Lumi 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?
Lumi
Create and host interactive H5P learning content
VS
Open edX
Scalable open-source platform for online courses
| Feature | Lumi | Open edX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 190 | ★ 8,156 |
| First released | 2019 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Articulate, Nearpod | Coursera, Canvas |
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 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 Lumi or Open edX better?
Neither is universally better. Open edX 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 Open edX free and open-source?
Yes. Lumi is licensed under MIT and Open edX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lumi and Open edX with Docker?
Lumi: check the project docs for container support. Open edX: yes.