Lumi vs Moodle
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?
Lumi
Create and host interactive H5P learning content
VS
Moodle
World's most popular open-source learning platform
| Feature | Lumi | Moodle |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 190 | ★ 7,315 |
| First released | 2019 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Articulate, Nearpod | Canvas, Blackboard |
Why pick each one
Choose Lumi if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Moodle if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 7.3k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Lumi or Moodle better?
Neither is universally better. Moodle has the larger community, while Lumi is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Lumi and Moodle free and open-source?
Yes. Lumi is licensed under MIT and Moodle under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lumi and Moodle with Docker?
Lumi: check the project docs for container support. Moodle: yes.