Google Classroom vs Moodle comparison

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Google Classroom

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Moodle and Google Classroom are two contenders in the educational platform sector. Moodle excels with its modular flexibility and extensive features, while Google Classroom stands out for its ease of use and integration with the Google Suite.

Features: Moodle offers advanced quiz options like randomizations, a robust plugin community for customizations, and supports legacy integrations like LTI and H5P. Google Classroom integrates seamlessly with Google tools, supports easy communication and material sharing, and offers features like Google Forms for quizzes.

Room for Improvement: Moodle's complex UI and lack of intuitiveness for non-technical users can be challenging. It also lacks built-in multi-tenancy support and robust analytics. Google Classroom could improve its organization and assessment features. Its interface sometimes confuses young students, and it lacks detailed grading capabilities for advanced educational settings.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Moodle offers flexible deployment options, supporting both on-premises and cloud setups, requiring technical expertise. Its customer service relies on community support unless users opt for paid support. Google Classroom is cloud-based with a simpler onboarding process through the Google ecosystem and lacks direct technical support but benefits from dedicated resources for common issues.

Pricing and ROI: Moodle is open-source, making it cost-effective, with free and paid options. Google Classroom offers a free solution integrating with Google tools, and its paid version provides additional functionality. Both provide good ROI, especially Moodle with its expansive feature set and open-source foundation.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Classroom vs. Moodle Report (Updated: February 2026).

Google Classroom vs. Moodle

February 2026

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Helped 881,707 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Google Classroom

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Moodle

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category, the mindshare of Google Classroom is 2.8%, down from 5.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Moodle is 3.9%, down from 13.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Learning Management Systems (LMS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Moodle	3.9%
Google Classroom	2.8%
Other	93.3%

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Featured Reviews

Wafaa Salah

Professor at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

User-Friendly Platform with Valuable Features but Needs Improvement in Pool of Questions and Statistics

The integration with Google Workspace is great because we have many tools such as Google Meet, Google Sheets, and Google Drive. However, the space is very limited. We purchased extra space until it reached 100 gigabytes. I have been using Google since having a Gmail account in 2001 when I was a student. Google Classroom allows me to make quizzes and assignments for students with random ordering, but I would appreciate having a pool of questions feature. For example, having 1000 questions and extracting 20 for each student would allow every student to have a different version. Currently, while using quizzes, every question appears to every student, though the order might differ. Adding the pool of questions would be beneficial. Having statistics while students take their exams would be helpful - showing how many students submitted, how many are in progress, and how many have not started the quiz. Having a log file to track students who opened documents would be valuable. In Moodle, I can see which students opened files, downloaded them, or watched videos. This feature is not available in Google Classroom, which is why I prefer other applications with more powerful statistics to trace student performance.

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Chris Sackiw

Meteorologist - Training and Development. Météorologue - Formation Et Perfectionnement at Environment Canada

A highly flexible and customizable learning management system with a wide range of features, providing educators with the tools to create engaging and interactive online courses

Moodle has proven to be highly effective for training and professional development within our organization. It has replaced the traditional practice of sending individuals on courses across the country, offering coast-to-coast accessibility. We've also begun utilizing badges for internal certification, streamlining the process of recognizing achievement. As its usage has expanded, we started with native Moodle on our section and have since extended it to other groups. The integration of third-party plugins or tools has influenced our utilization of Moodle. While we haven't implemented as many filters as we potentially could have, one individual has managed administration duties and the integration of these tools. This individual has also been involved in other areas, dedicating significant time to programming within Moodle for a specific program for one group. This process has spanned several years, demonstrating the commitment required to bring these enhancements to fruition.

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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

"The most valuable features of Google Classroom are the meetings, mark book, and assignments."

"I find Jamboard to be a great tool for supporting classroom activities."

"When a teacher uploads material, all students connected to that class will receive the same information at the same time. I have found this to be a valuable feature. I also like that the material remains in Google Classroom until the teacher removes it. The UI is user-friendly, and you don't have to have prior experience to use the solution."

"Google Classroom is very effective for communication and excellent for assigning homework and resources."

"I can see all the submissions in a central place."

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

"This solution integrates with all the other Google apps including Google Calendar and Google Docs. This makes it very easy to manage."

"Google Classroom is very effective for communication and excellent for assigning homework and resources."

More Google Classroom pros

"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."

"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."

"One of the most valuable aspects is the ability to input data into the model."

"The fact that it's modular means you can easily expand with thousands of plugins that you can freely download from Moodle headquarters, and adding or removing functionality is easy."

"What I liked most about Moodle was that I could create nice online quizzes. It takes very little time to do. You don't have to even read the paper, it automatically evaluates the quizzes. It gives the student grades and provides a lot of useful statistics. For example, it indicates which question was the hardest, easiest, and where students made the most mistakes. Everything is available to you. You couldn't do this in regular paper test hard copies. This was my first use case."

"They have made it really easy for you to see the flow on the forums. The information is well organized and the UI is fairly easy to navigate."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

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

More Moodle pros

Cons

"The user interface of Google Classroom could improve by being more user-friendly."

"The solution's GUI is an area of concern currently that can be considered for improvement in the future."

"The product must provide different plans for different customers so that we can pay for only what we use."

"The product's UI needs improvement."

"This feature is not available in Google Classroom, which is why I prefer other applications with more powerful statistics to trace student performance."

"There are a lot of things that need to be fixed in order for it to be called a learning management system. I think that's where a lot of people are very confused in terms of what Google Classroom actually does. Google Classroom is not a learning management system. A learning management system allows teachers to grade with authenticity and doesn't provide only one grade for a particular document or assignment."

"There can often be language barriers when you're not dealing with local technical support, which can be challenging."

"Students used to have points that were accumulated and the letter grades, such as A's, B's, C's, et cetera. Google Classroom should add a feature by which you can toggle in between both of them. It's more than only accumulated points, which are not going to mean that much for students unless there's a prize at the end or some type of reward for the effort. However, if there's a way to toggle in between allocating points versus allocating a grade, it would be nice."

More Google Classroom cons

"Sometimes, the gradebook can get broken if an incorrect formula is entered during creation."

"An improvement would be to have it support physically challenged students, who we think should be able to participate in some of our courses."

"The solution could be improved if support was an integral part of the whole solution. There are a few challenges in terms of performance due to Moodle being a free-to-use platform but these can be overcome with the use of their support team."

"Where Moodle could definitely improve is the user interface. You have a lot of themes and you can customize themes, but if you are going to use Moodle off the shelf, even with a hosting company, a lot of training is involved. Training is available, but if your faculty or your development team isn't highly technical, it's going to be a challenge, whereas there are other interfaces that are much easier, but they don't do as much. So, there is a give and take there. If Moodle could find a way to make the user interface for the instructional designers and the learners more intuitive, it probably would be a huge improvement. The manager area and the admin area are fine, but when it comes to the people who are using the system but might not be highly technical, it needs improvement."

"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."

"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."

"For a first time user, especially someone who is non-technical, Moodle is difficult for them to understand and they often need assistance."

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

More Moodle cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are competitors that offer free solutions, making the price of Google Classroom high."

"Google Classroom is free to use."

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

"The product is free."

"I use the free version of Google Classroom."

"The product offers a yearly based license."

"The price of Google Classroom has been reasonable."

"Google Classroom is a free solution. There is paid version that has more options, the cost is approximately eight dollars per student per month."

More Google Classroom pricing and cost advice

"Moodle is a free open-sourced solution. This is one of the best aspects of Moodle."

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

"Moodle is an open-source solution that is free of cost."

"Moodle is a free online learning platform, but it also offers a paid version of it."

"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."

"Moodle is a free solution."

"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."

"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."

More Moodle pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

20%

University

14%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Performing Arts

Comms Service Provider

14%

University

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	11

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?

What is your primary use case for Google Classroom?

I'm not creating classrooms using Google Classroom, as I join courses that other professors have created. Our university works with Outlook and Teams, but I still use Google Classroom when joining ...

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

Download Google Classroom product report

Google Classroom

January 2026

Download Moodle product report

January 2026

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.

Google

Moodle provides open-source flexibility, plugin support, and integration capabilities for educational and organizational use, enhancing efficiency through features like course management and automatic grading.

Moodle is an adaptable platform for education and training purposes, offering extensive plugins, LTI tool compatibility, and integration options. Its course management, random exam question generation, and collaborative features make it popular among educational institutions. Modular design and activity modules strengthen user interaction, while accessibility measures support a diverse user base. Security and usability are key focuses, but improvements are needed in interface design and navigation. Scalability, customization, and documentation require attention for optimal performance and user satisfaction. Flexible integration with services like Google Suite and enhancements in reporting can further streamline its effectiveness.

What are Moodle's Key Features?

Open-source Flexibility: Easily customizable to meet user needs.
Extensive Plugin Support: Offers numerous plugins for expanded functionality.
LTI Tool Compatibility: Integrates seamlessly with external learning tools.
Automatic Grading: Streamlines assessment evaluation.
Accessibility Features: Ensures wide-ranging user inclusion.

What Benefits and ROI Should Users Look For?

Efficiency: Reduces time with automated processes.
Security: Protects data and maintains integrity.
Community: Global collaboration and support available.
Integration Capabilities: Connects with current systems and tools.
Flexibility: Adapts to educational and corporate training scenarios.

In education, Moodle is commonly used for exam scheduling, course hosting, and assignment management. Corporations leverage it for training and certification needs, while educators use it for planning, quizzes, and interaction facilitation. Its ERP integration and plagiarism detection capabilities are utilized widely. Companies find its plugin and cloud support critical for customized training implementations.

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