Is MoodleCloud free? Plans, pricing, limits and alternatives

MoodleCloud is the hosted, ready-to-use version of Moodle™, run by Moodle HQ, the company that develops the open-source software. You pick a plan, choose a site name and have a working Moodle site within minutes, with no server to manage.

The product has changed. MoodleCloud once included a permanently free tier for a single class of up to 50 users, and older articles (including an earlier version of this one) described it as free Moodle hosting. That is no longer the case: MoodleCloud is now a set of paid annual plans with a time-limited free trial. This guide covers current plans and pricing, the limits to know before you sign up, tips for administrators and the alternatives when you outgrow it.

What is MoodleCloud?

Moodle describes MoodleCloud as a ready-to-use LMS for individuals, small teams and growing organizations that want to get started without technical setup or server management. Moodle HQ runs the servers, applies security patches and updates your site to the latest Moodle version after each release. Your site lives at an address like yoursitename.moodlecloud.com, with a custom domain available on the larger plans.

What you get is standard Moodle: unlimited courses and activities, quizzes, assignments, forums, the gradebook, H5P interactive content and built-in BigBlueButton video conferencing for up to 100 users. The trade-off for that simplicity is control. The plugin list is fixed, there is one theme, and users and storage are capped by plan.

If you are new to the platform itself, start with our overview of what Moodle is and how it works.

MoodleCloud plans and pricing

At the time of writing (October 2026), Moodle lists five Standard plans. Prices and limits change, so confirm on the official MoodleCloud plans and pricing page before you budget.

A few points about MoodleCloud pricing that are easy to miss:

• Billing is annual and paid up front. Subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel the renewal in the MoodleCloud Portal.
• Currency. The plans page shows prices in several currencies, including Canadian dollars, but Moodle’s support documentation says subscriptions are charged and invoiced in Australian dollars, plus local taxes where they apply.
• You can change plans at any time from the Portal as your user count or storage grows.
• The ceiling is 750 users and 50 GB. Beyond that, Moodle points you to custom solutions from its partner network, or you can move to self-hosting or a managed service.

Is MoodleCloud free?

No. There is no free MoodleCloud plan any more. Three things are still free:

• The MoodleCloud free trial. The plans page lists it at 28 days, with up to 50 users and 1 GB of storage and no credit card required. Moodle states that trials cannot be extended, and you need a paid subscription to keep the site afterwards. For a Moodle cloud demo before committing, use the trial.
• Moodle’s demo sites. Moodle’s demo page offers an empty sandbox and a sample school site with courses and users. Both are reset regularly, so they are for exploring the software, not for teaching.
• A local install. The software itself is free, so a teacher or trainer who wants to learn Moodle can run it on their own computer. Our Moodle installation guide covers test installs.

None of these is free Moodle hosting for a real class. For teachers and small teams, the Starter plan is the lowest-cost route on MoodleCloud.

What you can and cannot do on MoodleCloud

Plugins

You cannot install plugins on MoodleCloud. Sites come with standard Moodle plus a short pre-selected plugin set that includes Attendance, Custom certificate and Checklist. If your plan depends on a third-party plugin, such as a proctoring tool, a specific reporting plugin or a custom integration, MoodleCloud is not the right fit. Our guide to the most useful Moodle plugins shows what you would gain on a site that allows them.

Themes and branding

Boost, the standard Moodle theme, is the only MoodleCloud theme, and custom themes cannot be installed. Within Boost you can add your logo, change colours, set background images, upload a preset and add custom CSS, as described in Moodle’s article on MoodleCloud themes and customising your site. That covers basic branding, not a bespoke design. For what is possible elsewhere, see our comparison of Moodle themes.

Storage and file uploads

MoodleCloud storage covers the whole site and ranges from 1 GB to 50 GB by plan. Individual uploads are limited to 250 MB on every plan. There are no storage add-ons; Moodle’s storage guidance says upgrading the plan is the only way to get more. Video fills a quota fastest, so host it externally and link or embed it.

Users

The user limit is the number of accounts that can access your site at any one time. Suspended users do not count, so you can free up seats without deleting anyone’s records.

Integrations, payments and the mobile app

Moodle’s product specifications list API access and LTI tools for connecting external applications, but any integration that requires installing a plugin is out. Enrolment can be manual, self-service, paid or guest; the plans page lists Stripe from the Small plan up. The Moodle app is included with its premium features at no extra cost.

Admin access, backups and support

You are the site administrator, but you have no access to the server, the database or the code, and some settings found on a self-hosted site are preconfigured or switched off. Administrators can run site backups and schedule automatic course backups. Support is by email for technical and billing questions, plus a self-service knowledge base.

Who MoodleCloud suits, and who outgrows it

Our short MoodleCloud review: it does what it promises, within clear limits.

It is a good fit for:

• Individual teachers, tutors and small training providers who want Moodle without running a server.
• Small teams piloting Moodle before a wider rollout.
• Organizations with a few hundred learners and standard Moodle needs.

You have probably outgrown it if you need:

• More than 750 users or 50 GB of storage.
• Third-party plugins, a custom theme or a fully branded login experience.
• Specialized reporting and analytics beyond Moodle’s built-in reports.
• Single sign-on or HR system integrations that rely on plugins or server-level configuration.
• Data stored in a specific country. Moodle lists servers in Australia, Europe and the USA; no Canadian region is listed.
• Hands-on support, training or a service level agreement.

Tips for MoodleCloud administrators

1. Organize before you build. Set up course categories and one consistent course layout, so learners find things in the same place every time.
2. Use roles instead of sharing the admin account. Keep administrator rights to one or two people, enrol learners with self-enrolment keys, and suspend leavers to free up seats.
3. Design around the tools you have. Check the pre-installed plugin list before promising a feature. Attendance, Custom certificate, Checklist, H5P and BigBlueButton cover most everyday needs.
4. Keep storage lean. Host video externally, use Page and Book resources instead of uploading PDFs, and delete unused media.
5. Use completion tracking and access restrictions. Together they give you simple learning paths and progress reports without any plugin.
6. Back up and keep copies off the site. Schedule automatic course backups and download important ones regularly. See Moodle’s documentation on course backup.
7. Read the release notes. MoodleCloud updates itself after each Moodle release. You do not apply updates, but you should tell teachers what is about to change.
8. Test on a phone. Open each new course in the Moodle app, and check accessibility basics such as headings and image descriptions.

MoodleCloud vs self-hosting vs managed hosting

MoodleCloud is one of three common ways to run Moodle. They differ in who does the work and how much control you keep.

If you are weighing the last two options, our article on managed cloud hosting vs self-hosting goes through expertise, timing and total cost. If you plan to run Moodle yourself, the Moodle installation and setup guide covers the steps. For the managed route, our managed Moodle hosting runs on AWS in the Canada (Central) region and leaves plugin and theme choices to you.

How to move off MoodleCloud when you outgrow it

You keep ownership of your content, and Moodle provides tools to take it with you.

1. List what you use. Courses, users, the pre-installed plugins, custom CSS, payment enrolments and any LTI connections.
2. Prepare the destination. MoodleCloud tracks the latest Moodle release, so the new site should run the same release or newer. Install the plugins from the MoodleCloud set so activities built with them carry over.
3. Choose the method. For a handful of courses, use course backups (.mbz files) and restore them on the new site. For the whole site, use Moodle’s site export in the Portal’s Tools tab. It produces the database and files in MySQL or PostgreSQL format.
4. Plan for downtime. The site goes into maintenance mode during an export, which may take several hours.
5. Restore and test. Check logins, enrolments, grades, certificates and any links that point to the old moodlecloud.com address.
6. Switch over, then cancel. Exporting does not cancel your subscription. Stop the renewal in the Portal’s Billing tab; the old site stays live until the paid period ends.

A MoodleCloud subscription does not include migration help, so this work falls to you or your new host. Migration is part of our managed hosting service; if you would like to talk through your options, book a call with Lambda Learning.

Frequently asked questions

Is MoodleCloud free?

No. MoodleCloud used to offer a free tier for up to 50 users, but it now consists of paid annual plans. A free trial is available, listed at 28 days at the time of writing, with up to 50 users and 1 GB of storage and no credit card required. After the trial you need a paid subscription to keep the site.

How much does MoodleCloud cost?

At the time of writing, MoodleCloud plans are listed from $160 USD per year for the Starter plan (50 users, 1 GB) to $2,090 USD per year for the Standard plan (750 users, 50 GB). Plans are billed annually and charged in Australian dollars, so check the official pricing page for current figures.

Can you install plugins on MoodleCloud?

No. Site administrators cannot install plugins or themes on MoodleCloud. Sites include standard Moodle and a small pre-selected set of extra plugins, including Attendance, Custom certificate and Checklist. If you need other plugins, Moodle’s own advice is to self-host or use a hosting provider.

Does MoodleCloud have report builder?

MoodleCloud runs the current Moodle release, and custom reports (the report builder) are a standard Moodle feature, so you should find them under Site administration. Confirm in a free trial, since some settings are preconfigured on MoodleCloud. You cannot add third-party reporting plugins. Our guide to Moodle reporting features explains what the built-in reports cover.

Where is MoodleCloud data hosted?

Moodle states that MoodleCloud sites are fully hosted by Moodle HQ, with site data stored on its servers in Australia, Europe and the USA. No Canadian region is listed. If your organization has data residency requirements, confirm where your site will be placed before you sign up, or choose a host in the country you need.

Is there a MoodleCloud app?

There is no separate MoodleCloud app. Learners install the standard Moodle app and connect it to your MoodleCloud site address. Moodle’s plans page lists the app’s premium features as included on every MoodleCloud plan, and the product specifications say they come at no cost.