Compare / Moodle vs Open edX
Moodle vs Open edX
Pick Moodle if you want the common GPL classroom (the published Teachable/Thinkific/Kajabi stack). Pick Open edX if you want Studio and a large-course stack.
Facts checked 22 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Moodle in the catalog Open edX in the catalog Start on Railway
How they compare
| Moodle | Open edX | |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0 (catalog) source | AGPL-3.0 (catalog) source |
| Language | PHP (catalog) | Python (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 7,517 stars in the catalog source | 8,205 stars in the catalog source |
| Self-host | Published as /stacks/moodle-lms. PHP plus a database. | Same stack. LMS plus Studio. Several services. |
| Best for | The published Teachable replacement. | A large-course Studio stack. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Both are on /stacks/moodle-lms. Moodle is moodle/moodle. Open edX is openedx/openedx-platform (the repo moved from edx-platform). Canvas LMS is the other AGPL classroom — /compare/moodle-vs-canvas. Ghost is a publication, not a gradebook. Neither has a one-click c17 Railway template.
FAQ
- Teachable or Kajabi?
- Same published stack — /replace/teachable, /replace/thinkific, /replace/kajabi. Funnels stay behind.
- Where is Canvas?
- /compare/moodle-vs-canvas and /compare/openedx-vs-canvas.
- Are these free?
- Moodle is GPL-3.0. Open edX is AGPL-3.0. You pay hosting.
- How do I deploy Moodle?
- Open /stacks/moodle-lms. Persist the database. Create one course.
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