Learnhouse 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.
| Feature | Learnhouse | Open edX |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 73 · Good |
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,291 | ★ 8,193 |
| First released | 2022 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Canvas, Moodle | Coursera, Canvas |
What are Learnhouse and Open edX?
Learnhouse
LearnHouse is an open-source learning platform for creating courses with documents, videos, and assessments. It supports organizations, multiple instructors, and a flexible content structure.
- Course authoring
- Multi-instructor support
- Document and video lessons
- Organization workspaces
Open edX
Open edX is the open-source platform that powers edX and many large-scale online learning sites. It supports authoring rich courses, MOOCs, assessments, and analytics for thousands of learners.
- MOOC-scale courses
- Rich course authoring
- Learner analytics
- Tutor deployment tool
Learnhouse vs Open edX: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Learnhouse versus AGPL-3.0 for Open edX. Learnhouse is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 8,192 MB for Open edX. Open edX is the more established project (first released 2013), while Learnhouse arrived in 2022. Open edX has the considerably larger community, at 8,193 GitHub stars versus 2,291.
Why pick each one
Choose Learnhouse if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
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 Learnhouse or Open edX better?
Neither is universally better. Open edX has the larger community, while Learnhouse is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Learnhouse and Open edX free and open-source?
Yes. Learnhouse is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Open edX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Learnhouse and Open edX with Docker?
Learnhouse: yes. Open edX: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Learnhouse or Open edX?
Learnhouse has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 8,192 MB for Open edX. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.