Moodle™ pricing confuses buyers for a simple reason: the software is free, but running it is not. There is no licence fee and no per-user charge for Moodle LMS itself. What you pay for is everything around it: hosting, setup, support, upgrades and the people who keep it running. This guide breaks down each cost, compares the main ways to run Moodle, and gives you a worksheet for a realistic three-year budget.
If you are new to the platform, start with our overview of what Moodle is and how it works.
Yes. Moodle LMS is open-source software released under the GNU General Public License. You can download it from download.moodle.org, install it on as many servers as you like and enrol as many learners as you need, without paying Moodle anything.
A common comparison is a free puppy: no purchase price, but it needs feeding, walking and a vet. A Moodle site needs a server, security updates, backups, upgrades and someone who knows how to fix it when it breaks. Those costs are real whether you pay for them in staff time or in a hosting contract.
| Option | How it is priced | What you still pay for |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted Moodle | No licence fee | Servers or cloud, staff time for upgrades, security and support, implementation, plugins that rely on paid services |
| MoodleCloud | Published annual plans by user count and storage | Course building and training; anything that needs a plugin is not possible |
| Managed hosting | A quote based on users, storage, integrations and service level | Content and internal administration |
| Moodle Workplace | A licensed edition sold only through Moodle’s partner network, priced by quote | Implementation and hosting, usually bundled by the partner |
| Moodle app subscriptions | A free tier plus paid tiers for more notifications, offline and branding features | Optional; only if you need the paid app features |
MoodleCloud is Moodle HQ’s own hosted service. It no longer has a permanent free plan. At the time of writing (October 2026), Moodle lists five annual plans on its MoodleCloud plans page, from about US$160 a year for 50 users and 1 GB of storage (Starter) to about US$2,100 a year for 750 users and 50 GB (Standard). Plans are billed in Australian dollars, so the amount you are charged moves with the exchange rate, and Moodle adjusts its listed prices from time to time. Check the official page before you budget.
Three limits matter more than the price:
A 28-day free trial is available. Our MoodleCloud guide covers plans, limits and who it suits in detail.
Self-hosting looks cheapest because there is no invoice for the software. The costs show up elsewhere.
Staff time is usually the largest cost. Someone has to apply security patches, run two major Moodle upgrades a year, test every plugin against each new version, restore backups, answer administrator questions and respond when the site slows down the night before a deadline. If that knowledge sits with one person, vacations and resignations become risks.
A new site needs a theme that matches your brand, course categories and roles, enrolment and authentication setup, integrations with your HR, CRM or commerce systems, and often a migration from an older LMS. Our Moodle installation and setup guide shows what the technical part involves.
Most plugins are free to download, but some connect to paid services: plagiarism checking, video conferencing, proctoring, certificate management or advanced reporting. Our list of the best Moodle plugins notes which ones carry a licence or subscription.
With managed hosting, a provider runs the infrastructure and the Moodle application for you under a service level agreement. Providers rarely publish one price, because the cost depends on how the site is used. Expect a quote to reflect:
At Lambda Learning we quote hosting, implementation, support and upgrades together, so you can compare one figure against the full cost of running Moodle yourself. Our managed Moodle hosting runs on AWS in the Canada (Central) region. For a side-by-side view of the trade-offs, read our comparison of self-hosting and managed hosting.
Moodle Workplace is a separately licensed edition of Moodle aimed at corporate training. Moodle does not publish a price list for it: Workplace is sold only through Moodle’s certified partners and service providers, who quote licence, hosting and services together. If you are comparing Workplace, ask each partner what the licence covers, how the price scales with users and what happens to your data if you leave.
If you are considering Workplace mainly for multitenancy, compliance programs or workforce certification, it is also worth comparing Totara, which was built for those needs.
Annual prices hide most of the cost, so compare options over three years. Fill in each row for every option you are considering.
| Cost line | Self-hosted | MoodleCloud | Managed hosting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software licence | None | Included in plan | None for Moodle LMS |
| Hosting and storage | Servers or cloud, backups, staging | Annual plan | In the quote |
| Upgrades and security patching | Staff time, twice a year plus patches | Included | Check the quote |
| Support | Staff time | Email and knowledge base | In the quote; check hours and scope |
| Implementation and theme | Staff or contractor time | Limited to Boost settings | Quoted once |
| Integrations | Development time | Only what works without plugins | Quoted per integration |
| Paid plugins and services | Per vendor | Not available | Per vendor |
| Migration in and out | Staff time | Site export available | Check exit terms |
| Training and content | Same for every option | Same for every option | Same for every option |
Moodle LMS costs nothing to download and use. Your real cost is hosting, administration, support, upgrades, implementation and any paid services that plugins connect to. MoodleCloud publishes annual plans, starting at about US$160 a year at the time of writing, while self-hosting and managed hosting depend on users, storage, integrations and service level.
No. Moodle LMS has no per-user licence. MoodleCloud plans are priced by user count and storage, and managed hosting providers often scale their quotes with active users, but those are hosting and service costs, not software licences.
At the time of writing, MoodleCloud plans run from about US$160 a year for 50 users to about US$2,100 a year for 750 users. Plans are billed annually in Australian dollars, and Moodle adjusts listed prices from time to time, so confirm on the official plans page. A 28-day free trial is available.
Moodle does not publish Moodle Workplace pricing. Workplace is available only through Moodle’s certified partners and service providers, who quote the licence, hosting and services together based on your users and requirements.
Sometimes, for small sites run by experienced administrators. For most organizations the deciding cost is staff time: upgrades, patching, backups and support. Compare a three-year total for each option, including your own team’s time, rather than the hosting bill alone.
Moodle can be very cost-effective when the budget covers running it, not only installing it. If you would like a single quote that covers hosting, implementation, support and upgrades, see our managed Moodle LMS or book a call with our team.