Aelira vs Blackboard Ally: Which Is Right for Your University?

Honest comparison of accessibility tools for higher education.
Ally converts formats. Aelira fixes problems.

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Executive Summary

Blackboard Ally

Best for: Universities already using Blackboard LMS who need alternative format conversion

Deep Blackboard LMS integration
Automatic alternative format generation (PDF, ePub, audio)
Faculty awareness (60%+ adoption at universities using Blackboard)

Does NOT remediate source content
No LaTeX/MathML support (STEM courses left behind)
Enterprise pricing only (bundled with Anthology suite)

Pricing: Enterprise only (bundled with Blackboard Learn or Anthology suite)

Aelira

Best for: Universities that need actual remediation, not just format conversion

AI-generated working code fixes
LaTeX/MathML support (only solution for STEM courses)
Bulk processing (scan 1,000+ files in minutes)
Privacy-first (self-hosted AI, no data to OpenAI)
Works with any LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L)
Transparent pricing ($999/mo per department)

Pricing: $999/mo per department (unlimited users)

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Feature	Blackboard Ally	Aelira
AI-Generated Working Code Fixes Generate accessible HTML/CSS/JS that solves issues	Identifies issues only	Generates working fixes
LaTeX/MathML Support Convert math equations to accessible formats	Not supported	Full LaTeX parsing
Source Content Remediation Fix the original files, not just convert them	Converts to alt formats only	Fixes source content
Bulk Processing (1,000+ files) Scan entire departments at once		CLI + web bulk scanning
LMS Integration Works inside Canvas, Blackboard, etc.	Deep Blackboard integration
Pricing Transparency Know the cost before signing	Enterprise only (bundled)	$999/mo per dept

What Blackboard Ally Does Well

Deep Blackboard Integration

Ally is part of the Anthology suite, which means it's tightly integrated with Blackboard Learn. Faculty can see accessibility scores directly in the LMS without switching tools.

Alternative Format Generation

Ally automatically generates alternative formats (HTML, ePub, audio, BeeLine Reader) from uploaded files. This provides multiple ways for students to access content.

High Faculty Awareness

At universities using Blackboard, 60%+ of faculty are aware of Ally. The visual accessibility score (red/yellow/green) is easy to understand at a glance.

Established Market Leader

Ally has been around since 2016 and is used by hundreds of universities worldwide. It's a known quantity with enterprise support and ongoing updates.

What Blackboard Ally Can't Do

No Source Content Remediation

Ally converts files to alternative formats, but does NOT fix the original content. If your PDF has missing alt text, Ally will convert it to HTML—but the alt text will still be missing.

"Ally provides alternative formats, not remediation. You still need to fix the source files manually." - IT Director, Large State University

No LaTeX/MathML Support

Ally cannot process LaTeX equations, which are used by 95-99% of mathematicians. STEM courses are left behind with no solution for accessible math content.

"LaTeX is the standard in math departments. Without LaTeX support, Ally is useless for our physics courses." - r/Professors

Limited Bulk Processing

Ally works within the LMS, so bulk processing is limited to LMS-uploaded files. You can't scan your entire department's shared drive or local files.

Enterprise Pricing Only

Ally is bundled with the Anthology suite, which means you can't buy it standalone. Pricing is not transparent and requires enterprise negotiations.

What Aelira Does Differently

AI-Generated Working Code Fixes

Aelira doesn't just identify problems—it generates working HTML/CSS/JS fixes that you can copy-paste or apply automatically.

Example: Missing alt text? Aelira generates contextual descriptions. Low contrast? Aelira suggests WCAG-compliant color combinations.

LaTeX/MathML Support

Aelira is the only solution that parses LaTeX equations and converts them to accessible MathML with ARIA labels.

Why it matters: 95-99% of mathematicians use LaTeX. Without LaTeX support, STEM courses can't meet WCAG 2.2 compliance.

Privacy-First Architecture

Aelira runs self-hosted AI models (Ollama) on your infrastructure. Your files never leave your servers, and we don't send data to OpenAI or Google.

Perfect for: Universities with FERPA, HIPAA, or data sovereignty requirements.

When to Choose Each Tool

Choose Blackboard Ally if:

You already use Blackboard Learn as your LMS
You want alternative format generation (PDF ePub, audio, etc.)
You're okay manually fixing source content issues
Your courses don't include STEM content (no LaTeX equations)
You have budget for enterprise licensing (bundled with Anthology)

Choose Aelira if:

You need actual remediation
You teach STEM courses with LaTeX equations
You want AI-generated working code fixes (not just issue identification)
You need bulk processing (1,000+ files at once)
You want transparent pricing ($999/mo per department)
You use Canvas, Moodle, D2L, or another LMS (not Blackboard-only)

Pro Tip: Use Both Together

Ally and Aelira solve different problems. Use Aelira to fix your source content (PDFs, PowerPoints, LaTeX), then let Ally generate alternative formats for students. This gives you both compliant source files and multiple access options.

What Faculty Are Saying About Blackboard Ally

"Ally tells me my PDF has accessibility issues, but it doesn't actually fix them. I still have to manually add alt text to every image, which takes hours per lecture."

— Faculty Member, r/Professors (47 upvotes)

"Ally doesn't support LaTeX equations, which is a dealbreaker for math departments. 95-99% of mathematicians use LaTeX, and we have no solution for accessible math content."

— Math Professor, r/Professors

"The alternative formats are nice, but they don't solve the underlying problem. My original PowerPoint still has contrast issues and missing alt text."

— Instructional Designer, LinkedIn

"Ally is great for awareness, but it's not a remediation tool. You still need something else to actually fix the files."

— IT Director, Large State University

The consensus: Ally is great for awareness and alternative formats, but you still need a separate tool (like Aelira) to actually fix the content.