SHSelfHostIndex

Moodle vs Stud.IP

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 ST Stud.IP Open-source course management system for universities
FeatureMoodleStud.IP
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupRead-the-docs project
CategoryLearning & CoursesLearning & Courses
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM2,048 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, kubernetesbare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 7,429★ 100
First released20022003
ReplacesCanvas, BlackboardBlackboard, Moodle

What are Moodle and Stud.IP?

Moodle

Moodle is a comprehensive open-source learning management system used by schools, universities, and businesses worldwide. It supports course creation, quizzes, assignments, grading, and a vast plugin ecosystem.

  • Full LMS feature set
  • Huge plugin library
  • Quizzes and grading
  • Mobile app support

Stud.IP

Stud.IP is an open-source course and learning management system widely used by German universities. It combines course administration, messaging, file sharing, and collaborative tools in one portal.

  • University course management
  • Integrated messaging
  • Collaborative wikis
  • Plugin ecosystem

Moodle vs Stud.IP: key differences

Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Moodle versus GPL-2.0 for Stud.IP. Moodle has the considerably larger community, at 7,429 GitHub stars versus 100. Moodle lists first-class Docker deployment; Stud.IP does not.

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 7.4k GitHub stars
Moodle details

Choose Stud.IP if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Written in PHP
Stud.IP details

Frequently asked questions

Is Moodle or Stud.IP better?

Moodle is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Stud.IP if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Moodle and Stud.IP free and open-source?

Yes. Moodle is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Stud.IP under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Moodle and Stud.IP with Docker?

Moodle: yes. Stud.IP: check the project docs for container support.

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