Xerte
Xerte: A free, self-hosted authoring toolkit with SCORM, collaboration, and responsive delivery. Ranked #17 of 29 in Course Authoring Software by our editors (7.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for free shared authoring with SCORM.
At a glance
- Editor score7.4 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFree shared authoring with SCORM
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Interactive contentYes
- Facts checked22 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free and open source with browser-based authoring
- Exports SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 packages
- Supports sharing, co-authoring, LTI, xAPI, and responsive HTML5
Where it doesn't
- Requires web-server installation for organizational use
- Ongoing maintenance generally needs IT support
- Not a conventional SaaS product with managed hosting
Our verdict on Xerte
Xerte is a free, open-source course authoring toolkit for teachers, tutors, and organizations creating teaching and learning materials. Authors work in a browser through template-driven forms, interactive activities, automatically scored questions, and media management for images, audio, video, PDFs, and other assets. Content can be delivered responsively as HTML5, published online, exported as standalone or offline packages, or packaged for compatible learning platforms through SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004. Its audience is teams that want shared authoring without a conventional software subscription.
For learning-platform fit, Xerte covers several important routes. SCORM export supports compatible learning management systems, while LTI and xAPI extend its connection options. Moodle and Blackboard are identified integrations. Project and folder sharing add editor and co-author roles, making the toolkit suitable for teams producing materials together. The Media Browser and reusable templates support a repeatable content workflow, while optional AI Assistant and image-search tools add extra authoring capabilities without changing the open-source foundation.
The main trade-off is deployment responsibility. Xerte is self-hosted and requires installation on a web server, with the product designed for a typical LAMP stack. Ongoing maintenance generally calls for web-server and IT support, so it fits organizations able to manage their own environment more naturally than teams seeking managed SaaS. Choose Xerte for free shared authoring, interactive assessments, responsive delivery, and SCORM-based distribution. An alternative is more suitable when hosted setup and vendor-managed maintenance are central requirements.
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Xerte pricing
Xerte fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Interactive content | Yes |
| Assessment builder | Yes |
| SCORM export | Yes |
| Responsive output | Yes |
| Author seats | Not verified |
| Team collaboration | Yes |
| Content library | Yes |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Browser extension |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 3 integrations: SCORM, xAPI, LTI |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | xerte.org.uk |
| Facts checked | 22 Sep 2026 |
Xerte integrations
Xerte lists 3 integrations on its own site.
- SCORM
- xAPI
- LTI
Alternatives to Xerte
- Articulate 360A broad authoring suite pairing responsive Rise courses with custom Storyline interactions.9.4
- Articulate Storyline 360A powerful Windows authoring suite for custom interactions, assessments, and LMS delivery.9.3
- Adobe CaptivateA feature-rich desktop authoring tool for advanced, standards-based eLearning.9.2
Also Ranked In
Xerte is ranked in 3 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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