Moodle vs Open edX
Self-host pick — both replace Teachable (Online course platform).
Both Moodle and Open edX self-host as a replacement for Teachable (Online course platform). Pick Moodle if you want the lighter footprint — 30min docker-compose (PHP + MariaDB/PostgreSQL + Redis), $10/mo vps for a small course; storage scales with video uploads. 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.
| Moodleopen-source | Open edXopen-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Setup time | 30min docker-compose (PHP + MariaDB/PostgreSQL + Redis) | 2h — Tutor (Docker installer for Open edX) on a 4GB+ VPS |
| Monthly cost | $10/mo VPS for a small course; storage scales with video uploads. | $30-60/mo VPS — Open edX is the heaviest of the three. |
| GitHub | moodle/moodle | openedx/edx-platform |
| Replaces | Teachable | Teachable |
Good fit for
Moodle
Educators or training orgs that need quizzes, certificates, gradebooks, and SCORM compliance.
Weak at:UI feels academic; needs theme work to look like Teachable's polished course landing pages.
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, Moodle or Open edX?
Moodle: 30min docker-compose (PHP + MariaDB/PostgreSQL + Redis). Open edX: 2h — Tutor (Docker installer for Open edX) on a 4GB+ VPS.
What does each cost to run?
Moodle: $10/mo VPS for a small course; storage scales with video uploads.. Open edX: $30-60/mo VPS — Open edX is the heaviest of the three.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do Moodle and Open edX replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to Teachable.