Kartra alternatives · Courses
Open-source alternatives to Kartra
Kartra is not described as open source on its own site. 15 of the 98 other course and community platforms in this directory are open source, according to their own sites.
Kartra is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly). 13 of them are free or have a free plan.
15 tools · Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from
The 12 closest to Kartra
- Free plan · from $15/mo
Sensei LMS
WordPress course plugin with a free core and a paid Pro tier
- Sensei LMS starts at $15 per month, billed yearly ($179), for Sensei Pro; the core plugin is free. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- Sensei LMS has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- Sensei LMS is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Sensei LMS also covers templates.
- Free trial · from $12/mo
CourseLit
Open-source course, download and community platform
- CourseLit starts at $12 per month, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly). Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- CourseLit is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- CourseLit also covers community and digital downloads.
- Kartra also covers marketing automation, forms, surveys and help desk.
- Free
Open edX
Free open-source learning platform stewarded by Axim Collaborative
- Open edX is free. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- Open edX has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- Open edX is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Open edX also covers reports.
- Free plan · from $100/mo
Discourse
Open-source discussion forum software with hosted plans
- Discourse starts at $100 per month. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- Discourse has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Discourse lists iOS and Android apps.
- Discourse is open source, according to its own site.
- Free plan · from $149/yr
MasterStudy LMS
WordPress LMS plugin with a free Starter license and paid yearly tiers
- MasterStudy LMS starts at $149 per year for 1 site. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- MasterStudy LMS has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- MasterStudy LMS is open source, according to its own site.
- MasterStudy LMS also covers templates.
- Free plan
Moodle
Open-source learning platform you host yourself or on MoodleCloud
- Moodle has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- Moodle is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Kartra also covers marketing automation, forms, surveys, email campaigns and help desk.
- Free plan · from $49/mo
Paid Memberships Pro
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with managed hosting
- Paid Memberships Pro starts at $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- Paid Memberships Pro has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- Paid Memberships Pro is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Paid Memberships Pro also covers templates, paid newsletters and community.
- Free
Flarum
Free open-source forum software you host yourself
- Flarum is free. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- Flarum has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- Flarum is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Flarum also covers community.
- Free plan · from $20/mo
NodeBB
Open-source forum software with managed hosting plans
- NodeBB starts at $20 per month for hosting; self-hosting is free. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- NodeBB has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- NodeBB is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- NodeBB also covers community.
- Free
phpBB
Free open-source bulletin board software written in PHP
- phpBB is free. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- phpBB has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- phpBB is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- phpBB also covers community.
- Free
MyBB
Free open-source forum software with plugins and themes
- MyBB is free. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- MyBB has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- MyBB is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- MyBB also covers community.
- Free
Simple Machines Forum
Free open-source community forum software (SMF)
- Simple Machines Forum is free. Kartra starts at $52 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly).
- Simple Machines Forum has a free plan. Kartra does not, though it has a free trial.
- Simple Machines Forum is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Simple Machines Forum also covers community.
Common questions
Is there an open-source alternative to Kartra?
Yes. Sensei LMS, CourseLit, Open edX, Discourse, MasterStudy LMS, Moodle, Paid Memberships Pro, Flarum and 7 more are open source, according to their own sites.
Is Kartra open source?
Kartra is not described as open source on its own site. The listing was checked on Oct 17, 2026 against the pages it cites.
Which of these course and community platforms are free?
Sensei LMS, Open edX, Discourse, MasterStudy LMS, Moodle, Paid Memberships Pro, Flarum, NodeBB and 5 more are free or have a free plan.
When was this checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 17, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Kartra: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.