Claroline Connect vs Frappe School

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

Not the right match-up?
FeatureClaroline ConnectFrappe School
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectUnder-an-hour setup
Health score75 · Good88 · Excellent
CategoryLearning & CoursesLearning & Courses
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 349★ 3,253
First released20022022
ReplacesMoodle, BlackboardTeachable, Moodle

What are Claroline Connect and Frappe School?

Claroline Connect

Claroline Connect is an open-source learning management and collaboration platform for schools and training organizations. It offers course paths, resources, quizzes, and group workspaces.

  • Learning path builder
  • Group workspaces
  • Quiz and survey tools
  • Resource library

Frappe School

This open-source learning platform built on the Frappe framework lets organizations deliver structured courses with lessons and quizzes. It tracks learner progress and issues completion certificates.

  • Structured courses
  • Quizzes and assignments
  • Progress tracking
  • Completion certificates

Claroline Connect vs Frappe School: key differences

Claroline Connect is written in PHP, while Frappe School is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Claroline Connect versus AGPL-3.0 for Frappe School. Claroline Connect is the more established project (first released 2002), while Frappe School arrived in 2022. Frappe School has the considerably larger community, at 3,253 GitHub stars versus 349. Frappe School lists first-class Docker deployment; Claroline Connect does not.

Why pick each one

Choose Claroline Connect if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Written in PHP
Claroline Connect details

Choose Frappe School if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (3.3k GitHub stars)
  • Written in TypeScript
Frappe School details

Frequently asked questions

Is Claroline Connect or Frappe School better?

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

Are Claroline Connect and Frappe School free and open-source?

Yes. Claroline Connect is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Frappe School under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Claroline Connect and Frappe School with Docker?

Claroline Connect: check the project docs for container support. Frappe School: yes.

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