Moodle 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?
Moodle
World's most popular open-source learning platform
VS
Open edX
Scalable open-source platform for online courses
| Feature | Moodle | Open edX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, kubernetes | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,315 | ★ 8,156 |
| First released | 2002 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Canvas, Blackboard | Coursera, Canvas |
Why pick each one
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
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 Moodle or Open edX better?
Neither is universally better. Open edX has the larger community, while Moodle is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Moodle and Open edX free and open-source?
Yes. Moodle is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Open edX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Moodle and Open edX with Docker?
Moodle: yes. Open edX: yes.