Chamilo vs Moodle
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted learning & courses options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Moodle
World's most popular open-source learning platform
| Feature | Chamilo | Moodle |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,006 | ★ 7,429 |
| First released | 2010 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Moodle, Blackboard | Canvas, Blackboard |
What are Chamilo and Moodle?
Chamilo
Chamilo is an open-source e-learning and course management system focused on ease of use and accessibility. It is popular for corporate training and education in many languages.
- Easy course authoring
- Built-in collaboration tools
- Many languages
- Corporate training focus
Moodle
Moodle is a comprehensive open-source learning management system used by schools, universities, and businesses worldwide. It supports course creation, quizzes, assignments, grading, and a vast plugin ecosystem.
- Full LMS feature set
- Huge plugin library
- Quizzes and grading
- Mobile app support
Chamilo vs Moodle: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Chamilo is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Moodle. Moodle is the more established project (first released 2002), while Chamilo arrived in 2010. Moodle has the considerably larger community, at 7,429 GitHub stars versus 1,006.
Why pick each one
Choose Chamilo if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
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 7.4k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Chamilo 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 Chamilo and Moodle free and open-source?
Yes. Chamilo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Moodle under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chamilo and Moodle with Docker?
Chamilo: yes. Moodle: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Chamilo or Moodle?
Chamilo has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Moodle. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.