CourseLit 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?
CourseLit
Open-source platform to build and sell online courses
VS
Open edX
Scalable open-source platform for online courses
| Feature | CourseLit | Open edX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,208 | ★ 8,156 |
| First released | 2020 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Teachable, Podia | Coursera, Canvas |
Why pick each one
Choose CourseLit if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
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 CourseLit or Open edX better?
Neither is universally better. Open edX has the larger community, while CourseLit is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are CourseLit and Open edX free and open-source?
Yes. CourseLit is licensed under MIT and Open edX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CourseLit and Open edX with Docker?
CourseLit: yes. Open edX: yes.