Saylor Academy vs Siyavula

Saylor University offers self-paced online courses, skill development programs, and graduate degrees. Its catalog lists 164 free courses spanning professional skills and college-level subjects. Materials are curated from free and open online resources by expert educators, and learners can earn free digital certificates by passing course exams. Some courses have ACE credit recommendations, but earning credit requires a proctored credit exam; optional proctoring costs $5 USD per exam session. The organization serves people pursuing personal or professional development, college credit, and graduate degrees. Learners can access courses on the web or use the Saylor University or Moodle mobile app on iOS and Android. Some activities can be downloaded for offline use, though some site features and settings are unavailable in the apps. Sign-in supports Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Microsoft. Saylor says it collects account and usage information and does not sell personal information. Its privacy policy describes administrative, physical, and technical safeguards while noting that absolute security cannot be guaranteed. Saylor University is the primary initiative of the Constitution Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Michael J. Saylor.

Siyavula is a web-based learning platform for Mathematics and Physical Sciences practice, educator tools, and free textbooks. Learners can work through unlimited question versions, receive instant marking and full solutions, and follow their progress on a personal dashboard. Questions become harder as learners master concepts. Practice covers Mathematics in Grades 8–12 and Physical Sciences in Grades 10–12, aligned with South Africa’s CAPS curriculum, and works on any internet-enabled device. Educators can search questions by subject, grade, topic, and difficulty, then assign automatically marked homework and assessments. Reports let teachers review activity and progress at individual, class, and school levels. Textbooks for several subjects across Grades 4–12 are free to read and download; users may copy, share, or modify them. Siyavula says the site is zero-rated on MTN and Cell C networks in South Africa. Learner access and verified-teacher access are free. Essentials costs $2,050 a year per teacher and subject, excluding VAT; Advanced costs $6,199 a year per teacher and subject, excluding VAT.