TAO

TAO is an assessment platform for organizations that need to create, deliver and report on digital tests. It suits education and assessment teams that value portable QTI content and flexible hosting. Its breadth is substantial, but monthly attempt quotas and author-seat limits make scale the key plan-selection question.

Overview

TAO combines assessment authoring, online delivery, test-session management, scoring and results reporting. Authors can build tests manually, convert existing exam files, draft with AI assistance or import QTI packages. That range is useful for teams digitizing an existing exam library as well as those creating new assessments.

QTI 2.2 and 3.0 support, plus LTI interoperability, make TAO a strong candidate where content portability or LMS delivery matters. Its partners include Moodle, 2E Estudios & Evaluaciones, Wiris, Proctorio, Texthelp, Cito and GeoGebra. Hosting options extend from shared or private TAO Cloud to self-hosted deployment. TAO says customer content is encrypted in cloud and on-premise systems and that it periodically schedules external penetration tests.

Key features

Question formats range from choice, ordering and matching to hottext, gap match, sliders, extended text, file upload, text entry, hotspots and graphic interactions. Branching logic and automatic or manual scoring, partial credit, weighted responses and cut scores give assessment teams room to build more than simple fixed quizzes.

For review and follow-up, TAO provides session and test-taker reports, custom reports, CSV results, Data Explorer and TAO Insights. Publishing can be through online deliveries, LMS via LTI, test centers, local proctoring, or cloud-hosted and self-hosted delivery. The result is a platform with a broad assessment workflow, rather than a narrowly focused quiz builder.

Pricing

TAO has a free plan and paid plans from €499/mo (annual). The named plan prices and included quotas make the trade-offs concrete: Starter and Author each allow only 50 learner test attempts per month, while Ignite raises that to 1,250. Teams should compare this cap with expected monthly volume before choosing by author-seat count alone.

PlanPrice and termsWhat it includesTAO Starterfree; free forever, billed Per Month1 author seat, 3,000 AI credits/month and 50 learner test attempts/monthTAO Community Editionfree; Free open-source editionSelf-hosted access to and extension of source code, with community forum and User Guide supportTAO Author$149 a monthUp to 5 authors, 10,000 AI credits/month, 50 learner test attempts/month and a shared item bankTAO Ignite$990 a month5 author seats included, up to 25; 10,000 AI credits/month and 1,250 learner test attempts/month. Data API and remote proctoring are optional add-onsTAO ElevateCustom pricing10 author seats included, up to 50TAO EnterpriseCustom pricingCustom capacity, integrations, configuration and support; private TAO Cloud or custom third-party hostingStarter is aimed at solo authors, classroom assessment and pilots, not scaled team programs. Author adds collaboration through more seats and a shared item bank, but does not increase the 50-attempt monthly ceiling, so it is a poor fit if learner volume is the constraint. Ignite is the first named tier with a materially higher attempt allowance; its optional Data API and remote proctoring mean those capabilities add cost beyond the base plan. Elevate and Enterprise are for larger or more customized deployments and use custom pricing.

The free Community Edition trades hosted service for self-hosting and source-code access; its support is through the community forum and User Guide. Paid plans offer additional support options. TAO provides a trial link, though no duration is stated.

Platforms

TAO supports web, API, Linux, macOS, Windows and self-hosted use. The mix suits organizations that need to choose between cloud delivery and operating the platform in their own environment. Community Edition is explicitly self-hosted, while TAO Cloud offers shared or private hosting.

Who it's for

TAO is best suited to schools, assessment providers and organizations with established exam content, varied assessment formats or interoperability requirements. It is particularly compelling when QTI compatibility and hosting choice are priorities. A solo educator can start on Starter, but recurring classes larger than 50 test attempts per month will quickly run into its ceiling. Teams needing more than 50 attempts should look beyond Author to Ignite or request custom pricing for larger deployments.

Pros and cons

Pros: QTI 2.2 and 3.0 support and LTI delivery suit programs that need portable assessments and LMS integration.

Pros: Multiple authoring routes, question types, scoring modes and reporting tools cover a broad assessment lifecycle.

Pros: Shared, private-cloud and self-hosted options give organizations meaningful control over deployment.

Cons: Starter and Author both cap monthly learner attempts at 50, limiting their usefulness for larger cohorts.

Cons: Community Edition requires self-hosting and relies on community support rather than the additional options offered with paid plans.

Cons: Ignite's Data API and remote proctoring are add-ons, and larger plans move to custom pricing.

Alternatives

For a simpler quiz-focused tool, Testportal has a free forever plan with 100 results storage, advanced test configuration and reporting; it is a better fit when that free storage allowance meets the need. FlexiQuiz offers unlimited quizzes on its free plan, but caps usage at 20 responses per month, 20 per quiz and 10 questions per quiz, so choose it for small-volume quiz creation rather than a higher-throughput program. TriviaMaker is more narrowly oriented around game formats: its free Basic plan limits styles, teams and buzzers and disables customization and team features.

iSpring QuizMaker is a paid alternative at $470 a year per user, without a free plan. ProProfs Quiz Maker has a free plan limited to 12 questions and 90-day report history, making it a reasonable option for small quizzes with short reporting needs. SpeedExam allows 25 exam attempts per month on its free plan, half TAO Starter's quota. ClassMarker is another freemium exam option. Classtime offers a free Basic plan for up to 40 simultaneous students, which suits classroom sessions within that limit.

Browse more options in Assessment Software, Online Exam Software, Quiz Maker Software, Automated Grading Software and Lockdown Browser Software.

Verdict

Choose TAO if your assessment program needs standards-based content, flexible delivery and a path from solo authoring to hosted or self-managed deployment. Its strongest case is the combination of authoring breadth, QTI/LTI support and hosting choice. Look elsewhere if your main requirement is generous attempt capacity at a low entry tier: Starter and Author both stop at 50 monthly attempts, and higher capacity means Ignite or custom pricing.