Sakai
Sakai: A flexible, self-hosted LMS for institutions that need core teaching and assessment tools. Ranked #73 of 109 in Learning Management Systems by our editors (3.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for open-source higher-education deployments.
At a glance
- Editor score3.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forOpen-source higher-education deployments
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free, open-source course delivery with self-hosting options
- Covers assessments, assignments, grading, collaboration and conditional release
- Supports LTI, APIs and several authentication standards
Where it doesn't
- No official Sakai mobile app
- No built-in certificate-issuing capability
- Self-hosting requires institutional technical resources
Our verdict on Sakai
Sakai is an open-source learning management system for colleges, universities, educators and other organizations. It brings course content creation, learning delivery, quizzes, tests, assignments, rubrics, grading and gradebooks into one environment. Messaging, discussions, group collaboration and conditional release support common teaching workflows, while configurable roles and permissions help institutions organize access for different participants. Sakai is available through free download and self-hosting, with web access and deployment environments that include Linux, macOS and Windows where the Java Virtual Machine is supported.
Its strongest fit is institutional integration. Sakai connects external applications through IMS LTI and provides web services and APIs for learning-system data. Authentication and identity options include CAS, Kerberos, LDAP, ADFS, Shibboleth and SAML, giving colleges and universities several paths for fitting the LMS into existing systems. This combination makes Sakai more suitable for organizations with established IT teams and identity infrastructure than for instructors seeking a standalone, ready-to-run classroom tool.
Sakai focuses on the core academic LMS experience rather than extending into every adjacent learning service. Its coverage is substantial for course delivery, assessment, assignment collection, grading and collaboration, but it does not include an official mobile app or built-in certificate-issuing capability. The free, open-source model can be a strong choice for institutions that want control over deployment and the ability to adapt integrations through APIs. Organizations that need managed onboarding, a dedicated mobile product or native certificates should consider a platform designed around those requirements instead.
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Sakai pricing
Sakai fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Learner limit | Not verified |
| Assessments | Yes |
| Certificates | Not verified |
| SSO support | Not verified |
| Mobile app | Not verified |
| API access | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | sakailms.org |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to Sakai
- Canvas LMSA mature academic LMS with broad assessment, analytics, mobile, API, and integration coverage.9.4
- D2L BrightspaceA feature-rich LMS for institutions that need personalization, assessment, analytics, and integrations.9.3
- Moodle LMSA flexible, full-featured LMS for organisations that want control and extensibility.9.2
Also Ranked In
Sakai is ranked in 5 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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