MERLOT
MERLOT: A free OER platform with strong discovery, authoring, review, and LMS integration. Ranked #1 of 27 in Open Educational Resource Platforms by our editors (9.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for broad OER discovery, creation, and integration.
At a glance
- Editor score9.4 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forBroad OER discovery, creation, and integration
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Open-license filterYes
- Founded1997
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Advanced search includes discipline, format, audience, mobile, and license filters
- Content Builder supports hosted website creation and public publishing
- APIs, Common Cartridge, and four LMS integrations support reuse
Where it doesn't
- Many discoverable resources are linked externally rather than hosted
- The platform is web-based, with no listed native desktop or mobile apps
- Content Builder publishing is narrower than a full learning management system
Our verdict on MERLOT
MERLOT is a free, web-based community and repository for discovering, contributing, evaluating, organizing, and creating online teaching and learning materials. It primarily serves higher education educators, learners, researchers, and institutions. Its catalog combines metadata and links to online resources with member submissions, bookmark collections, peer review, community annotation, and Content Builder tools for creating hosted educational websites. Public publishing with Creative Commons licensing gives contributors a defined path from creation to sharing.
Discovery is one of MERLOT’s clearest strengths. Advanced search can narrow resources by discipline, format, audience, mobile availability, and license, including open-license filtering. Discipline editorial boards manage peer review, adding an evaluation workflow to the catalog. The platform also supports broad reuse through Common Cartridge export for Content Builder sites and download formats that include PDF, Zip, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, RTF, TXT, CSV, SAV, SCORM, websites, audio, video, and images. Web services APIs cover search, contribution, and LMS integration, while direct integrations are available for Blackboard, Canvas, Desire2Learn, and Moodle.
MERLOT’s main tradeoff is the distinction between cataloging and hosting. Many discoverable materials remain on external sites, while Content Builder sites are hosted by MERLOT. That model gives the platform broad reach across existing educational resources, but it may be less suitable for organizations seeking one centrally hosted repository for every asset. Institutions and educators should pick MERLOT when license-aware discovery, community review, authoring, export, and LMS connectivity matter. Those needing a fully self-contained content host or a broader learning management system should choose a platform designed for that purpose instead.
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MERLOT pricing
MERLOT fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Open-license filter | Yes |
| Remix and adaptation | Yes |
| Authoring tools | Yes |
| Publishing workflow | Yes |
| Download formats | Common Cartridge, PDF, Zip, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, RTF, TXT, CSV, SAV, SCORM, website, audio, video, image |
| API access | Yes |
| Content review | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, Browser extension |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Email, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 4 integrations: Blackboard, Canvas, Desire2Learn, Moodle |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | merlot.org |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
MERLOT integrations
MERLOT lists 4 integrations on its own site.
- Blackboard
- Canvas
- Desire2Learn
- Moodle
Alternatives to MERLOT
- OER CommonsA broad, free OER library with creation, remixing, review, and LMS connections.9.3
- LibreTextsA free, remixable textbook platform with optional assessment and authoring tools.9.2
- CurrikiCurriki combines OER discovery, interactive authoring, remixing, review, and LMS publishing.9.0
MERLOT vs the competition
- MERLOT vs OER Commons
- MERLOT vs LibreTexts
- MERLOT vs Curriki
- MERLOT vs BCcampus Open Collection
- MERLOT vs Lumen Learning
- MERLOT vs SkillsCommons
Compare MERLOT with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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