Google Classroom vs Moodle comparison

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Google Classroom

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Moodle and Google Classroom are competitive in the learning management system category. Google Classroom often has the upper hand due to its simple integration with Google Workspace despite Moodle's comprehensive features.

Features: Moodle offers a customizable plugin system enhancing flexibility, extensive community support, and high adaptability for diverse educational needs. Google Classroom provides seamless integration with Google Workspace, simplifying assignments and collaboration, and an easy-to-use interface for quick setups.

Room for Improvement: Moodle users suggest enhancements in interface design, performance stability, and user-friendliness without technical skills. Google Classroom could improve grading features, customization options, and expand its feature set to meet advanced requirements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Moodle supports multiple deployment models with tailored solutions but requires a learning curve during setup. Google Classroom, being cloud-based, is simple to deploy with minimal technical input and benefits from robust Google support for quick resolutions.

Pricing and ROI: Moodle's open-source model offers cost-effectiveness for institutions ready to invest in setup and maintenance, with potential long-term advantages. Google Classroom provides a free base model with Google Workspace, offering attractive ROI due to lower operational costs and efficient integration.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Classroom vs. Moodle Report (Updated: December 2024).

Google Classroom vs. Moodle

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Categories and Ranking

Google Classroom

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Moodle

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category, the mindshare of Google Classroom is 7.0%, down from 12.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Moodle is 14.8%, down from 16.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Featured Reviews

Neeraj Tiwari

Student at Queens University Belfast

An easy-to-install tool that is available for free but needs to improve the stability it offers

The product's initial setup phase was easy. The deployment process was not an issue since the product was easy to access. The students in our institution used to get a link from our faculty or module coordinator for Google Classroom, after which we used to access the platform. There is a Google Classroom code to deal with privacy issues, which allows the students to access different modules, which was an easy process. I never found the aforementioned steps hard since I could get access to Google Classroom via my Google ID and Gmail. It is really easy to use the tool by clicking on the link for Google Classroom. The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

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James Phelps

Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University

Inexpensive and pretty easy to use, but not easily adaptable for an individual

It does have some problems that are hard to work around, but they can be worked around once you figure out how to make it function or how to work with specific components. The ability to input modified, individual, independent grades in a grade center component is not just hard. It almost always requires you to get tech involved. When you're dealing with a learning system where you have people in an open enrollment with all different levels of learning modes or methodologies, and as well as a worldwide student body, you end up with situations where you have to absolutely exempt somebody from a grade or an assignment and enter a new, different kind of assignment because of their skillset or lack thereof. You can't do that in Moodle. It is virtually impossible to do that in Moodle without having a tech do it for you, and when you have to have that level of tech support, it becomes problematic. They need to fix the grade book center. It is the part where you do evaluations. They need to fix it so that the individual professors can make changes directly without having to get a hold of tech support to do it for them.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"A teacher can send assignments and upload results using the product."

"The product's UI is good and user-friendly."

"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is the ability to meet people and it is online."

"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is the ability for the lecturer to put in work. Additionally, the work can be graded after completion, and there can be feedback provided through the system which has a good interface."

"Google Classroom is simple to use."

"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is security."

"I like that Google Classroom is free and integrates with the entire Google Suite, which includes Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, etc. I also like its flexibility, which makes it perfect for synchronous, asynchronous, and blended courses, and including live and archived webinars, as well as other kinds of content."

"The product's initial setup phase was easy."

More Google Classroom pros

"Cost-effective and intuitive."

"The number of permissions that are available and different ways to report and get the information out are the most valuable features. We have been able to get precise bits of information out, and we have also been able to delegate a lot."

"It is relatively easy to use to build processes for establishing and conducting work within the templates that are used. It is not that hard to follow along or use, and it is pretty simple to pick it up and run with it."

"This is a scalable solution. We have had 30,000 students using the solution. During COVID, we were able to accommodate a 500% increase in traffic."

"The monitoring aspect is important for students."

"The ability to insert a variety of tools, create and organize course content, and share large volumes of materials, written, audio, or visual, is very valuable."

"Moodle integrates with many third party plugins, which has enabled us to make use of the latest technology. During the Covid 19 period, we used a plugin called BigBlueButton to facilitate online learning which was quick and easy to do."

"It doesn't take long to learn how to use it and to set up basic courses and things like that."

More Moodle pros

Cons

"There are certain things that I can do on PowerPoint that I cannot do on Google Presentations and Google Slides, such as using PowerPoint's animation feature, I have found that PowerPoint is generally more feature-rich and offers a wider range of tools that I can use to prepare and enhance my presentations."

"The product should provide features that allow teachers to be on video while taking the class."

"Google Classroom could improve by having better integration with other platforms, such as Google Meet."

"I would like to see a master list of documents with folder names so that it is more convenient for students to know whether they have submitted a particular document. At present, you need to go to each classroom to check what you have submitted."

"We found that Google Classroom is it is missing a lot in current engagement. We know it has got guardian access, where it sends the reports to the guardian at the end of either the week or the month, depending on how you set it. However, it lacks collaboration between the teacher, student, and parents. The engagement is mostly between the student and the teacher. If you have a school similar to ours, where you're dealing with little children where the parent is supposed to be engaged, you need a system that can engage them as well. It's good for senior students, but not for our students."

"The product's UI needs improvement."

"The stability could be improved."

"The initial setup of Google Classroom is straightforward. The deployment took us two to three months because we had to train the faculty."

More Google Classroom cons

"The biggest area for improvement is the UI. They should also make the navigation simpler to understand. They've recently introduced a new way of having navigation work in Moodle, but they all look very similar."

"It would be good to have a feature that would ensure that students are the ones performing the given assessment."

"The multi-tenancy system within Moodle could be improved. IOMAD is what makes the multi-tenancy possible but this comes with many issues."

"Everything is very text heavy. There are no videos or moving images. For a visual learner, there's not a lot of visual content so Moodle is not suitable for all types of learners."

"The solution should continue to allow and foster the ability to integrate with cloud services."

"It would be a benefit if there was an easy single sign-on with social media services for Moodle. There are some plugins that I tried, but they didn't work seamlessly. it is a work in progress. Having the single sign-on with social media services would be appreciated because in my school we are using Google suite and the main reason why we use Google Classroom is that it is integrated seamlessly with the suite."

"Moodle's weakest point is the user interface."

"Sometimes, discrepancies arise when the information is not updated or lacks precision, potentially leading to the model producing misleading or incorrect outputs based on its training."

More Moodle cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Google Classroom is a free solution."

"We are an educational institution, and it is free of charge for us. Normally, if you are a private company, you have to pay a lot of money to get this service, but they are giving it for free to schools."

"Google Classroom is free to use."

"For Google Classroom, you don't need to pay for its license because they offer free access to the platform."

"I'm using a free version of Google Classroom, so it's a product I don't pay for."

"The solution is affordable."

"My child's school made payments on a subscription-based model to use Google Classroom."

"We did not need a license to use Google Classroom."

More Google Classroom pricing and cost advice

"This solution offers a free-to-use version which can be deployed only on-premises and is what we are using. Moodle also offer support based and cloud based subscriptions. Organizations can select the appropriate package based on their needs. Moodle offer reasonable pricing for the use of their solution."

"It varies depending on the partner you're going with. It depends on whether they are a certified partner or not. It also varies depending on the demand. Usually, with Moodle and other LMSs, there is concurrent licensing. It's hard to figure out the best way to do it at the company that is selling the LMS. Moodle is usually one of the most cost-effective LMSs you can get."

"This particular organization is a relatively small academic institution. It is a single campus, not very big, with 4,500 to 5,000 total students. It is not a big faculty. There are no hard sciences other than undergraduate-level hard sciences. So, Moodle is functional, and it is relatively simple because it is open-source software. It has sub advantages, and it is inexpensive. Small schools with small enrollment numbers just can't afford the more expensive ones."

"It is a one-time registration with the Moodle site. There isn't a yearly or monthly fee."

"Moodle is free. It should probably stay free. There isn't really any support for Moodle unless you pay an astronomical amount, which is weird."

"The licensing cost is quite high and it operates on an annual basis."

"Moodle have a very robust licensing system that is user friendly. It's not very expensive."

"It is open source, and it has a lot of free documentation. It can be by far the least expensive option, but it depends on how one decides to use it. It can be free if you download it and host it on-prem, and you don't count your time as being worth anything. So, it can be almost free, or it can be very expensive just depending on if you get a package with a provider and if it is a huge solution."

More Moodle pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

24%

University

12%

Computer Software Company

Government

Educational Organization

14%

Comms Service Provider

14%

University

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Classroom?

The product's UI is good and user-friendly.

What needs improvement with Google Classroom?

There is room for improvement in the notification. Just managing the Guardian invitations and ensuring they get notifications. That's what I mean. We're currently using GAM to do that.

What is your primary use case for Google Classroom?

It is for students, for learning, assignments, and all that. Just learning management. I don't use it as a teacher. I just support it, so I don't use it a lot as an end-user.

What do you like most about Moodle?

The customization features of Moodle significantly enhance the learning experience for our users.

What needs improvement with Moodle?

The customization of the interface could be improved. Although we can load and change themes, it still always looks like Moodle. We have not found a way to significantly alter its appearance.

What is your primary use case for Moodle?

We use Moodle to manage our students' information, the classes, and the course catalog, which are mainly related to education. It serves as a learning management system for teaching in class.

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Product Reports

Google Classroom

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Download Moodle product report

Learn More

Google

Overview

Google Classroom is an online learning platform that allows teachers to create and manage virtual classrooms. With Google Classroom, teachers can easily distribute assignments, communicate with students, and provide feedback. Students can access their assignments, submit their work, and collaborate with their peers all in one place. The platform integrates seamlessly with other Google tools like Google Drive and Google Docs, making it easy for students to create and share their work. Google Classroom also provides a streamlined workflow for teachers, allowing them to save time and stay organized. Google Classroom is a user-friendly and efficient tool that enhances the learning experience of teachers and students alike.

Moodle is an open-source LMS offering course management, community plugins, and comprehensive integrations. Its modular design supports extensive customization, making it suitable for education sectors and corporate training.

Moodle provides a robust platform for creating and managing educational content. It integrates seamlessly with tools like Zoom and Teams, enhances cheat prevention with exam question shuffling, and supports advanced customization and accessibility. While its flexibility caters to diverse educational and corporate environments, Moodle faces challenges with login issues, improving mobile functionality, and a cumbersome setup process. Efforts to enhance documentation and ensure ease of navigation are ongoing. Its integration capabilities with ERP systems and support for LTI tools further position Moodle as a valuable resource for both educators and learners.

What are Moodle’s key features?

Course Management: Enables the creation and organization of courses, assignments, and exams.
Community Plugins: Offers extendable features through a variety of plugins supporting collaborative learning.
Integration with Tools: Supports platforms like Zoom, Teams, and Google Suite for enhanced communication and collaboration.
Security: Ensures robust protection of data with advanced security measures.
Accessibility Options: Provides tools to make learning accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
Document Import/Export: Easy management of course materials via import/export capabilities.
LTI Tool Integration: Seamless incorporation of Learning Tools Interoperability standards for broader resource access.

What benefits can users expect from Moodle?

Customization: Flexibility allows tailoring of the platform to specific requirements or objectives.
Ease of Use: Designed for efficient course administration and facilitation of learning.
Role-Based Access: Supports personalized user roles and permissions.
Cost-Effectiveness: Open-source nature ensures budget-friendly deployment and maintenance.
Wide Range of Plugins: Enhances capability through a supportive plugin ecosystem.

In educational and corporate industries, Moodle is implemented for exam scheduling, resource management, and online assessments. It facilitates instructor-student interactions and is adaptable for both on-premises and cloud deployments. Organizations leverage Moodle for customizing employee certifications and training programs, benefiting from its versatile access controls and management tools.

Sample Customers

Google Classroom is used in major urban school districts throughout the United States, including: * Los Angeles Unified School District * Chicago Public Schools * New York City Department of Education * Houston Independent School District * Miami-Dade County Public Schools * Dallas Independent School District * Broward County Public Schools * Clark County School District (Las Vegas) * Philadelphia School District

Acacia University, Alliant International University, American University of Health Sciences, Anaheim University Online, Aspen University, Cal State University San Bernardino, California State University Los Angeles, Chattanooga Fire Training, City of Humble Fire Department, George Washington University, Georgia Institute of Emergency Medical Services, Michigan Online Classroom, Virginia Beach Sheriffs Office, Washington Post

Google Classroom vs. Moodle