Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) developed by Moodle Pty Ltd and its related entities, which the company refers to collectively as Moodle HQ. Its licensing is unusual for a software vendor because the core product is open source and carries no licence fee, while the commercial offers around it are sold as hosting, subscriptions, services and a separately licensed enterprise edition. A software asset manager who needs to know what a Moodle estate costs and what obligations it carries therefore has to separate five things: the GPL-licensed platform, the hosted MoodleCloud service, the commercial Moodle Workplace product, the Moodle App plans, and the Moodle trademark.
Product lines and licence models
Moodle describes its history as starting with the original Moodle LMS in 2001, followed by the first Certified Partner in 2004, the Moodle App in 2013, MoodleCloud in 2015, the Branded App in 2016, Moodle Workplace in 2019 and Moodle Direct Services in 2021.[11] Each product line has a different licensing model.
| Product | Licence model | Metric or unit | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle LMS | Open source, GNU GPL, no licence fee | None for the software; hosting and support are separate | Moodle LMS licensing |
| MoodleCloud | Annual subscription for a hosted site | Active users and site storage | MoodleCloud plans |
| Moodle Workplace | Licensed software, not open source | Priced on hosting and services; no public list price | Moodle Workplace and partners |
| Moodle App | Free, Premium and Branded plans | Active devices and offline courses | Moodle App plans |
| Moodle name and logos | Trademark, separate from the GPL | Permission required for restricted uses | Moodle trademark policy |
Moodle LMS under the GNU GPL
The Moodle licence page states that the overall Moodle software package is provided under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 2 for Moodle 1.x and version 3, or at the licensee’s option any later version, for Moodle 2.x onward.[1] The documentation is provided under the same terms.[1] Moodle describes the practical effect as complete ownership of the platform: it states that there are no licence fees or restrictions, and that the customer needs to find its own resources for hosting and support or obtain them from Certified Service Providers.[2] Because no fee is charged for the software, there is no licence metric, edition or true-up for a self-hosted Moodle LMS. The obligations that remain are those of the GPL itself, for example when the software is modified and then conveyed to others, and those of any plugins, themes or integrations the site uses.
The licence page also records how the GPL treats network use. In the GPL text reproduced there, mere interaction with a user through a computer network, with no transfer of a copy, is not conveying.[1] The detail is covered in Moodle LMS licensing: the GPL, plugins and themes.
Plugins, themes and the Moodle Marketplace
Moodle states that the GPL applies to the Moodle platform and its core codebase and does not automatically extend to plugins, themes or other add-ons developed for use with Moodle.[1] Plugins distributed through the Moodle Marketplace are licensed individually by their developers, with the licence terms stated on the listing and, where applicable, in a licence file in the package.[1] For plugins listed with Moodle, the contribution checklist requires the files that interface with Moodle core to be licensed under GNU GPL v3 or later.[9] The Marketplace home page describes itself as the new home for Moodle plugins and integrations, replacing the Plugins Directory.[10] An inventory of a Moodle site should therefore record each installed plugin and theme with its own licence, rather than treating the whole site as one GPL-licensed item.
MoodleCloud
MoodleCloud is the hosted option. Moodle lists five plans, Starter, Mini, Small, Medium and Standard, with user quotas from 50 to 750 and storage from 1GB to 50GB, billed annually in Australian dollars.[3] A user is anyone who can log in with a user account, and the quota is the maximum number of active accounts at any time; suspended users do not count.[4] MoodleCloud does not allow plugins or integrations to be installed, which is the main reason a site that needs them moves to Moodle LMS or Moodle Workplace through a partner.[3] Moodle positions MoodleCloud for individuals who sell courses and small organisations with basic needs.[12] See MoodleCloud plans, quotas and subscription terms.
Moodle Workplace
Moodle Workplace is described by Moodle as licensed software, not open source, available only through Moodle Premium Certified Partners and Service Providers and priced based on the hosting and services required.[5] A standard Moodle LMS site can be upgraded to Moodle Workplace.[5] Moodle describes Premium Certified Partners as long-standing partners, and says that only they can offer Moodle Workplace.[6] Moodle Service Providers are Moodle’s own service companies in the United States and India.[6] No public price list or licence metric exists, so the commercial terms of a Workplace deployment are those of the partner’s quote and contract. The plugin checklist adds a related rule: a plugin that replicates or directly competes with functionality offered by Moodle commercial products, for example Moodle Workplace, can fail approval for listing.[9] See Moodle Workplace, Official Hosting and Certified Partners.
Moodle App
The Moodle App is free to download and use, and institutions can subscribe to unlock additional capabilities.[7] The Free plan includes 50 active devices for push notifications and two offline courses per device per site; Premium is priced at EUR 499 per year, with unlimited active devices and offline courses, and is free if the site uses Moodle Official Hosting or MoodleCloud.[7] The Branded plan is an institution’s own app published under its name.[7] See Moodle App plans.
Trademark
The word Moodle and the Moodle logos are protected as trade marks of Moodle Pty Ltd or its related entities.[8] Moodle states that the GNU GPL does not include an implied right or licence to use its trade marks.[8] Describing one’s own Moodle implementation needs no permission, while using Moodle in a software name, company name, domain name or advertising keyword, or to describe services such as hosting, training or support in a way that suggests an association with Moodle HQ, requires prior written permission and is usually reserved to Moodle Partners.[8] See Moodle trademark policy and branding.
What a software asset manager should record
For each Moodle site the useful facts are:
- Deployment type: self-hosted Moodle LMS, hosting by Moodle HQ or a Certified Partner (Moodle Official Hosting), MoodleCloud, or Moodle Workplace.
- Licence and entitlement: the GPL for Moodle LMS, the MoodleCloud plan and renewal date, the Moodle App plan, or the partner contract for Moodle Workplace.
- Quota position for MoodleCloud: active users against the plan quota and storage against the plan allowance.
- Third-party components: each plugin, theme and integration with its own licence, including any that depend on a paid external service.
- Brand use: whether the organisation’s own product, domain or service names include the word Moodle.
Out of scope
This article does not cover the pricing of services quoted by Certified Partners, the licensing of third-party Certified Integrations, which are sold under their vendors’ own terms, or Moodle’s privacy and data processing terms. It also does not cover Moodle Academy, MoodleNet or the certifications for educators and administrators beyond noting that they exist.