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10 top picks · 2 audience rankings

Best open source LMS

The best open source LMS is Open edX, with 8,198 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Moodle and Frappe LMS are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Open edX leads for small business and enterprise. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 17 apps in the learning management (LMS) category of the appsgit catalog.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed nightly

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Open edX

    openedx/openedx-platform

    The LMS and Studio authoring platform behind edX, deployed with the Docker-based Tutor distribution.

    Learning Management (LMS)PythonDocker

    Open edX has 8,198 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,319 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn and TalentLMS.

  2. Rank 2:

    Moodle

    moodle/moodle

    The world's most widely used open-source learning platform for schools, universities and companies.

    Learning Management (LMS)PHP

    Moodle has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 3,502 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific.

  3. Rank 3:

    Frappe LMS

    frappe/lms

    Easy-to-use learning management system with courses, chapters, live class batches, quizzes, assignments and certificates.

    Learning Management (LMS)TypeScriptDocker

    Frappe LMS has 3,285 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,065 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific.

1 of 3 · 10 picks

Top picks

10 of the 17 apps in the learning management (LMS) category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Open edX

    The LMS and Studio authoring platform behind edX, deployed with the Docker-based Tutor distribution.

    Open edX has 8,198 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,319 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn and TalentLMS.

  2. 2

    Moodle

    The world's most widely used open-source learning platform for schools, universities and companies.

    Moodle has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 3,502 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific.

  3. 3

    Frappe LMS

    Easy-to-use learning management system with courses, chapters, live class batches, quizzes, assignments and certificates.

    Frappe LMS has 3,285 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,065 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific.

  4. 4

    Canvas LMS

    Learning management system (LMS) that is revolutionizing the way we educate.

    Canvas LMS has 6,862 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 4,416 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn.

  5. 5

    LearnHouse

    Modern learning platform with a block-based course editor, assignments, discussions, certificates and code exercises.

    AI-nativeLearnHouse has 2,323 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,375 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific.

  6. 6

    ClassroomIO

    Open-source LMS for companies running employee, customer and partner training with cohorts and certificates.

    ClassroomIO has 1,710 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 828 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific.

  7. 7

    CourseLit

    Sell courses and digital downloads from your own site, with course authoring, Stripe payments and a website builder.

    CourseLit has 1,269 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 135 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific.

  8. 8

    Sakai

    Java collaboration and learning environment used by universities for courses, assessments and gradebooks.

    Sakai has 1,234 GitHub stars, uses the ECL-2.0 license and had 699 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn.

  9. 9

    Chamilo LMS

    Create a virtual campus for the provision of online or semi-online training.

    Chamilo LMS has 1,009 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 5,508 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn and TalentLMS.

  10. 10

    ILIAS

    Learning management system that can cope with anything you throw at it.

    ILIAS has 505 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 1,649 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn.

2 of 3 · 5 picks

Best for small business

Ranked for small business on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides.

  1. 1

    Open edX

    The LMS and Studio authoring platform behind edX, deployed with the Docker-based Tutor distribution.

    Open edX has 8,198 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,319 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn and TalentLMS. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Frappe LMS

    Easy-to-use learning management system with courses, chapters, live class batches, quizzes, assignments and certificates.

    Frappe LMS has 3,285 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,065 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Moodle

    The world's most widely used open-source learning platform for schools, universities and companies.

    Moodle has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 3,502 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    LearnHouse

    Modern learning platform with a block-based course editor, assignments, discussions, certificates and code exercises.

    AI-nativeLearnHouse has 2,323 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,375 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Canvas LMS

    Learning management system (LMS) that is revolutionizing the way we educate.

    Canvas LMS has 6,862 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 4,416 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn. For small business it also scores on an open-source license and a project website.

3 of 3 · 5 picks

Best for enterprise

Ranked for enterprise on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Open edX

    The LMS and Studio authoring platform behind edX, deployed with the Docker-based Tutor distribution.

    Open edX has 8,198 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,319 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn and TalentLMS. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Moodle

    The world's most widely used open-source learning platform for schools, universities and companies.

    Moodle has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 3,502 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Canvas LMS

    Learning management system (LMS) that is revolutionizing the way we educate.

    Canvas LMS has 6,862 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 4,416 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license.

  4. 4

    Frappe LMS

    Easy-to-use learning management system with courses, chapters, live class batches, quizzes, assignments and certificates.

    Frappe LMS has 3,285 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,065 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    LearnHouse

    Modern learning platform with a block-based course editor, assignments, discussions, certificates and code exercises.

    AI-nativeLearnHouse has 2,323 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,375 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open source LMS?

The best open source LMS is Open edX, with 8,198 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Moodle and Frappe LMS are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Open edX leads for small business and enterprise. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 17 apps in the learning management (LMS) category of the appsgit catalog.

Is Open edX free?

Yes. Open edX is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Which open source LMS is best for a small business?

Open edX ranks first for small business, with 8,198 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Frappe LMS and Moodle follow. The small business ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides on top of stars and activity.

Which open source LMS is best for an enterprise team?

Open edX ranks first for enterprise, with 8,198 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Moodle and Canvas LMS follow. The enterprise ranking adds points for open-source licenses and recent commits on top of stars and activity.

Can I self-host these LMS options with Docker?

Yes, 5 of the 10 picks. Open edX, Frappe LMS and LearnHouse publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

Are all of these LMS options open source?

All 10 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license.

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