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LMS · head to head

Moodle vs Totara

Moodle logo

Moodle

LMS

Open-source LMS designed by educators for educators

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Totara logo

Totara

LMS

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Moodle has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Moodle self-hosted deployment requires significant IT resources and technical expertise; 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: Moodle covers Course management, Totara covers Organisational hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Moodle and Totara actually diverge.

Attributes where Moodle and Totara differ
AttributeMoodleTotara
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, Linux
Founded2002Unknown

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 Moodle

  • Course management
  • Quiz builder
  • Forums
  • Assignments
  • Gradebook
  • Badges
  • Competencies
  • Mobile app

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.

Moodle

  • Online learningnot Totara
  • Blended learningnot Totara
  • Corporate trainingnot Totara
  • Compliance trainingnot Totara

Totara

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

Where each one falls short

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

Moodle

  • Self-hosted deployment requires significant IT resources and technical expertise
  • Managed hosting has higher costs for large institutions compared to self-hosting

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

Moodle

Free
  • Self-HostedFree
    • Full feature access
  • MoodleCloud Starter$200/year
    • 50 users
    • Managed hosting

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 Moodle if

  • You need course management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want quiz builder.
Moodle review

Choose Totara if

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

Questions people ask

Is Moodle or Totara better?
Neither clearly leads. Moodle 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, Moodle or Totara?
Moodle has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Moodle and On request for Totara.
Does Moodle or Totara run on more platforms?
Moodle runs on Web. Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
Can I use Moodle for free?
Yes. Moodle has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Totara starts at On request.
What is Moodle best used for?
Moodle is most often used for online learning, blended learning, corporate training, compliance training. Of those, online learning and blended learning are not what Totara is typically brought in for.
What can Moodle do that Totara cannot?
Moodle covers Course management, Quiz builder, Forums, Assignments. Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Moodle: Is Moodle free or paid?

Moodle is free and open-source software. However, self-hosting requires IT resources and server infrastructure. Managed cloud hosting through MoodleCloud starts at $200/year for 50 users.

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.

Moodle: What languages does Moodle support?

Moodle is available in over 160 languages, making it accessible to educators and learners worldwide.

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.

Moodle: Is Moodle suitable for corporations and enterprises?

Yes, Moodle is suitable for K-12, higher education, vocational training, and corporate learning. Moodle Workplace is the enterprise edition with multi-tenancy and compliance tooling.

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.

Moodle: What learning standards does Moodle support?

Moodle supports various e-learning standards including SCORM and Tin Can API for compatibility with other educational systems.

Source
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