Tutor LMS vs CourseLit
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?
Tutor LMS
Complete WordPress LMS for selling online courses
VS
CourseLit
Open-source platform to build and sell online courses
| Feature | Tutor LMS | CourseLit |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 124 | ★ 1,208 |
| First released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Teachable, Thinkific | Teachable, Podia |
Why pick each one
Choose Tutor LMS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
Choose CourseLit if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Tutor LMS or CourseLit better?
Neither is universally better. CourseLit has the larger community, while Tutor LMS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Tutor LMS and CourseLit free and open-source?
Yes. Tutor LMS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and CourseLit under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tutor LMS and CourseLit with Docker?
Tutor LMS: check the project docs for container support. CourseLit: yes.