Claroline Connect vs Open edX
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?
Claroline Connect
Open-source LMS for collaborative online courses
VS
Open edX
Scalable open-source platform for online courses
| Feature | Claroline Connect | Open edX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 349 | ★ 8,156 |
| First released | 2002 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Moodle, Blackboard | Coursera, Canvas |
Why pick each one
Choose Claroline Connect if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in PHP
Choose Open edX if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 8.2k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Claroline Connect or Open edX better?
Neither is universally better. Open edX has the larger community, while Claroline Connect is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Claroline Connect and Open edX free and open-source?
Yes. Claroline Connect is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Open edX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Claroline Connect and Open edX with Docker?
Claroline Connect: check the project docs for container support. Open edX: yes.