Xerte

Overview

Xerte is a free, browser-based suite for making interactive learning materials. It suits educators and organisations that want flexible authoring and learning-platform exports and can manage their own server. Its templates and open-ended customisation are useful strengths, but installation and upkeep make it a poor fit for teams seeking a hosted service.

Teachers and tutors are its intended users, and it is used across schools, colleges, universities and other organisations delivering teaching. Authors build through forms and templates; developers can adjust appearance and behaviour with JavaScript and CSS. That gives mixed-skill teams room to work, though the browser-based editor still depends on a server installation.

Key features

The Xerte Online Toolkit includes more than 70 templates for interactive learning, alongside assessment building. This gives educators varied starting points for activities without requiring developers to create every interaction. The template collection is an authoring toolkit, not a ready-made content library.

Content publishes as responsive, standards-compliant HTML5 for modern browsers and devices. Projects can be exported as standalone ZIP files for web-server deployment or as SCORM packages for compatible learning platforms. SCORM, LTI and xAPI support give organisations several routes into learning technology systems; xAPI reporting depends on a configured Learning Record Store.

Keyboard access, a colour contrast changer, and compatibility with text-to-speech and most screen-reader tools make accessibility part of the authoring offer. These features matter for teams building materials for varied learners, though they do not remove the need to assess each finished course for its audience.

Pricing

Xerte costs nothing. It is free and open-source software, with no free trial because the free plan is the product’s stated pricing model. The plan includes interactive content, assessment building, SCORM export, responsive output, team collaboration and a content library. It requires installation on a web server; commercial hosting and support are separate.

That makes the free plan a strong fit for organisations able to provide technical administration and authoring capacity. There is no paid in-product tier described; organisations that need installation help, hosting, troubleshooting, upgrades, custom development or training can turn to community-connected companies offering commercial services.

Platforms

Xerte is available for web and self-hosted use, with platform support listed for Android, iOS, Linux and Windows. The practical distinction is deployment: the maker describes the standard setup as Linux with Apache, MySQL or MariaDB, and PHP, while Windows servers with IIS can also be configured. Local XAMPP installation is more technical, and the maker says the benefits generally come from an organisation-wide online installation.

Public-facing installations should not contain the initial-installation setup folder. A May 2026 security notice identifies updated versions 3.15.5 and 3.14.6, so administrators need to account for version maintenance and secure deployment.

Who it's for

Xerte is best for schools, colleges, universities and other teaching organisations that want to create interactive materials in-house and have the capacity to install and maintain a shared web service. It also suits teams that value standards-based exports and developer customisation alongside form-driven authoring.

It is less suitable for an individual who wants to start authoring immediately without server setup, or an organisation that expects guaranteed support through a paid service from the project. Community forums are the primary support route, and support is voluntary; commercial help is available separately.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free, open-source authoring with over 70 interactive templates and assessment building gives educators substantial scope to create learning materials.
• Pros: Responsive HTML5, ZIP and SCORM exports, plus SCORM, LTI and xAPI support, give organisations options for publishing and connecting content.
• Pros: Keyboard access, contrast adjustment and compatibility with assistive reading tools support more accessible course design.
• Cons: A web-server installation is required, and local XAMPP setup is more technical; teams without server administration will face a real deployment hurdle.
• Cons: Community support is voluntary, so organisations needing dependable assistance should budget for separate commercial services.
• Cons: xAPI reporting requires a configured Learning Record Store, adding setup work for teams that need that reporting.

Alternatives

ProProfs Training Maker is worth considering for teams that want a free hosted option with a stated cap of 10 learners and all features included, or a free trial before choosing a paid plan.

Adapt Learning is another free, open-source authoring tool and framework for teams comparing self-hosted learning authoring options.

BranchTrack is an alternative with a free plan for readers considering another freemium authoring product.

eXeLearning offers free, open-source authoring for those who want online or desktop use.

Lumi Education may suit users who want a free tier with unlimited contents and HTML, SCORM and H5P export, subject to a 15 MB upload limit per file.

Mindsmith offers a free plan with unlimited content and sharing, including link, embed and SCORM sharing; its free allocation includes 450 AI credits at signup as a one-time allowance.

ActivePresenter is a desktop option for Windows and macOS, though its free edition is for trial and non-commercial use and can watermark outputs that use non-free features.

Open eLearning is a free, open-source authoring tool for readers who prefer a desktop product for Linux, macOS or Windows.

For more options, browse Course Authoring Software and Interactive Lesson Makers.

Verdict

Choose Xerte if your education organisation wants a free authoring suite with interactive templates, accessible design features and flexible learning-platform exports, and can run it on a web server. Its main advantage is the combination of broad authoring tools and standards-based output without a software charge. Look elsewhere if you need a hosted setup without installation or guaranteed community support.