Examination Online vs TAO
Examination Online
examinationonline.com
TAO
taotesting.comSide by side
| Figure | Examination Online | TAO |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $10/mo | $149/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 7 |
| Spec score · Online Exam Software | 9.2 (#3) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Company size | Crunchbase lists Galaxy Weblinks as a private company with 501–1,000 employees. | LinkedIn lists Open Assessment Technologies as having 51–200 employees and headquarters in Capellen, Luxembourg. |
| Documentation | The visible official documentation is primarily an FAQ and feature pages; no separate API or technical reference is published there. | The online user guide covers administration, importing and exporting, session security, monitoring, scoring, delivery, reporting and experimental features. |
| Founded | 2000 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, USA | Capellen, Luxembourg |
| Integrations | The vendor advertises seamless integrations and can connect assessment, reporting and payments with third-party content platforms such as Respondus and Articulate. | Listed integrations include Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, GeoGebra, Proctorio, MathType, Wiris and Texthelp. |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.8 out of 5 from 52 reviews | 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews |
| Security | The solutions page lists security as an LMS feature but gives no specific security certification or control details there. | TAO says cloud and on-premise customer content is encrypted, access is restricted, backups are maintained and external penetration tests are periodically conducted. |
| Self-hosting | The FAQ says the software runs on Linux or Windows, while the signup page describes a hosted service requiring no installation. | Organizations can deploy TAO themselves, use TAO Cloud, or choose private-cloud hosting. |
| Support | The vendor offers demo requests, email support at [email protected] and telephone support at +1 617 861 6084. | Community Edition support is through the TAO Community Forum and User Guide; paid plans offer additional support options. |
| What it does | Examination Online is a customizable web-based system for delivering online examinations, assessments, quizzes, training and certifications. | TAO is an open-source digital assessment platform for creating, delivering, scoring, grading and reporting tests. |
Plans
Examination Online
- Online Training trialFree
- Online Training$10 a month
- Online training platform$10 a month
- Training$10 a month
- Custom solutionPriced on request
- Just the QuizPriced on request
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
Examination Online
Examination Online is a customizable web-based system for organizations to deliver exams and training online. Its assessment tools include question banks, multiple question types, random question generation, single sign-in, analytics, downloadable reports and automatic certification. Bulk question import is supported, and exams are delivered through a browser. The assessment offering also lists Safe Exam Browser, flash cards, and Android and iOS apps. Its LMS supports course management, videos and presentations, SCORM content, live sessions, user roles, gamification and email notifications. The training platform adds custom courses, quizzes, assessments, certifications and private branding. The maker says customers can tailor LMS and assessment features by including or excluding them. It describes third-party integration options but does not name partners on these pages. The FAQ says the software is built on PHP and MySQL, uses AJAX and CSS, and can run on Linux or Windows. A 14-day trial is available, but there is no free plan. Training costs $10 a month, with a minimum purchase of 20 credits per month at $10 per credit; one credit represents one student.
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.