Moodle vs Course Hero

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared Moodle vs Course Hero based on data from our 400+ point analysis of LMS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Course Hero Software Tool

Product Basics

Moodle is a customizable, open-source training solution used by corporate organizations, K-12 schools and higher educational institutions. From interactive lessons for K-12 to complex courses at large campuses, it lets you create tailored learning experiences to suit your students’ unique needs.

You can track student progress using analytics and reports, and integrate with third-party video conferencing tools like BigBlueButton. Out-of-the-box capabilities include course creation, calendars, dashboards, text editing, SCORM compatibility, reporting, learning paths and group management.

Moodle is an excellent choice for small businesses with technical expertise or access to IT resources. Its open-source nature allows for significant customization, making it a cost-effective solution for those who can manage their hosting and support.

User reviews praise its flexibility, user-friendly interface, interactive features and cost-friendliness. However, its sharp learning curve and lack of certain capabilities, like video conferencing, could be improved.

Moodle’s starter plan with up to 50 users costs $130 per year, while more advanced plans range from $400 to $1,730 per year.t

read more...
Course Hero is an educational technology platform that offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to assist students and educators in managing academic tasks. The software excels in providing a vast repository of study resources, including course-specific documents, practice problems, and step-by-step explanations. It is particularly well-suited for college students seeking supplemental learning materials and educators looking to enhance their teaching resources. The platform's key benefits include access to a wide array of study guides, textbook solutions, and the ability to connect with tutors for personalized help. Popular features include the extensive library of user-uploaded documents, flashcards, and the ability to ask questions and receive answers from subject experts. Compared to similar products, Course Hero is praised for its user-friendly interface and the breadth of its resource library. Pricing details are variable, often based on subscription models that can be monthly or annually. For precise pricing tailored to individual needs, users are encouraged to contact SelectHub for a detailed quote.
read more...
$130 Annually
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$9.99 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Simplifies Data Exchange: Moodle uses open industry standards to support integration and content usage from third-party sources. It allows authentication via protocols like LDAP, direct database lookup, Shibboleth, IMAP and FirstClass. It also supports content import using SCORM, AICC and IMS Content Packaging standards.
  • Offers Key LMS Features: For those seeking an all-in-one LMS solution, Moodle is an excellent choice. Our analysis indicates that it delivers 82% of essential LMS functionalities straight out of the box, with only 5% of key features missing. Supported features include collaboration, mobile capabilities, reporting and dashboard, user management and gamification, and compliance.
  • Award-Winner: In the 2024 SelectHub Awards, our research analysts awarded Moodle best-in-class honors for assessments, collaboration, compliance, learning delivery, mobile capabilities, user management, gamification, and integrations and extensibility. it also achieved an 'excellent' rating as a user favorite.
  • Easily Accessible: Moodle offers features like text-to-speech tools and accessibility checkers to support learners with disabilities.
  • Provides Greater Customization: You can customize to fit a varied range of learning needs, no matter how specific or unique. Modify the source code or add functionality from a library of over 1,600 plugins.
  • User-Friendly: In our testing, we found that Moodle's interface is modern, intuitive and user-friendly, making navigation effortless. For organizations with learners unfamiliar with LMS platforms and limited training budgets, Moodle offers an accessible solution. The layout is designed to display all key features prominently, and all team members can effortlessly locate and access courses, resources and tools without the need for additional support.
  • Top-Performer: With an analyst rating of 85, Moodle stands out as our top LMS product, comparable to top-tier systems like D2L Brightspace and LearnUpon. It offers a comprehensive set of features, including collaboration, compliance, reporting and dashboard, and user management and gamification, all of which are fully supported.
  • Supports Collaborative Learning: Moodle supports social constructionist pedagogy, a teaching method that focuses on collaboration and active learning. It encourages students to interact with the course material and each other to create a more engaging and participative learning environment. Students can work together on projects, share ideas and engage in discussions and more.
  • Facilitates Community-Building: Attend online conferences broadcast worldwide to gain and share knowledge amongst Moodle users. MoodleMoot Global is an annual event where Moodle enthusiasts from around the world gather to share ideas, collaborate and learn from one another. This event is perfect for both newcomers and experienced Moodle users, and offers a chance to connect with like-minded individuals and contribute to the future of education and lifelong learning.
  • Provides Insights into Key Training Activities: Our testing revealed that Moodle offers extensive reporting features, allowing you to generate custom reports on nearly every aspect of your training. It offers insights into comments, backups, configuration changes, event lists, antivirus failures, logs, live logs, performance overviews, question instances, security checks, system status and theme usage.
read more...
  • Enhanced Learning Support: Course Hero provides access to a vast library of study resources, including textbook solutions and expert Q&A, which can help students understand complex topics more effectively.
  • Time Management: By offering step-by-step solutions and explanations, Course Hero helps students save time on homework and study sessions, allowing them to focus on other academic or personal commitments.
  • Improved Academic Performance: With detailed explanations and practice problems, students can reinforce their understanding of course material, leading to better grades and a deeper grasp of the subject matter.
  • 24/7 Accessibility: Course Hero's online platform is available around the clock, enabling students to study and seek help whenever they need it, regardless of time zone or schedule constraints.
  • Peer Collaboration: The platform encourages collaboration by allowing students to share notes and resources, fostering a community of learners who can support each other’s academic journeys.
  • Expert Assistance: Students can get help from subject matter experts who provide detailed answers to specific questions, ensuring they receive accurate and reliable information.
  • Resource Variety: Course Hero offers a diverse range of study materials, including practice quizzes, flashcards, and lecture notes, catering to different learning styles and preferences.
  • Confidence Building: By providing clear and thorough explanations, Course Hero helps students build confidence in their knowledge and problem-solving abilities, which can reduce anxiety and improve overall academic performance.
  • Cost-Effective Learning: With a subscription, students gain access to a wealth of resources that can supplement their textbooks and classroom instruction, often at a lower cost than hiring a tutor.
  • Preparation for Exams: The platform’s extensive collection of practice questions and study guides can help students prepare more effectively for exams, leading to better outcomes and reduced stress.
read more...
  • Course Development: Create courses from scratch or upload existing ones to the system. The course builder tool allows you to:
    • Add name, category, start and end date, ID number, summary, number of sections, cover image, participants, tags, groups and other specific details.
    • Insert resources like checklists, files, forums, quizzes, wikis and more into sections. You can also set up virtual classroom sessions via BigBlueButton.
    • Add questions, files, competencies, course completion conditions, add-on apps and badges.
    • Generate reports to analyze competencies, log actions, live logs, training activities and course participation rates.
    • Import, back up, restore, copy and reset courses to reuse them.
    • Enable learners to request new courses and download course content.
  • Assignments: Use the assignment activity module to communicate tasks, collect tests and quizzes, and provide grades.
    • Allow students to submit any type of digital content, such as documents, spreadsheets, images or audio and video clips, or type text directly into the text editor.
    • Use assignments to remind students of offline tasks without having to make digital submissions.
    • Let students submit work individually or as a group. When reviewing, leave feedback comments and upload files like marked-up submissions, commented documents or audio feedback.
    • Grade assignments using numerical scales, custom scales or advanced methods like rubrics. Record final grades in the gradebook.
  • Forums: Use forums to encourage students to socialize, make course announcements, discuss learning content, host face-to-face sessions online and more.
  • Checklists: Allow teachers to create checklists and help students track tasks and to-do lists.
  • HTML5 Packages: Upload and add HTML5 Packages (H5P) to the platform. H5P allows you to integrate interactive content like presentations, videos, quizzes, games and more into course materials. Automatically grade questions attempted in H5P activities and record them in the gradebook.
  • Calendar: Log important events like assignment deadlines, upcoming meetings, and course start and end dates and more on the company calendar.
  • BigBlueButton Integration: Integrate with BigBlueButton and conduct live online classes, virtual office hours or group collaborations. Use features like audio, video, chat, slides, screen sharing, a multi-user whiteboard, breakout rooms, polling and emojis in real time. Record sessions for playback later.
  • Feedback: Design surveys with multiple-choice, yes/no or text-input questions to gather participant input. Keep responses anonymous if needed, and decide whether to share results with participants or restrict them to teachers only.
  • Notifications: Track updates and alert users when a new event occurs. Enable triggers for new course additions, upcoming deadlines, published grades, schedule changes and more.
  • Course Tracking: Monitor course progress and the number of activities completed by each learner. View their completed assignments, course start and end times, achievements and other details for each course.
  • Quizzes: Create assessments with various question types, such as multiple-choice, matching, short-answer and numerical questions, and include them in course exams, topic tests, practice sessions and more.
    • Configure options for multiple attempts, randomize question order from the question bank and set time limits.
    • Automatically grade each attempt, excluding essay questions and record results in the gradebook.
    • Customize when to display hints and feedback and correct answers to students.
  • Multi-Device Support: Access the site from any device via the free mobile app for Windows, iOS and Android. It's compatible with mobile layouts and can be used in any browser for a consistent experience.
  • Plugin Management: Manage all plugins from one interface for quick access. Provides plugins for different types of educational needs (e.g., universities). Connect with MS Office 365 and Google Apps.
  • Personalized Dashboards: Organize and access training information like checklists, badges, latest announcements, timelines and course overviews on a customizable dashboard.
  • User Management: Add new users, set user preferences, define user profile fields, upload user pictures and more.
read more...
  • Document Library: Access to over 40 million study resources, including course-specific notes, study guides, and practice problems.
  • Tutoring Services: On-demand help from subject matter experts available 24/7 for personalized assistance.
  • Textbook Solutions: Step-by-step solutions for thousands of textbooks, aiding in understanding complex problems.
  • Course-Specific Content: Resources tailored to specific courses and universities, ensuring relevance and applicability.
  • Study Groups: Virtual study groups that allow students to collaborate and share resources in real-time.
  • Flashcards: Customizable flashcards for efficient memorization and review of key concepts.
  • Practice Problems: Interactive practice problems with detailed explanations to reinforce learning.
  • Scholarship Opportunities: Access to various scholarships to support students financially.
  • Document Uploads: Ability for users to upload their own study materials, contributing to the community and earning unlocks.
  • Mobile App: A user-friendly mobile application for studying on-the-go, available on both iOS and Android.
  • Verified Educators: Contributions from verified educators, ensuring high-quality and reliable content.
  • Search Functionality: Advanced search tools to quickly find relevant documents and resources.
  • Course Recommendations: Personalized course recommendations based on user activity and preferences.
  • Community Q&A: A platform for students to ask and answer questions, fostering a collaborative learning environment.
  • Resource Ratings: User ratings and reviews for documents, helping to identify the most useful resources.
  • Privacy Controls: Robust privacy settings to protect user information and control document visibility.
  • Subscription Plans: Various subscription options to suit different needs, including monthly and annual plans.
  • Academic Integrity: Tools and guidelines to promote academic honesty and prevent plagiarism.
  • Customer Support: Responsive customer support to assist with any issues or questions users may have.
read more...

Product Ranking

#4

among all
LMS Software

#36

among all
LMS Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

85
we're gathering data
21
we're gathering data
93
we're gathering data
100
we're gathering data
Show More Show More

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Moodle
Course Hero
+ Add Product + Add Product
AI-based Capabilities Assessments Collaboration Compliance Content And Course Management ECommerce Learning Delivery Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Reporting And Dashboard User Management And Gamification 21 93 100 100 92 50 80 100 100 100 100 0 25 50 75 100
14%
0%
86%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
90%
0%
10%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
80%
0%
20%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
0%
0%
100%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
62%
0%
38%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

93%
0%
7%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 4011 reviews
Fair User Sentiment 14 reviews
86%
of users recommend this product

Moodle has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 86% when considering 4011 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

66%
of users recommend this product

Course Hero has a 'fair' User Satisfaction Rating of 66% when considering 14 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

4.8 (12)
n/a
4.1 (398)
n/a
n/a
3.29 (7)
4.3 (3249)
3.3 (7)
4.5 (112)
n/a
4.1 (240)
n/a

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Moodle and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall LMS Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Assessments, Compliance, Mobile Capabilities, Platform Capabilities and Integrations and Extensibility.

Analysts' Pick Award
Assessments Award
Compliance Award
Mobile Capabilities Award
Platform Capabilities Award
Integrations and Extensibility Award

we're gathering data

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Customizability: According to 80% of users who reviewed this, Moodle lets users add custom HTML and CSS, integrate with third-party applications, and select modules related to rubrics and outcomes.
Ease of Use: 90% of users praise its intuitive interface which is easy to navigate, especially for students. Its simple and intuitive features make it suitable for beginners.
Advanced Feature Set: 75% of reviewers highlighted Moodle’s wide range of features, such as course creation, third-party integrations, notifications and feedback, and grading rubrics.
Mobile Compatibility: According to 60% of users who discussed this aspect, Moodle's mobile app is very user-friendly and offers all necessary tools to support on-the-go learning. It lets users access course content, connect with team members, download learning materials and more.
Affordability: 80% of reviewers who discussed costs appreciated that Moodle is free to download and use and offers flexible pricing models for various needs.
Show more
Extensive Library: Course Hero offers a vast collection of study materials, including notes, study guides, and practice problems, aiding students in their studies and homework.
Resource Variety: The platform provides access to a diverse range of academic resources, covering various subjects and courses, which can be beneficial for students seeking supplementary learning materials.
Time-Saving: Course Hero allows users to quickly find and access specific resources, saving time and effort in searching for study materials.
Peer Connection: Course Hero provides a platform for students to connect and collaborate with peers, fostering a sense of community and shared learning.
Show more
Steep Learning Curve: Regarding this, 45% of users said Moodle has a steep learning curve for administrators. They feel its interface can be confusing to explore since it has a lot of features, and users need to know what they’re looking for to use the platform effectively.
Lack of Video Conferencing: 45% of users who discussed this con point out Moodle's lack of built-in video conferencing capabilities, which are increasingly important for online learning.
Show more
Content Quality Concerns: Course Hero's reliance on user-uploaded content creates inconsistency in quality, with some materials potentially inaccurate or incomplete, impacting reliability for business users.
Subpar Customer Service: Reviews highlight slow response times and unhelpful interactions with Course Hero's customer support, a significant drawback for businesses requiring timely assistance.
Subscription Costs: While Course Hero offers various subscription plans, the fees can be prohibitive for businesses, especially when considering potential limitations in content quality and customer support.
Show more

Moodle is an open-source LMS that's really popular among educational institutions like K12 schools and colleges. Its workplace version is designed to address various corporate training needs such as onboarding, compliance training and skill development.Moodle is packed with features – you can create courses, collaborate with learners, grade assignments and more. Plus, it works quickly on mobile devices so that learning can happen anywhere. We love how flexible it is, and it can be customized to your heart's content with HTML, CSS and third-party integrations.Its user-friendly interface is another highlight, and it is known for its intuitive navigation and ease of use, particularly for students. This makes Moodle a suitable choice even for those new to LMS platforms. A strong focus on social constructionist pedagogy emphasizes collaboration and active learning. And with Moodle’s large and active global community, you can get active support and contribute to its ongoing development.While its interface is great for instructors and students, we found that it may be complex for admins, and an extensive feature set can require time and effort to master. The lack of built-in video conferencing capabilities is another drawback, though the solution does integrate with virtual classroom tools like BigBlueButton.Being open-source, Moodle eliminates licensing fees, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious institutions. The availability of free plugins and themes further adds to its cost-effectiveness.Moodle is a fantastic choice if you're looking for a powerful and adaptable LMS, especially for education. Its multi-tenancy architecture supports various business structures and types, making it adaptable to different corporate environments. Its open-source nature, emphasis on collaborative learning, and scalability make it a viable option in the LMS market.

Show more

Is Course Hero a true champion, a Herculean force in the realm of learning management systems? User reviews from the past year present a somewhat mixed bag. While Course Hero is generally lauded for its expansive library of study materials, some users feel it doesn't quite hit the mark as an LMS. A recurring theme in positive feedback is the platform's impressive repository of study aids. Users consistently praise the platform for its wide array of course-specific notes, study guides, and practice problems, finding them particularly beneficial for exam preparation and tackling homework assignments. However, a consistent gripe among users is the high cost of a subscription, with some finding it difficult to justify the expense, especially given the variable quality of user-uploaded content. This inconsistency in quality raises concerns about reliability, as users can't always be sure of the accuracy and helpfulness of the materials they encounter. While some users rave about the platform's user-friendliness and intuitive design, others express frustration with the interface, finding it less intuitive than competing platforms. Ultimately, Course Hero, as an LMS, seems best suited for students who need supplementary study resources and are willing to pay a premium for a vast library of materials. However, those seeking a primary learning platform or relying on a tight budget might find more suitable options elsewhere.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in LMS Software


Absorb LMS

Adobe Learning Manager

Blackboard Learn

Brainier

Brightspace

Canvas

Cornerstone LMS

Docebo

LearnUpon

Litmos

Schoology

Seismic Learning

SkyPrep

Spoke LMS

TalentLMS

Thinkific

Tovuti

Trainual

WorkRamp

Related Categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings