Are you still figuring out which LMS is the best? Grab the chance to explore the LMS Buyer's Guide and get started.
Anyone who has spent even a fraction of time looking into the world of elearning and the learning management system will have come across the rather abstract names of Moodle and Totara. Both are open source LMSs which is used by million of people worldwide and is ‘free’ to get hold of.
The word ‘free’ can mean various different things when it comes to an LMS (more on that later) but in the age-old battle of Totara vs Moodle, everything counts. The best explaination for Totara vs Moodle (apart from the funny names) is that Moodle was originally developed to be a free alternative for educators to create elearning content, with a focus on collaboration and continuous development and evolution, whereas Totara was conceived as an enterprise solution for organizations rather than education. Moodle has gone through a number of iterations in its 15 year trajectory – from Moodle 1.0 in 2002 to version 3.0 planned for November of this year – to varying degrees of success and acceptance.
When it comes to choosing between Totara LMS VS Moodle for your organization, it ultimately depends on your specific needs and goals. Totara is generally better suited for businesses or organizations that require a more robust and tailored learning management system (LMS) solution. It offers advanced features such as multi-tenancy, hierarchies, and performance management tools.
It is indeed ‘free’ to download the Moodle source code, but the gray area of true cost lies with how much Moodle will cost you to get from downloading it to the point of having an LMS that works and that you are happy with. Moodle isn’t for everyone, despite it’s features, and more often than not requires a considerable amount of in-house development before it can be unleashed on your learners. If you have the resources to spare, access to good developers who know their way around an LMS and plenty of time, then Moodle in its seemingly endless configurations could be what you are looking for.
However, if you are looking for an off-the-shelf elearning solution for your organization then Totara may be it. It is a popular custom version of Moodle, which remains open source, but with a few costs tacked onto it. Moodle was designed with education and mind, and Totara to cater to the needs of organizations, so again individual needs come into play when considering the question of Totara vs Moodle.
Ultimately, it’s important to consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) for both platforms, including development, customization, and ongoing maintenance costs, to determine which platform is the most cost-effective option for your organization.
One difference that really sets Totara apart, and which we have adapted in our own LMS – Paradiso LMS – is the ability to set up hierarchies for your organization. This feature, relatively redundant in the context of a university or school, is key for an organization as it means that specific training and learning paths can be auto-assigned based on the learner’s position, geographical location or department.
A feature that is fast becoming a staple of third-party LMS developers is muti tenancy. Even though this is not a standard feature of Totara, Paradiso Solutions has developed a plugin which makes multi tenancy possible. For those unaware of this multi tenancy means that, with one single LMS license, an administrator can set up a number of ‘tenants’ which can reflect different departments, partners, vendors or customers, each with their own branding and unique access. Multi tenancy is not supported in Moodle, which could be the kicker if you are a large organization with departments located in different locations, or channel partners that require their own personalized learning environments.
Learning plans are an important facet of an enterprise LMS, and are sadly absent from the basic Moodle code. The ability to define which courses should be taken for individuals or a group makes a huge difference within a corporate context, where particular roles and positions require varying combinations of courses and material unique to them. Linked to the learning plans are ‘competencies’, a feature of Totara missing from Moodle. Competencies are like learning plans in that they are a set of courses that must be taken in a specific order to progress, and can be signed to a certain job role or organization. Competencies define the skills and knowledge required for assessing staff performance, and may include activities that fall outside of formal learning, such as reading a relevant book or watching an important video.
The ability to provide a learner with feedback and help them to understand where they are performing well and where are their areas for improvement is crucial for any organization if wants its workforce to develop. Totara have recognized this and made Appraisals a big part of their offer, allowing administrators to create custom Appraisal forms which are unique to the organization.
Choosing between Totara and Moodle ultimately depends on your organization’s specific needs and goals. If your organization requires a more structured and tailored approach to learning management, then Totara may be the better option. It offers advanced features such as hierarchies, multi-tenancy, and performance management tools. If your organization requires a more flexible and open-source platform, then Moodle may be the better option. It is easy to use, customizable, and has a vast community of developers and users who contribute to its development. It’s important to evaluate both platforms thoroughly and consider the total cost of ownership, including development, customization, and ongoing maintenance costs, to determine which platform is the most cost-effective option for your organization. Ultimately, the platform that best aligns with your organization’s goals and objectives will be the right choice for you.
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