Comparison

LessonNote 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

LessonNote

This tool helps educators document classroom lessons by tracking student interactions, capturing notes, and recording time spent in various learning modalities. It facilitates data-driven conversations to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

Highlights
  • Track student interactions and conversation duration
  • Record handwritten notes and observations
  • Capture photos of student work
  • Measure time spent in different learning modalities
  • Review data for student-focused discussions
  • Ideal for peer observation and coaching
Features
Read full description

LessonNote is an innovative classroom observation tool for documenting the flow of a lesson and its impact on students. Capture both quantitative and qualitative data: • Track who is talking to whom, when, and for how long. • Jot handwritten, time-stamped notes about what is being said and what students are doing. • Take photos of student work. • Capture time spent in different modalities: whole-class, individual work, group work. Begin by creating a seating chart with icons representing the teacher, students, groups, and display areas such as blackboards or projection screens. Record observations by selecting an icon, or linking two icons for a note about an interaction. Take photos of student work. After a lesson, efficiently review your data for a student-focused conversation that improves teaching and learning. A small seating chart shows exactly who or what a note is about, so you don't need to know the names of the students. A timeline shows how much time was spent in whole-class lecture or discussion, individual work time, and group work time. LessonNote helps you create a fact-based and non-judgemental record of the lesson and its impact on students. LessonNote is ideal for peer observation, coaching, instructional rounds, and of course for Lesson Study. For administrators, LessonNote improves on simple checklists or rating scales by helping document how lessons affect students—which is, ultimately, what teaching is all about. Work with your colleagues and use LessonNote to improve teaching and learning! Read the Terms of Service at: https://LSAlliance.org/LessonNote/terms-of-service.html.

About

Canvas Teacher

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
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

LessonNote4 screens
Canvas Teacher4 screens

Verdict

The call

LessonNote and Canvas Teacher both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 65% of LessonNote's written reviews are positive against 26% of Canvas Teacher's. Canvas Teacher's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ratings volume (96K vs 10). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. LessonNote sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per 3 months. 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 — 4.7 for LessonNote against 4.6 for Canvas Teacher. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canvas Teacher has 96K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of LessonNote's written reviews are positive against 26% of Canvas Teacher's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
LessonNote versus Canvas Teacher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLessonNoteCanvas Teacher
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (10 ratings) — better4.6 (96K ratings)
Positive reviews65.2% of reviews — better26.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1096K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB181 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLesson Study AllianceInstructure Inc.

Customer experience

LessonNote

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive65.2%
Neutral17.4%
Negative17.4%

Canvas Teacher

All ratings95,931 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews325 reviews
Positive26.5%
Neutral17.8%
Negative55.7%

Bugs and requests

LessonNote

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

6 purchases

LessonNote

Subscriptions3
  • 3 Months of Pro$29.993 Months
  • 6 Months of Pro$44.996 Months
  • 1 Year Pro$64.991 Year
One-time3
  • 6-month LessonNote Pro subscription$89.99
  • 1-year LessonNote Pro subscription$149.99
  • 2-year LessonNote Pro subscription$249.99
None

Canvas Teacher

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LessonNote free?
LessonNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Canvas Teacher free?
Canvas Teacher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LessonNote or Canvas Teacher?
LessonNote is rated higher. LessonNote averages 4.7 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Canvas Teacher averages 4.6 from 96K ratings.
Do LessonNote or Canvas Teacher have ads?
Neither LessonNote nor Canvas Teacher shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LessonNote or Canvas Teacher?
LessonNote ships an update monthly, and Canvas Teacher monthly. Most recently, LessonNote was updated on October 1, 2026 and Canvas Teacher on October 16, 2026.

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