Adapt Authoring Tool vs Moodle

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted learning & courses options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureAdapt Authoring ToolMoodle
CategoryLearning & CoursesLearning & Courses
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageJavaScriptPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 558★ 7,315
First released20142002
ReplacesArticulate Rise, Adobe CaptivateCanvas, Blackboard

Why pick each one

Choose Adapt Authoring Tool if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in JavaScript
Adapt Authoring Tool details

Choose Moodle if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 7.3k GitHub stars
Moodle details

Frequently asked questions

Is Adapt Authoring Tool or Moodle better?

Neither is universally better. Moodle has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Adapt Authoring Tool and Moodle free and open-source?

Yes. Adapt Authoring Tool is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Moodle under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Adapt Authoring Tool and Moodle with Docker?

Adapt Authoring Tool: yes. Moodle: yes.

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