I’ve been told I need to Moodle… Help!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Moodle! As an open-source Learning Management System which supports more than 351 million users, it’s the best way to structure and share multimedia course materials with learners, then monitor and assess their achievements.

Why should I use Moodle?

Moodle is modular, offering unparalleled scalabililty and flexibility. Whether you’re planning to move your company’s in-house safety training online or want to white-label certification packages for clients, there’s plenty of scope for innovation when building your LMS. In simple terms, Moodle can be used either out-of-the-box or customised to your personal specifications. It has a core feature set as standard, and optional plugins from the Moodle Plugin Database can be used to expand its functionality.

  • Moodle is open-source: this means you don’t pay for the software itself, only the hosting and technical support (if you need it)

  • Configurable and customisable: from core plugins to third-party add-ons, there are plenty of ways to upgrade your activities

  • Scalable to any size: start small with a handful of users and courses, or move your established training online – there really is no limit

How much does Moodle cost?

If you have the technical know-how – and in-house hosting – you can download Moodle for free from GitHub. Alternatively, you can hand the task to an expert, and that’s where size vs price comes in…

  • Subscription model: pay for how many people are using it (often with an associated disk allowance)

  • Resource-based model: pay only for the disk space you use with unlimited users permitted in that space

How do I get started?

Here’s the tricky bit: you need to figure out what size hosting package you need. If you have a small site and only a few users, you might want to consider MoodleCloud. But! MoodleCloud is a no-frills hosting solution that doesn’t allow for a personalised URL or any optional plugins. So, if you want the ability to customise your site and perhaps a bit of startup support, you can find a guide to hosting sizes here.

Balancing cost with the number of users? Here’s how it all stacks up…