TAO

TAO is assessment software for schools, assessment providers and organizations that need to build and run digital exams. It is best suited to teams that value portable standards-based content and flexible hosting; solo authors can start free, but larger programs need to budget around firm author-seat and learner-attempt limits.

Overview

TAO brings assessment authoring, online delivery, session management, scoring and reporting together. Authors can create tests manually, convert existing exam files, draft with AI assistance or import QTI packages, making it useful both for new programs and for digitizing existing exams.

Its support for QTI 2.2 and 3.0, plus LTI interoperability, is a practical advantage for organizations that need to move assessment content between systems or deliver through an LMS. Moodle, 2E Estudios & Evaluaciones, Wiris, Proctorio, Texthelp, Cito and GeoGebra are among its partners. TAO Cloud offers shared or private hosting, while self-hosting is also an option. TAO says customer content is encrypted in cloud and on-premise systems and that it periodically schedules external penetration tests.

Key features

TAO supports a broad range of question formats: choice, order, association, matching, hottext, gap match, sliders, extended text, file uploads, inline choice, text entry, hotspots, and graphic order, association, gap and point items. Branching logic and scoring options—including automatic and manual scoring, partial credit, weighted responses and cut scores—make it suitable for assessments more structured than a basic quiz.

Reporting ranges from session and test-taker reports to custom reports, CSV results, Data Explorer and TAO Insights. Assessments can be delivered online, through an LMS via LTI, at test centers, with local proctoring, or through cloud-hosted and self-hosted deployments. That range serves varied delivery models, though some higher-scale needs, such as remote proctoring and Data API access, are optional add-ons on Ignite.

Pricing

TAO has two free routes with different trade-offs. TAO Starter costs nothing, billed Per Month, and is free forever. It includes one author seat, 3,000 AI credits per month and 50 learner test attempts per month. Those caps make it a reasonable solo-author or pilot tier, not a foundation for a team program with regular volume. TAO Community Edition costs nothing as a free open-source edition; it is self-hosted, provides access to and extension of the source code, and relies on the community forum and user guide for support. It suits organizations prepared to manage their own hosting and work within community support.

TAO Author costs $149 a month, billed Per Month. It allows up to five authors and includes 10,000 AI credits and 50 learner test attempts per month, plus a shared item bank. The author capacity and collaboration feature suit small teams, but the same 50-attempt cap makes it a poor fit for a larger active assessment program.

TAO Ignite costs $990 a month, billed Per Month. It includes five author seats, expandable to 25, 10,000 AI credits per month and 1,250 learner test attempts per month. The higher attempt allowance is a more credible fit for regular delivery; Data API and remote proctoring are optional add-ons, so buyers needing either should account for that separately.

TAO Elevate has custom pricing and includes 10 author seats, expandable to 50. TAO Enterprise also has custom pricing, with custom capacity, integrations, configuration and support, plus private TAO Cloud or custom third-party hosting. These tiers are aimed at larger or more tailored deployments rather than teams seeking a fixed-cost plan. TAO offers a trial, but no duration is stated. The pricing note also gives paid plans as starting from €499/mo (annual), so buyers should confirm which plan and terms that entry price covers.

Platforms

TAO supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows. That mix, alongside cloud and on-premise options, makes it more adaptable to organizations with hosting requirements than a web-only assessment service.

Who it's for

TAO is a strong candidate for education and assessment teams that need QTI or LTI interoperability, varied item types, detailed scoring options or control over hosting. Starter works for solo authors and pilots; Community Edition fits technically prepared users who want open-source access. Teams expecting more than 50 monthly attempts should look beyond Starter and Author, while programs needing still higher throughput or bespoke configuration should consider Ignite, Elevate or Enterprise.

Pros and cons

• Pro: QTI 2.2 and 3.0 support and LTI interoperability make content portability and LMS delivery central strengths.
• Pro: Manual creation, exam-file conversion, AI drafting and QTI import give teams several ways to build or migrate assessments.
• Pro: Shared, private-cloud and self-hosted options accommodate different hosting preferences.
• Con: Starter and Author both cap delivery at 50 learner attempts per month, limiting their usefulness for ongoing programs.
• Con: Ignite's Data API and remote proctoring are add-ons, and the upper tiers use custom pricing, complicating budget comparisons.
• Con: Community Edition support is forum- and guide-based, which may not suit teams needing more direct assistance.

Alternatives

For a simpler quiz-focused option, FlexiQuiz offers a free plan with unlimited quizzes but caps each quiz at 10 questions and allows 20 responses per month. Testportal is another free-plan option, with advanced test configuration, reporting and storage for 100 results in its Free EDU plan. If a modest monthly exam quota is enough, SpeedExam offers 25 exam attempts per month on its free tier and a Professional plan at $37 a month.

Crowdpurr is a web-based alternative with a free Basic plan capped at 20 participants, 15 questions and three simultaneous experiences. TriviaMaker offers a free tier with limited game styles and disabled customization and team features. QuizFaber is freeware for Linux, Windows and web use, though commercial use requires the author's prior authorization.

ProProfs Quiz Maker has a free plan capped at 12 questions and 90-day report history. Classtime may suit classroom use where up to 40 simultaneous students, unlimited questions and sessions, and a library of 50,000+ free questions are the priority. For category browsing, see Assessment Software, Online Exam Software, Quiz Maker Software, Automated Grading Software and Lockdown Browser Software.

Verdict

Choose TAO if your assessment program depends on standards-based content, flexible delivery and hosting, and scoring beyond basic quizzes. Its authoring breadth and deployment choices are compelling, but the low attempt allowances on entry plans and add-on costs on Ignite make it a less convincing fit for higher-volume programs seeking predictable all-in pricing.