Chamilo vs Open edX
Self-host pick — both replace Teachable (Online course platform).
Both Chamilo and Open edX self-host as a replacement for Teachable (Online course platform). Pick Chamilo if you want the lighter footprint — 20min docker-compose (PHP + MariaDB), $5-10/mo vps. Pick Open edX if you need mOOC-style large-scale course delivery, universities, and orgs publishing dozens of structured courses — 2h — Tutor (Docker installer for Open edX) on a 4GB+ VPS and $30-60/mo vps — open edx is the heaviest of the three.
| Chamiloopen-source | Open edXopen-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Setup time | 20min docker-compose (PHP + MariaDB) | 2h — Tutor (Docker installer for Open edX) on a 4GB+ VPS |
| Monthly cost | $5-10/mo VPS. | $30-60/mo VPS — Open edX is the heaviest of the three. |
| GitHub | chamilo/chamilo-lms | openedx/edx-platform |
| Replaces | Teachable | Teachable |
Good fit for
Chamilo
Smaller education providers and corporate training teams that want a less complex LMS than Moodle.
Weak at:Smaller plugin ecosystem; international community is largely Spanish/French-speaking — English docs sometimes lag.
Open edX
MOOC-style large-scale course delivery, universities, and orgs publishing dozens of structured courses.
Weak at:Operational complexity — Open edX is genuinely big (≥10 services); installing on a single VPS is possible but tight.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli teachable prints Teachable's self-host options including both —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Which is easier to self-host, Chamilo or Open edX?
Chamilo: 20min docker-compose (PHP + MariaDB). Open edX: 2h — Tutor (Docker installer for Open edX) on a 4GB+ VPS.
What does each cost to run?
Chamilo: $5-10/mo VPS.. Open edX: $30-60/mo VPS — Open edX is the heaviest of the three.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do Chamilo and Open edX replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to Teachable.