Canvas Free for Teacher alternatives: what to do before and after the shutdown
For teachers, tutors and small academies that used a Free-for-Teacher account and now need to decide where their courses go next.
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In short
Canvas Free for Teacher is being retired: Instructure has opened a final export window from September 30 to October 6, 2026, and replaced it with Canvas Lite, a free account for individual educators. If you teach a few classes on your own, Canvas Lite is the closest replacement. If you run a tutoring or test prep business that needs its own website, payments, a question bank and room for more students, an academy platform such as Acatudy is the better fit.
First, export your content before October 6, 2026
Whatever you choose next, export your Free-for-Teacher courses while the access window is open. Instructure explains in its announcement that old Free-for-Teacher content does not move to Canvas Lite automatically and links to its own guide on exporting and moving course content.
Keep a copy of your files, pages and quiz questions on your computer. Even if you move to another platform later, the export is your backup.
Your options, by type of platform
Canvas Lite
The free successor from Instructure for individual educators, tutors and homeschool teachers. It keeps the Canvas way of working. Per Instructure's launch post, it allows up to 5 courses, 50 learners per course and 500 MB of storage per course.
Open-source LMS you host yourself
Full control and no license fee, but you need a server, updates, backups and someone to maintain it. A good fit for organizations with technical staff.
Course creator platforms
Built to sell video courses and memberships. Strong on marketing pages and checkout; check whether they offer graded assignments, timed exams and a gradebook if you need them.
Academy platforms
Courses, assignments, exams, grades, a website and payments in one place, priced for small teaching businesses. This is where Acatudy fits.
Canvas Lite and Acatudy at a glance
Only facts published by Instructure for Canvas Lite, and Acatudy's own plan limits, as of the date above.
| Feature | Canvas Lite | Acatudy Free | Acatudy paid plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | No cost | $0, does not expire | From $39/month (see pricing) |
| Students | Up to 50 learners per course | Unlimited | Unlimited on every plan |
| Storage | 500 MB per course | 10 GB in total | From 25 GB |
| Built for | Individual educators | Trying Acatudy with a real group | Tutoring, test prep and online academies |
When Acatudy is the better alternative
- You teach as a business, with several tutors or teachers who each need access to their own subjects.
- You want your own website and domain and to charge students through your own Stripe account.
- You prepare students for exams and need a question bank, unlimited practice tests and timed official exams.
- You need assignments with grades and feedback and a gradebook you can export.
- You have more students than a single-teacher account allows.
If you teach a handful of classes alone and want to keep working the Canvas way, Canvas Lite is probably the simpler move, and that is a perfectly good choice.
Moving your course to Acatudy
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Export from Free-for-Teacher
Download your course content during the access window, before October 6, 2026.
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Create your academy
Sign up for free and create your subjects and units.
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Upload materials
Add your files, videos and pages to each unit. Acatudy does not read Canvas course export packages directly, so materials are uploaded as files.
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Bring your questions
Import questions from a CSV or Excel spreadsheet, or from GIFT or Aiken text files, into your question bank.
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Invite your students
Import them from a spreadsheet or let them sign up; each student creates their own password.
Frequently asked questions
Is Canvas Free for Teacher shutting down?
Yes. Instructure has replaced it with Canvas Lite and opened a final export window from September 30 to October 6, 2026. After the access period ends, Free-for-Teacher accounts are no longer accessible, according to Instructure's announcement.
Will my courses move to Canvas Lite automatically?
No. Instructure states that old Free-for-Teacher content does not transition automatically; you export it and import it yourself.
Can Acatudy import my Canvas course export?
Not directly. You upload your files and materials to Acatudy and import your questions from a spreadsheet, GIFT or Aiken file.
Is Acatudy free?
Acatudy has a Free plan that does not expire, with unlimited students and 10 GB of storage. Paid plans start at $39/month, or less with annual billing, and add more courses, storage and features.
Canvas is a trademark of Instructure, Inc. Acatudy is not affiliated with Instructure. Information about Canvas Free for Teacher and Canvas Lite comes from Instructure's public announcements linked above and may change.
Give your classes a new home
Create a free Acatudy academy and move your first course this week.