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LMS · head to head

Claroline vs Greasemonkey

Claroline logo

Claroline

LMS

Open source French-language learning platform, now developed as Claroline Connect

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Greasemonkey logo

Greasemonkey

Browser Extensions

The original userscript manager, for Firefox

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Claroline two products share the name and the abandoned original, last released in December 2021, dominates search results, so institutions regularly install unmaintained software believing it is current.; Greasemonkey firefox only. There is no Chrome, Edge or Safari build and there never has been.
  • They diverge on capability: Claroline covers Workspaces, Greasemonkey covers Userscript execution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 17 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Claroline and Greasemonkey actually diverge.

Attributes where Claroline and Greasemonkey differ
AttributeClarolineGreasemonkey
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeopen-source
PlatformsWeb, LinuxFirefox
CategoryLMSBrowser Extensions

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 Claroline

  • Workspaces
  • Resource model
  • Learning paths
  • Quizzes and evaluation
  • Competency framework
  • Planning and events
  • Self-hosting
  • SaaS option

Only in Greasemonkey

  • Userscript execution
  • Built-in script editor
  • GM. API
  • @resource support
  • Script localisation
  • Firefox for Android

What people use each for

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

Claroline

  • A French or Belgian training organisation that needs a francophone platform where the interface and support are French-first rather than translated.not Greasemonkey
  • A public body required to keep learner data on European infrastructure under an open licence it can audit.not Greasemonkey
  • A training provider assembling learning paths from a shared library of reusable resources across many client workspaces rather than duplicating courses.not Greasemonkey
  • An institution already running the abandoned Claroline 13 line that needs to plan a migration onto the maintained Connect codebase before its dependencies become unsupportable.not Greasemonkey

Greasemonkey

  • Restyling or de-cluttering a site you use dailynot Claroline
  • Automating a repetitive action on a web applicationnot Claroline
  • Adding a missing feature to a site you do not controlnot Claroline
  • Running userscripts on Firefox for Androidnot Claroline
  • Writing and testing your own scripts in the browsernot Claroline

Where each one falls short

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

Claroline

  • Two products share the name and the abandoned original, last released in December 2021, dominates search results, so institutions regularly install unmaintained software believing it is current.
  • The community is small compared with Moodle, so plugin choice, third-party integrations and the pool of people who can administer it in production are all thin.
  • Documentation and community discussion are French-first and English coverage is partial and inconsistent, which raises the effort for any non-francophone team.
  • The commercial hosting is offered by a small operator rather than a large partner network, so an institution depending on paid support has concentrated supplier risk.
  • The workspace and resource model is different enough from a conventional course-based LMS that staff moving from Moodle or Canvas have to relearn how content is organised, and migrations do not map cleanly.

Greasemonkey

  • Firefox only. There is no Chrome, Edge or Safari build and there never has been.
  • Its API diverged from the Tampermonkey conventions most shared scripts are written against, so a script from a sharing site may need adjusting to run.
  • The dashboard is plainer than Tampermonkey's, with no diff view when a script updates itself.
  • No cloud sync of the kind Tampermonkey and Violentmonkey offer; moving machines means exporting.
  • A userscript manager can read and rewrite every page you visit, so the security of the arrangement depends entirely on the scripts you choose to install.

Pricing, plan by plan

Claroline

Free
  • Claroline ConnectFree
    • GPL licence, no fee
    • Full source on GitHub
    • You provide Symfony and PHP hosting and operations
  • Hosted distribution$undefined/year
    • Managed hosting, maintenance and updates
    • Support from the commercial operator
    • Quoted by user count

Greasemonkey

Free
  • Open sourceFree
    • Unlimited scripts
    • Built-in editor
    • No account required

Which should you pick?

Choose Claroline if

  • You need workspaces.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want resource model.
Claroline review

Choose Greasemonkey if

  • You need userscript execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Firefox.
  • You also want built-in script editor.
Greasemonkey review

Questions people ask

Is Claroline or Greasemonkey better?
Neither clearly leads. Claroline starts at Free and Greasemonkey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Claroline or Greasemonkey?
Claroline starts at Free and Greasemonkey at Free.
Does Claroline or Greasemonkey run on more platforms?
Claroline runs on Web, Linux. Greasemonkey runs on Firefox.
Can I use Claroline for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Claroline best used for?
Claroline is most often used for a french or belgian training organisation that needs a francophone platform where the interface and support are french-first rather than translated., a public body required to keep learner data on european infrastructure under an open licence it can audit., a training provider assembling learning paths from a shared library of reusable resources across many client workspaces rather than duplicating courses., an institution already running the abandoned claroline 13 line that needs to plan a migration onto the maintained connect codebase before its dependencies become unsupportable.. Of those, a french or belgian training organisation that needs a francophone platform where the interface and support are french-first rather than translated. and a public body required to keep learner data on european infrastructure under an open licence it can audit. are not what Greasemonkey is typically brought in for.
What can Claroline do that Greasemonkey cannot?
Claroline covers Workspaces, Resource model, Learning paths, Quizzes and evaluation. Greasemonkey covers Userscript execution, Built-in script editor, GM. API, @resource support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Claroline: Which Claroline should I install?

Claroline Connect, the Symfony and React codebase currently on version 15. The original PHP Claroline stopped at 13.1.3 in December 2021 and should not be deployed.

Greasemonkey: Is Greasemonkey still maintained?

Yes. Version 4.14 was released on 2 June 2026, and the project has an active repository, bug tracker and discussion groups.

Source
Claroline: Is it still maintained?

Yes. Point releases in the 15.0 line continued into 2026 with active commits on GitHub.

Greasemonkey: Does Greasemonkey work on Chrome?

No. It is a Firefox extension and has never shipped for Chrome. Violentmonkey and Tampermonkey are the equivalents there.

Source
Claroline: Is it free?

The software is GPL and free. Hosted distribution with maintenance and support is a paid service from the commercial operator.

Greasemonkey: Will Tampermonkey scripts run in Greasemonkey?

Often, but not always. Greasemonkey's API diverged from the conventions most shared scripts are written against, so a script may need its header or its GM calls adjusted.

Source
Claroline: Does it work in English?

The interface has English, but documentation and community support are French-first, so a non-francophone team will hit gaps.

Greasemonkey: Does Greasemonkey run on mobile?

On Firefox for Android, from version 4.12. There is no iOS build, because Firefox on iOS cannot load extensions of this kind.

Source
Claroline: How big is the ecosystem compared to Moodle?

Much smaller. If you need a wide plugin market or an easy administrator hiring pool, Moodle is the safer open source choice.

Greasemonkey: What is the GM API?

The set of functions a userscript manager exposes to scripts, named after Greasemonkey, which defined it. Greasemonkey supports the promise-based GM. form including GM.xmlHttpRequest and GM.registerMenuCommand.

Source
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