Education & E-Learning · head to head
Open edX vs Articulate 360
Open edX
Education & E-Learning
Open-source platform powering online learning
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Articulate 360
Education & E-Learning
The complete e-learning authoring solution
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Open edX has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Open edX open edX has no licensing fee as open source software, but the vendor's own site states that hosting and infrastructure costs are the operator's responsibility, so there is no bundled managed-hosting price to compare against SaaS competitors.; Articulate 360 priced annually per user at $1,749 for Teams and $1,449 for Personal, with no monthly option shown
- They diverge on capability: Open edX covers Course authoring, Articulate 360 covers Storyline 360.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Open edX and Articulate 360 actually diverge.
| Attribute | Open edX | Articulate 360 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | free | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android | Windows, Web (Rise) |
| Founded | 2012 | 2002 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education & E-Learning).
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 Open edX
- Course authoring
- Interactive videos
- Assessments
- Discussions
- Certificates
- Analytics
- Mobile apps
- xBlocks
Only in Articulate 360
- Storyline 360
- Rise 360
- Content Library
- Review 360
- Screen recording
- Characters
- Templates
- SCORM/xAPI
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Open edX
- MOOC creationnot Articulate 360
- Corporate trainingnot Articulate 360
- Blended learningnot Articulate 360
- Degree programsnot Articulate 360
Articulate 360
- Authoring e-learning courses with Storyline and Risenot Open edX
- Delivering training through the built-in LMSnot Open edX
- Review and approval cycles with subject matter expertsnot Open edX
- Exporting SCORM packages to an existing LMSnot Open edX
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Open edX
- Open edX has no licensing fee as open source software, but the vendor's own site states that hosting and infrastructure costs are the operator's responsibility, so there is no bundled managed-hosting price to compare against SaaS competitors.
Articulate 360
- Priced annually per user at $1,749 for Teams and $1,449 for Personal, with no monthly option shown
- The built-in LMS covers up to 300 active learners; larger audiences need the Reach Pro add-on
- Learner analytics, API integrations and localisation are all paid add-ons
- Collaboration features, including co-authoring and shared folders, require the Teams plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Open edX
Free- Self-HostedFree
- Full platform
- Community support
- All features
- Managed Hosting$undefined/month
- Hosted solution
- Support
- Maintenance
Articulate 360
On request- Personal$1399/month
- Storyline 360
- Rise 360
- Content Library
- Teams$1599/month
- All Personal
- Team collaboration
- Priority support
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Volume licensing
- SSO
- Custom onboarding
Which should you pick?
Choose Open edX if
- You need course authoring.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want interactive videos.
Choose Articulate 360 if
- You need storyline 360.
- You work on Windows, Web (Rise).
- You also want rise 360.
Questions people ask
- Is Open edX or Articulate 360 better?
- Neither clearly leads. Open edX starts at Free and Articulate 360 at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Open edX or Articulate 360?
- Open edX has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Open edX and On request for Articulate 360.
- Does Open edX or Articulate 360 run on more platforms?
- Open edX runs on Web, IOS, Android. Articulate 360 runs on Windows, Web (Rise).
- Can I use Open edX for free?
- Yes. Open edX has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Articulate 360 starts at On request.
- What is Open edX best used for?
- Open edX is most often used for mooc creation, corporate training, blended learning, degree programs. Of those, mooc creation and corporate training are not what Articulate 360 is typically brought in for.
- What can Open edX do that Articulate 360 cannot?
- Open edX covers Course authoring, Interactive videos, Assessments, Discussions. Articulate 360 covers Storyline 360, Rise 360, Content Library, Review 360.