Open edX
Course authoring (Studio) and delivery (LMS) platform for running online courses at any scale.
Studio for authoring, an LMS for delivery, run yourself or through a provider.
Open edX is the platform for authoring and delivering online courses at any scale. It suits organisations that want to run their own MOOC-style site and have people or a provider to run the servers.
What it is
The repository hosts the monolith at the centre of Open edX: the CMS that powers Studio, where courses are authored, and the LMS that delivers them to learners. Other services and ReactJS micro-frontends sit around it.
Who it's for
It suits universities, training companies and publishers with technical staff or a hosting provider. It does not suit a single teacher who wants a course online this afternoon; the README says running an instance is not simple.
Key features
Studio authoring
A content management service where course content is built.
Learner-facing LMS
A learning management service that delivers courses to learners.
Micro-frontends
Learner and author screens are ReactJS apps around the Django core.
Tutor distribution
A community Docker-based distribution for running and upgrading an instance.
Provider hosting
The README points to service providers that run Open edX for you.
Development mode
Tutor also offers a development mode for modifying the platform.
Up and running in 3 steps
Our honest verdict
What's great
- Written for authoring and delivering learning at any scale, not for a single classroom.
- Studio gives course authors their own authoring environment, separate from the learner LMS.
- You can choose between running it yourself with Tutor or paying a provider.
- AGPL-3.0 code with a large community around it.
Where it falls short
- The README says installing and running an instance is not simple and recommends a service provider.
- Self-managing production means Docker, upgrades and scaling are your job.
- A modular monolith plus separate services and micro-frontends is more moving parts than a single-app LMS.
- Under AGPL-3.0, changes you run as a service must be shared.
Pricing & license
The software is free under AGPL-3.0. The only cost is your own hosting, or a service provider; the README links openedx.org/get-started for providers with free trials, and no prices were read.
Open remote AI-training roles
870 open remote AI-training roles, updated November 14, 2026; most pay $20–$170 an hour. Zekai lists them free; the application goes to the employer’s platform.
Alternatives
These reviewed AI tools do the same job instantly — from our scored directory.
Use it, or have us set it up
FAQ
Is Open edX free?
The platform code is open source under AGPL-3.0. Running it costs server time or a provider fee; the README says providers offer free trials.
Can I run Open edX without a provider?
Yes. The README says it is possible to self-manage a production instance and recommends Tutor, but it also says that is not simple.
What is Studio?
Studio is the course-authoring environment powered by the CMS service in this repository; the LMS service delivers the finished courses.
