ePathshala vs OpenStax
ePathshala
epathshala.nic.in
OpenStax
openstax.orgSide by side
| Figure | ePathshala | OpenStax |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Digital Textbook Platforms | 8.8 (#4) | 8.9 (#3) |
| Accessibility | NCERT converted many books to Unicode to support text-to-speech and online search, including all 126 Urdu-medium books reported in 2021–22. | OpenStax works toward WCAG 2.1 Level AA and Section 508 compliance and uses Level Access for automated and manual accessibility reviews. |
| Content licence | NCERT retains copyright in its e-content; free downloading and non-commercial redistribution require attribution, while alteration, adaptation and commercial use are prohibited. | OpenStax books use Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licensing, requiring attribution, noncommercial use and identical licensing for adaptations. |
| Founded | 2015 | 2012 |
| Self-hosting | Official pages identify the portal as hosted by India's National Informatics Centre and provide no self-hosting package. | OpenStax documents public repositories and APIs but does not publish a supported self-hosting deployment for its reader or Assignable service. |
| Support | The portal publishes ePathshala helpdesk and upload email addresses and a CIET telephone number. | OpenStax says its support team helps instructors and students with questions about textbooks, instructor resources, and Assignable through its support center or email. |
| What it does | ePathshala distributes NCERT digital textbooks and other educational resources for students, teachers, parents, educators and researchers. | OpenStax is a Rice University nonprofit initiative publishing free peer-reviewed educational materials and learning tools. |
Plans
OpenStax
- OpenStax textbooksFree
- OpenStax Assignable$15, paid once
- OpenStax AssignablePriced on request
In their own words
ePathshala
ePathshala is a free education portal and set of mobile apps from a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and NCERT. It shares audio, video, ePub books, flipbooks, periodicals, and other digital resources with students, teachers, educators, and parents. On phones and tablets, the app provides eBooks as ePub; on laptops and desktops, the web portal presents them as flipbooks. Readers can select and zoom text, bookmark, highlight, navigate, share, and add digital notes. Text-to-speech is available through TTS apps, and offline access is supported. QR codes in textbook chapters link to related audio, video, multimedia, and text materials; users can also enter a code on the website to locate resources. The home page lists resources in Hindi, English, and Urdu. The service is available on Android, iOS, Windows, and the web. Its privacy policy says the app may require personally identifiable information and use third-party services that collect identifying information, including Google Play Services. The policy also says the service does not address children under 13 and does not knowingly collect their personal information.
OpenStax
OpenStax is a nonprofit education initiative of Rice University that publishes free, openly licensed textbooks and related materials for introductory courses. Subject matter experts write the textbooks, which are peer-reviewed for accuracy and updated regularly. Books can be read online on the web, Android or iOS, or downloaded as free PDFs; low-cost print editions are also offered. Most titles are accessible without an account, although a small number require sign-in. Students can highlight, take notes and create study guides, with a free student account required for some features. Educators with a free account can access test banks, PowerPoint slides, solutions manuals and customization tools. OpenStax Assignable lets instructors assign readings, assessments and supporting materials through an LMS, with automatic grading and gradebook synchronization. It supports LTI 1.3 and Blackboard, Canvas, D2L Brightspace and Moodle. Textbooks cost nothing. Assignable starts at $15, paid once, billed per student per semester; instructors use it free, and a two-week trial begins on the first day of access. Institutional pricing is by contact.