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Honest comparison of accessibility approaches for Canvas LMS.
Canvas checks your pages and assignments. Aelira fixes your PDFs, documents, and STEM content.
Best for: Universities wanting basic RCE content accessibility checking at no extra cost
Pricing: Included with Canvas license
Best for: Universities needing deep document remediation beyond what Canvas covers
Pricing: $999/mo per department (unlimited users)
| 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 Full structural remediation |
| Word/PPT/Excel Scan and remediate Office document formats | No | Yes All office document types |
| LaTeX/MathML Convert math equations to accessible formats | No | Yes Full LaTeX parsing + MathML |
| 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 Workspace + Microsoft 365 |
| Video Captioning Auto-transcription and caption cleanup | No | Yes Auto-transcription + cleanup |
| Self-Hosted AI On-premise AI processing for FERPA compliance | No | Yes Ollama (FERPA compliant) |
| Pricing Cost to access the tool | Included with Canvas | $999/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 testing through June 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.
Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 files are not scanned.Faculty who store course materials in Drive or OneDrive are not covered.
AI remediation features are still in early adopter testing, not generally available.Universities cannot rely on IgniteAI for April 2026 compliance deadlines.
Canvas and Aelira solve different problems. Canvas handles accessibility for content you create in its editor. Aelira handles the documents, STEM content, and cloud files that Canvas cannot reach. Together, they provide complete coverage for the April 2026 DOJ ADA Title II deadline.
Canvas handles your pages and assignments. Aelira handles everything else. Try free for 30 days.
Join 500+ universities preparing for the April 2026 WCAG 2.1 deadline.