Moodle pricing: $0 licence, MoodleCloud from $160/yr
Moodle has no licence fee; you pay for hosting. MoodleCloud runs $160-$2,090/yr (€150-€1,870) by user count. Self-hosting and Partners compared.
Moodle costs $0 to license. It is open-source software, there is no per-seat licence fee and no revenue share, and nobody will invoice you for using it. That is the honest answer to “how much does Moodle cost”, and it is also the least useful one, because Moodle has to run on a server somewhere, and that is where the bill comes from.
You have three ways to get that server:
- MoodleCloud, Moodle’s own hosted (SaaS) version, at $160 to $2,090 a year depending on how many users you need.
- Self-hosting the free software on your own server, where the cost is the server plus the time of whoever runs it.
- A Moodle Partner or managed host, who hosts, customises and supports it for you on a quoted price.
All pricing below comes from each platform’s listed plans; verify current pricing on the vendor’s site before you commit.
Route 1: MoodleCloud, plan by plan
MoodleCloud prices by user count and storage, billed annually. Every plan includes unlimited courses and activities, and integrated video conferencing for up to 100 users.
| Plan | Users | Storage | USD/yr | EUR/yr | GBP/yr | AUD/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 50 | 1GB | $160 | €150 | £130 | A$230 |
| Mini | 100 | 2.5GB | $270 | €240 | £200 | A$380 |
| Small | 200 | 5GB | $490 | €440 | £370 | A$700 |
| Medium | 500 | 20GB | $1,190 | €1,060 | £900 | A$1,700 |
| Standard | 750 | 50GB | $2,090 | €1,870 | £1,590 | A$3,000 |
Two details on the pricing page are easy to miss. First, MoodleCloud says plans are billed in Australian dollars, even though it displays prices in other currencies, so confirm the billing currency at checkout, because your card may be charged in AUD and converted. Second, country-specific taxes may apply on top of the listed price.
There is a free trial of the Starter plan, so you can build a course before paying anything.
What each user actually costs
Divide the annual price by the user cap and MoodleCloud gets cheaper per head as you grow (until the very top).
| Plan | Per month (equivalent) | Per user per year | Extra cost vs previous tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $13.33 | $3.20 | n/a |
| Mini | $22.50 | $2.70 | +$110 for +50 users |
| Small | $40.83 | $2.45 | +$220 for +100 users |
| Medium | $99.17 | $2.38 | +$700 for +300 users |
| Standard | $174.17 | $2.79 | +$900 for +250 users |
Medium is the sweet spot: at $2.38 per user per year, it is the cheapest seat MoodleCloud sells. Standard breaks the pattern: each of its extra 250 users costs $3.60, more than a seat on the entry plan. What you are really paying for on Standard is the jump from 20GB to 50GB of storage and an included custom domain, not the users.
That custom domain matters. On Medium it is an A$160/year add-on; on Standard it is included. If a branded learn.yourcompany.com address is non-negotiable, add that to Medium’s cost before comparing.
The catch: no plugins on MoodleCloud
Plugins cannot be installed on MoodleCloud plans. This is the single most important limit, because Moodle’s huge plugin library is a big part of why organisations pick it.
If your plan depends on a specific plugin (a payment gateway, a custom report, an attendance tracker, an integration with your HR system), MoodleCloud cannot run it at any price. That one constraint pushes many companies straight to route 2 or route 3, regardless of user count.
Route 2: self-hosting
The Moodle software itself is free to download and run. When you self-host, you pay for your server and any paid plugins you choose. Nothing else is owed to Moodle.
We do not list server prices here, because the honest answer depends entirely on your setup: how many users are active at once, how much video you store, whether you need backups and a staging copy, and where the server lives. A small pilot and a university-wide rollout are different projects.
The cost people underestimate is not the server, it is admin time. Someone has to install Moodle, apply updates and security patches, manage backups, keep plugins compatible after upgrades, and fix things when they break. Our Moodle record lists “requires technical setup, hosting and maintenance” and a “steep learning curve” as its main drawbacks, and that is fair. If you have an IT team already, self-hosting is cheap and gives you full control over data, branding and plugins. If you do not, the server bill is the small part.
Route 3: a Moodle Partner or managed host
Moodle Partners and other managed hosts run Moodle for you (hosting, upgrades, plugins, customisation and support) and usually price by quote rather than a public list. Moodle Workplace, the corporate edition, is also offered alongside the standard LMS.
This route sits between the other two: you keep the plugin freedom of self-hosting without running the server yourself. It is the typical choice for larger companies and institutions that need things MoodleCloud does not allow, like installing plugins or deeper customisation. Ask for a written quote that separates hosting, setup, support and per-user charges so you can compare like for like.
Moodle Lizenzkosten: the cost in euros
For readers searching in German (Moodle Lizenzkosten and Moodle Kosten für Unternehmen), the answer is the same:
- Licence cost: €0. Moodle is open source; companies pay no licence fee, whatever their size.
- MoodleCloud in euros: €150 to €1,870 a year, which is €12.50 to €155.83 a month equivalent. Per user, that is €3.00 a year on Starter, falling to €2.12 on Medium and rising to €2.49 on Standard.
- Billing currency: despite the euro display, MoodleCloud states plans are billed in AUD. Check the currency at checkout, and expect country-specific taxes to be added.
For a company, the real decision is the same as anywhere else: is MoodleCloud’s no-plugin limit acceptable, or do you need a Partner or your own server?
Which tier you actually need
- Testing or a small team (under 50 users): Starter at $160/yr. Use the free trial first.
- A department or a small school: Mini ($270) or Small ($490). Watch storage, not just users: 2.5GB and 5GB fill fast if you upload video.
- An organisation with a few hundred learners: Medium at $1,190/yr is the best value per user MoodleCloud offers.
- Up to 750 users, lots of media, or a custom domain included: Standard at $2,090/yr.
- Beyond 750 users, or you need plugins: MoodleCloud is not the right product. Look at a Partner or self-hosting.
Before you pick, check with Moodle whether staff and admin accounts count toward the user cap, so you do not size the plan on learners alone.
How it compares to hosted course platforms
This comparison only makes sense by use case. Moodle is an LMS built for schools, universities and training organisations: courses, quizzes, grading, roles, forums. It has no built-in selling. Platforms like Thinkific, Teachable and LearnWorlds are built for creators who sell courses to the public, with checkout and payments included.
| Platform | Entry price (annual billing) | Per year | Pricing scales by |
|---|---|---|---|
| MoodleCloud Starter | $160/yr | $160 | Users and storage |
| LearnWorlds Starter | $24/mo | $288 | Features (+ $5 per sale on Starter) |
| Teachable Starter | $29/mo | $348 | Products (+ 7.5% transaction fee on Starter) |
| Thinkific Basic | $36/mo | $432 | Features and admins |
| Google Classroom | Free | $0 | n/a |
For a small internal training programme, MoodleCloud Starter is the cheapest paid option here. But the models diverge as you grow: MoodleCloud’s bill rises with every user, while Thinkific’s record lists unlimited courses and students on paid plans. At 500 learners, MoodleCloud Medium is $1,190/yr against Thinkific Basic’s $432. If you are selling to those 500 people, a creator platform wins on cost and saves you building a checkout. If you are training them and need grading, roles and SCORM-style structure, Moodle is the better tool.
And if you teach a class and just need assignments and a gradebook, Google Classroom is free with a Google account, though it too has no way to sell anything.
The verdict
Moodle costs nothing to license. What you pay for is hosting: $160 to $2,090 a year on MoodleCloud (€150 to €1,870), a server plus admin time if you self-host, or a quoted fee from a Partner.
MoodleCloud is excellent value for organisations under 750 users that can live without plugins, with Medium the best price per seat. The no-plugins rule is the real decision point. Check it before you check the price.
If you are not sure an LMS is what you need, our advisor narrows the course-platform category by budget and use case. The Moodle alternatives page ranks the options side by side, best course platforms covers the whole category, and how to choose an online course platform walks through the decision step by step. If you plan to sell, read course platform transaction fees explained before you pick.