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Browser Extensions · head to head

FireMonkey vs Totara

FireMonkey logo

FireMonkey

Browser Extensions

User scripts and user styles in one Firefox extension

From
Free
Rated
-
Totara logo

Totara

LMS

Open source learning, performance and collaboration platform derived from Moodle and sold through partners

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only FireMonkey has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: FireMonkey firefox only, and requires a recent one: version 93 on desktop, 113 on Android.; Totara you cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • They diverge on capability: FireMonkey covers Scripts and styles together, Totara covers Organisational hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FireMonkey and Totara actually diverge.

Attributes where FireMonkey and Totara differ
AttributeFireMonkeyTotara
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsFirefoxWeb, iOS, Android, Linux
CategoryBrowser ExtensionsLMS

Identical on both: 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 FireMonkey

  • Scripts and styles together
  • Monaco editor with ESLint
  • Unlimited client-side storage
  • Global injection
  • Notifications and clipboard
  • Firefox for Android

Only in Totara

  • Organisational hierarchies
  • Compliance and certification
  • Totara Perform
  • Totara Engage
  • Self-hosting
  • Programs and learning plans

What people use each for

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

FireMonkey

  • Running user scripts and user styles without two separate extensionsnot Totara
  • Restyling sites with CSS alongside scripted behaviour changesnot Totara
  • Editing scripts in a full editor inside the browsernot Totara
  • Injecting CSS globally across every sitenot Totara
  • Managing a mixed library of scripts and styles from one dashboardnot Totara

Totara

  • Health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchynot FireMonkey
  • Organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructurenot FireMonkey
  • Moodle users who need appraisal, competency and compliance features the academic product does not carrynot FireMonkey
  • Buyers who want exit rights over the platform code rather than dependence on a single hosted vendornot FireMonkey

Where each one falls short

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

FireMonkey

  • Firefox only, and requires a recent one: version 93 on desktop, 113 on Android.
  • Not a drop-in replacement for Greasemonkey, Tampermonkey or Stylus. The project says so itself, so an existing library may need adjusting.
  • A much smaller user base than Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey, which means fewer people have hit the bug you are about to hit.
  • No Chrome, Edge or Safari build, so it cannot be the answer for anyone working across browsers.
  • Combining scripts and styles in one extension also combines the blast radius: one extension with permission to inject both into every page.

Totara

  • You cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • Open source does not mean cheap. Subscription plus partner hosting plus implementation and version upgrade services commonly lands near commercial system cost, and the saving is in control and exit rights rather than in the invoice.
  • The administrative interface carries its Moodle lineage and is dense, so administrator training is a real project cost rather than an afterthought.
  • Major version upgrades are projects, especially where a partner has customised the deployment, and organisations that customise heavily find upgrades slower and dearer over time.
  • The learner facing experience is functional rather than engaging, and organisations wanting a consumer grade learning experience usually front it with something else.

Pricing, plan by plan

FireMonkey

Free
  • Open sourceFree
    • MPL-2.0 licensed
    • Unlimited scripts and styles
    • No account required

Totara

On request
  • Totara subscription via partner$undefined/year
    • Sold only through distribution partners
    • Partner sets hosting, implementation and support pricing
    • Source available under the GPL, but subscription required for supported releases

Which should you pick?

Choose FireMonkey if

  • You need scripts and styles together.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Firefox.
  • You also want monaco editor with eslint.

Choose Totara if

  • You need organisational hierarchies.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want compliance and certification.

Questions people ask

Is FireMonkey or Totara better?
Neither clearly leads. FireMonkey starts at Free and Totara at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FireMonkey or Totara?
FireMonkey has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FireMonkey and On request for Totara.
Does FireMonkey or Totara run on more platforms?
FireMonkey runs on Firefox. Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
Can I use FireMonkey for free?
Yes. FireMonkey has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Totara starts at On request.
What is FireMonkey best used for?
FireMonkey is most often used for running user scripts and user styles without two separate extensions, restyling sites with css alongside scripted behaviour changes, editing scripts in a full editor inside the browser, injecting css globally across every site. Of those, running user scripts and user styles without two separate extensions and restyling sites with css alongside scripted behaviour changes are not what Totara is typically brought in for.
What can FireMonkey do that Totara cannot?
FireMonkey covers Scripts and styles together, Monaco editor with ESLint, Unlimited client-side storage, Global injection. Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FireMonkey: What makes FireMonkey different from Violentmonkey?

It manages user styles as well as user scripts. The usual arrangement is a script manager plus a separate style manager such as Stylus; FireMonkey replaces both with one extension.

Source
Totara: Is Totara free because it is open source?

No. The source is available under the GPL, but supported releases require a subscription, and it is sold through partners who add hosting, implementation and support costs.

FireMonkey: Which browsers does FireMonkey support?

Firefox only. Desktop requires Firefox 93 or later and Android requires 113, with an API minimum of 102.

Source
Totara: How is it different from Moodle?

Moodle is built around courses and academic delivery. Totara adds organisational hierarchies, role based automatic assignment, recurring certification and appraisal, which is what workplace compliance reporting needs.

FireMonkey: Is FireMonkey open source?

Yes, under the MPL-2.0 licence.

Source
Totara: Can we host it ourselves?

Yes. Self hosting is a genuine option and is one of the main reasons regulated and public sector buyers choose it over a hosted only competitor.

FireMonkey: Will my existing Tampermonkey scripts work?

Not necessarily. The project states that while it shares functionality with Greasemonkey, Tampermonkey and Stylus, there are differences, so scripts and styles written for those may need adjusting.

Source
FireMonkey: What editor does FireMonkey use?

Current versions use the Monaco editor with ESLint, the same editor component that powers VS Code.

Source
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