- Product Spotlight
Panopto vs. Kaltura: Feature and Specification Comparison
Both Panopto and Kaltura are enterprise video platforms serving educational institutions and businesses. This comparison evaluates core capabilities including video recording, live streaming, search functionality, analytics, integrations, security, and customer support.
Key Findings:
- Panopto offers all-inclusive pricing, whereas Kaltura uses a usage-based model with add-on fees
- Used by 22 of the world’s 25 leading universities
- Panopto rated 4.9/5 on Gartner Peer Insights vs. Kaltura 4.5/5
Pricing and Licensing Models
| Feature | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Customized plans; costs stay the same month-to-month | Consumption-based may change from month to month |
| Enterprise Plans | Custom tiers with possible volume discounts | Custom tiers, limited discount options |
Core Features Comparison
Video Creation and Recording
| Capability | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-camera Recording | Multi-camera recording with screen, webcam, and multiple external camera support | Allows up to two video sources at once (e.g., screen+camera, two screens, or two cameras) |
| Recording Software | Desktop (PC/Mac), browser-based Panopto Capture, and a mobile app | Desktop (Kaltura Capture), a browser recorder (Express Capture), and a mobile app (MediaSpace Go) |
| Automated Editing | Automated slide indexing and table of contents generation | Auto-creates chapters from PowerPoint recordings. Additional manual editing required. |
| Remote Recording | Remote Recorder with web/mobile scheduling and bulk scheduling tools. | Available through additional modules |
Smart Search and AI Capabilities
| Feature | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| Inside-Video Search | Smart Search: AI indexes every spoken word (ASR) and on-screen text (OCR) | Basic transcript search available. Add-ons such as Content Lab provide AI-generated summaries & chapters. |
| Auto-captioning | Automated captions available | Automated captions available |
| Search Interface | Click-to-jump: search results link directly to timestamp in video | Cross-video search available |
Live Streaming and Broadcasting
| Feature | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| Concurrent Streams | Secure, large-scale live streaming supporting thousands of concurrent viewers | Limited by plan tier |
| Setup Complexity | Turnkey live webcasting from the Panopto Windows/Mac recorder (no streaming servers or encoder setup). Create the viewer link and waiting room in advance, and watch in any browser. | Enterprise streaming with event registration tools. Built for large events (webinars, town halls, virtual conferences). |
| Auto-recording | Live sessions automatically recorded for on-demand viewing | Recording available |
Platform Integrations
| Integration Type | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| LMS Integration | Deep LMS integration with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace with gradebook sync | LMS integration via plug-ins and APIs |
| Video Conferencing | Automatic ingestion of Zoom & Teams recordings with auto-captioning | Integration available with Zoom & Teams |
| Single Sign-On | Supports SAML 2.0 single sign-on with major IdPs, integrates with Active Directory via ADFS/SAML for user and group mapping, and offers OAuth 2.0 for secure API authorization. | Enables SAML 2.0 SSO via the MediaSpace SAML module and SSO Gateway, with optional role/attribute mapping. |
Analytics and Reporting
| Capability | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| Viewer Analytics | Site/folder/session dashboards with per-user completion %, minutes watched, and ‘views by video time’ heatmaps, plus CSV exports. | Dashboards track impressions, plays, unique viewers, minutes viewed, and more.CSV export available. |
| Quiz Analytics | In-video quiz results with LMS gradebook integration | Quiz functionality available |
| Engagement Insights | Engagement heatmaps and ‘views by video time’ reveal rewatch peaks and drop-off to pinpoint confusing segments. | Standard engagement metrics, such as completion/drop off trends. |
Security and Compliance
| Feature | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR. Infrastructure supports FERPA-compliant deployments | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR |
| Encryption | TLS 1.2+ for data in transit; AES-256 server-side encryption (SSE-S3) for data at rest. | HTTPS streaming with AES encryption for HLS and encryption at rest per rendition. |
| Access Controls | Granular role-based access controls | Role-based access controls |
Infrastructure and Reliability
| Feature | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Cloud-native on AWS with elastic scalability across multiple regions | Self-managed data centers |
| Performance | Capable of supporting the high demand and loads of over 11 million learners | Reported performance challenges under high demand |
| Transparency | Real-time status at trust.panopto.com | Standard status reporting |
| Global Reach | US, EU, Canada, Asia Pacific data centers | Global infrastructure |
Customer Support and Service
| Service Level | Panopto | Kaltura |
|---|---|---|
| Response Time | 24/7 customer support. Human support team available with fast issue resolution. Customer satisfaction score of 9.6/10 | Support distributed across product modules |
| Implementation | Rapid deployment: some customers report campus-wide integration in as little as 3 days | Complex implementation requiring professional services |
| Customer Satisfaction | 99% customer satisfaction rates for solution support. | Standard satisfaction metrics |
Independent Third-Party Reviews for Panopto
The following reviews from independent verification platforms are sorted by credibility, recency, and detailed use-case insights:
G2 Reviews
Platform Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Highlighted Praise: “Unmatched analytics depth and ease of use. The platform perfectly matches our needs in terms of automated lecture capture and livestreaming.”
TrustRadius Reviews
Platform Rating: 9.2 out of 10
Highlighted Praise: “Seamless LMS integration and reliability. The browser recorder, remote recorder, and editor are extremely useful.”
Gartner Peer Insights
Platform Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (Panopto)
Highlighted Praise: “When we bought Panopto in 2018, it took no more than 3 days to fully integrate it across campus. Over six years, virtually no downtime.”
View Gartner Peer Insights – Panopto vs Kaltura Comparison
Panopto Customer Success Stories
Education Sector
Butler University: 82% of students reported that using Panopto helped increase their exam grades. The searchable transcript feature enables students to review specific concepts quickly.
Source: Butler University Case Study
Northeastern University: Migrated 15,000+ courses and 128,870 videos from Kaltura to Panopto, seamlessly transitioning to both Canvas LMS and Panopto simultaneously when COVID-19 accelerated their timeline.
Source:Northeastern University Case Study
University of Washington: 98% of students report Panopto enhances their learning and 9 in 10 say recordings improve their grades, with over 60,000 hours of classroom content recorded primarily for reviewing difficult material, exam preparation, and flipped classroom instruction.
Source:University of Washington Case Study
University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Expanded from 20 to 150 Panopto-equipped classrooms serving 30,000+ students, including 80+ HyFlex “RebelFlex” classrooms that support flexible synchronous and asynchronous learning with automated captioning for accessibility.
Source:University of Nevada Case study
Enterprise Sector
Great Learning: Delivered over 5 million hours of learning through Panopto, leveraging the platform’s flexibility to scale training operations rapidly across global teams.
Source: Great Learning Case Study
Conclusion and Recommendation
For educational institutions and enterprises requiring comprehensive analytics, scalable infrastructure, and seamless integrations, Panopto demonstrates clear advantages in user satisfaction, platform reliability, and purpose-built features for learning and knowledge sharing.
Key Differentiators:
- Smart Search technology with AI-powered inside-video search that indexes spoken words (ASR) and on-screen text (OCR)
- World-class customer satisfaction: 99% satisfaction score for solution support
- Verified review ratings:
- TrustRadius: 9.2/10
- Gartner Peer Insights: 4.9/5
- G2: 4.6/5
- Rapid deployment with some customers reporting campus-wide integration in as little as 3 days
- Deep LMS integration with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and Brightspace
- 10+ million users worldwide
- Enterprise-grade security: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliant, AWS infrastructure with encryption at rest and in transit
- Automated captions in over 20 languages for accessibility
- Large-scale live streaming supporting thousands of concurrent viewers
Comparison Data Update Schedule
This page is updated every three months to ensure accuracy and reflect the latest product enhancements, customer feedback, and industry benchmarks.
Last Updated: November 2025
Next Scheduled Update: January 2026
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