TAO vs ExamSoft

TAO9.1Visit EExamSoft8.9Visit

Higher score TAO #4 in Online Exam Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit TAO

vs

E ExamSoft #6 in Online Exam Software 8.9/10 Pricing on request ✓ 1 of 5 features Visit ExamSoft

• TAO fits best

  Open-source, flexible exam delivery

• ExamSoft fits best

  Secure offline professional exams

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Side by side

Feature	TAO 9.1/10 Visit ↗	EExamSoft 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.9
Ranking	#4 in Online Exam Software	#6 in Online Exam Software
Best for	Open-source, flexible exam delivery	Secure offline professional exams
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	€499/mo	Pricing on request
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS
Support	Tickets, Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs · 24/7
Integrations	9 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features TAO 0/5 · ExamSoft 1/5
Integrated proctoring	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Identity verification	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Question bank	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
API access	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Bulk question import	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Candidate limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Delivery modes	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free self-hosted Community Edition with open-source assessment tools Supports branching, adaptive tests, partial credit, and weighted responses Offers LTI, QTI, analytics, accessibility tools, and proctoring workflows	Secure offline delivery with device lockdown and external-app blocking Mixed grading for objective questions, essays, and performance assessments Question banks, item analysis, and longitudinal performance reporting
Cons	Self-hosted deployment requires an organization to manage its own environment Service desk support and cloud hosting start with an annual paid plan Enterprise features such as multi-tenancy and private hosting require customization	Pricing requires contact with sales Institution-configured payment terms may limit purchasing flexibility Exam delivery depends on supported Windows, macOS, or iPad devices
Our verdict	TAO is an open-source computer-based testing platform for educators, assessment professionals, education ministries, higher-education institutions, professional associations, and public-sector employers. It covers assessment authoring,… Read the review →	ExamSoft is a digital assessment platform for higher education, secondary education, professional programs, certification bodies, and licensing organizations. It combines question bank management, assessment authoring, scheduling, secure… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• TAO — where it wins

  • Free self-hosted Community Edition with open-source assessment tools
  • Supports branching, adaptive tests, partial credit, and weighted responses
  • Offers LTI, QTI, analytics, accessibility tools, and proctoring workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires an organization to manage its own environment
  • Service desk support and cloud hosting start with an annual paid plan
  • Enterprise features such as multi-tenancy and private hosting require customization

• ExamSoft — where it wins

  • Secure offline delivery with device lockdown and external-app blocking
  • Mixed grading for objective questions, essays, and performance assessments
  • Question banks, item analysis, and longitudinal performance reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contact with sales
  • Institution-configured payment terms may limit purchasing flexibility
  • Exam delivery depends on supported Windows, macOS, or iPad devices

• TAO9.1/10 · Free plan

  A flexible exam platform with strong authoring, delivery, scoring, and analytics options.

  Visit TAOFull verdict →
• EExamSoft8.9/10 · Pricing on request

  A focused choice for secure offline exams, advanced grading, and longitudinal assessment analysis.

  Visit ExamSoftFull verdict →