Comparison

Equity Maps vs Canvas Teacher

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Equity Maps

This app helps educators visualize and analyze student participation in classroom discussions. It allows teachers to track who speaks, how often, and the nature of their contributions, fostering reflection and equity.

Highlights
  • Visualize student participation
  • Instant feedback and analytics
  • Animated playback of discussions
  • Track contribution types
  • Create custom identity markers
  • Export audio and analytics (Premium)
Features
Read full description

• Elevate the voices in the room -- help students to reflect & grow! • Provide Instant Feedback – Nurture Reflection – Ignite Collaboration – Promote Equity • Created by teachers, for teachers & their students. Ideal for Socratic seminars, Spider Web™ & Harkness® (*) discussions, Literature Circles, Dialogic lesson designs, or anytime students interact. Effortlessly chart & record students’ interactions to graphically illustrate levels & types of participation. Spur deeper reflection with the discussion maps, instant analytics & animated playback at multiple speeds. NEW IN PREMIUM! – Export audio & class analytics – Post in your LMS or email directly to your students along with their talk time, Checknotes of types of contributions, the discussion map, & your personal feedback (beta). STANDARD FEATURES: • Up to 20 participants in any class w/open seating options • Quick edit features to create groups and classes. • Playback the discussion maps in real time or fast forward • Select & listen to any speaker & view notes linked to their participation • Individual/Group analytics – Include/Exclude participants from the data to see how the dynamics change PREMIUM FEATURES available with in-app upgrade or by downloading Premium today: • Up to 40 participants • Add Identity Markers to track data by groups of students • Export Audio or analytics via email to students or post in LMS or export to CSV (beta) • Track student contributions w/ enhanced Checknotes & access the 17 templates ------- CONFERENCE WITH YOUR STUDENTS OR TEACHERS: • Debrief w/students individually! Review contributions of any one student in the improved participant analytics: see each time the student spoke & playback what they said, or play from the person who spoke before/after, review notations for that student, participation data, or Checknotes… all on one screen! • Give better feedback! Take notes or write comments during or after the discussion that link directly to the student speaking and share with them immediately after. • Identify Markers: customize the groups w/n your class that you’d like to measure such as grade level, language level, race, seating area, or anything you’d like to see. ------- REFLECTIVE DATA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: • Simply tap on the participants’ icons when they speak & Equity Maps will do the rest by visually charting the interactions & calculating levels of participation. • Track the nature of each participant's contributions with Checknotes, choose among the 17 templates or create your own, or take notes during the discussion that attach to the speaker for review afterward. • The “Feedback Frames” provide key statistics for teachers, students or group members: time spoken, times spoken, gender equity, or customize anything you’d like to measure. TEACHERS: • Enhance your Socratic Seminars, Literature Circles, Harkness®(*) discussions, or full classroom discussions • Monitor & assess Common Core Speaking & Listening Standards, ATL, Dialogic lessons, or seminar criteria • Promote student involvement & self-reflection • Perfect for schools with VPP for 50% discount FACILITATORS & GROUP LEADERS: • Encourage deeper reflection of your group’s goals, norms & processes • Give your boss an Equity Check & share how equitable your last meeting was • Critical Friends Group® coaches & facilitators (CFG work) or in PLCs ADMINISTRATORS & INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES: • Provide teachers an “image” of their classroom instruction like they’ve never seen before! • Revitalize reflective practices for teachers, while reducing anxiety of post-observation meetings • Make your classroom observations more meaningful & reflective ------ Equity Maps® is a registered trademark at the USPTO / U.S. Pat. No 10,553,129 *Equity Maps has been developed completely independent of Phillips Exeter Academy & is not affiliated in any way with the academy. Critical Friends Group® is a registered trademark of the National School Reform Faculty (NSRF®)

About

Canvas Teacher

This mobile companion helps educators grade assignments, provide feedback, and manage classes efficiently from anywhere. It allows for annotation, audio/video feedback, and communication with students. The app streamlines class management tasks for teachers on the go.

Highlights
  • Mobile grading with SpeedGrader
  • Annotate assignments
  • Audio/video feedback
  • Post class announcements
  • Manage Inbox and messages
  • Update assignment content
Features
Read full description

Save time. Teach on the go. Canvas Teacher helps educators, instructors, and teachers grade, give feedback, and manage their classes from anywhere. What you can do • Grade or mark work: Use mobile friendly SpeedGrader to annotate assignments, apply rubrics and give written, audio, or video feedback • Communicate: Post class announcements, reply in discussions, and send messages right from your device • Update content: Adjust due dates, publish/unpublish assignments, or fix typos in seconds • Stay connected: Manage your Inbox, reply to student questions, and keep class communication flowing on the move Canvas Teacher is designed for educators—making mobile grading and class management faster and easier.

Screenshots

Canvas Teacher4 screens

Verdict

The call

Equity Maps and Canvas Teacher both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Equity Maps's written reviews are positive against 26% of Canvas Teacher's. Equity Maps also leads on iOS requirement (12.1 vs 18.0). Canvas Teacher's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Canvas Teacher is free to download; Equity Maps costs $1.99 up front. Equity Maps sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Canvas Teacher asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Equity Maps against 4.6 for Canvas Teacher. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canvas Teacher has 96K ratings behind it against 82, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Equity Maps's written reviews are positive against 26% of Canvas Teacher's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Equity Maps ships an update every 3 months, Canvas Teacher every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Equity Maps versus Canvas Teacher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEquity MapsCanvas Teacher
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (82 ratings) — better4.6 (96K ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better26.3% of reviews
Number of ratings8296K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS12.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB183 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid NelsonInstructure Inc.

Customer experience

Equity Maps

All ratings72 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral2.8%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Canvas Teacher

All ratings95,939 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews331 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral17.5%
Negative56.2%

Bugs and requests

Equity Maps

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Canvas Teacher

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Inability to save grades and annotations
  • Inconsistent behavior when rotating device
  • Issues with loading student submissions
  • Problems with syncing data between app and web version

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to access and edit modules
  • Improve grading tools and functionality
  • Allow customization of notification settings
  • Enhance integration with other platforms
  • Improve stability and reliability

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Equity Maps

One-time1
  • Equity Maps Premium v5.3$7.99
None

Canvas Teacher

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Equity Maps free?
Equity Maps costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Canvas Teacher free?
Canvas Teacher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Equity Maps or Canvas Teacher?
Equity Maps is rated higher. Equity Maps averages 4.8 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Canvas Teacher averages 4.6 from 96K ratings.
Do Equity Maps or Canvas Teacher have ads?
Neither Equity Maps nor Canvas Teacher shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Equity Maps or Canvas Teacher?
Equity Maps ships an update every 3 months, and Canvas Teacher every 4 weeks. Most recently, Equity Maps was updated on November 1, 2026 and Canvas Teacher on November 12, 2026.

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