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LMS · head to head

Totara vs Webex Events

Totara logo

Totara

LMS

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Webex Events logo

Webex Events

Webinars

Webinars and events powered by Cisco

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Webex Events pricing not publicly disclosed and requires contacting sales
  • They diverge on capability: Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Webex Events covers Webinars.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Totara and Webex Events actually diverge.

Attributes where Totara and Webex Events differ
AttributeTotaraWebex Events
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, LinuxWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryLMSWebinars
FoundedUnknown1984

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Totara

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

Only in Webex Events

  • Webinars
  • Virtual events
  • Mobile app
  • Engagement tools
  • Analytics
  • Salesforce
  • Marketo
  • Microsoft Teams

What people use each for

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

Totara

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

Webex Events

  • Virtual event hosting and managementnot Totara
  • In-person event registration and check-innot Totara
  • Hybrid event support combining virtual and in-person audiencesnot Totara
  • Large-scale event hosting up to 100,000 attendeesnot Totara
  • Professional live streaming with custom brandingnot Totara
  • Attendee networking and engagementnot Totara

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Webex Events

  • Pricing not publicly disclosed and requires contacting sales
  • No published API documentation or developer specifications
  • No documented offline functionality for mobile event apps
  • No published storage limits or attendee capacity thresholds documented

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Webex Events

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Webex Events review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Totara if

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

Choose Webex Events if

  • You need webinars.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want virtual events.
Webex Events review

Questions people ask

Is Totara or Webex Events better?
Neither clearly leads. Totara starts at On request and Webex Events at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Totara or Webex Events?
Totara starts at On request and Webex Events at On request.
Does Totara or Webex Events run on more platforms?
Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Webex Events runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Totara best used for?
Totara is most often used for health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchy, organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructure, moodle users who need appraisal, competency and compliance features the academic product does not carry, buyers who want exit rights over the platform code rather than dependence on a single hosted vendor. Of those, health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchy and organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructure are not what Webex Events is typically brought in for.
What can Totara do that Webex Events cannot?
Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage. Webex Events covers Webinars, Virtual events, Mobile app, Engagement tools.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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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Related pages

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