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LMS · head to head

edX vs Sakai

edX logo

edX

LMS

Online courses from the world's top universities

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sakai logo

Sakai

LMS

Open source learning management system governed by the Apereo Foundation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Sakai has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: edX individual course costs not displayed; pricing requires enrollment to view; Sakai the zero licence fee is misleading: running Sakai needs Java operations, database administration and upgrade testing capacity, and universities that costed only the hardware have ended up paying a hosting partner anyway.
  • They diverge on capability: edX covers Video lectures, Sakai covers Course sites.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which edX and Sakai actually diverge.

Attributes where edX and Sakai differ
AttributeedXSakai
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Linux, iOS, Android
Founded2012Unknown

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 edX

  • Video lectures
  • Interactive exercises
  • Discussion forums
  • Certificates
  • MicroMasters
  • Professional certificates
  • Degrees
  • Mobile learning

Only in Sakai

  • Course sites
  • Tests and Quizzes
  • Gradebook
  • Lessons
  • Assignments
  • Forums and messaging
  • LTI support
  • Self-hosting

What people use each for

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

edX

  • Learners seeking university-level credentials from elite institutions (MIT, Harvard, Cambridge)not Sakai
  • Career changers pursuing MicroMasters or professional certificatesnot Sakai
  • Individuals in regions with limited access to higher educationnot Sakai

Sakai

  • A university whose data protection policy or national regulation requires student coursework to stay on institution-controlled infrastructure inside a specific jurisdiction.not edX
  • An institution that has been repriced twice by a commercial LMS vendor after ownership changes and wants a platform with no owner to sell it.not edX
  • A university with an existing Java and Tomcat operations team, where the marginal cost of running one more Java application is genuinely low.not edX
  • A consortium of institutions sharing one deployment and one set of local integrations rather than each paying separate per-student licences.not edX

Where each one falls short

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

edX

  • Individual course costs not displayed; pricing requires enrollment to view

Sakai

  • The zero licence fee is misleading: running Sakai needs Java operations, database administration and upgrade testing capacity, and universities that costed only the hardware have ended up paying a hosting partner anyway.
  • The third-party teaching tool ecosystem builds and tests for Canvas first, so Sakai adopters do their own LTI integration work and occasionally wait for a vendor to certify against a platform it does not prioritise.
  • Because governance is a foundation of member institutions rather than a company, a feature only gets built if some institution funds an engineer to build it, so roadmap commitments are weaker than a vendor contract provides.
  • The interface, while improved through the version 20 to 25 cycle, still reads as older than Canvas or Brightspace, and academic staff who have used a commercial LMS elsewhere notice it immediately.
  • Adoption is concentrated in specific regions and sectors, so the pool of people who have run Sakai in production is small, making it harder to hire an administrator than for Moodle or Canvas.

Pricing, plan by plan

edX

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the edX review.

Sakai

Free
  • SakaiFree
    • Educational Community Licence, no licence fee
    • Full source on GitHub
    • Community support through Apereo lists and Jira
  • Commercial hosting and support$undefined/year
    • Provided by Apereo affiliates such as Longsight
    • Hosting, upgrades, backups and support
    • Quoted per institution, commonly by student headcount

Which should you pick?

Choose edX if

  • You need video lectures.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want interactive exercises.
edX review

Choose Sakai if

  • You need course sites.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • You also want tests and quizzes.
Sakai review

Questions people ask

Is edX or Sakai better?
Neither clearly leads. edX starts at On request and Sakai at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, edX or Sakai?
Sakai has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for edX and Free for Sakai.
Does edX or Sakai run on more platforms?
edX runs on Web, iOS, Android. Sakai runs on Web, Linux, iOS, Android.
Can I use Sakai for free?
Yes. Sakai has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. edX starts at On request.
What is edX best used for?
edX is most often used for learners seeking university-level credentials from elite institutions (mit, harvard, cambridge), career changers pursuing micromasters or professional certificates, individuals in regions with limited access to higher education. Of those, learners seeking university-level credentials from elite institutions (mit, harvard, cambridge) and career changers pursuing micromasters or professional certificates are not what Sakai is typically brought in for.
What can edX do that Sakai cannot?
edX covers Video lectures, Interactive exercises, Discussion forums, Certificates. Sakai covers Course sites, Tests and Quizzes, Gradebook, Lessons.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

edX: Does edX offer free courses?

Yes, edX allows you to audit courses for free, as indicated by their 'How to Audit a Course' resource. Auditing provides access to course content without earning a certificate.

Source
Sakai: Is Sakai still actively developed?

Yes. Version 25.0 shipped in 2025, 25.1 followed in November 2025, and further maintenance releases in the 25 line are planned, with commits continuing through 2026.

edX: Do you have to pay for certificates on edX?

Yes, edX offers Verified Certificates which require payment. Exact pricing varies by course but is available when you view individual course pages.

Source
Sakai: Who owns Sakai?

No company does. Governance sits with the Apereo Foundation, a membership organisation of institutions, and the code is under the Educational Community Licence.

edX: What types of credential programs does edX offer?

edX offers Professional Certificates (multiple bundled courses), Degree Programs (Master's, Bachelor's, MicroMasters, MicroBachelors), and Executive Education premium offerings.

Source
Sakai: What does it actually cost to run?

The software is free. The cost is Java hosting and staff, or a commercial hosting agreement with an Apereo affiliate such as Longsight, typically quoted by student headcount.

edX: Are there current discounts on edX?

Yes, edX offers periodic discount codes. Currently they have a code ACTION2026 providing up to 20% off for a limited time.

Source
Sakai: How does it compare to Moodle?

Moodle has a far larger plugin ecosystem and installed base; Sakai has a cleaner assessment and gradebook model and is more common in research-intensive universities. Moodle is easier to hire for.

Sakai: Can we migrate off it later?

Yes, but course content export fidelity through Common Cartridge is imperfect, so budget for manual rebuilding of assessments as you would leaving any LMS.

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