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LMS · head to head

Claroline vs LearnWorlds

Claroline logo

Claroline

LMS

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LearnWorlds logo

LearnWorlds

LMS

Create and sell online courses with interactive experiences

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.; LearnWorlds the $24 Starter plan charges $5 for every paid enrollment, so selling a cheap course can cost more in fees than the plan
  • They diverge on capability: Claroline covers Workspaces, LearnWorlds covers Course builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Claroline and LearnWorlds actually diverge.

Attributes where Claroline and LearnWorlds differ
AttributeClarolineLearnWorlds
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
PlatformsWeb, LinuxWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Claroline

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

Only in LearnWorlds

  • Course builder
  • Interactive video
  • Website builder
  • Certificates
  • Assessments
  • Community
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics

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 LearnWorlds
  • A public body required to keep learner data on European infrastructure under an open licence it can audit.not LearnWorlds
  • A training provider assembling learning paths from a shared library of reusable resources across many client workspaces rather than duplicating courses.not LearnWorlds
  • 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 LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds

  • Online course platformnot Claroline
  • Employee trainingnot Claroline
  • Corporate learning managementnot 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.

LearnWorlds

  • The $24 Starter plan charges $5 for every paid enrollment, so selling a cheap course can cost more in fees than the plan
  • Escaping the enrollment fee requires the $79 Pro Trainer plan
  • Active learners are capped monthly, at 1,000 on Starter and 2,000 on both Pro Trainer and Learning Center
  • The $249 Learning Center plan allows no more learners than the $79 plan, differing on admins and AI credits instead
  • Admin seats are rationed at 1, 5 and 25
  • AI credits are metered monthly at 300, 500 and 1,000

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

LearnWorlds

Free
  • Starter$24/month
    • 1,000 active learners/month
    • 1 admin
    • 300 AI credits/month
  • Pro Trainer$79/month
    • 2,000 active learners/month
    • 5 admins
    • 500 AI credits/month
  • Learning Center$249/month
    • 2,000 active learners/month
    • 25 admins
    • 1,000 AI credits/month
  • Corporate$null/mo
    • Custom active learners/month
    • Custom admins
    • Dedicated success manager

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 LearnWorlds if

  • You need course builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want interactive video.
LearnWorlds review

Questions people ask

Is Claroline or LearnWorlds better?
Neither clearly leads. Claroline starts at Free and LearnWorlds at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Claroline or LearnWorlds?
Claroline starts at Free and LearnWorlds at Free.
Does Claroline or LearnWorlds run on more platforms?
Claroline runs on Web, Linux. LearnWorlds runs on Web, IOS, Android.
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 LearnWorlds is typically brought in for.
What can Claroline do that LearnWorlds cannot?
Claroline covers Workspaces, Resource model, Learning paths, Quizzes and evaluation. LearnWorlds covers Course builder, Interactive video, Website builder, Certificates.

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.

LearnWorlds: How much does LearnWorlds cost?

LearnWorlds pricing starts at $24/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly) for Starter, $79/$99 for Pro Trainer, and $249/$299 for Learning Center. Corporate plans have custom pricing.

Source
Claroline: Is it still maintained?

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

LearnWorlds: Does LearnWorlds charge per student enrollment?

The Starter plan charges $5 per enrollment. Pro Trainer and higher tiers include unlimited enrollments with no per-enrollment fees.

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.

LearnWorlds: Does LearnWorlds offer a free trial?

Yes, LearnWorlds offers a 30-day free trial with access to core features and functionality. No credit card is required.

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.

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.

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