How much does Moodle cost in 2026? Plans and value, broken down
Let's put real numbers on Moodle and what each plan gets you. Moodle sits in the open-source lms space and offers paid plans only, with the paid tiers laid out below from its public pricing page.
The world's most-used open-source LMS, infinitely customizable and self-hostable, dominant in education. Moodle is a paid tool, so plan to buy in once you have validated fit. The most widely used open-source LMS, highly customizable and self-hostable, popular in education and large institutions.
Plans & pricing tiers
| Plan | Price (approx.) | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted core | Free (+ server costs) | Open source |
| MoodleCloud Starter | ~$130-200/year | Up to 50 users |
| MoodleCloud Standard | ~$1,720-1,970/year | Up to 750 users |
| Moodle Workplace | Custom | Enterprise via partners |
Prices are estimates drawn from the vendor's plans and third-party reviews, and can change at any time, so check before you commit.
Prices verified 2026-06-28 from public vendor pricing. Plans and prices change — always confirm on the vendor's own site. No price here is guaranteed.
What you're paying for
Here is what your subscription actually buys with Moodle across its plans:
- Open-source LMS with full source-code access
- Course management, assignments, gradebook, quizzes
- 15+ question types, rubrics, competency frameworks
- Discussion forums and progress tracking
- 2,000+ plugins ecosystem
Feature availability varies by tier, so cross-check the plan column before settling on one.
Which plan to pick
Moodle is built for schools, universities and institutions wanting a self-hosted, customizable LMS at large scale. For that profile the MoodleCloud Starter plan (~$130-200/year) is the sensible entry, and you climb tiers only once self-hosted customization demands it.
Is Moodle worth it?
Paid plans run from roughly $130 to $5000 per month (or per seat, depending on the plan). If schools and universities is your goal, start low: the cheapest paid tier covers it for most users, and self-hosted customization is what eventually pushes you up a level. On a tight budget, line the cheapest paid plan up against the alternatives first.
Pricing watch-outs
- MoodleCloud caps users and blocks custom plugin installs.
- MoodleCloud caps at 750 users and does not allow custom plugin installation on any tier.
Drawn from independent reviews and the vendor's own plan details (see sources below).
Moodle keeps pricing relatively flat per tier, so the main decision is which plan's features you need rather than how heavily you'll use it.
Pricing FAQ
Does Moodle have a free plan?
Moodle is a paid tool without a standing free plan; check its site for any current trial or money-back window.
How much does Moodle cost?
Its cheapest paid plan, MoodleCloud Starter, lists at ~$130-200/year. Paid plans run from roughly $130 to $5000 per month (or per seat, depending on the plan). The exact bill depends on billing cycle and how many seats or how much usage you need.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Moodle?
Other open-source lms tools cover the same job at different price points; compare their entry tiers before you decide.
Is Moodle cheaper billed annually?
The summarised prices reflect annual billing where the vendor advertises it; monthly billing is typically higher, so the yearly commitment is the cheaper route if you're confident in the tool.
Which Moodle plan should I choose?
If you fit that profile, begin on the MoodleCloud Starter plan (~$130-200/year) and upgrade later, when self-hosted customization becomes a real constraint.
Sources
Figures and facts on this page are drawn from the following Moodle sources, so you can verify them yourself: