Moodle Alternative for Coaching Institutes: Moodle Pricing, Is Moodle Free, and Where Sikhami Fits

Moodle at a glance

Sikhami wrote this comparison, and we make Sikhami, so please read it with that in mind. We checked every detail about Moodle on its own website on 18 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check them again before you decide. Moodle is a trademark of its owner; Sikhami is not connected with it.

Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) made by Moodle Pty Ltd, also called Moodle HQ. It is open-source software under version 3 of the GNU General Public License. Moodle's own documentation says anyone can adapt, extend or change it, for commercial or non-commercial use, without licence fees.

The documentation lists three official ways to get Moodle:

• Download the free software and install it on your own web server. You need a web server with PHP and a database.
• Buy a MoodleCloud site, which the makers of Moodle install and manage for you.
• Work with a Moodle Certified Partner or Service Provider, who advises you and sets Moodle up to your needs.

What running Moodle yourself involves

Free software is not the same as free to run. On your own server you pay for the server and a domain name. Someone must also install updates, take backups and keep the site secure. If you have no technical staff, weigh that time and cost against a hosted plan.

MoodleCloud plans and prices

MoodleCloud plans are yearly. The table shows each plan as the pricing page listed it on 18 October 2026, in rupees and in Australian dollars. The page says all plans are billed annually in Australian dollars, and country-specific taxes may also apply.

Every plan includes the Premium Moodle mobile app. Selling courses through Stripe comes with Small, Medium and Standard. Your own domain name is included in Standard and costs AUD 160 a year extra on Medium. Plugins cannot be installed on MoodleCloud. You can try the Starter plan free for 28 days, with no credit card.

Moodle and Sikhami side by side

Here is how the two compare for a coaching institute. Each row uses facts we could confirm for both.

When Moodle is the better choice

Moodle suits you better in these cases:

• You want full control of the software. On your own server you can adapt, extend or change Moodle, and add plugins from its community.
• Your tests need more than multiple choice. Moodle's Quiz has essay, matching, numerical, drag-and-drop and other question types.
• You want your own web address or an app in your own name. MoodleCloud's Standard plan includes your own domain, and Moodle sells a branded app.
• You want live classes inside your LMS. Moodle has a BigBlueButton activity, which an administrator sets up first.
• You have technical help, or a budget for hosting, to keep the site updated, backed up and secure.
• Your courses are for students you already enrol, on a site of your own, and you do not need a public listing.

When Sikhami is the better choice

• You do not want to run a server or pay for hosting. Setting up your institute on Sikhami is free, with no subscription and nothing to install.
• You want new learners to find you. Your institute and each course get a public page, and learners browse the categories you teach. Classroom courses show nearest first to learners who share their area.
• You teach in a classroom as well. Batches with a weekly timetable, attendance and a fee book with numbered receipts are free.
• Your lectures are on YouTube. Import a playlist as a course, then add tests and a certificate. Playlist courses are always free for students.
• You want to sell video courses. Learners pay by UPI, card or net banking on the website, or through Google Play in the Android app.
• You want to know your earnings before you set a price. Under the price field, Sikhami shows what you will receive per sale on the website and in the app.

How Sikhami earns: setting it up and using it is free, with no subscription. It keeps a share only when a learner buys something paid online, and Google Play also takes its fee on purchases in the Android app. Classroom and batch fees are paid to you directly, and Sikhami takes nothing from them. See everything Sikhami's free LMS includes.

How to try Sikhami alongside Moodle

1. Keep your Moodle site as it is while you try Sikhami.
2. Sign up on Sikhami, open Learning studio and choose New institute. Type the name and choose Create institute. It is saved as a draft.
3. In Details, add your logo, username, about section, email and phone (each confirmed with a code), full address and map location. Then publish the institute.
4. Under Courses, choose New course, then Video course. Upload one chapter (each file under 2 GB, in MP4, WebM or OGG), or import a YouTube playlist.
5. Add a test at the end of each section. Keep the certificate on, or switch it off.
6. Share the course link with one batch, and check the course analytics for two weeks.

There is no tool to move a Moodle course into Sikhami. You upload the videos and type in the tests again, so start with one chapter.

What to check before you pick any LMS

• The full cost for a year: software, hosting, domain, app, payment charges and staff time.
• Who installs updates and takes backups, and who you call when something breaks.
• Whether students can use it on an inexpensive Android phone on mobile data.
• Which question types your exams need.
• How students will pay, and whether they can use UPI.
• Whether you can export your students and records if you leave.
• Whether it also covers classroom work: batches, attendance, fees and receipts.

Try two options with one real chapter and five students for a week. Our Moodle vs Google Classroom comparison and our guide to free LMS software cover more choices. The learning management system guide has a full checklist.

Good to know before you start

• Sikhami does not give you your own app, your own web address or a website builder. Students use the Sikhami website and Android app with a free Sikhami account.
• Tests are multiple choice with one correct answer. There are no essay, matching or numerical questions.
• Live classes are not hosted on Sikhami. A batch keeps your Google Meet or Zoom link.
• There is no DRM, download protection or screen-recording protection.
• Video courses are made on the website. Batches, attendance, fees and your team also work in the Android app.
• The fee book records fees you collect yourself. Parents do not pay batch fees through Sikhami, and it sends no fee reminders.