Comparison
Coach Play Studio vs CoachCanvas
Both draw animated basketball plays in the browser, and both are good at it. The differences are in what surrounds the drawing: what comes ready-made, how a play travels, and how you pay.
| Capability | Coach Play Studio | CoachCanvas |
|---|---|---|
| Animated play playback | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | 3 plays | 30 plays |
| Video export | Coach plan | Free |
| Price, annual | $90/yr | $78/yr |
| Price, monthly | $9/mo | $10/mo |
| Quarterly billing | $24/quarter | Not offered |
| Week pass | $5 once | Not offered |
| Embed a play on your own site | Yes, free plan | Not claimed |
| Published play and drill libraries | Yes, Coach plan, save a copy and adapt | None yet, by their own account |
| Drills as their own shelf | Yes | Not claimed |
| Team views without accounts | Yes, share links | Yes, share links |
| Installable app for players, team branding | No | Yes, paid plan |
| Import from FastDraw | No | Yes |
| Keep your plays after cancelling | Yes, editable and shareable | Not claimed |
| Money back guarantee | 30 days | Not claimed |
CoachCanvas details from coachcanvas.app, September 2026; our side checked against our own product the same week. Tell us if something here has gone stale and we will fix it.
Where CoachCanvas is genuinely strong
Credit where due: CoachCanvas gives a solo coach a bigger free tier at 30 plays, free video export, an installable playbook app in team colors, and importers from FastDraw and The Hoops Geek. If free video is the feature you care most about, they are the honest pick.
Where Coach Play Studio pulls away
The drawing is a draw. The rest of the product is not.
- You start with a library, not an empty shelf. The Coach plan carries published plays and drills; save a copy of any of them and adapt it to your personnel. CoachCanvas says itself it has no play library yet.
- Embeds. Any play embeds on your own site as a plain iframe, with toggles for the title, notes and animation button. Free, and not something they claim.
- Drills are their own thing. Their own shelf, their own library, because a coach looks for a drill on a different day than a play.
- Billing that fits a season. Monthly, quarterly, yearly, or a $5 week pass for a tournament. They bill monthly or yearly only.
- Leaving is safe. Cancel and every play you drew stays viewable, editable and shareable, and paid plans carry a 30 day money back guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Coach Play Studio and CoachCanvas?
Both animate basketball plays in the browser. CoachCanvas is the drawing and sharing tool alone. Coach Play Studio adds published play and drill libraries you can copy and adapt, embeds for your own site, and flexible billing including a $5 week pass.
Is CoachCanvas cheaper than Coach Play Studio?
Billed yearly, yes: $78 versus $90, and their free tier holds more plays. Coach Play Studio costs less monthly at $9, adds a quarterly option, a $5 one-week pass, and a 30 day money back guarantee.
Which one should I choose?
If you want the biggest free tier and free video, CoachCanvas is a fair pick. If you want ready-made plays and drills to copy and adapt, embeds on your own site, and a playbook that stays yours after cancelling, choose Coach Play Studio.
Start with a library behind you
Three free plays, no card. And when you go Coach, the play and drill libraries come with it.