We performed a comparison between Google Classroom and Moodle based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Features: Users appreciate Google Classroom for its simplicity, intuitive design, and seamless integration with Google applications. Moodle has earned high marks for its adaptability, extensive customization options, and diverse feature set, including course backup and integration with platforms like Zoom and Teams. Some users have said that Google Classroom lacks certain features of a true learning management system, has a confusing interface, and struggles with tracking assignments and feedback. It also has limited collaboration. Moodle could enhance its interface, mobile operation, and reporting features. Users say they would like to see better integration with social media, an easier setup process, and enhancements in the user interface
Service and Support: Some Google Classroom users reported challenges in obtaining assistance, while others value the forums and resources provided. Moodle's support quality depends on the circumstances. Some users reported prompt issue resolution from the team. Others expressed a desire for improvement.
Ease of Deployment: Google Classroom's initial setup is simple and quick, requiring only a few minutes to complete. Moodle's setup process is somewhat more involved. Users may require technical skills and additional training to implement Moodle correctly.
Pricing: Google Classroom pricing varies depending on the type of customer. Educational institutions can access the platform for free, but private companies need to pay. Customers may incur additional expenses for storage and integration. Moodle is a free open-source product with no yearly or monthly fees. However, companies may need to spend money to customize and integrate Moodle.
ROI: Google Classroom does not offer a quantifiable return on investment, whereas Moodle has proven to be a valuable and efficient solution, resulting in financial and time savings.
Comparison Results: According to our reviews, users prefer Google Classroom over Moodle. Users appreciate its easy-to-use interface, integration with other Google apps, and the ability to communicate with students and assign points. They also say that uploading class materials is easy and convenient. Users find Moodle's interface and mobile operation less user-friendly and in need of improvement. Overall, users like Google Classroom better because of its simplicity, convenience, and responsiveness to user feedback.
"I find Jamboard to be a great tool for supporting classroom activities."
"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is the ability to meet people and it is online."
"What I like about Google Classroom are the video lessons. I enjoy using it because it makes my life easier, for example, I can easily change my class and my lecture notes."
"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 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 easy to use and intuitive, and it's not difficult to set up."
"I would rate the initial setup a nine out of ten. It is very straightforward."
"Company-wise, the most important feature is that it is a product of Google. It is a part of Google Suite. With Google Classroom, you can easily embed a Google Sheet, Google Doc, or Google Form. You can easily create a quiz in Google Form. It is integrated with Google Drive. So, everything is on Google Drive, and you can easily use it. With single sign-on, you can use it with Google Apps as well."
"One of my biggest pet peeves is that many LMSs do not offer a course or site-level backup that is an industry-standard file. So, if you decide you don't like Moodle or some other LMS, you should be able to back up all your data and take it and go somewhere else. Moodle does offer that. There are several others that do that as well, but there are some LMSs that don't, which isn't a very good business practice because they hold their clients hostage. That's one of the things I really like about Moodle."
"Almost all the activity modules are available inside the courses, so that makes our training easier and more comfortable."
"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."
"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."
"The customization features of Moodle significantly enhance the learning experience for our users."
"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."
"Since it's an open-source product, you can integrate it with many other things."
"It doesn't take long to learn how to use it and to set up basic courses and things like that."
"It would be helpful to add voice or audio capabilities to the classrooms instead of text only."
"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."
"Initially, the product's initial setup phase may not seem user-friendly."
"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."
"The product must provide different plans for different customers so that we can pay for only what we use."
"Google Classroom could improve by having better integration with other platforms, such as Google Meet."
"The product's UI needs improvement."
"I would like to see a better user experience, a more engaging interface, and more templates. Google should develop templates or at least encourage developers to share them. You'll only get a basic framework when you create a new course. You don't have different themes to choose from like you do in Moodle."
"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."
"One aspect that I found a bit confusing was the dual editing system, where you could edit the layout of the course separately from editing the content."
"It would be good to have a feature that would ensure that students are the ones performing the given assessment."
"Sometimes, the gradebook can get broken if an incorrect formula is entered during creation."
"The multi-tenancy system within Moodle could be improved. IOMAD is what makes the multi-tenancy possible but this comes with many issues."
"The solution architecture could be improved."
"Moodle's weakest point is the user interface."
"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."
Google Classroom is ranked 3rd in Learning Management Systems (LMS) with 23 reviews while Moodle is ranked 2nd in Learning Management Systems (LMS) with 26 reviews. Google Classroom is rated 8.2, while Moodle is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Google Classroom writes "An easy-to-use and intuitive solution that can be used to facilitate excellent teaching and learning". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Moodle writes "Inexpensive and pretty easy to use, but not easily adaptable for an individual". Google Classroom is most compared with Canvas LMS, Blackboard Learning Management and CYPHER Learning, whereas Moodle is most compared with SAP SuccessFactors Learning, CYPHER Learning, Chamilo LMS, Cornerstone Learning and TalentLMS. See our Google Classroom vs. Moodle report.
See our list of best Learning Management Systems (LMS) vendors.
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