Autolab vs TAO
Autolab
autolabproject.com
TAO
taotesting.comSide by side
| Figure | Autolab | TAO |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $149/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 7 |
| Spec score · Automated Grading Software | 8.0 (#16) | 8.7 (#3) |
| Integrations | Autolab supports LTI Advantage course linking for roster syncing, with integration features built mainly for Canvas; support for other platforms such as Moodle is untested. | Listed integrations include Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, GeoGebra, Proctorio, MathType, Wiris and Texthelp. |
| Purpose | Autolab is an open-source course management platform for instructors to offer autograded programming assignments. | TAO is an online assessment platform for creating, delivering and managing digital assessments. |
| Security | For GitHub submissions, Autolab requests only the minimum permissions needed to access selected private repositories. | TAO says cloud and on-premise customer content is encrypted, access is restricted, backups are maintained and external penetration tests are periodically conducted. |
| Support | The project invites schools and organizations to contact its core developers by email for help; it says servers may be provided for free on a case-by-case basis. | Community Edition support is through the TAO Community Forum and User Guide; paid plans offer additional support options. |
| System requirements | The installation guide says machines with less than 2 GB of RAM may have issues installing the sassc gem. | The installation guide lists Apache 2.4, PHP 7.2 and MySQL 5.7, MariaDB 10.1 or PostgreSQL 9.5, with recent Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge clients. |
Plans
TAO
- TAO Community EditionFree
- TAO StarterFree
- TAO StarterFree
- TAO Author$149 a month
- TAO Ignite$990 a month
- TAO ElevatePriced on request
- TAO EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Autolab
Autolab has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
TAO
TAO is an online platform for creating, delivering and managing digital assessments. Authors can build tests manually, convert existing exam files, use AI-assisted drafting or import QTI packages. Question formats include Choice, Extended Text, File Upload, Hotspot and Text Entry. Scoring supports automatic and manual methods, partial credit, weighted responses and cut scores, with branching logic also available. Results can be reviewed through session and test-taker reports, custom reports, CSV results, Data Explorer and TAO Insights. TAO supports QTI 2.2 and QTI 3.0, and promotes interoperability through QTI and LTI. Delivery options include online, LMS via LTI, test centers, local proctoring, and cloud-hosted or self-hosted configurations. TAO Cloud offers shared or private hosting using providers including AWS, Google Cloud and Linode. Starter is free for one author and 50 learner attempts monthly; Community Edition is a free, self-hosted open-source option. Paid plans include TAO Author at $149 a month and TAO Ignite at $990 a month; custom plans are also listed.