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Education · head to head

Open edX vs Totara

Open edX logo

Open edX

Education

Open-source platform powering online learning

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 Open edX has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Open edX no license fees for software but requires separate spending on hosting, infrastructure, and maintenance; 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: Open edX covers Course authoring, Totara covers Organisational hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Open edX and Totara actually diverge.

Attributes where Open edX and Totara differ
AttributeOpen edXTotara
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Linux
CategoryEducationLMS
Founded2012Unknown

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 Open edX

  • Course authoring
  • Interactive videos
  • Assessments
  • Discussions
  • Certificates
  • Analytics
  • Mobile apps
  • xBlocks

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.

Open edX

  • MOOC creationnot Totara
  • Corporate trainingnot Totara
  • Blended learningnot Totara
  • Degree programsnot Totara

Totara

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

Where each one falls short

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

Open edX

  • No license fees for software but requires separate spending on hosting, infrastructure, and maintenance
  • Customization and support from third-party providers requires additional investment

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

Open edX

Free
  • Self-HostedFree
    • Full platform
    • Community support
    • All features
  • Managed Hosting$undefined/month
    • Hosted solution
    • Support
    • Maintenance

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 Open edX if

  • You need course authoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want interactive videos.
Open edX 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 Open edX or Totara better?
Neither clearly leads. Open edX 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, Open edX or Totara?
Open edX has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Open edX and On request for Totara.
Does Open edX or Totara run on more platforms?
Open edX runs on Web, IOS, Android. Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
Can I use Open edX for free?
Yes. Open edX has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Totara 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 Totara is typically brought in for.
What can Open edX do that Totara cannot?
Open edX covers Course authoring, Interactive videos, Assessments, Discussions. Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Open edX: How much does Open edX cost?

Open edX software itself is completely free with no license fees. Organizations must cover their own hosting, infrastructure, maintenance, and customization costs.

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.

Open edX: Are there hosting options for Open edX?

Open edX offers three deployment options: self-hosted (organizations deploy independently), managed providers (third-party companies offer cost-effective managed services), and a free sandbox for testing.

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.

Open edX: What does free mean for Open edX?

There are no license fees to use the Open edX software. Organizations can download and deploy it independently or use managed hosting providers for a fee.

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.

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