A modern authoring platform for educators who've outgrown H5P
H5P pioneered interactive content for education. But if you've hit its limits — dated editor, limited analytics, patchy accessibility, painful customization — there's a better way.
TL;DR
H5P is a free, open-source tool with 50+ content types and strong Moodle integration. Scaffold is a modern authoring platform with a visual drag-and-drop editor, AI lesson generation, learning analytics, and LTI 1.3 native integration across Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, and OpenEdX. Scaffold is built for higher ed from the ground up — not retrofitted from a WordPress plugin.
Why educators look for H5P alternatives
H5P deserves credit. It brought interactive content to millions of educators who would otherwise be stuck with static PDFs. But after years of use, patterns emerge:
The editor feels stuck in 2015
H5P's form-based authoring is functional but tedious. No visual canvas, no live preview, no drag-and-drop layout. You fill in fields, save, and hope it looks right. For anything beyond basic quizzes, the workflow is slow.
Customization requires a developer
Want your H5P content to match your institution's brand? You'll need CSS knowledge and patience. H5P.com even disables custom CSS by default because "incorrect usage can damage the look, functionality, and accessibility of the content."
Analytics are an afterthought
The self-hosted version has almost no built-in reporting. H5P.com adds some drill-down reports, but there's no misconception detection, no engagement heatmaps, no question-level insights. You get completion data, not learning data.
Accessibility is inconsistent
An independent evaluation found that only about 10% of H5P content types are fully accessible out of the box. Activities like Drag the Words and Mark the Words don't work with screen readers. For institutions under WCAG compliance pressure, that's a problem.
LTI costs extra
The free, self-hosted version of H5P doesn't include LTI integration. You need H5P.com (starting at $57/month for 3 authors) to get LTI, which means grade passback and deep linking are paywalled.
Collaboration barely exists
H5P.com offers basic sharing — view and clone content. But there's no version history, no commenting, no review workflows, no template governance. For teams building courseware together, it's not enough.
How Scaffold is different
Scaffold isn't an H5P plugin or fork. It's a purpose-built authoring platform designed for how educators actually work — with a visual editor, AI assistance, and native LMS integration from day one.
Visual drag-and-drop editor
Build lessons the way you think about them. Drag components into place, rearrange with a click, see exactly what students will see — no form-filling, no save-and-pray.
Addy AI — your lesson-building copilot
Paste your lecture notes, and Addy generates a structured interactive lesson with suggested components and embedded assessments. You review and refine — not build from scratch.
Learning analytics that teach you something
Question-level insights, time-on-task data, misconception detection, and engagement heatmaps. See which content is landing and which needs rethinking — not just who completed what.
LTI 1.3 native — not bolted on
Deep linking, grade passback, and SSO work out of the box on the free tier. No separate SaaS subscription required. Setup takes under 10 minutes.
Accessible by default
Every component ships WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. You don't need to check which content types are accessible and which aren't — they all are.
Workspace, not just an editor
A searchable workspace with templates, a shared component library, and team collaboration. Build a component once, reuse it across courses, update it in one place.
Feature comparison
| Scaffold | H5P (self-hosted) | H5P.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor | Visual drag-and-drop | Form-based | Form-based |
| Components | Large, growing library (9 categories) | 50+ content types | 50+ content types |
| AI assistance | Addy AI lesson generator | None | None |
| LTI 1.3 | Native (free tier) | Not available | Included (paid only) |
| Deep linking | Yes | No | Yes |
| Grade passback | Automatic | Via Moodle plugin only | Yes (LTI required) |
| Analytics | Question-level, misconception detection | Minimal (CSV export) | Drill-down reports |
| Accessibility | WCAG 2.1 AA (all components) | ~10% fully accessible | ~10% fully accessible |
| Collaboration | Workspace, shared components, templates | None | Basic sharing |
| LMS support | Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, OpenEdX | Moodle, WordPress, Drupal | Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, Brightspace, +more |
| Customization | Visual editor, templates | CSS overrides (developer-level) | CSS disabled by default |
| Hosting | Cloud (managed) | Self-hosted (your servers) | Cloud (managed) |
Pricing comparison
H5P has a split model: free self-hosted (requires your own Moodle/WordPress infrastructure) and paid H5P.com (SaaS with LTI). Here's how costs compare for a team of 10 authors:
- Requires Moodle, WordPress, or Drupal
- No LTI integration
- No analytics
- Community support only
- You manage updates and security
- LTI integration included
- Drill-down reporting
- Priority support (5+ authors)
- Managed hosting
- Pricing opaque for larger teams
- LTI 1.3 native (free tier too)
- Addy AI lesson generator
- Learning analytics
- Team collaboration + workspace
- All components, no limits
Scaffold also offers a free Starter tier (1 course, core components, LTI 1.3) for individual educators who want to try before committing.
Who should switch to Scaffold
Scaffold is a great fit if you...
- Want a modern visual editor instead of form-based authoring
- Need LTI 1.3 with deep linking and grade passback
- Care about WCAG accessibility compliance
- Want AI assistance to speed up lesson creation
- Work in a team and need collaboration features
- Use Canvas, Blackboard, or OpenEdX (where H5P self-hosted doesn't reach)
- Want analytics beyond basic completion tracking
H5P might still be better if you...
- Need a completely free, self-hosted solution with no SaaS dependency
- Are deeply invested in the Moodle + H5P ecosystem
- Primarily need Interactive Video or Branching Scenario (H5P's strongest content types)
- Want open-source with full source code access
- Have a developer who can customize H5P's CSS and behavior
Migrating from H5P
You don't have to switch everything overnight. Most teams run H5P and Scaffold in parallel during the transition, building new content in Scaffold while existing H5P content continues to work.
Scaffold imports:
- Common Cartridge packages
- QTI assessment content
- SCORM packages
- Plain HTML
- Paste from Word with clean formatting
LTI setup takes under 10 minutes with our guided wizard. If your institution requires IT approval, we provide a one-page spec sheet that covers security, compliance, and technical requirements.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to H5P for higher education?
Scaffold is built specifically for higher education with LTI 1.3 native integration, a modern visual editor, AI lesson generation via Addy AI, and learning analytics. Unlike H5P, every component is WCAG 2.1 AA accessible by default.
Can I migrate my H5P content to Scaffold?
Yes. Scaffold imports Common Cartridge, QTI, SCORM packages, and plain HTML. Most teams run both tools during the transition, building new content in Scaffold while existing H5P content stays in place.
Is Scaffold free like H5P?
Scaffold offers a free Starter tier (1 active course, core components, LTI 1.3 single link). Pro is $39.99/seat/month and includes all components, Addy AI, analytics, and team collaboration. H5P's self-hosted version is free but requires your own server infrastructure and doesn't include LTI.
Does Scaffold work with my LMS?
Scaffold supports Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, and OpenEdX via native LTI 1.3. Deep linking and grade passback work automatically — no SCORM packages to upload.
How is Scaffold different from H5P.com?
H5P.com is the paid SaaS version of H5P with LTI and reporting added on. Scaffold is a different product built from the ground up — with a visual editor, AI lesson generation, workspace features, and every component designed for accessibility. H5P.com extends the same form-based editor; Scaffold rethinks the authoring experience entirely.