LMS · head to head
Claroline vs Sphinx
Claroline
LMS
Open source French-language learning platform, now developed as Claroline Connect
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Sphinx
Documentation
Documentation generator built for large technical projects
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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.; Sphinx reStructuredText is harder to write than Markdown and puts off contributors, though MyST now allows Markdown
- They diverge on capability: Claroline covers Workspaces, Sphinx covers Cross-references.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Claroline and Sphinx actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), 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 Sphinx
- Cross-references
- API autodoc
- Multi-format output
- Extension ecosystem
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 Sphinx
- A public body required to keep learner data on European infrastructure under an open licence it can audit.not Sphinx
- A training provider assembling learning paths from a shared library of reusable resources across many client workspaces rather than duplicating courses.not Sphinx
- 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 Sphinx
Sphinx
- Large technical documentation needing reliable cross-referencesnot Claroline
- Python projects generating API docs from docstringsnot Claroline
- Documentation that must ship as PDF as well as HTMLnot 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.
Sphinx
- reStructuredText is harder to write than Markdown and puts off contributors, though MyST now allows Markdown
- Configuration is complex and the default output is dated-looking without theme work
- Build times on large documentation sets are slow
- Heavier than the problem for a small project that only needs a few pages
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
Sphinx
Free- SphinxFree
- Full functionality
- Commercial use permitted
- Community support
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.
Choose Sphinx if
- You need cross-references.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
- You also want api autodoc.
Questions people ask
- Is Claroline or Sphinx better?
- Neither clearly leads. Claroline starts at Free and Sphinx at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Claroline or Sphinx?
- Claroline starts at Free and Sphinx at Free.
- Does Claroline or Sphinx run on more platforms?
- Claroline runs on Web, Linux. Sphinx runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
- 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 Sphinx is typically brought in for.
- What can Claroline do that Sphinx cannot?
- Claroline covers Workspaces, Resource model, Learning paths, Quizzes and evaluation. Sphinx covers Cross-references, API autodoc, Multi-format output, Extension ecosystem.
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.
Sphinx: Is Sphinx free?
Yes, open source under the BSD licence.
Claroline: Is it still maintained?
Yes. Point releases in the 15.0 line continued into 2026 with active commits on GitHub.
Sphinx: Do I have to write reStructuredText?
Not any more. The MyST extension allows Markdown, though reStructuredText remains the native format and most examples use it.
Claroline: Is it free?
The software is GPL and free. Hosted distribution with maintenance and support is a paid service from the commercial operator.
Sphinx: Why do large projects choose Sphinx?
Automatic cross-referencing and API extraction from docstrings, which lighter generators do not provide.
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.
Related pages
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