Opencast
Opencast is a free, open-source video management system that automates lecture capture, processing, transcription, and distribution for universities and other academic institutions worldwide, distributed under Apache 2.0 via a community-governed project.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Opencast does
Opencast is a free, open-source video management system (VMS) for academic institutions, founded in 2007 at UC Berkeley and governed since 2016 by the Apereo Foundation (with a Board-resolved migration to Linux Foundation Europe announced in December 2025). The platform automates the capture, processing, encoding, distribution, and archiving of educational video at scale, and is composed of a core Java-based Opencast server augmented by modular components: Tobira (video portal and distribution layer becoming the default publication channel), Paella Player (alternate HTML5 video player), Opencast Studio (browser-based recording), the Editor (post-production trimming/cutting), the Annotation Tool (in-video analysis), and Opencast Explore (archive/exploration). The technology stack integrates with leading LMS platforms (Moodle, ILIAS, Stud.IP) via dedicated plugins, supports multiple capture agents (hardware from Epiphan, Extron, Arec, and software like pyCA), and includes accessibility workflows via automatic transcription (Whisper on-premise or Microsoft Azure).
Opencast firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Opencast
- Legal name
- Opencast
- Website
- https://opencast.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Opencast is a free, open-source video management system that automates lecture capture, processing, transcription, and distribution for universities and other academic institutions worldwide, distributed under Apache 2.0 via a community-governed project.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Opencast industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Video Management Software
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- OER Authoring, Remixing & Publishing Tools/Platforms (EDAGAJAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Open Multimedia OER (video, audio, podcasts, animations) (EDAGAJAF), Live Streaming & Webcasting Platforms (BPAMAJAB)
Keywords
Where Opencast is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Opencast business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Open Source Software Distribution: The core software is free and open source. No direct revenue from software licensing.
- Institutional Sponsorship: Universities and institutions contribute financially through Apereo Foundation membership to support sustainable development. Contributing institutions include University of Bern, University of Vienna, TU Vienna, Osnabruck University, University of Konstanz, ELAN e.V., ETH Zurich, and University of Alicante.
- Vendor Support Services: Third-party vendors (ssystems, shio solutions, ELAN e.V.) provide commercial support, hosting, and customization services. These vendors contribute a portion back to the community.
- Crowdfunding Campaigns: Time-limited crowdfunding campaigns for specific development projects (e.g., Admin Interface BugBash, editor improvements, life cycle management). Institutions pool resources to fund features.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Open Source Core Software - Free |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Commercial Support - Vendor Quote |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Opencast product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Opencast is a free, open-source video management system (Apache License 2.0) that automates video capture, processing, encoding, streaming, and distribution for academic institutions. The platform is built on Java and bundles companion modules including Tobira (video portal), Paella Player (HTML5 player), Opencast Studio (browser-based recorder), Opencast Editor (post-production), Annotation Tool, and Opencast Explore (archive/exploration), with LMS plugins for Moodle, ILIAS, and Stud.IP.
Product overview
Opencast is a free, open-source video management system designed for academic institutions, providing automated video capture and distribution at scale. The ecosystem consists of the core Opencast platform complemented by several modules: Tobira serves as the video portal and default distribution channel; Paella Player provides video playback; Opencast Studio enables browser-based recording; the Editor handles post-production editing; and the Annotation Tool supports video analysis. Recent development focuses on AI integration including Whisper-based transcription, LLM-powered learning materials, and improved search capabilities. The project is transitioning from Apereo Foundation to Linux Foundation Europe as its institutional home.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tobira: Opencast video portal for distribution and publication of video content
- Opencast Studio
- Paella Player
- Opencast Explore
- Opencast Admin UI
Products and services
- Opencast Free and open source Java-based video management system for automated video capture, processing, encoding, streaming, and distribution at scale, designed for academic institutions.
- Tobira Opencast video portal providing a unified interface for video distribution, search, series support, and user engagement, becoming the default distribution/publication channel for Opencast.
- Paella Player Alternative HTML5 video player for Opencast, integrated with Opencast 19 and incorporating AI features for improved playback and accessibility.
- Opencast Studio Browser-based video recording tool allowing users to capture content directly without additional software installation, featuring dark mode and production capabilities.
- Opencast Editor Video editing tool for post-recording processing including trimming, cutting, metadata editing, and subtitle editing, with dark mode support.
- Opencast Annotation Tool Video analysis tool enabling users to create and manage annotations on video content for instructional and review workflows.
- Opencast Explore Video archive and exploration platform hosting Opencast video recordings from community events and conferences, introduced as a featured initiative at Opencast Summit 2025.
Quantifiable outcome
- Processing time: 0.7x session length - recordings processed and published in 7 minutes for every 10 minutes of material
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Opencast
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Opencast technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability8 records
Feature7 records
Opencast partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Apereo FoundationcoreOpencast has been a member project of the Apereo Foundation since 2016. Apereo holds copyright of Opencast code for licensing and manages financial transactions on behalf of the project. The foundation is transitioning to Linux Foundation Europe as Opencast's institutional home due to the project's increasingly European focus.
- Linux Foundation EuropecoreOpencast Board has resolved to shift institutional home from Apereo Foundation to Linux Foundation Europe to better align with the European focus of adoption and development. Migration process is underway.
- ELAN e.V.coreGerman non-profit organization providing Opencast development, support, and DevOps services. Organizes Admin Interface BugBash events, runs monthly SysAdmin meetings, contributes to crowdfunding campaigns, and provides commercial support to universities.
- ssystems (shio solutions)coreGerman software company offering Opencast cloud hosting and commercial services. Contributed significant funding to community. Matthias Neugebauer founded shio solutions after being committer at University of Münster.
- Academic Moodle CooperationminorGerman academic consortium cooperating on Moodle development, participates in Opencast crowdfunding campaigns and contributes to Paella Player integration.
- Leibniz Supercomputing CentreminorHosting the 2027 Opencast International Summit at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Munich.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Opencast competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kaltura: Enterprise video platform with deep higher education penetration, providing lecture capture, video management, and LMS integrations that directly overlap with Opencast's core offering in academic institutions.
- Echo360: Lecture capture and active learning platform sold to universities globally; addresses the same automated recording, processing, and distribution workflows that Opencast provides as open source.
- Sonic Foundry (Mediasite): Long-standing commercial lecture capture vendor (Mediasite) serving universities and enterprises; offers hardware-and-software capture workflows that overlap directly with Opencast's capture-agent and processing pipeline.
- Panopto: Commercial lecture capture and video platform purpose-built for higher education; competes head-to-head with Opencast in the same university IT procurement cycles and offers automated capture, search, and LMS integration comparable to Opencast's stack.
- YuJa: Cloud-based lecture capture and video platform targeting higher education; competes with Opencast on the same procurement RFPs for university-wide video infrastructure and LMS integration.
Emerging players
- VideoLan (VLC/Molécule): Open-source video player and streaming project with comparable community-driven development model; addresses adjacent media infrastructure and shares open-source ethos with Opencast, though not a direct lecture-capture competitor.
- Open edX: Open-source MOOC and online learning platform serving the same higher-education audience as Opencast; institutions often evaluate Opencast's video pipeline alongside Open edX for end-to-end OER delivery.
- Moodle: Open-source LMS with massive higher-education adoption that Opencast integrates with via dedicated plugins; comparable in open-source ethos and serves the same academic institutions, though as a complementary (not competitive) component in the stack.
Broad incumbents
- Instructure (Canvas): Major commercial LMS that bundles lecture capture and video functionality, competing for the same university video-infrastructure budget; broader portfolio than Opencast but addresses overlapping use cases in higher education.
- Wowza Streaming Engine: Established streaming infrastructure platform providing video delivery capabilities that overlap with Opencast's encoding and distribution layer; broader media-industry footprint rather than higher-education specialization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Opencast social profiles
Digital presenceOpencast financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Opencast leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Opencast funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Opencast M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Opencast
What does Opencast do?
Opencast is a free, open-source video management system (Apache License 2.0) that automates video capture, processing, encoding, streaming, and distribution for academic institutions. The platform is built on Java and bundles companion modules including Tobira (video portal), Paella Player (HTML5 player), Opencast Studio (browser-based recorder), Opencast Editor (post-production), Annotation Tool, and Opencast Explore (archive/exploration), with LMS plugins for Moodle, ILIAS, and Stud.IP.
Is Opencast a public or private company?
Opencast is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Opencast founded?
Opencast was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Opencast based?
Opencast is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Opencast make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Open Source Software Distribution is the primary driver. The others are institutional Sponsorship, vendor Support Services and crowdfunding Campaigns.
Who are Opencast's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kaltura, Echo360, Sonic Foundry (Mediasite), Panopto and YuJa. Emerging players are VideoLan (VLC/Molécule), Open edX and Moodle. Broad incumbents are Instructure (Canvas) and Wowza Streaming Engine.
Does Opencast have an API?
Yes. Opencast provides an API for integration with Learning Management Systems and external applications. The Opencast PHP Library and new LMS API were mentioned in the 2022 Summit context, enabling integration with external systems. The roadmap also references JWT (JSON Web Token) support for external applications. The system supports LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) integration, with ongoing work to implement LTI Advantage. Developer documentation is at docs.opencast.org.
What industry is Opencast in?
Opencast's product category is Educational Video Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAJAM, OER Authoring, Remixing & Publishing Tools/Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAGAJAF, Open Multimedia OER (video, audio, podcasts, animations). Its NAICS code is 5162 and its SIC code is 7372.