LMS · head to head
Chamilo vs Read the Docs
Chamilo
LMS
Open source learning management system with no licence fee and a Latin American and francophone user base
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Read the Docs
Documentation
Documentation hosting with versioning built for open source
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- 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.; Read the Docs build configuration is finicky, and build failures on dependency changes are a common frustration
- They diverge on capability: Chamilo covers Course and learning paths, Read the Docs covers Build on commit.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Chamilo and Read the Docs actually diverge.
| Attribute | Chamilo | Read the Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Open source, no licence fee | Free for open source; paid business plans for private documentation |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted, Linux | Web, Cloud |
| Category | LMS | Documentation |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Chamilo
- Course and learning paths
- Assessments
- Gradebook and certificates
- Attendance tracking
- Sessions and multi-tenancy
- Wide interface translation
- Plugins
- Low hosting requirements
Only in Read the Docs
- Build on commit
- Version by branch and tag
- Pull request previews
- Free for open source
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 Read the Docs
- A ministry or NGO delivering vocational training over poor connectivity, where a lightweight PHP application on cheap hosting beats a heavyweight platformnot Read the Docs
- A francophone institution in West Africa or Belgium where French interface and documentation quality decides adoption more than feature countnot Read the Docs
- An organisation that requires the LMS to run entirely on its own infrastructure with no data leaving the countrynot Read the Docs
Read the Docs
- Open-source projects needing free hosted versioned documentationnot Chamilo
- Teams wanting docs rebuilt automatically on every commitnot Chamilo
- Reviewing documentation changes in a pull request before mergenot 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.
Read the Docs
- Build configuration is finicky, and build failures on dependency changes are a common frustration
- Default themes are recognisable and dated, so sites look alike unless customised
- Private documentation requires a paid business plan
- Build times on large projects are slow enough to interrupt a review cycle
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
Read the Docs
Free- FreeFree
- Core functionality
- Public projects
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.
Choose Read the Docs if
- You need build on commit.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want version by branch and tag.
Questions people ask
- Is Chamilo or Read the Docs better?
- Neither clearly leads. Chamilo starts at Free and Read the Docs at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Chamilo or Read the Docs?
- Chamilo starts at Free and Read the Docs at Free.
- Does Chamilo or Read the Docs run on more platforms?
- Chamilo runs on Web, Self-hosted, Linux. Read the Docs runs on Web, Cloud.
- Can I use Chamilo for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Read the Docs is typically brought in for.
- What can Chamilo do that Read the Docs cannot?
- Chamilo covers Course and learning paths, Assessments, Gradebook and certificates, Attendance tracking. Read the Docs covers Build on commit, Version by branch and tag, Pull request previews, Free for open source.
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.
Read the Docs: Is Read the Docs free?
Free for open-source public projects. Private documentation requires a paid business plan.
Chamilo: 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.
Read the Docs: What does it build from?
Most commonly Sphinx or MkDocs sources kept in your repository.
Chamilo: 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.
Read the Docs: How does versioning work?
It maps branches and tags to documentation versions, so several releases are served side by side without manual work.
Chamilo: 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.
Related pages
More on Read the Docs
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- Read the Docs vs LearnUpon
- Read the Docs vs Pear Deck
- Read the Docs vs Seesaw
- Read the Docs vs Weet
- Read the Docs vs Whatfix
- Read the Docs vs MkDocs
- Read the Docs vs Sphinx
- Read the Docs vs Docsify
- Read the Docs vs GitBook
- Read the Docs vs Doxygen
- Read the Docs vs BookStack
- Read the Docs vs Antora
- Read the Docs vs Outline
- Read the Docs vs Bump.sh
- Read the Docs vs Fumadocs
- Read the Docs vs Scalar
- Read the Docs vs Grammarly
- Read the Docs vs Slab
- Read the Docs vs Starlight
- Read the Docs vs VitePress
- Read the Docs vs Guidde