# Canvas Teacher vs SmartTeach

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Canvas Teacher at 96K against SmartTeach's 1.2K. SmartTeach's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SmartTeach holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canvas Teacher has 96K ratings behind it against 1.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 26% of Canvas Teacher's written reviews are positive against 24% of SmartTeach's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Canvas Teacher | SmartTeach |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (96K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canvas-teacher/id1257834464/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartteach/id1663286926/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **96K** | 1.2K |
| Positive reviews | **26.3% of reviews** | 24.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 176 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Instructure Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/418441198) | [Teaching Strategies, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/571518842) |

## What reviewers say

### Canvas Teacher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canvas-teacher/id1257834464)

This app allows educators to grade assignments, provide feedback, and manage their classes remotely. It offers tools for annotating work, communicating with students, and updating course content directly from a mobile device.

**Highlights:** Grade assignments with annotations, Provide audio/video feedback, Post class announcements, Reply in discussions, Send messages, Update assignment content, Manage Inbox

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to navigate
- 🚀 Convenient for grading on the go
- 🚀 Helpful for contacting students
- 👍 Good look and feel

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🐛 Missing key features from desktop version
- 🐛 Slow and glitchy performance
- 🐛 Inconsistent behavior across devices
- 🐛 Loses annotations and comments

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### SmartTeach

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartteach/id1663286926)

This app helps early childhood educators streamline daily classroom tasks. It simplifies documentation, classroom management, and family communication with easy-to-use tools for online and offline use.

**Highlights:** Create documentation and share insights, View and teach from daily schedule, Communicate with families, Save and share photos/videos, Assess from curriculum resources, Track attendance and care routines, Conduct health screenings

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy and awesome app to track notes and submit to Teaching Strategies Gold
- 👍 Brings together curriculum and assessment
- 👍 Convenient and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent technical glitches and bugs
- 🐛 Performance issues
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Messaging and communication problems
- 🐛 Delayed or failed uploads

**Reported bugs**

- Screener not working when clicking plus sign
- Inability to log in through app, but able to log in on website
- Delayed or failed message delivery
- Uploaded documentation still showing in app, causing confusion

**Requested features**

- Add ability to select and apply objectives to multiple pieces of documentation at once
- Add ability to select and delete multiple photos/videos at once
- Add ability to change date on add documentation page
- Add landscape mode support for easier typing
- Improve translation and communication features for ESL families


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Canvas Teacher free?

Canvas Teacher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SmartTeach free?

SmartTeach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Canvas Teacher or SmartTeach?

SmartTeach is rated higher. Canvas Teacher averages 4.6 out of 5 from 96K ratings, while SmartTeach averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do Canvas Teacher or SmartTeach have ads?

Neither Canvas Teacher nor SmartTeach shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Canvas Teacher or SmartTeach?

Canvas Teacher ships an update monthly, and SmartTeach monthly. Most recently, Canvas Teacher was updated on September 27, 2026 and SmartTeach on September 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*