3 jobs · 9 apps
Best open source student management systems
For a school, a self-hosted stack starts with Gibbon for school management, Moodle for courses and enrolment and admidio for member records.
Gibbon is the one app in the catalog that describes itself as a school management platform for teachers, students, parents and leaders. The learning management systems below manage courses and the students enrolled in them; check each one for the administration features you need.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Gibbon
GibbonEdu/core
Flexible school management platform designed to make life better for teachers, students, parents and leaders.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Learning Management (LMS)PHPGibbon has 635 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 318 commits in the last year.
- Rank 2:
Open eClass
gunet/openeclass
Open eClass is an advanced e-learning solution that can enhance the teaching and learning process.
Active · last commit Oct 23, 2026
Learning Management (LMS)PHPStands out for the most recent release (Release_4.4.3, October 2026). Open eClass has 170 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 1,638 commits in the last year.
At a glance
Open source student management systems compared
Picked by hand for each job from apps whose own description or topics match it, in curated order inside each section, with GitHub data from October 2026; an app appears only once.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gibbon | – | GPL-3.0 | 635 | 318 | Oct 28, 2026 | No |
| Open eClass | the most recent release (Release_4.4.3, October 2026) | GPL-2.0 | 170 | 1,638 | Oct 23, 2026 | No |
| Moodle | the longest track record (since 2009) | GPL-3.0 | 7,555 | 3,405 | Oct 21, 2026 | No |
| Canvas LMS | the most commits in the last 12 months (4,520) | AGPL-3.0 | 6,889 | 4,520 | Apr 30, 2026 | No |
| Open edX | the most GitHub stars | AGPL-3.0 | 8,211 | 1,272 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Chamilo LMS | – | GPL-3.0 | 1,019 | 5,972 | Oct 28, 2026 | No |
| ILIAS | – | GPL-3.0 | 504 | 2,259 | Oct 27, 2026 | No |
| OpenOLAT | – | Apache-2.0 | 448 | 3,695 | Oct 28, 2026 | No |
| admidio | – | GPL-2.0 | 485 | 1,570 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
1 of 3 · 2 picks
School management
- 1
Gibbon
Flexible school management platform designed to make life better for teachers, students, parents and leaders.
Learning Management (LMS)Gibbon has 635 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 318 commits in the last year.
- 2
Open eClass
Open eClass is an advanced e-learning solution that can enhance the teaching and learning process.
Learning Management (LMS)Stands out for the most recent release (Release_4.4.3, October 2026). Open eClass has 170 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 1,638 commits in the last year.
2 of 3 · 6 picks
Learning management systems
- 1
Moodle
The world's most widely used open-source learning platform for schools, universities and companies.
Learning Management (LMS)Stands out for the longest track record (since 2009). Moodle has 7,555 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 3,405 commits in the last year; it replaces Teachable and Thinkific.
- 2
Canvas LMS
Learning management system (LMS) that is revolutionizing the way we educate.
Learning Management (LMS)Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (4,520). Canvas LMS has 6,889 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 4,520 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn.
- 3
Open edX
The LMS and Studio authoring platform behind edX, deployed with the Docker-based Tutor distribution.
Learning Management (LMS)DockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Open edX has 8,211 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,272 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn and TalentLMS.
- 4
Chamilo LMS
Create a virtual campus for the provision of online or semi-online training.
Learning Management (LMS)Chamilo LMS has 1,019 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 5,972 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn and TalentLMS.
- 5
ILIAS
Learning management system that can cope with anything you throw at it.
Learning Management (LMS)ILIAS has 504 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 2,259 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn.
- 6
OpenOLAT
Learning management system for teaching, education, assessment and communication.
Learning Management (LMS)OpenOLAT has 448 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license and had 3,695 commits in the last year; it replaces Blackboard Learn.
3 of 3 · 1 pick
Members and groups
- 1
admidio
User management system for websites of organizations and groups. The system has a flexible role model so that it’s possible to reflect the structure and permissions of your organization.
HR & Time TrackingDockeradmidio has 485 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,570 commits in the last year.
Is an LMS the same as a student management system?
Not quite. A student information or school management system handles admissions, timetables, attendance and reports; an LMS delivers courses and assignments. Gibbon is the school management option here; Moodle, Canvas LMS and Open edX are LMS platforms.
Is Gibbon free?
Yes. Gibbon is open-source software released under the GPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I run this stack with Docker?
2 of the 9 apps here publish Docker images, including Open edX and admidio, so most of the stack can run side by side with Docker Compose on one server. Size the server for the heaviest app and add off-site backups.
How is this list ranked?
Picked by hand for each job from apps whose own description or topics match it, in curated order inside each section, with GitHub data from October 2026; an app appears only once.
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