Chamilo vs OpenOLAT
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted learning & courses options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Chamilo | OpenOLAT |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 74 · Good |
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,006 | ★ 443 |
| First released | 2010 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Moodle, Blackboard | Moodle, Blackboard |
What are Chamilo and OpenOLAT?
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
OpenOLAT
OpenOLAT is an open-source LMS for organizing courses, assessments, and collaborative learning. It is widely used by universities and offers a modern interface with extensive course-building tools.
- Flexible course editor
- Assessment tools
- Video and SCORM support
- Institutional scale
Chamilo vs OpenOLAT: key differences
Chamilo is written in PHP, while OpenOLAT is built with Java. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Chamilo versus Apache-2.0 for OpenOLAT. Chamilo is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for OpenOLAT. Chamilo has the considerably larger community, at 1,006 GitHub stars versus 443.
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 OpenOLAT if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Chamilo or OpenOLAT better?
Chamilo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenOLAT if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Chamilo and OpenOLAT free and open-source?
Yes. Chamilo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and OpenOLAT under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chamilo and OpenOLAT with Docker?
Chamilo: yes. OpenOLAT: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Chamilo or OpenOLAT?
Chamilo has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for OpenOLAT. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.