LMS · head to head
Chamilo vs Podia
Chamilo
LMS
Open source learning management system with no licence fee and a Latin American and francophone user base
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Podia
LMS
Sell online courses, memberships, and digital downloads
- From
- $42/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Chamilo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Chamilo version 3.0 has been in beta since 2024 while production deployments stay on the 1.11 branch, so anyone planning a multi-year deployment is choosing between an ageing stable line and an unfinished rewrite.; Podia mover tier charges 5% transaction fees on all sales; higher tiers offer fee-free processing
- They diverge on capability: Chamilo covers Course and learning paths, Podia covers Course hosting.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Chamilo and Podia actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (LMS).
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 Chamilo
- Course and learning paths
- Assessments
- Gradebook and certificates
- Attendance tracking
- Sessions and multi-tenancy
- Wide interface translation
- Plugins
- Low hosting requirements
Only in Podia
- Course hosting
- Digital downloads
- Memberships
- Email marketing
- Webinars
- Community
- Affiliate marketing
- Custom website
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Chamilo
- A Latin American university that needs an LMS with no per-student licence fee and Spanish-language support from people in a compatible time zonenot Podia
- A ministry or NGO delivering vocational training over poor connectivity, where a lightweight PHP application on cheap hosting beats a heavyweight platformnot Podia
- A francophone institution in West Africa or Belgium where French interface and documentation quality decides adoption more than feature countnot Podia
- An organisation that requires the LMS to run entirely on its own infrastructure with no data leaving the countrynot Podia
Podia
- Content creators selling digital courses with email marketing integrationnot Chamilo
- Coaching businesses managing memberships and community spacesnot Chamilo
- Newsletter publishers monetising subscriber base with events and digital productsnot Chamilo
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Chamilo
- Version 3.0 has been in beta since 2024 while production deployments stay on the 1.11 branch, so anyone planning a multi-year deployment is choosing between an ageing stable line and an unfinished rewrite.
- Governance moved to BeezNest Belgium, a commercial company that also sells Chamilo hosting and services, which concentrates roadmap decisions in a vendor with a direct commercial interest in the support market.
- The English-language community and documentation are noticeably thinner than the Spanish and French, so an anglophone institution will find fewer answers, fewer contributors and fewer consultants than the project size implies.
- No licence fee is not no cost: hosting, upgrades, security patching, backups and integration work all fall on the institution or a paid partner, and that ongoing labour usually exceeds what a small institution would have paid for a hosted commercial LMS.
- The third-party plugin ecosystem is small compared with Moodle, so integrations with proctoring, publisher content and student information systems often have to be commissioned rather than installed.
Podia
- Mover tier charges 5% transaction fees on all sales; higher tiers offer fee-free processing
- Mover plan capped at 50 products maximum; Shaker at 150 products; only Earthquaker offers unlimited
- Video storage limited by plan: 500 videos (Mover), 1,000 (Shaker), unlimited (Earthquaker)
- Email subscriber limits tiered: 100 (Mover), 500 (Shaker), 1,000 (Earthquaker); overage model not stated
- Annual billing required for all plans with 72-hour refund window; partial refunds excluded
Pricing, plan by plan
Chamilo
Free- Self-hostedFree
- GNU GPL licence, no per-learner fee
- Full source code
- Community support in Spanish, French and English
- Hosting and support from partners$undefined/year
- Managed hosting, upgrades and support sold by BeezNest and other official providers
- Priced per deployment, quoted
Podia
$42/month- Mover$42/month
- Up to 100 email subscribers
- 5% transaction fees
- 50 products
- Shaker$84/month
- Up to 500 email subscribers
- No Podia fees
- 150 products
- Earthquaker$150/month
- Up to 1,000 email subscribers
- No Podia fees
- Unlimited products
Which should you pick?
Choose Chamilo if
- You need course and learning paths.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted, Linux.
- You also want assessments.
Questions people ask
- Is Chamilo or Podia better?
- Neither clearly leads. Chamilo starts at Free and Podia at $42/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Chamilo or Podia?
- Chamilo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chamilo and $42/month for Podia.
- Does Chamilo or Podia run on more platforms?
- Chamilo runs on Web, Self-hosted, Linux. Podia runs on Web.
- Can I use Chamilo for free?
- Yes. Chamilo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Podia starts at $42/month.
- What is Chamilo best used for?
- Chamilo is most often used for a latin american university that needs an lms with no per-student licence fee and spanish-language support from people in a compatible time zone, a ministry or ngo delivering vocational training over poor connectivity, where a lightweight php application on cheap hosting beats a heavyweight platform, a francophone institution in west africa or belgium where french interface and documentation quality decides adoption more than feature count, an organisation that requires the lms to run entirely on its own infrastructure with no data leaving the country. Of those, a latin american university that needs an lms with no per-student licence fee and spanish-language support from people in a compatible time zone and a ministry or ngo delivering vocational training over poor connectivity, where a lightweight php application on cheap hosting beats a heavyweight platform are not what Podia is typically brought in for.
- What can Chamilo do that Podia cannot?
- Chamilo covers Course and learning paths, Assessments, Gradebook and certificates, Attendance tracking. Podia covers Course hosting, Digital downloads, Memberships, Email marketing.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Chamilo: Who owns and maintains Chamilo now?
The project has been governed by BeezNest Belgium since January 2026. The code remains under the GNU GPL, but roadmap stewardship sits with a commercial company that also sells Chamilo services.
Podia: How much does Podia cost?
Podia offers three plans: Mover at $42/month, Shaker at $84/month, and Earthquaker at $150/month. All plans include a 30-day free trial and can be billed monthly or annually with cost savings on annual billing.
SourceChamilo: Is Chamilo 3 ready for production?
No. The 3.0 line has been in beta since 2024 and production installations remain on the 1.11 branch. Plan on 1.11 and treat the 3.0 migration as a future project.
Podia: Does Podia charge transaction fees?
Yes, the Mover plan charges 5% Podia transaction fees. Higher tiers (Shaker and Earthquaker) include no Podia fees. However, all plans are subject to payment processor fees of 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction.
SourceChamilo: Is there a licence fee?
No. Chamilo is GPL software with no per-learner charge. Costs are hosting, support and whatever integration work you commission.
Podia: Is there a free trial for Podia?
Yes, Podia offers a 30-day free trial. No credit card is required to start the trial, allowing you to explore all features before deciding on a plan.
SourceChamilo: Where is it strongest?
Spanish-speaking Latin America, Spain, francophone West Africa and Belgium. Support and documentation quality in Spanish and French exceed the English.
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