FastTest vs TAO
FastTest
assess.com
TAO
taotesting.comSide by side
| Figure | FastTest | TAO |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $562.50/mo | $149/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 7 |
| Spec score · Online Exam Software | 8.1 (#15) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Founded | 1979 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Stillwater, Minnesota, USA | Capellen, Luxembourg |
| Integrations | The maker describes API integration and embeddable, white-label delivery, as well as SSO and eCommerce integration capabilities. | Listed integrations include Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, GeoGebra, Proctorio, MathType, Wiris and Texthelp. |
| Purpose | FastTest is an exam management platform for high-stakes or high-volume certification, education, and employment assessments. | TAO is an online assessment platform for creating, delivering and managing digital assessments. |
| Security | The maker states that FastTest has SOC 2 Type 2 accreditation and offers controls including role-based access, multifactor authentication, one-time passwords, lockdown browser, IP restrictions, and audit logging. | TAO says cloud and on-premise customer content is encrypted, access is restricted, backups are maintained and external penetration tests are periodically conducted. |
| Support | Assessment Systems offers self-service, partial-service, and full-service onboarding, including item imports, test setup, training, and examinee support. | Community Edition support is through the TAO Community Forum and User Guide; paid plans offer additional support options. |
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
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.