Tools · SPBoucher
Menu

Moodle

by Moodle Pty Ltd (Moodle HQ) · Platform · also known as Moodle LMS, MoodleCloud

Open-source learning management system used by universities and schools for courses, assignments, quizzes, grading and forums, self-hosted or via MoodleCloud

GPL-3.0-or-later licenseOpen sourceFreePaidSelf-hostedCloudSelf-hostable
Visit official site Compare

Checked Nov 2, 2026

Overview

Moodle is an open-source learning management system developed by Moodle HQ (Moodle Pty Ltd) and a worldwide community, and it is the platform most universities in Québec and many elsewhere use to run courses. A PHP application backed by MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL, it provides course pages with resources and activities, assignments with rubrics and feedback, quiz engines with question banks, forums, gradebooks, attendance, competency tracking, H5P interactive content, LTI integration with external tools, and plugins from a public directory. Institutions self-host it or use partners and MoodleCloud hosting from Moodle HQ; mobile apps complement the web interface. Instructors mainly interact through the course editor, gradebook and assignment grading screens, while web-service APIs allow scripted operations. The interface is dense and institution-themed, upgrades and plugin compatibility require administration, and pedagogical features vary with the hosting institution's configuration and enabled plugins.

Editorial note on uncertainty. The community sites moodle.org and docs.moodle.org returned HTTP 403 to all automated clients today, so moodle.com and moodledev.io are cited instead; GPL licence statement verified in the repository COPYING.txt.

Capabilities

  • Course pages with resources, activities and completion tracking
  • Assignments with rubrics, annotation and feedback
  • Quiz engine with question banks and automated grading
  • Gradebook, forums and messaging
  • LTI, H5P and plugin ecosystem
  • Web services API and mobile apps
  • Self-hosted or MoodleCloud deployment

Typical workflows

  1. Publish weekly course materials and collect assignments for grading
  2. Build a question bank and deploy a timed online exam

Strengths

  • GPL open source with no licence fees for self-hosting
  • Very large installed base and plugin directory

Limitations

  • Dense interface; configuration depends on the institution
  • Upgrades and plugin compatibility need administration
  • Performance at scale requires tuning

Prerequisites

  • PHP web server and database for self-hosting, or MoodleCloud subscription

Who it is for

  • University and school instructors
  • Learning technologists and administrators

Alternatives & comparison

Google Workspace (Classroom) and Microsoft Teams for Education offer lighter course coordination inside office suites; Moodle is a full LMS with grading, quizzes and standards-based integrations. Notion can host course content but has no assessment features.

  • Google Workspace

    Google's hosted productivity suite: Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Chat and Calendar with admin controls, Gemini features and developer APIs

    ProprietaryPaid
  • Microsoft Teams

    Microsoft's chat, meetings and calling hub integrated with Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Entra ID, extensible through Microsoft Graph and Teams apps

    ProprietaryFreemium
  • Notion

    Hosted workspace combining block-based documents, relational databases, wikis and project views, with an API and built-in AI features

    ProprietaryFreemium
Compare Moodle with its alternatives →

Sources & verification

Primary sources consulted for this record. Claims are tied to the fields each source supports; the automated link checker re-verifies every URL on a schedule.

  • License
    COPYING.txt (GPL v3)

    https://github.com/moodle/moodle/blob/main/COPYING.txt

    Supports: license_spdx, source_model

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official documentation
    Moodle Developer Resources

    https://moodledev.io/

    Supports: capabilities, interfaces, languages

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official site
    Moodle

    https://moodle.com/

    Supports: name, summary, vendor

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Pricing page
    MoodleCloud

    https://moodle.com/products/moodlecloud

    Supports: pricing_model

    checked Nov 1, 2026
Confidence
Medium
Reviewed
Nov 1, 2026
Links
Broken · Nov 2, 2026

Spotted an error?

Broken link, outdated license, wrong category, or a tool that no longer exists? Tell us; reports are reviewed by the editor.

Figma

Figma, Inc. · Design & prototyping

In-depth entry

Browser-based collaborative interface design platform with vector editing, components, prototyping, FigJam whiteboards, Dev Mode and a plugin and REST API

ProprietaryFreemiumPaidNov 2, 2026

Slack

Slack Technologies (Salesforce) · Collaboration & communication

In-depth entry

Channel-based team messaging platform from Salesforce with threads, huddles, canvases, workflow automation and an extensive bot and app API

ProprietaryFreemiumPaidNov 2, 2026

Discord

Discord Inc. · Collaboration & communication

Community chat platform with servers, text and voice channels, video, forums and a bot API, free to use with optional Nitro subscriptions

ProprietaryFreemiumPaidNov 2, 2026

Excalidraw

Excalidraw · Design & prototyping

Open-source virtual whiteboard for hand-drawn-style diagrams with live collaboration, embeddable as a React component, plus a hosted Excalidraw+ service

MITOpen sourceFreeLocalSelf-hostedNov 2, 2026

Microsoft 365

Microsoft · Productivity suites & task management

Microsoft's subscription suite of Office desktop and web apps, Exchange email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams with Copilot and Graph APIs

ProprietaryPaidEnterpriseLocalNov 2, 2026

Zoom

Zoom Communications, Inc. · Collaboration & communication

Video meetings and webinar platform, now packaged as Zoom Workplace with team chat, phone, whiteboard, AI Companion and developer APIs and SDKs

ProprietaryFreemiumPaidNov 2, 2026