End-to-end solution vs Open-Source product

MindScroll vs Moodle

Moodle is an open source software learning management system built on pedagogical principles and is used for e-learning projects in schools, universities and workplaces. Though originally designed for academia, Moodle has found its use-cases in corporate learning as well. Moodle is a feature rich platform with community support and can be extended to suit various learning environments by using community sourced plugins. To deploy moodle, one needs to download the moodle package and install it on a server and customise it to map its own learning requirement and branding.

MindScroll, on the other hand, is a cloud hosted SaaS learning platform which can be setup in minutes without any technology expertise and need of any hardware or plugin. One doesn’t need to worry about managing the infrastructure or having an IT team to use MindScroll, you just sign up by creating your account and start using the platform. MindScroll has been developed as a corporate Learning Management System keeping business training need in mind and provides support for user roles like HR Manager, Training Department Officer and Supervisor with access and privileges necessary to run a corporate training initiative.

The advantages of MindScroll are very clear. It enables customers to deploy their e-learning project very quickly. The account can be created in just a few minutes by configuring URL and basic account settings and within a couple of work-hours, the customers can set up courses, add users, customize the theme and have a complete personalized set-up of the environment. In contrast, with Moodle each installation could take anywhere from two days to weeks depending on the requirement of the customer and expertise on Moodle.

In case of assistance, MindScroll offers quick support via phone and email, whereas with Moodle, customers have to refer to a large community for free help or find a paid assistance service.

MindScroll user interface is easy to use and can be used by first time users with little or no training. The Moodle user interface, on the other hand, is difficult to manage if one is not familiar with it.

Moodle, being open source, depends on the supporting community for evolution of the product while MindScroll has a well-defined product roadmap catering to the business training needs. Moreover, with built-in integration widgets and readily available integration APIs, MindScroll can be easily integrated with other business applications such as ERP, CRM and video conference systems and provide a seamless information flow between systems.

The following table summarizes the differences between MindScroll and Moodle:

	MindScroll	Moodle

Deployment Type	MindScroll is Cloud hosted SaaS solution and does not require any additional hardware or plugin. It saves the customer from hassles of managing infrastructure.	Moodle is open source software. A moodle package needs to be installed on client’s server.
Deployment Time	MindScroll can be setup in minutes.,Customers can quickly configure their URL, admin account settings, customize the layout and their personalized Learning Management System is ready for use.	Moodle installation can take anywhere between 2 days to weeks.
Pricing Model	MindScroll has active user based subscription plan and the customer pays based on the number of active users. Customers can easily scale up and down and only pay for the usage (pay as you go model).There are no hidden costs for installation or maintenanceMindScroll supports unlimited courses and assessments and offers unlimited bandwidth with load balancer to manage peak traffic.	Moodle is free for download. However, for moodle installation the client needs to incur following hidden costs:Domain CostServer CostIT Staff CostThere are other costs like implementation cost, annual maintenance charges, server cost for scaling and cost of implementing change request in case the client does not technology expertise and decide to engage a Moodle Implementation partner.
Product Roadmap	MindScroll has a well-defined product roadmap focused on corporate learning requirements. All new features are available to existing customers as part of product release at zero additional cost.	Since Moodle is open source, the evolution of the product depends on the communities and activities that support it. Even if a new feature or plugin is released, configuring the same will require technology expertise or paid service from Moodle Implementation Partner.
Helpdesk and Support	MindScroll provides 24x7 support on phone and Email. Additionally, MindScroll provides its customers access to knowledge base with FAQ’s and ‘How-to’ articles.	Moodle does not offer a dedicated helpdesk. Moodle implementation partners offer support as a paid service.Moodle has a free online knowledge center. There are different forums where customers can ask questions and get answers from forum members.