TAO
TAO: A powerful open-source choice for adaptive assessments, with specialized setup and costly paid tiers. Ranked #4 of 31 in Quiz Maker Software by our editors (8.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for open-source adaptive and branching assessments.
At a glance
- Editor score8.4 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forOpen-source adaptive and branching assessments
- Free planYes
- Paid from€499/mo
- Branching logicYes
- Founded2013 · Capellen, Luxembourg
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Adaptive, branching, linear, and partial-credit assessments
- Reusable item banks with QTI import and export
- Self-hosting, LTI delivery, and accessibility tools
Where it doesn't
- Paid plans start at €499 per month when billed annually
- Setup is more specialized than typical quiz software
- Community Edition includes community support rather than service-desk support
Our verdict on TAO
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, reusable item banks, test delivery, automated and manual scoring, reporting, and analytics. Delivery can be self-hosted, cloud-hosted, online, through an LMS using LTI, or through test centers and local proctoring. Its strongest fit is organizations that need structured, reusable assessments rather than simple quizzes.
Assessment depth is the main reason to consider TAO. Authors can create interactive question types, use QTI import and export, apply automatic scoring, partial credit, weighted responses, manual scoring, and cut scores, and build linear, branching, or adaptive tests. Reporting includes session, candidate, test-taker, custom, and CSV reports, along with Data Explorer and TAO Insights. Accessibility and test-taker tools include text-to-speech, masking, highlighting, and magnification. Integrations include LTI 1.3, Moodle, Proctorio, Texthelp SpeechStream, GeoGebra, Wiris, Casio, and the TAO Insights API.
The pricing structure separates a free self-hosted Community Edition from paid services. TAO Accelerate costs €499 per month when billed annually and adds service desk support, TAO Cloud hosting, text-to-speech tools, test centers, and local proctoring. TAO Ignite costs €990 per month when billed annually and adds dedicated account management, usage reports, monthly check-ins, and user adoption and training. TAO Enterprise provides custom implementation, multi-tenancy, custom integrations, and private hosting options. Choose TAO for assessment complexity, control, and extensibility; choose a simpler quiz tool if quick setup and lightweight authoring matter more.
Your product? Our editors can test TAO in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
TAO pricing
TAO fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | €499/mo |
| Question formats | Choice, Order, Associate, Match, Hottext, Gap Match, Slider, Extended Text, File Upload, Inline Choice, Text Entry, Hotspot, Graphic Order, Graphic Associate, Graphic Gap, Select Point |
| Scoring modes | Automatic scoring, manual scoring, partial credit, weighted responses, cut scores |
| Branching logic | Yes |
| Quiz analytics | Session reports, test-taker reports, custom reports, CSV results, Data Explorer, TAO Insights |
| Publishing channels | Online deliveries, LMS via LTI, test centers, local proctoring, cloud-hosted delivery, self-hosted delivery |
| Response limit | Not verified |
| Certificates | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Tickets, Community, Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 9 integrations: LTI 1.3, QTI, Moodle, Texthelp SpeechStream, Proctorio, GeoGebra … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | taotesting.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
TAO integrations
TAO lists 9 integrations on its own site.
- LTI 1.3
- QTI
- Moodle
- Texthelp SpeechStream
- Proctorio
- GeoGebra
- Wiris
- Casio
- TAO Insights API
Alternatives to TAO
- ProProfs Quiz MakerA broad quiz platform combining AI creation, branching, certificates, and detailed reporting.8.9
- ClassMarkerA flexible assessment platform with reusable banks, proctoring, certificates, and detailed analytics.8.6
- SpeedExamA flexible exam platform for affordable assessments with proctoring and certificates.8.5
TAO vs the competition
- TAO vs ProProfs Quiz Maker
- TAO vs ClassMarker
- TAO vs SpeedExam
- TAO vs Questionmark
- TAO vs TestReach
- TAO vs Easy LMS
Compare TAO with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
TAO is ranked in 6 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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