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Honest comparison of accessibility approaches for Canvas LMS.
Canvas checks your pages and assignments. Aelira offers supported partial PDF, document and STEM fixes with human review.
Best for: Universities wanting basic RCE content accessibility checking at no extra cost
Pricing: Included with Canvas license
Evaluate for: Supported partial document fixes and saved-output review alongside Canvas checks
Pricing: $1,499/mo per department (defined processing allowance)
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| Feature | Canvas Built-In | Aelira |
|---|---|---|
| RCE Content Scanning Scan Pages and Assignments created in the Rich Content Editor | Yes Native scanning | Via LTI integration |
| PDF Remediation Fix structural accessibility issues in uploaded PDF files | No | Yes Supported partial structural fixes; human review required |
| Word/PPT/Excel Scan and remediate Office document formats | No | Yes Supported Word, PowerPoint and Excel partial fixes; review required |
| LaTeX/MathML Convert math equations to accessible formats | No | Yes Supported LaTeX/MathML workflows; meaning and output need review |
| AI Alt Text AI-generated alternative text for images | Coming (IgniteAI) | Yes AI-generated alt text |
| Cloud Storage Scan Connect to Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint | No | Yes Google and Microsoft connector code; acceptance checks required |
| Video Captioning Auto-transcription and caption cleanup | No | Yes Transcription and cleanup candidates; human review required |
| Self-Hosted AI On-premise AI option; institution-specific privacy review | No | Yes Ollama; verify providers, fallbacks, egress, logs, caches, and backups |
| Pricing Cost to access the tool | Included with Canvas | $1,499/mo per dept |
Included with every Canvas license. No additional budget required.
Built directly into Canvas. No plugins, no setup, no training required.
Scans Pages and Assignments created in the Rich Content Editor, where faculty do most of their content authoring.
AI-powered accessibility features in early adopter testing as of August 2026. Worth watching as it matures.
Uploaded PDFs, Word docs, PowerPoints, and Excel files are completely untouched by Canvas accessibility tools. The majority of course content lives in these files.
LaTeX equations, chemistry notation, and physics diagrams cannot be processed.STEM departments have no Canvas-native path to compliance.
Canvas’s built-in editor checker does not establish coverage for files stored in Google Drive or OneDrive. Confirm the services enabled by your institution.
AI remediation features are still in early adopter testing, not generally available.Universities should test current Canvas tools and Aelira on their own content; neither automated score certifies conformance.
Canvas provides checks for supported editor content. Confirm which additional course and file services your institution has enabled. Aelira offers supported document, STEM and connected-file workflows with format-specific limits. Together, they may help identify and address supported issues. Human review and institution-specific legal assessment remain necessary.
Evaluate Canvas checks alongside Aelira's supported partial fixes. Review saved files and unresolved findings in a scoped pilot.
Join a bounded pilot to test supported workflows against your institution's obligations.
Comparisons are based on publicly available information as of August 2026 and reflect Aelira's views. Competitor features and pricing change over time; verify current details with each vendor. This page was authored by Aelira.