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Education · head to head

360Learning vs Totara

360Learning logo

360Learning

Education

Collaborative learning that transforms L&D

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Totara logo

Totara

LMS

Open source learning, performance and collaboration platform derived from Moodle and sold through partners

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only 360Learning has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 360Learning the published Team plan at $8 per user per month covers up to 100 users; beyond that pricing is custom; Totara you cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • They diverge on capability: 360Learning covers Collaborative authoring, Totara covers Organisational hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 360Learning and Totara actually diverge.

Attributes where 360Learning and Totara differ
Attribute360LearningTotara
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, Android, APIWeb, iOS, Android, Linux
CategoryEducationLMS
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 360Learning

  • Collaborative authoring
  • AI-powered recommendations
  • Social learning
  • Assessments
  • Mobile learning
  • Analytics
  • Integrations
  • Gamification

Only in Totara

  • Organisational hierarchies
  • Compliance and certification
  • Totara Perform
  • Totara Engage
  • Self-hosting
  • Programs and learning plans

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

360Learning

  • Collaborative course authoring by internal subject matter expertsnot Totara
  • Onboarding and compliance training deliverynot Totara
  • Upskilling programmes tracked across a workforcenot Totara
  • Customer and partner trainingnot Totara

Totara

  • Health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchynot 360Learning
  • Organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructurenot 360Learning
  • Moodle users who need appraisal, competency and compliance features the academic product does not carrynot 360Learning
  • Buyers who want exit rights over the platform code rather than dependence on a single hosted vendornot 360Learning

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

360Learning

  • The published Team plan at $8 per user per month covers up to 100 users; beyond that pricing is custom
  • Business and Enterprise pricing is not published
  • Priority SLA, dedicated technical support and premium onboarding are Enterprise only
  • Business and Enterprise plans are typically annual contracts rather than monthly

Totara

  • You cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • Open source does not mean cheap. Subscription plus partner hosting plus implementation and version upgrade services commonly lands near commercial system cost, and the saving is in control and exit rights rather than in the invoice.
  • The administrative interface carries its Moodle lineage and is dense, so administrator training is a real project cost rather than an afterthought.
  • Major version upgrades are projects, especially where a partner has customised the deployment, and organisations that customise heavily find upgrades slower and dearer over time.
  • The learner facing experience is functional rather than engaging, and organisations wanting a consumer grade learning experience usually front it with something else.

Pricing, plan by plan

360Learning

Free
  • Team$8/month
    • Up to 100 users
    • No minimum number of users required
    • Pay only for active users
  • Business$null/custom
    • Flexible user models: registered and monthly active users
    • Growing organizations and L&D teams ready to scale
    • Annual contracts generally offered
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Flexible user models: registered and monthly active users
    • Large organizations seeking enterprise-wide L&D transformation
    • Annual contracts generally offered

Totara

On request
  • Totara subscription via partner$undefined/year
    • Sold only through distribution partners
    • Partner sets hosting, implementation and support pricing
    • Source available under the GPL, but subscription required for supported releases

Which should you pick?

Choose 360Learning if

  • You need collaborative authoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, API.
  • You also want ai-powered recommendations.
360Learning review

Choose Totara if

  • You need organisational hierarchies.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want compliance and certification.
Totara review

Questions people ask

Is 360Learning or Totara better?
Neither clearly leads. 360Learning starts at Free and Totara at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 360Learning or Totara?
360Learning has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for 360Learning and On request for Totara.
Does 360Learning or Totara run on more platforms?
360Learning runs on Web, IOS, Android, API. Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
Can I use 360Learning for free?
Yes. 360Learning has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Totara starts at On request.
What is 360Learning best used for?
360Learning is most often used for collaborative course authoring by internal subject matter experts, onboarding and compliance training delivery, upskilling programmes tracked across a workforce, customer and partner training. Of those, collaborative course authoring by internal subject matter experts and onboarding and compliance training delivery are not what Totara is typically brought in for.
What can 360Learning do that Totara cannot?
360Learning covers Collaborative authoring, AI-powered recommendations, Social learning, Assessments. Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

360Learning: Does 360Learning offer a free trial before committing to a paid plan?

Yes, a 30-day free trial is available with no credit card required. Customers can easily upgrade to a paid plan or add more users at any time without disrupting their setup.

Source
Totara: Is Totara free because it is open source?

No. The source is available under the GPL, but supported releases require a subscription, and it is sold through partners who add hosting, implementation and support costs.

360Learning: Can I scale up my user count on the Team plan, or do I need to upgrade to Business?

The Team plan accommodates up to 100 users with no minimum user requirement. You pay only for active users on the platform. To exceed 100 users, you would need to contact sales for a Business or Enterprise plan with custom pricing.

Source
Totara: How is it different from Moodle?

Moodle is built around courses and academic delivery. Totara adds organisational hierarchies, role based automatic assignment, recurring certification and appraisal, which is what workplace compliance reporting needs.

360Learning: What billing flexibility does 360Learning offer for larger organizations?

Business and Enterprise plans use flexible user models that combine both registered and monthly active users. Annual contracts are generally offered for these tiers, with no hidden setup fees.

Source
Totara: Can we host it ourselves?

Yes. Self hosting is a genuine option and is one of the main reasons regulated and public sector buyers choose it over a hosted only competitor.

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