Blackboard Learn vs Sakai
Blackboard Learn
blackboard.com
Sakai
sakailms.orgSide by side
| Figure | Blackboard Learn | Sakai |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Education Learning Management | 8.1 (#6) | 7.9 (#9) |
| Spec score · Education software | 8.0 (#9) | 7.9 (#14) |
| Spec score · Educational Software | 8.1 (#9) | 7.9 (#13) |
| Spec score · Learning Management Systems | 8.1 (#43) | 8.1 (#49) |
| Spec score · E-Learning Software | 8.0 (#14) | 7.9 (#20) |
| Accessibility | Blackboard Ally creates alternative formats for learners, and the company reports 4 million accessibility improvements made in 2025. | The Sakai community states a goal of meeting WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA success criteria and says it regularly evaluates accessibility. |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Assessments | Yes | Yes |
| Audience | Blackboard says its institutions span higher education, government, business, and K-12 worldwide. | The project describes Sakai as created by educators for educators and supports teaching and learning in person or online. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Integrations | The LMS connects with EdTech tools through LTI 1.3 and REST APIs, including Turnitin, VitalSource, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and most SIS platforms; custom integrations are supported through the Partner Network. | Sakai implements the IMS LTI specification and provides an API for native integrations with third-party applications. |
| Support | Blackboard provides a Help Center with product documentation and guides, support cases and knowledge base articles for users, and a developer community with documentation. | The project says official community support for Sakai 22 ceased with the Sakai 25 series and encourages older-version users to upgrade for current security patches. |
Plans
In their own words
Blackboard Learn
Blackboard Learn, now referred to as Blackboard LMS, is an institutional learning environment for higher education, government, business, and K-12 organizations. Its AI Design Assistant can help instructors prepare courses, documents, assessments, and grading rubrics. AI Conversation supports practical-skills assessment in a controlled digital environment and is included in the core license. Administrators choose which AI capabilities are active, while instructors can review and edit AI outputs before accepting them. Blackboard says student data is not used to train external AI models. The LMS connects with education tools through LTI 1.3 and REST APIs, including Turnitin, VitalSource, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and most SIS platforms. Blackboard Ally creates alternative formats for learners. It is available on Android, iOS, and web, with API access, assessments, and SSO support. Pricing is on request; the product page offers a demo and contact option but displays no price.