Mahara vs bulb

Mahara9.4Visit bulb7.6Visit

Higher score Mahara #1 in Eportfolio Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Mahara

vs

bulb #14 in Eportfolio Software 7.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit bulb

• Mahara fits best

  Organizations wanting flexible open-source portfolios

• bulb fits best

  Schools wanting affordable multimedia portfolios

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Side by side

Feature	Mahara 9.4/10 Visit ↗	bulb 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	7.6
Ranking	#1 in Eportfolio Software	#14 in Eportfolio Software
Best for	Organizations wanting flexible open-source portfolios	Schools wanting affordable multimedia portfolios
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	$1/user/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Tickets, Docs
Integrations	6 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Mahara 4/4 · bulb 4/4
Evidence collection	✓	✓
Assessment tools	✓	✓
Feedback workflows	✓	✓
Single sign-on	✓	✓
Specs
Mobile access	Both	Both
Storage limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
User limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Portfolio pages, collections, evidence, reflections and competency mapping Assessment, feedback, sharing and collaborative group workflows Web, mobile, LMS integration, API access and self-hosted deployment	Supports photos, videos, audio, PDFs, presentations, and embedded media Includes assignments, submissions, commenting, and sharing controls Connects with major LMS, SIS, and identity platforms
Cons	Organizational hosting may require internal technical responsibility Its feature breadth is focused on learning and assessment contexts Subscription services are separate from the freely available software	The Free plan limits sharing to 10 pages The Free plan limits uploaded content to 2GB Admin dashboards and dedicated support are limited to the school tier
Our verdict	Mahara is open-source ePortfolio software for educational and professional learning communities. It combines portfolio pages and collections with evidence management, reflections, journal entries, résumé building, competency mapping and… Read the review →	bulb is a digital portfolio platform for students, educators, professionals, schools, districts, and higher-education institutions. It supports multimedia pages, collections and sub-collections, embedded content, reflective work,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Mahara — where it wins

  • Portfolio pages, collections, evidence, reflections and competency mapping
  • Assessment, feedback, sharing and collaborative group workflows
  • Web, mobile, LMS integration, API access and self-hosted deployment

  Where it doesn't

  • Organizational hosting may require internal technical responsibility
  • Its feature breadth is focused on learning and assessment contexts
  • Subscription services are separate from the freely available software

• bulb — where it wins

  • Supports photos, videos, audio, PDFs, presentations, and embedded media
  • Includes assignments, submissions, commenting, and sharing controls
  • Connects with major LMS, SIS, and identity platforms

  Where it doesn't

  • The Free plan limits sharing to 10 pages
  • The Free plan limits uploaded content to 2GB
  • Admin dashboards and dedicated support are limited to the school tier

• Mahara9.4/10 · Free plan

  A broad portfolio and assessment workspace for organizations that value open-source control.

  Visit MaharaFull verdict →
• bulb7.6/10 · Free plan

  A low-cost multimedia portfolio platform with classroom workflows and education integrations.

  Visit bulbFull verdict →