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LMS · head to head

Chamilo vs Whatfix

Chamilo logo

Chamilo

LMS

Open source learning management system with no licence fee and a Latin American and francophone user base

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Whatfix logo

Whatfix

LMS

In-application guidance and walkthroughs layered over enterprise software you did not build

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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.; Whatfix whatfix publishes no pricing, and contracts are typically scoped per target application, so extending guidance from Salesforce to Workday is a new commercial negotiation rather than a configuration change.
  • They diverge on capability: Chamilo covers Course and learning paths, Whatfix covers Interactive walkthroughs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chamilo and Whatfix actually diverge.

Attributes where Chamilo and Whatfix differ
AttributeChamiloWhatfix
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, LinuxWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

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 Whatfix

  • Interactive walkthroughs
  • Self-help widget
  • Smart tips and beacons
  • Mirror sandbox
  • Product Analytics
  • Desktop and mobile support
  • Content localisation
  • Segmentation

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 Whatfix
  • A ministry or NGO delivering vocational training over poor connectivity, where a lightweight PHP application on cheap hosting beats a heavyweight platformnot Whatfix
  • A francophone institution in West Africa or Belgium where French interface and documentation quality decides adoption more than feature countnot Whatfix
  • An organisation that requires the LMS to run entirely on its own infrastructure with no data leaving the countrynot Whatfix

Whatfix

  • An ERP or CRM go-live where thousands of employees must change how they work and classroom training will not reach them allnot Chamilo
  • Reducing support tickets on a system where the same five questions account for most of the help desk volumenot Chamilo
  • Improving data quality by placing field-level guidance where users consistently enter the wrong valuenot Chamilo
  • A regulated organisation that needs employees to practise a process in a simulated environment before touching production datanot 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.

Whatfix

  • Whatfix publishes no pricing, and contracts are typically scoped per target application, so extending guidance from Salesforce to Workday is a new commercial negotiation rather than a configuration change.
  • Overlays are anchored to interface elements, so when the underlying vendor ships a UI change your guidance can break silently, and the user sees a walkthrough pointing at a button that has moved; ongoing content ownership is mandatory, not optional.
  • It masks poor interface design rather than fixing it, and organisations sometimes use it to avoid confronting a badly configured system, which leaves the underlying inefficiency in place and adds an annual licence to it.
  • Building good content is real work. A meaningful rollout takes weeks of authoring and testing per application, and the internal effort usually exceeds what the business case assumed.
  • Adding a JavaScript overlay to systems holding HR and financial data triggers a serious security review in regulated industries, and some organisations cannot get approval to inject third-party script into their ERP at all.

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

Whatfix

On request
  • Whatfix$undefined/year
    • Annual contract priced by application and user volume
    • Each target application typically licensed separately
    • Mirror and Product Analytics sold as additional modules

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.
Chamilo review

Choose Whatfix if

  • You need interactive walkthroughs.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want self-help widget.
Whatfix review

Questions people ask

Is Chamilo or Whatfix better?
Neither clearly leads. Chamilo starts at Free and Whatfix at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chamilo or Whatfix?
Chamilo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chamilo and On request for Whatfix.
Does Chamilo or Whatfix run on more platforms?
Chamilo runs on Web, Self-hosted, Linux. Whatfix runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use Chamilo for free?
Yes. Chamilo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Whatfix starts at On request.
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 Whatfix is typically brought in for.
What can Chamilo do that Whatfix cannot?
Chamilo covers Course and learning paths, Assessments, Gradebook and certificates, Attendance tracking. Whatfix covers Interactive walkthroughs, Self-help widget, Smart tips and beacons, Mirror sandbox.

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.

Whatfix: How much does Whatfix cost?

It is not published. Pricing is annual and scoped by application and user volume, with Mirror and Product Analytics as separate modules.

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.

Whatfix: How does it compare with WalkMe?

Functionally similar. The commercial difference is that SAP acquired WalkMe in 2024, so non-SAP buyers increasingly shortlist Whatfix as the independent alternative.

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.

Whatfix: Does it require changes to the target application?

No. It works as an overlay injected via a browser extension or a script, which is why the security review matters more than the technical effort.

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.

Whatfix: Will guidance break when the vendor updates the UI?

It can. Content needs an owner who monitors and repairs it after vendor releases.

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