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LMS · head to head

TalentLMS vs Totara

TalentLMS logo

TalentLMS

LMS

Cloud LMS built for training success

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 TalentLMS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: TalentLMS the free plan is capped at 5 users and 10 courses; 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: TalentLMS covers Course creation, Totara covers Organisational hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which TalentLMS and Totara actually diverge.

Attributes where TalentLMS and Totara differ
AttributeTalentLMSTotara
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Linux
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 TalentLMS

  • Course creation
  • Gamification
  • Mobile learning
  • Certifications
  • Reporting
  • Video conferencing
  • E-commerce
  • SCORM support

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.

TalentLMS

  • Delivering employee onboarding and compliance trainingnot Totara
  • Running separate branded training portals for customers or partnersnot Totara
  • Authoring courses and tracking completion across teamsnot Totara

Totara

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

Where each one falls short

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

TalentLMS

  • The free plan is capped at 5 users and 10 courses
  • Custom domain and single sign on are excluded from the free plan and start at the Core tier
  • Core at $119 per month allows only 1 branch portal; Grow allows 3 and Pro allows 15
  • Learning paths are capped at 5 on Grow and are unlimited only from Pro upward
  • AI credits on Core are a one time allocation of 5,000 rather than a monthly refill
  • Enterprise pricing is custom with no published rate and targets 1,000+ users
  • The advertised annual rates require paying for a year up front

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

TalentLMS

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 5 users
    • Unlimited email support
    • Up to 10 courses
  • Core$119/month
    • 1-40 users
    • 1 branch
    • Unlimited courses
  • Grow$229/month
    • 1-70 users
    • 3 branches
    • Starter onboarding
  • Pro$449/month
    • 1-100 users
    • 15 branches
    • Premium AI credits

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 TalentLMS if

  • You need course creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want gamification.
TalentLMS 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 TalentLMS or Totara better?
Neither clearly leads. TalentLMS 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, TalentLMS or Totara?
TalentLMS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for TalentLMS and On request for Totara.
Does TalentLMS or Totara run on more platforms?
TalentLMS runs on Web, IOS, Android. Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
Can I use TalentLMS for free?
Yes. TalentLMS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Totara starts at On request.
What is TalentLMS best used for?
TalentLMS is most often used for delivering employee onboarding and compliance training, running separate branded training portals for customers or partners, authoring courses and tracking completion across teams. Of those, delivering employee onboarding and compliance training and running separate branded training portals for customers or partners are not what Totara is typically brought in for.
What can TalentLMS do that Totara cannot?
TalentLMS covers Course creation, Gamification, Mobile learning, Certifications. Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

TalentLMS: What is the minimum starting price for TalentLMS?

The Core plan starts at $119 per month for 1-40 users. A free plan is available for up to 5 users with basic features.

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.

TalentLMS: Is there a free version of TalentLMS?

Yes, TalentLMS offers a free plan supporting up to 5 users, up to 10 courses, unlimited email support, and access to test AI features.

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.

TalentLMS: Do paid plans include API access?

API access is included in all paid plans starting from the Core tier ($119/month).

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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