Sakai
Sakai is an open-source Learning Management System coordinated by the Apereo Foundation that serves higher education institutions globally with course delivery, assessment, grading, and collaboration tools. Revenue is captured indirectly via commercial affiliates (Longsight, Learning Experiences, EDF) providing hosting, development, and support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAnn Arbor, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Sakai does
Sakai is a 100% open-source Learning Management System (LMS) coordinated by the Apereo Foundation and developed by a global community of educators and commercial affiliates. It serves higher education institutions worldwide, including universities, colleges, and community colleges that use the platform for online and in-person course delivery, assessment and grading, collaboration, and student engagement. Core integrated tools include Assignments, Gradebook, Lessons, Tests & Quizzes, Rubrics, and the experimental Conversations discussion tool introduced in Sakai 22. Named users span the University of Dayton, Pepperdine, University of Michigan, Duke, Northwestern State Community College, Marist, Nagoya, University of Murcia, and Western University.
The platform is built on Java-based architecture and is a recognized leader in IMS Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) specification implementation, with an extensive API enabling deep third-party integrations. Sakai 23 introduced a redesigned user interface based on the Bootstrap 5 CSS framework. Sakai targets WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA compliance using WAI-ARIA, and achieved a 98%+ keyboard and screen reader task completion rate across 5,096 test cases in Sakai 23; published VPAT reports cover WCAG 2.2, Section 508, and EN 301 549 conformance for versions 21, 22, and 23. Sakai Plus, introduced in 2023, is an LTI Advantage-based add-on that allows institutions to embed Sakai tools within an existing enterprise LMS rather than requiring full migration.
Sakai's business model is freemium and community-led. The software itself generates no direct revenue and is free to download and self-host; a free cloud-hosted trial is provided by Longsight. Paid services — cloud hosting, development, and support — are delivered exclusively through three commercial affiliates (Longsight, Learning Experiences, and EDF), which are separate legal entities that capture the ecosystem's commercial revenue. The project is governed by a 20-member Project Management Committee drawn from member institutions and affiliate companies, and additionally generates minor merchandise revenue through an online shop selling branded apparel and accessories priced from $9 to $56. The project's origins trace to a Mellon Foundation grant funding an open-source alternative to commercial LMS offerings.
Sakai firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sakai
- Legal name
- Sakai
- Website
- https://sakailms.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sakai is an open-source Learning Management System coordinated by the Apereo Foundation that serves higher education institutions globally with course delivery, assessment, grading, and collaboration tools. Revenue is captured indirectly via commercial affiliates (Longsight, Learning Experiences, EDF) providing hosting, development, and support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sakai industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Learning Management System (Education Technology)
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open-Source & Self-Hosted LMS (EDAFAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Core LMS Platforms (Academic & Corporate) (EDAFAAAA)
Keywords
Where Sakai is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ann Arbor
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Sakai business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Open Source Software Distribution: Sakai is 100% open-source and free to download and use. The software itself generates no direct revenue. Revenue for the ecosystem comes through commercial affiliates who provide paid hosting, development, and support services to institutions adopting Sakai.
- Merchandise Sales: Sakai sells branded merchandise including apparel (hoodies, t-shirts, polo shirts), accessories (hats, headbands, tumblers, mugs), and event merchandise (SVC conference items) through their online shop.
- Commercial Affiliate Services: Longsight, Learning Experiences, and EDF serve as commercial affiliates that develop new Sakai functionality, provide cloud hosting, development services, and support to institutions. These affiliates generate revenue through professional services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Self-hosted open source (free) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Cloud-hosted trial (free) |
| Subscription | Annual | Commercial hosting and support (quoted) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise products |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sakai product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sakai provides a 100% open-source Learning Management System used by higher education institutions for course delivery, assessment, collaboration, and student engagement. The core Sakai LMS is freely downloadable for self-hosting, with commercial affiliates (Longsight, Learning Experiences, EDF) supplying paid cloud hosting, development, and support. A companion offering, Sakai Plus, uses IMS LTI Advantage to layer Sakai tools on top of existing enterprise LMS installations.
Product overview
Sakai is a 100% open-source Learning Management System created by educators for educators, managed by the Apereo Foundation. The core product, Sakai LMS, provides a comprehensive suite of online learning, teaching, and collaboration tools. Key integrated tools include Assignments for online submission and grading, Gradebook for score calculation, Lessons for content delivery with conditional release, Tests & Quizzes for assessments, and Rubrics for standardized grading. Sakai Plus is an add-on module that leverages LTI Advantage to integrate Sakai tools into existing enterprise LMS systems. The platform also supports community-contributed tools and offers both cloud-hosted and self-hosted deployment options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sakai LMS 100% open-source Learning Management System for educational institutions, providing online learning, teaching, and collaboration tools including assignments, gradebook, lessons, tests and quizzes, rubrics, discussions, and calendar.
- Sakai Plus LTI-based add-on enabling institutions to add Sakai learning content and authentic assessment tools to their existing enterprise LMS, using LTI Advantage to synchronize enrollment and grades.
Quantifiable outcome
- 98%+ keyboard and screen reader task completion rate
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sakai
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sakai technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
Sakai partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.
- Apereo FoundationcoreApereo Foundation coordinates the global Sakai community and provides strategic oversight. Sakai is one of many open source projects within the Apereo portfolio, a global network with member institutions on six continents. The foundation actively seeks partnerships to further their mission of creating and sustaining software that supports learning, teaching, and research.
- LongsightcoreLongsight is the leading developer of new Sakai functionality, contributing to the Sakai community. They also host and support Sakai in the cloud, relieving institutions of managing servers and dedicating resources to support and maintenance. Earle Nietzel from Longsight serves as Sakai Release Manager.
- Learning ExperiencescoreLearning Experiences is a business devoted to adding value to the Apereo communities and encouraging the use of Open Source and Open Content in Education. Multiple Learning Experiences employees serve on the Sakai PMC.
- EDF (Entornos de Formación)coreEDF is a global education technology company whose Sakai experts provide cloud services, development and support to integrate next-generation technologies into classroom practice. The EDF team actively contributes to Sakai's accessibility evolution.
- Vision-AidstrategicVision-Aid is a non-profit organization providing IT-related training to blind and low-vision individuals in India. Through partnership with Vision-Aid, Sakai has a team of blind/low-vision testers regularly working on accessibility testing of the platform.
- AccessiversitystrategicAccessiversity is a disability-owned business operated by Chris Knapp, an accessibility consultant/tester who serves as The Sakai Accessibility Team Lead. Chris is statutorily blind and relies on screen readers and assistive technology, providing authentic accessibility experience.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sakai competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- D2L Brightspace: D2L Brightspace is a commercial enterprise LMS with a strong footprint in higher education and K–12, competing directly with Sakai for institutional deployments.
- Instructure (Canvas LMS): Canvas is a commercial LMS dominant in higher education, competing head-to-head with Sakai for institutional contracts and offering proprietary tools with active product development.
- Moodle: Moodle is the largest open-source LMS, directly competing with Sakai in higher education and offering self-hosted and hosted editions with extensive plugin ecosystems.
- Chamilo: Chamilo is an open-source e-learning and LMS platform aimed at educational institutions globally, offering similar self-hosted deployment and free open-source licensing to Sakai.
- OpenOLAT: OpenOLAT is an open-source LMS focused on higher education and corporate training, with similar self-hosted architecture and open-source ethos to Sakai.
- ILIAS: ILIAS is an open-source learning management system used across European higher education and corporate training, providing an alternative open-source LMS comparable to Sakai.
- Anthology (Blackboard Learn): Blackboard is one of the longest-standing LMS platforms in higher education with deep institutional penetration, making it a primary incumbent competitor for Sakai.
Broad incumbents
- PowerSchool Unified Classroom: PowerSchool is a large education technology platform offering LMS components (e.g., Schoology Learning) within a broader K–12 and higher-ed portfolio, serving as a broad incumbent with overlapping LMS capabilities to Sakai.
Others
- Longsight: Longsight is the leading commercial affiliate for Sakai, providing cloud hosting, custom development, and institutional support; ecosystemically integral to Sakai's commercial delivery model.
- Apereo Foundation: Apereo is the parent foundation that stewards Sakai and other open-source education projects (OAE, Bedework), coordinating community governance — directly operationally tied as parent organization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sakai social profiles
Digital presenceSakai compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Sakai financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sakai leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Sakai funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sakai 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 Sakai
What does Sakai do?
Sakai provides a 100% open-source Learning Management System used by higher education institutions for course delivery, assessment, collaboration, and student engagement. The core Sakai LMS is freely downloadable for self-hosting, with commercial affiliates (Longsight, Learning Experiences, EDF) supplying paid cloud hosting, development, and support. A companion offering, Sakai Plus, uses IMS LTI Advantage to layer Sakai tools on top of existing enterprise LMS installations.
Is Sakai a public or private company?
Sakai is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sakai founded?
Sakai was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sakai based?
Sakai is headquartered in Ann Arbor, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sakai make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Open Source Software Distribution is the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales and commercial Affiliate Services.
Who are Sakai's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are D2L Brightspace, Instructure (Canvas LMS), Moodle, Chamilo, OpenOLAT, ILIAS and Anthology (Blackboard Learn). PowerSchool Unified Classroom is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are Longsight and Apereo Foundation.
Does Sakai have an API?
Yes. Sakai has an extensive API which facilitates the development of deep, native integrations with third party applications. Sakai is a leader in the development and implementation of the IMS LTI specification, enabling interoperability with enterprise LMS systems. Using LTI Advantage, Sakai accepts enrollment data from enterprise LMS and synchronizes grades seamlessly.
What industry is Sakai in?
Sakai's product category is Learning Management System (Education Technology). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAAAL, Open-Source & Self-Hosted LMS, with a secondary code of EDAFAAAA, Core LMS Platforms (Academic & Corporate). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.