PrairieLearn vs TAO
PrairieLearn
prairielearn.com
TAO
taotesting.comSide by side
| Figure | PrairieLearn | TAO |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.25/mo | $149/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 7 |
| Spec score · Automated Grading Software | 8.1 (#15) | 8.7 (#3) |
| Security | PrairieLearn, Inc. states that it has a SOC 2 Type I attestation for Security and encrypts customer data at rest and data in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher. | TAO says cloud and on-premise customer content is encrypted, access is restricted, backups are maintained and external penetration tests are periodically conducted. |
| Support | Support options include documentation, a Slack community, GitHub Discussions, weekly Zoom office hours and workshops, and email support. | Community Edition support is through the TAO Community Forum and User Guide; paid plans offer additional support options. |
Plans
PrairieLearn
- FreeFree
- PrairieTest Starter$3 a year
- PrairieTest Small$5 a year
- PrairieTest Medium$7 a year
- Basic$8, paid once
- PrairieTest Large$10 a year
- PrairieTest Enterprise$15 a year
- Premium$16, paid once
- EnterprisePriced 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
PrairieLearn
PrairieLearn is an online assessment and learning system for instructors creating educational resources, assignments, practice, and tests. Instructors write questions as code; the system can generate and grade variants automatically and provide real-time feedback. Students can continue trying new variants until they achieve mastery. Supported response formats include numerical, multiple-choice, checkbox, dropdown, graphical, code, and ordered-block answers. The platform is described for in-class activities, homework, practice, proctored tests, and bring-your-own-device tests. It connects with learning management systems through LTI 1.3 for assignment linking and grade syncing, with integration primarily designed and documented for Canvas; its importer accepts QTI 1.2 content. PrairieLearn is open source and can be run or modified on institutional or individual infrastructure. The free plan covers instructors and courses with up to 20 students in each term. For larger courses, Basic costs $8, paid once per student and Premium costs $16, paid once per student. Local development is supported on macOS, Linux, or Windows inside WSL 2; Windows without WSL 2 is not supported for local installation.
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.