LMS · alternatives
Alternatives to Moodle
22 lms tools sit alongside Moodle in this directory. Below is what separates each from Moodle on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 22
- With a free tier
- 6
- Cheaper to start
- 7
- Moodle starts at
- Free, then $200/year
Why people look past Moodle
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Moodle entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
It costs more than the category median
Moodle starts at $200/year. Across the 5 lms tools listed beside it that publish a price, the median entry point is $24/month.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Open-source LMS for engaging learning experiences
- No free tier, where Moodle has one.
- Starts $195 a student-year cheaper, at $5/student-year.
Comprehensive learning platform for educational institutions
- No free tier, where Moodle has one.
- Starts $190 a year cheaper, at $10/year.
LMS that connects learning with the bigger picture
Priced and rated the same as Moodle on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Asynchronous training video with AI avatars, quizzes and a searchable knowledge library
- Starts $176 a month cheaper, at $24/month.
Open source French-language learning platform, now developed as Claroline Connect
- Starts $200 a month cheaper, at Free.
Open source learning management system with no licence fee and a Latin American and francophone user base
Priced and rated the same as Moodle on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Every Moodle alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle (this page) | Free, then $200/year | - | 2 | |
| CanvasCloud-based LMS used in higher education with extensive institutional integrations | $5/student-year | - | - | vs Moodle |
| BlackboardEnterprise LMS for institutions with comprehensive course management and assessment tools | $10/year | - | - | vs Moodle |
| SchoologyCloud-based LMS for K-12 and higher education with collaborative learning features | Free | Subscription | 2 | vs Moodle |
| Weet | Free, then $24/month | Per creator per month | 2 | vs Moodle |
| Claroline | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 2 | vs Moodle |
| Chamilo | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 2 | vs Moodle |
| Sakai | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 2 | vs Moodle |
| Nearpod | Free, then $159/year | - | 3 | vs Moodle |
| Degreed | On request | Quote | 2 | vs Moodle |
| Skilljar | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| Sana | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| Echo360 | On request | Quote | 4 | vs Moodle |
| Schoox | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| Thought Industries | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| Tovuti LMS | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| Whatfix | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| Totara | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| LearnDash | $199/year | Per site per year | 3 | vs Moodle |
| CYPHER Learning | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| LearnUpon | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Moodle |
| LinkedIn Learning | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Moodle |
| Docebo | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Moodle |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Moodle badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Cheaper than Moodle (7)
Entry price under Moodle's $200/year. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
What you would be giving up
Moodle is most often brought in for online learning, blended learning, corporate training, compliance training. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Moodle is broadly right and the question is cost, the Moodle pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the LMS category lists everything the directory holds, and best lms tools ranks them.
Moodle runs on web. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Moodle alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Moodle?
- 22 other lms tools are listed in this directory, led by Canvas, Blackboard, Schoology, Weet. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Moodle?
- 6 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Schoology, Weet, Claroline, Chamilo, Sakai.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Moodle?
- Yes. 7 of the alternatives below start under Moodle's $200/year: Canvas at $5/student-year, Blackboard at $10/year, Weet at Free, then $24/month, Claroline at Free.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Moodle?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: it costs more than the category median. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Moodle?
- Moodle is most often brought in for online learning, blended learning, corporate training, compliance training. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Moodle?
- None of the lms tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Moodle alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, LMS, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Moodle against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Moodle covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every lms tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the LMS category, 22 tools beside Moodle. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.