MindTap vs Chamilo

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Our analysts compared MindTap vs Chamilo based on data from our 400+ point analysis of LMS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

MindTap is an online learning software owned by Cengage that provides educational content and some class management. Among its assets are coursework, textbooks and print with over 1,300 options. The subjects it covers span across business, economics, humanities, math, professional disciplines, science, social science and technology. Some of its educational modules include grading, testing, homework submissions and a mobile app. Instructors can inform students of due dates and encourage underperforming class members.
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Chamilo is a cloud-based open-source learning solution designed to improve access to education. It helps businesses develop virtual campuses to facilitate online or semi-online training. It empowers its users with the capability to accommodate over 3,500 connected learners simultaneously.

It comes with powerful inclusions like course catalogs, certificate generation, skill management, configuration and SCORM support. It also provides shopping carts for users to sell their e-learning courses and generate revenue.

It can connect over 3,500 learners, help users prepare training material, strengthen learning methods, install web hosting solutions for free, make use of synchronous and asynchronous communication channels and much more. Due to its cloud compatibility, it is accessible via iOS or Android and support can be extended via documentation and email.
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$160 Annually
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$0 Open-Source
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Tailored to your specific needs
Small
Medium
Large
Small
Medium
Large
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • More Confident Students: Give learners more tools to succeed by increasing core competencies. Personalize materials and deliver feedback to reach people by highlighting text and annotations. Increase completion rates and security through smartphone accessibility and the ability to identify at-risk pupils.
  • Saves Time: Access information in one unified location. Automate grading processes to save the time of tediously entering grades. Integrate with other tools to ensure all needs are met without needing to hunt down individual applications.
  • High-Quality Content: Find and share interactive textbooks or create a resource library for employees so workers and students can peruse information at their leisure. Create a shareable, professional-looking collection of assets.
  • Greater Engagement: Increase students’ motivation to learn and boost engagement through improved coursework. Establish clear communication lines between trainer and trainee. Use StudyHub to follow notes, bookmarks and selected text. Students can also create study guides.
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  • Free Customizable Open-Source Platform: Chamilo is an open-source platform that empowers its users to customize their extensions and share their improvements with the online community. It lets educators control the content of their learning sessions to facilitate exciting studies. It is convenient, easy-to-use and easy to learn for students, compared to other online learning tools. 
  • Accessible Course Content: Its course contents are seamlessly accessible for students and teachers. This ease of access minimizes the rate of abandonment by remote learners. It also helps companies improve their chances of meeting their learning goals. It offers an editing tool that enables teachers to generate new content at an economical rate. The editing functionality lets users create self-evaluation processes, add tests and import external contents. 
  • Improved Access to Education: Chamilo allows users to enhance their access to education and knowledge across the globe. Backed by the Chamilo Association, it fosters a steady communication network between service providers and contributors. It enhances collaboration and builds a strong community of educators and trainers to improve course quality and teaching capabilities. 
  • Interoperability: It seamlessly integrates with external IT applications and systems to synergize workflows. It also offers integrations with Drupal and Joomla. For webinar options, users can integrate with open-source solutions like BigBlueButton, LibreOffice, OpenMeetings, Prestashop, Wiris and more. 
  • Less Bug Prone: It performs functions like editing, modifying, creating and deleting an object on the same platform. Its single platform solution lets modules and applications interact in a significantly less bug-prone manner. 
  • User-Friendly: Chamilo is intuitive and easy-to-use for educators as well as learners. Its technical requirements for usage are minimal, and users don’t have to suffer through a difficult learning curve to use its features. Its friendly interface lets teachers develop basic courses with text and multiple-choice questions for advanced courses. Some of its other features include conditional questions, assignments, group collaboration support and forums. Educators have a variety of options to structure their courses according to their preferences by organizing students into classes and pre-decide the lessons to be completed per session. 
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  • Course Management: Instructors can grade and curate content, facilitate online discussions and walk students through sample assignments. Provide quizzes, assessments and interactive homework. Let learners see current and upcoming homework as well as individual progress. Clone courses easily to repeat units for different classes, adding information, copying and changing dates.
  • Learning Path: Create a path by selecting material to customize a course. Add or delete material when needed and move activities around for personalized experiences. Encourage pupils to track progress and reach out to trainers.
  • Mobile App and eReader: Give employees and students access to an ebook that works on or off the internet through the smartphone app. Use interactive elements to keep people engaged. Take attendance with geolocation and polls to ensure learners are present. Provide other tools like online flashcards, practice quizzes and alerts for homework and due dates. Make annotations and notes in the online textbook. Embed videos into the reader, share highlighted notes and emphasize key text to demonstrate what’s important in testing. Give students access to a text speaker that reads aloud.
  • Suggested Content: Customize information for specific students to increase engagement with education guides. Suggest videos and assignments that reinforce learning, offered by class or by chapter.
  • Integrations: Connect with more full-service LMSs like Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle or other solutions. Integrate with other Cengage platforms such as SAM, WebAssign and Cengage Unlimited. Use the same login to access material. Some major products auto-sync grades, so instructors don’t have to duplicate work. Communicate with various programs with IMS Basic LTI standards and additional functionality for more common products.
  • Reporting: Dig deep and understand where students are failing or succeeding with real-time analytics that measure 12 different metrics and deliver actionable insights.
  • Subjects: Let learners consume content, software and textbooks that cover a variety of topics like agriculture, anthropology, art, astronomy, biology, college skills, communications, counseling, early childhood education, film, history, humanities, human services, mass communication, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, social sciences, theatre, world languages and more.
  • Aplia: Connect concepts to real-world situations. Elevate critical thinking with feedback, algorithmic questions, review problems and other elements.
  • Pathbrite Portfolio: Showcases learner work through videos, images, documents and other assets. Give a visual representation of accomplishments and skills.
  • Cengage Unlimited: Work with several Cengage learning solutions aimed at specific subjects, including:
    • CengageNOWv2: Study for accounting, business statistics and taxation. Complete assignments, study for exams and succeed academically. Give workers and students practice opportunities to help them master content.
    • OWLv2: Save time with coursework in chemistry classes. Help finish assignments, study for exams and give learners other tools to help with success.
    • SAM: Cover Microsoft Office and computer concepts. Practice and apply skills to prepare for the Microsoft Office environment. Auto-grade assignments and use flexible reporting to report the outcomes.
    • WebAssign: Study STEM technology. Acquired in 2016, it has former educators on its development support teams to ensure the pedagogy of the experience.
    • Discontinued Programs: The iLrn, eSAM and iLrn Advance products aren’t for sale for students and can’t be accessed as of December 31st, 2020.
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  • Flexible, Fast and Consistent: Chamilo organizes publication tools like categorization, target group selection, visibility and period of publication on its common interface. This commonality empowers it to be fast, consistent and flexible for its users. Its integrated portals and web services make it suitable for both educational institutions and businesses. 
  • Timed Learning Paths: It allows users to set a minimum time limit per user on a learning path. These time limits ensure that a course will not be considered complete until a pre-decided number of hours to study it has passed. Time-limit features help users meet regulatory compliance guidelines required for eLearning programs. 
  • Built-In Course Authoring: Chamilo’s authoring tool lets users structure their courses, add descriptions, update learning paths and include objectives and methodologies in their classes. Educators can organize their course contents using the learning path tool and guide their students through a specific learning experience. It also helps educators evaluate their students’ performance. 
  • Certificate Generation: Chamilo lets users generate certificates for students that have completed course modules successfully. Its included templates provide all the relevant data needed to automatically generate certificates. Users can also customize these default templates to suit their requirements using the certificates editor tool. 
  • Communication Forums: Chamilo’s forum tool allows users to exchange opinions, ideas and information regarding learning paths. It helps users find answers to questions related to a course without having to endlessly browse through massive amounts of information. Forums let multiple participants engage in discussions in public or semi-public spaces, strengthening learning support and fostering the exchange of ideas. It helps learners chart an informal path within a controlled environment, where they can like and dislike other students’ ideas and opinions. Students have the opportunity to express ideas and share interesting information. 
  • Plans Training Sessions: Chamilo lets businesses plan training sessions for their employees and enhance their performance. It keeps administrators informed about upcoming training sessions and their durations per week or month. Employees can sync their calendars with upcoming training sessions, which are color-coded on a monthly or yearly basis. It helps employees inform administrators well in advance of planned training sessions. 
  • Ranking: Chamilo lets educators add rankings to test results after evaluating them. When ranking mode is enabled, learners can view their scores in a ranking table containing the top scores. It encourages students to attempt a test several times to secure the best possible score. 
  • Visual Reports: Its updated student progress tracker provides learners with data in a visually appealing manner. Student progress is represented in graphical charts, which display data like learning path progress, dates when the course was accessed and time spent studying course contents. Graphs help educators assess their course modules and gauge the number of learners currently studying or connected to the course. 
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Product Ranking

#39

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#104

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LMS Software

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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 13 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 1 reviews
92%
of users recommend this product

MindTap has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 92% when considering 13 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

100%
of users recommend this product

Chamilo has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 100% when considering 1 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

n/a
5.0 (1)
4.6 (13)
n/a

Awards

MindTap stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Chamilo stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Improved Student Engagement: MindTap offers a variety of interactive activities and assessments that can help to keep students engaged with the material. This is in contrast to traditional textbooks, which can be passive and unengaging.
Personalized Learning: MindTap can be customized to meet the individual needs of each student. This means that students can focus on the areas where they need the most help, and they can learn at their own pace.
Accessibility: MindTap is accessible from any device with an internet connection. This makes it easy for students to access their course materials from anywhere, at any time.
Data and Analytics: MindTap provides instructors with data and analytics that can help them to track student progress and identify areas where students are struggling. This information can be used to improve instruction and better support student learning.
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Open Source and Free: Chamilo is a breath of fresh air for organizations seeking a robust LMS without the hefty price tag. Its open-source nature eliminates licensing fees, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious institutions.
User-Friendly Interface: Users consistently praise Chamilo's intuitive design. Its straightforward layout allows both instructors and students to navigate the platform with ease, minimizing the learning curve often associated with new software.
Flexible and Customizable: Chamilo doesn't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Its highly customizable nature allows institutions to tailor the platform to their specific needs, creating a learning environment that aligns with their unique pedagogical approach.
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Cost: Students have expressed concerns about the additional cost associated with purchasing access to MindTap, especially when required course materials are already expensive. This can create a financial burden for students, particularly those on a tight budget.
Technical Issues: Users have reported encountering technical problems with MindTap, such as glitches, errors, and compatibility issues with certain devices or browsers. These issues can disrupt the learning process and cause frustration for students who rely on the platform to access course materials and complete assignments.
Learning Curve: Some students have found MindTap's interface to be complex and not intuitive, requiring a significant investment of time and effort to learn how to navigate the platform effectively. This can be a barrier for students who prefer a more straightforward and user-friendly learning experience.
Integration Challenges: Integrating MindTap with existing Learning Management Systems (LMS) can sometimes present challenges, leading to synchronization issues, broken links, and difficulties in accessing grades or assignments. This can create confusion and inconvenience for both students and instructors.
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Limited Mobile Friendliness: Some users have reported that the mobile interface is not as user-friendly as other learning management systems.
Occasional Technical Issues: Users have mentioned encountering occasional bugs or technical glitches, which can disrupt the learning process.
Smaller User Community: Compared to more popular LMS platforms, Chamilo has a smaller user community, which may result in less readily available support or resources.
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Let's tap into the minds of MindTap users and see what they have to say. User reviews from the past year suggest MindTap offers a robust platform for learning and course management, but it's not without its quirks. Reviewers frequently praise MindTap's ability to integrate seamlessly with learning management systems (LMS) like Blackboard and Canvas, making it a convenient hub for accessing course materials, assignments, and grades. The platform's interactive features, such as quizzes, flashcards, and simulations, receive positive feedback for enhancing engagement and comprehension. However, some users find the interface a bit clunky and overwhelming, especially for those new to online learning platforms. Technical glitches and occasional syncing issues can also disrupt the learning flow. Despite these drawbacks, MindTap stands out for its comprehensive content library and alignment with Cengage textbooks, making it a valuable tool for students seeking additional support and practice. Ultimately, MindTap is best suited for students who prefer a structured learning environment with readily available resources and are comfortable navigating a feature-rich online platform. Those who value simplicity and a more intuitive interface might explore alternative options.

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Want to know if Chamilo is the chameleon of learning management systems, adapting to any need? User reviews from the last year suggest Chamilo is a solid, if somewhat basic, learning management system best suited for smaller organizations or those on a tight budget. Users consistently praise its ease of use, highlighting the clean and intuitive interface that even the least tech-savvy individuals find accessible. One user even compared setting up the platform to using "softaculous," implying a level of simplicity rarely found in learning management systems. This straightforwardness makes Chamilo a popular choice for businesses dipping their toes into the e-learning pool for the first time. However, Chamilo's simplicity can also be its downfall. Users needing advanced features or extensive customization options may find Chamilo lacking. One user expressed frustration with the limited template options and the lack of readily available tutorials for more complex tasks. While Chamilo offers essential tools like course creation and content management, it doesn't boast the bells and whistles of competitors like LearnUpon or Adobe Learning Manager. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, as Chamilo's affordability makes it an attractive option for organizations prioritizing value over a vast feature set. Ultimately, Chamilo is a practical, no-frills learning management system that excels in ease of use and affordability, making it a perfect fit for budget-conscious organizations or those seeking a straightforward platform for basic e-learning needs.

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