reason for choosing Blackboard It had more features and seemed more reliable based on our experience. Switched from [Moodle](https://www.capterra.com/p/80691/Moodle/) Moodle didn't have enough of what we needed and experienced a lot of down time. Review Source Andrea M. Content Creator and Social Media Marketing Manager Broadcast Media Used the software for: 2+ years ### "After the pandemic, Blackboard Learn became a staple for online education" April 21, 2023 5.0 Pros I like that it organizes courses in a very neat way, the website is easy to navigate and looks great visually. The calendar is very helpful. Cons It's not very easy to use for teachers. They often have a hard time understanding all of the features Blackboard provides. Switched from [Google Classroom](https://www.capterra.com/p/186631/Google-Classroom/) My university decided we should only use Blackboard in order to keep students from jumping from one platform to another, plus Blackboard has more useful features. Review Source JW Jenna W. Teacher E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Blackboard to a Degree" April 27, 2025 5.0 I used Blackboard all throughout my undergrad experience for daily assignments and assessments. Pros I loved being able to access all classes in one spot and streamlining my course assignments. Cons At times the assignments would fail to load and need to be resubmitted. Review Source AM Agus M. Application Specialist Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Learning Management System that Meets Your Basic Needs" January 8, 2025 4.0 Back in college, I used it for posting and responding to class discussions, and submitting my assignments. I feel as an LMS platform it offered quite basic functions. Pros I like the discussion board feature as the feature is the most used. Cons The user interface design is a bit outdated compared to nowadays LMS platforms. I think the colors, fonts, and the overall interface can be improved. Review Source AP Ari P. Educator Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Using Blackboard " November 12, 2024 4.0 I like the fact that you can hide content when you need to Pros Announcements and features are easy to do. Cons Too many steps to erase content I feel confused at times Alternatives considered [Canvas](https://www.capterra.com/p/127214/CANVAS/) Reason for choosing Blackboard It was not my choice to make that descison Review Source AA Aishwarya A. Recruitment Professional Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Best review of Blackboard Learn" November 14, 2022 5.0 Overall experience is very good and it satisfies the needs and wants of a teacher as well as the students. Pros The features which helps the instructor as well as the students to track the records, go through the assessments, course. It is also easy to use which makes it more used to for teachers and students for one go. Cons Sometimes if there are 5000-7000 student usage at the same time, it hangs for a few minutes.But it is resolved now and the team is working to get through it. Review Source Rafael P. Undergraduate Finalist Student Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One of the best e-learning softwares for (higher) education" July 13, 2021 4.0 My overall experience with Blackboard Learn is amazing, since it is a platform that has all the features (and beyond) I need for higher education (as a student). The communication and course management are just spot on. I feel this software has a great potential and amazing capabilities and it is definitely my favorite e-learning platform. I could easily recommend it to any higher education student/teacher. Pros What I like the most about Blackboard Learn is the amazing and complete features it offers to its users. I use this software for higher education (as a student) and it is very complete and reliable. I can track all my courses, appointments, works, grades, files and many more in the same place, which is perfect for me. I also like the fact I can communicate with my teachers within this platform and the possibility to activate the email notifications for every course is a great add-up for this software. Cons What I like the least about this software is the User Interface (UI), as I consider the navigability could be better and the features could yet be more accessible and easier to use. Other than that, I don't have any other "complaints" about Blackboard Learn. I may mention that in the beginning of the pandemic, with the introduction of online classes, this software was a life-saver and my institution needed to contact the support team, who was very responsive and agile to solve all the issues at that time. Review Source AH Abigail H. Student Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fine product, needs updating" March 30, 2022 3.0 Blackboard Learn helps students stay organized during the semester or course they are taking by having all the documents, videos, etc. that the teacher would like to share with them all in one place. But, Blackboard Learn is becoming very outdated and could use some serious UI updates, especially when compared to Canvas. Pros It's nice to have all the assignments, documents, and grades in one place. This helps to avoid professors handing out tons of papers or sending emails all the time. The mobile app sends push notifications about grades or upcoming assignment deadlines which is nice. Cons I have noticed some glitches using Blackboard (didn't get notifications, etc). The UI on the computer is outdated and counterintuitive in some ways for both students and instructors. The online service is completely different from the app version which can also be a problem. The online UI needs to be updated to look more like the app. Review Source LT Laura T. Educational Technologist Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BB Learn-the old workhouse" May 27, 2022 3.0 I will continue to use BB Learn or soon we will be using Ultra, for as long as I have to for my job. If my job were to ask me should we keep BB or switch to another LMS - I would say SWITCH! One of the absolute worst features within BB is the Voice thread area. I used to use it and had to teach others how to use it. They (BB) decided to "improve it" a couple years ago and now it is so difficult to use that I tried to create user guides and could not get it to work and it was so complicated now, I have given up on it entirely and do not recommend that area at all for anyone to use. Pros I like the powerful features and security of the program Cons BB is the most frustrating program I have ever used. It was one of the 1st LMS programs-I have heard. Its design is clunky and seems to be created by someone with little UXUI experience, I mean UXUI was a field that was known only by the people in the top of their field 20+ years ago so that would make sense! The lack of logical design for buttons and search areas is aggravating. The lack of them going back and changing things for the better and getting a visual designer and UXUI person involved NOW to fix the program-is again aggravating. An example to add a user, you click on a menu item-it goes to a window on the right and there is a search field there which one is supposed to ignore and know somehow to click on a button that does not look like a button called "Find Users To Enroll". WHY, is the search field even showing? Do you know how many times if I get away form using BB for a few weeks or months I end up typing in that filed instead of a button that does not look like a button? Explaining to faculty to NOT type in the field is a constant, because your intuition thinks the design makes sense-it does not. Review Source AM Ariya M. Student E-Learning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Blackboard Learn" September 13, 2022 4.0 Overall, using Blackboard has been a pleasure and I think it's a wonderful platform, especially to get started with if one has never had any experience with LMS. Online schooling and learning are not as easy as in-person, but this platform makes it tolerable. Pros Blackboard was simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. I believe anyone could use it and get comfortable within the first 2 uses. It's adaptable and user-friendly. Cons I did not like how the software had a high tendency to be unreliable. It would shut down, freeze or simply not accept work or media. I think in part, its use on the Safari web browser could be the problem as using it o Chrome did not garner the same results. I do think the platform should be reviewed on different web browsers to fix these issues and optimize the results. Review Source BJ Brian J. Adjunct professor Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Blackboard....there may be better resources" July 7, 2024 3.0 Blackboard is competitive with Canvas and other course management systems for higher education. It can be used across synchronous, asychronous and hybrid course offerings. It is a bit limited in its customizability features, but overall it is a solid course management system. Pros Blackboard is fairly easy to use and is easy to onboard with. It is familar to most students and professors. Cons Some of my least favorite features included the limits on customizability of the course features (such as colors) and the clunky UI. Review Source RM Rebekah M. Sole Proprietor Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Functional, with some philosophical flaws" November 8, 2021 3.0 It served its purpose and I don't recall any major issues with use, but when I graduated high school I was delighted to switch to Canvas in college instead. Everything about Blackboard struck me, as a student, as outdated and depressing. Pros Blackboard is easy to learn and usually intuitively easy for any goal you have. It helps coordinate large teams or classes, and with creative use can be set up to use most styles of teaching (group discussions, online learning, video/attachments, etc). Cons My concerns with Blackboard are at the philosophical level. From the way it is systematically set up, you can tell that it uses some outdated methods of teaching. Use as a student can feel oppressive, with students too easily shut down and overruled and the general aesthetic vibe being a bit darker and more confined than examples such as Canvas. Review Source Rachel S. Learning Experience Researcher E-Learning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A helpful LMS from the student perspective." April 7, 2023 3.0 I think that overall it was functional and did the job. I think there is room for improvement, but it functions in the way you'd expect from an LMS. Pros I liked that you could set it to send reminders about when upcoming assignments were due. It was very helpful from that perspective. Cons I thought the user interface was clunky and needed work. It was sometimes hard to navigate and there would often be times where students would have to ask how to do something in the platform. Review Source FA Francisco A. Chief's Editor Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Powerful but confusing." September 30, 2021 3.0 I've been using Blackboard since the University and up until know I've tried other platforms that are easy to use. However Blackboard has so much potential and can be a good platform. Pros If you know how to use it, you can do so much, for programmers there is ton of choice, and for what I know that is a good thing because it can be personalized for the company or schol that wants to use it. Mobilie use is also pretty great. Cons Many bugs, this essentially is not Blackboard fault but is their platform, they should add more support tools for programmers. Also I don't like so many optiones to mange a course, is confusing for teachers and learners. Review Source ZP Ziyaad P. Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A good environment for students " August 6, 2022 4.0 Really nice experience especially since I went remote, very easy to learn because of its user friendly UI, it sometimes feels better than being in the office/class Pros The calendar was a great feature, I would always catch myself going there to see what I have due on which days, its a really nice addition to stay organized and check due dates in the case I forgot. Another additional feature would be recordings, having a space to go back and check previous recordings was great as well Cons Not being able to import the calendar to google calendars or going through a lengthy process to do it, Linking it with outlook calendar can be confusing as well at some points. Review Source LM Lee M. Program Coordinator E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BLACKBOARD LEARN – you don’t know how good something is until it’s gone!" November 17, 2022 5.0 Blackboard Learn (BBL) was much better than we knew! You don’t always have control over what tools or LMS you have to use, but if you (or someone else) think that you’d prefer a different LMS - BE CAREFUL what you wish for! I loved the Grade Book’s versatility and ability to easily download it for offline management when needed. Also, when we still had BBL (yes, ‘they’ have switched us to a different LMS) I used it for online classes and as an e-Companion to onsite classes. Loading and transferring content and tests was pretty easy. I MISS BBL! Pros I found that Blackboard Learn is much easier to use than other online platforms used in higher education. Being able to easily add materials and instructional documents to an online course is critical especially when a department adopts a new edition of a textbook. The quiz/test builder within Blackboard Learn is also quite user friendly and being able to export exams from a previous course and import to a future course is a real time saver! Cons The discussion board when entering grades can sometimes be a little confusing, trying to determine if the student is replying to a classmate’s post – especially if the student has not included the classmate’s name in their reply, but that’s really more due to a student not following instructions and not the program. Review Source LY Lap Y. Professor Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Blackboard" March 25, 2022 5.0 I have been using blackboard for over 10 years. First as a student and then as a professor. The institutions that I now work for uses another product which I do not like as much. I am not sure if it is because I got use to Blackboard or the other product is just not as intuitive as Blackboard. Pros Blackboard is the standard software for most educational programs and most can use it without a big learning curve. Cons Can be a bit clunky such as uploading material, but overall nothing really bad about this. Review Source CB Cary B. Assistant Professor - History Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "True and Tried (but also Tired)" March 30, 2022 4.0 Please see above :). I've used BB since I was in college (back in the aughts) and regret that my future students at CSUSB will not have access to it moving forward. Even still, I likely won't miss the gradebook, though Canvas' leaves much to desire as well... Pros I know it extremely well, find it to be easy to operate, think its features are strong and easily accessible, and have had very few incidents with students being totally baffled by it. We switched to Canvas this year, and I rue the day the decision was made. Cons The GUI for our version of Blackboard was extremely dated (we did not use Ultra, which frankly seems like a Canvas clone). I would offer the following analogy... Blackboard : Canvas :: PowerPoint : Keynote (... and I'm a PC user). It's boxy, somewhat drab, and looks a bit 'late Geocities // Fark.com'-era. EVEN STILL: I don't mind it - I'd rather have functionality than aesthetics, which is the tradeoff made with Canvas. DEADLY SERIOUS NOTE HERE: The BB Gradebook has always been, continues to be, and seemingly will forever remain an enormous hassle. It is slow, tedious to adjust, difficult to manage, and user unfriendly. 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