Moodle vs. aNewSpring
Are you in the process of choosing a learning platform? Here’s what you need to think about.
Searching for an alternative to Moodle?
The fact that you’re reading this right now is probably because you are looking at learning platforms and trying to figure out which one to choose or switch to. That can be a tough nut to crack, but we want to offer some help.
You probably think that we’ll tell you that the aNewSpring platform is so much better than Moodle with a tech-heavy feature list where we (miraculously) get all the plusses and Moodle gets none. Yes, that list is at the bottom (click!), and there’s no denying that we’re biased. But we’re not saying we’re better. It’s about finding a product that fits your needs, and that’s what we’ll talk about here.
Give us a few minutes of your time to prove it. Maybe you’ll learn (no pun intended) something.
First, choose your type
There are many, many platforms out there but first:
‘what type of platform suits you best?’
» Open-source platforms (e.g. Moodle);
» Sofware-as-a-Service or SaaS platforms (e.g. aNewSpring);
» Installed products (not important for now).
This is the main difference between Moodle and aNewSpring. In short, it means that Moodle is free to use and all of its possibilities are openly available for everyone, and aNewSpring offers a complete package (software plus service) for a certain price. But that’s not the whole story.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
At first sight, open-source seems more attractive; tons of plugins are available and by participating in the community, you will discover new possibilities all the time. But that requires lots of knowledge and skills (like coding), which most companies find in:
- external platform consultants;
- implementation specialists;
- Moodle experts;
- extensive training by external parties.
Those costs aren’t included, so you need to pay for the service.
So, free to use doesn’t mean no costs. There are no hidden costs at aNewSpring; you get the software and the service you need for a clear monthly fee. No coding skills required, no endless information search and no multiple third-party struggles. Check out our services below.
What services are included?
The aNewSpring services will take most of the real tech stuff out of your hands, and we’ll offer assistance when migrating from Moodle to aNewSpring because we know the implications of such a switch.
Services |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation | ✓ | ✘ |
| Migration advice and support | ✓ | ? |
| Customer success* | ✓ | ✘ |
| Support | ✓ | ✘ |
| Updates and upgrades | ✓ | ✘ |
| Course catalog | ✓ | ✘ |
| Security | ✓ | ✘ |
| Servers, hosting and storage | ✓ | ✘ |
*that’s aNewSpring lingo for someone who will help you to be successful as quickly as possible.
Then, what does that mean for your business?
Choosing a type is one thing but what are the actual consequences of choosing one of the types for your business? Open source can be a great fit for your needs.
To check this, look at the following questions.
Can you answer all of them with ‘yes’?
- Do you have a star IT team in place?
- Are you willing to recruit or hire the technical know-how and skills externally?
- Have you got your servers, hosting, security, etc. sorted?
- Do your courses remain unchanged for long periods of time, without any updates?
- Are local installations of your platform not a problem, e.g. at your own clients?
Had some ‘no’s’ to the above questions? See how aNewSpring is different.
Build or buy?
“aNewSpring has been designed specifically with training businesses in mind, with all features aimed at solving your business challenges”.
If your core business is training and not IT, you probably don’t have all the tech stuff in place. Consequently, you can hire external help or look at a SaaS solution that is designed for and focuses on all the needs of training businesses.
Switching from Moodle to another platform means dealing with sunk costs; aNewSpring can offer many short- and long-term benefits. We’ll help out with:
- Building your business case;
- Quick first-value pilots; and
- Support of your migration.
What do you get with aNewSpring?
“Moodle can take some time before it’s ready to use; aNewSpring will get you up and running as quickly as possible, so you can focus on training instead of IT”.
- Regular updates with new features based on our clients’ needs;
- A highly customisable platform to suit your specific training needs;
- Our techies handling all the stuff like security, servers, maintenance, etc.;
- Access to our support heroes; and
- A dedicated person assigned to you, with expert online didactical skills.
In short, what you have and what you need plays a big role in the choice of a learning platform.
So, maybe we’ve got you thinking
If you’re still reading, there’s a chance that you’re thinking that aNewSpring is not that bad or at least that you’re considering your options. But don’t just take it from us. You can read what our customers say here:
Blended learning is the starting point
for all our soft skills training programmes.
The learning platform we used previously
was not stable, something that caused us a lot
of problems. I am totally happy with aNewSpring’s
learning journey platform. The system always works.
Werner Hoenders
Owner, Hoenders Training
I’m incredibly excited about aNewSpring.
It’s just what I need to run my training courses.
It’s user-friendly and most important of all:
when I need help, I receive a response
from the help desk within 24 hours.
Karin de Galan
Owner, School for Training
There are many possibilities with aNewSpring
to build blended learning programs with
and for our clients.
Working with aNewSpring, and their support team
is simple, quick, efficiënt and constructive.
It’s the most user friendly system to work with.
Stephanie Baele
Product Development Manager
CRIMECONTROL n.v.
What to do next?
As said earlier, deciding on the right solution can be tough. Maybe you have gained some new insights but a page like this can only do so much. And just feature checklists aren’t gonna cut it (have you checked out ours, yet?). So, where to go from here?
The best advice we can give you is to talk about your specific situation with people who have expert knowledge about the platform you’re considering. So, find a Moodle expert and implementation consultant. Or talk to us by filling out the form, we’re quite a friendly bunch.
The features aNewSpring vs Moodle
Let’s look at the features both tools offer.
Features | | |
|---|---|---|
| Design courses the way you want | ✓ | ✓ |
| Suitable for trainers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Start creating courses immediately | ✓ | ✓ |
| Different learning modules | ✓ | ✓ |
| Course catalog | ✓ | ✓ |
| Assessment management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reuse content in different courses | ✓ | ✘ |
| Adaptive learning journeys | ✓ | ✘ |
| New releases and automatic updates | ✓ | ✘ |
| Mobile friendly without extra work | ✓ | ✘ |
| Hosting and support | ✓ | ✘ |
| Integrations with API / LTI | ✓ | ✘ |
| Learning management | ✓ | ✘ |
| Reporting & statistics | ✓ | ✘ |
| Self service portal | ✓ | ✘ |
| No coding skills needed | ✓ | ✘ |
