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LMS · head to head

Claroline vs Whatfix

Claroline logo

Claroline

LMS

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

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 Claroline has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; 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: Claroline covers Workspaces, Whatfix covers Interactive walkthroughs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Claroline and Whatfix actually diverge.

Attributes where Claroline and Whatfix differ
AttributeClarolineWhatfix
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, 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 Claroline

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

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.

Claroline

  • A French or Belgian training organisation that needs a francophone platform where the interface and support are French-first rather than translated.not Whatfix
  • A public body required to keep learner data on European infrastructure under an open licence it can audit.not Whatfix
  • A training provider assembling learning paths from a shared library of reusable resources across many client workspaces rather than duplicating courses.not Whatfix
  • 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 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 Claroline
  • Reducing support tickets on a system where the same five questions account for most of the help desk volumenot Claroline
  • Improving data quality by placing field-level guidance where users consistently enter the wrong valuenot Claroline
  • A regulated organisation that needs employees to practise a process in a simulated environment before touching production datanot 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.

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

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

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 Claroline if

  • You need workspaces.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want resource model.
Claroline 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 Claroline or Whatfix better?
Neither clearly leads. Claroline 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, Claroline or Whatfix?
Claroline has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Claroline and On request for Whatfix.
Does Claroline or Whatfix run on more platforms?
Claroline runs on Web, Linux. Whatfix runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use Claroline for free?
Yes. Claroline has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Whatfix starts at On request.
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 Whatfix is typically brought in for.
What can Claroline do that Whatfix cannot?
Claroline covers Workspaces, Resource model, Learning paths, Quizzes and evaluation. Whatfix covers Interactive walkthroughs, Self-help widget, Smart tips and beacons, Mirror sandbox.

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.

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.

Claroline: Is it still maintained?

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

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.

Claroline: Is it free?

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

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.

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.

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

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

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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