D2L Brightspace vs. Blackboard
Our focus is on building the future of education. And securing yours.
Blackboard’s future appears uncertain. At D2L, we offer a clear path to long-term learning stability and fast, proven migration—in under 90 days.
Empowering institutions to succeed today and beyond
D2L Brightspace offers financial stability and a relentless focus on innovation – powered by AI to help institutions win in the next transformative era in education. Discover how our continuous investment in platform innovation is transforming learning today and shaping tomorrow.
“We were on Blackboard Learn for over 25 years, and our use was pretty inconsistent. [The] platform was not so modern, and we weren’t really innovating on it, as much so as you can imagine [we were] getting a lot of noise around the need for a new LMS.”
Deliver Learning That Drives Real Impact with Brightspace
We equip you with tools for course creation, responsible AI, delivery, tracking, and more—so your institution can stay ahead, drive better outcomes, and win in the next era of learning innovation.
How Brightspace Delivers Long-Term
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Financially IndependentFinancially independent, built for innovation, and growing fast—Brightspace is redefining what institutions can expect from a learning platform.
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Innovative PartnershipWith a well funded and clear product roadmap, responsible AI, and an engaging user experience, Brightspace drives meaningful learning outcomes while keeping students and data front and center.
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Seamless MigrationBrightspace has a proven track record of migrating institutions like SUNY, USC, and Purdue— ensuring minimal disruption to faculty, staff and learners.
Launch Your New LMS in 90 days*
While others may take years to transition, our proven migration strategy can get you there in just a few months.
Migrating to a new learning platform is more than a technical shift—it’s a chance to elevate how your institution teaches, supports learners and scales. D2L’s in-house experts partner with you to build a tailored learning environment aligned with your goals. From planning to post-launch, our expert team delivers strategic guidance, training, and ongoing support to provide smooth transition, strong faculty engagement, and measurable results.
Month One
Discover and Assess
- Assess current needs and pain points
- Change management planning
- Define project timeline, roles and vision
Month Two
Plan and Build
- Create your migration roadmap
- Configure Brightspace and integrations
- Begin content migration with expert support
Month Three
Launch and Grow
- Test, troubleshoot, and launch Brightspace
- Provide training and post-launch support
- Map next steps for continued success
Outstanding learning, lasting partnership, proven results.
See why leading institutions trust D2L for seamless migration, expert change management, and continuous innovation.
The transition went very smoothly, due to working with D2L and having the mechanisms in place to make it a really easy transition for the campus.Paula Russell Senior Director at the Center for Learning and Teaching at Binghamton University (SUNY)
We worked closely with our Brightspace team and their organizational change management experts. This allowed us to provide as much support as possible to our faculty.Dr. Carmen Lee Clinical Professor of Communication and Assistant Dean for Excellence in Teaching, USC Annenberg
Brightspace removed all doubt and convinced our leadership they could move forward quickly and with confidence.David Starnes Chief Academic Officer, Purdue Global
Whatever Your Blackboard Past, Your Future Is Clearer With Brightspace
Effortless migration, modern tools and measurable student success, all designed to keep your institution from falling behind.
Leaving the Uncertainty Behind: From Blackboard to Brightspace
Join experts from De Montfort University, Radboud University, Missouri State University and Westfield State University for the inside scoop on why they made the switch from Blackboard to Brightspace.
- Why so many institutions are switching from Blackboard to Brightspace
- Benefits of switching your LMS
- Strategies and best practices for a seamless transition
Awards and Data That Set Us Apart
Blackboard
Likelihood to Recommend
Product Direction
Meets Requirements
Ease of Admin
Ease of Doing Business With
Quality of Support
Ease of Setup
Ease of Use
D2L has made every effort to provide complete and accurate information. The content of this page is based upon information available as of June 6, 2025, and it is to be used for informational purposes only. D2L has permission to use information available on G2. If you identify any information outlined on this page that is inaccurate, please contact us at [email protected] with details so we can make the appropriate modification.
D2L G2 Reviews and Recognitions
Posted on G2
Elliot W.
Best LMS in my career
For the past 13 years, I have been managing D2L Brightspace, and in my 22-year career, it stands out as the best LMS I’ve encountered. Its user-friendly design, clean interface, extensive functionalities, and robust API are just a few of its…
Posted on G2
Verified User in Higher Education
Best Support Team Ever
We are relatively new to using D2L Brightspace, but our team has experience with three other LMS platforms. When we made the decision to adopt Brightspace for the Competency-Based Education courses we were developing, we were a little hesitant to start with…
Posted on G2
David H.
I am very happy with what Brightspace offers in terms of features, look, and flexibility of use.
From an admin point of view, the flexibility in how you can set up the VLE in terms of course organization and the course layout is very useful. Allowing…
Posted on G2
Lynda W.
Practical and Progressive LMS
Brightspace is user friendly in a special way — it innovates while staying backward compatible for a reasonable length of time. The interface is open and there’s decent context sensible help. Good community for getting help and giving input. I work with…
Posted on G2
Cameron B.
Brightspace shines for designer flexibility
As a course designer, flexibility is my favorite part of Brightspace. The D2L community pages have so many great templates and shared resources. I love the options to add tabs and accordions to pages as well as consistent page headers and…
Start Your Institution’s Transformation Today
Ready to see more? Our team is standing by, ready to help.
We’ve had terrific conversations about the future of what we’re doing as an institution.MJ BishopVice President of Integrative Learning DesignUniversity of Maryland Global Campus
*Disclaimer: “under 90 days” migration timeline is based on what most of our customers typically experience.