Last Reviewed: November 13th, 2024

Best LMS Software Of 2024

What is LMS Software?

LMS software acts as a digital hub for managing learning experiences. Its core purpose is to streamline the creation, delivery, and tracking of training content, facilitating both online and blended learning approaches. By centralizing materials and automating processes, LMS solves challenges like inconsistent training delivery, scattered resources, and difficulty measuring progress. Its benefits range from improved learner engagement and knowledge retention to increased efficiency and cost savings for organizations. Key functionalities include content management, assessment tools, progress tracking, and collaboration features. Emerging trends involve gamification, personalized learning paths, and integrations with AI-powered analytics. LMS benefits educators, trainers, and learners in various industries, particularly those with geographically dispersed workforces or frequent training needs. While technical complexities and potential integration challenges exist, the overall value proposition of LMS lies in its ability to create engaging, effective, and measurable learning experiences that drive individual and organizational growth.

What Are The Key Benefits of LMS Software?

  • Centralized training
  • Improved engagement & retention
  • Reduced costs & time savings
  • Streamlined workflow & automation
  • Data-driven insights & analytics
  • Consistent & scalable delivery
  • Enhanced accessibility & flexibility
  • Personalized learning paths & feedback
  • Collaboration & knowledge sharing
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SelectHub Award Winners - Array

Our Research Analysts evaluated 356 solutions and determined the following solutions are the best LMS Software overall:

Overall

  • 85 Moodle
    Best Overall, Assessments, Compliance
  • 82 Brightspace
    Best for Assessments, Compliance, Learning Delivery
  • 81 LearnUpon
    Best for Content and Course Management, Platform Capabilities
  • 81 Docebo
    Best for AI-based Capabilities
  • 81 Absorb LMS
    Best for Content and Course Management, Mobile Capabilities
  • 80 SkyPrep
  • 80 Litmos
    Best for Mobile Capabilities, Platform Capabilities
  • 79 Brainier
    Best for Content and Course Management, Mobile Capabilities
  • 79 TalentLMS
    Best for Content and Course Management
  • 79 Canvas
Moodle  Award
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Why We Picked Moodle

Moodle is an open-source LMS that's really popular among educational institutions like K12 schools and colleges. Its workplace version is designed to address various corporate training needs such as onboarding, compliance training and skill development.

Moodle is packed with features – you can create courses, collaborate with learners, grade assignments and more. Plus, it works quickly on mobile devices so that learning can happen anywhere. We love how flexible it is, and it can be customized to your heart's content with HTML, CSS and third-party integrations.

Its user-friendly interface is another highlight, and it is known for its intuitive navigation and ease of use, particularly for students. This makes Moodle a suitable choice even for those new to LMS platforms. A strong focus on social constructionist pedagogy emphasizes collaboration and active learning. And with Moodle’s large and active global community, you can get active support and contribute to its ongoing development.

While its interface is great for instructors and students, we found that it may be complex for admins, and an extensive feature set can require time and effort to master. The lack of built-in video conferencing capabilities is another drawback, though the solution does integrate with virtual classroom tools like BigBlueButton.

Being open-source, Moodle eliminates licensing fees, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious institutions. The availability of free plugins and themes further adds to its cost-effectiveness.

Moodle is a fantastic choice if you're looking for a powerful and adaptable LMS, especially for education. Its multi-tenancy architecture supports various business structures and types, making it adaptable to different corporate environments. Its open-source nature, emphasis on collaborative learning, and scalability make it a viable option in the LMS market.

Pros & Cons

  • Customizability: According to 80% of users who reviewed this, Moodle lets users add custom HTML and CSS, integrate with third-party applications, and select modules related to rubrics and outcomes.
  • Ease of Use: 90% of users praise its intuitive interface which is easy to navigate, especially for students. Its simple and intuitive features make it suitable for beginners.
  • Advanced Feature Set: 75% of reviewers highlighted Moodle’s wide range of features, such as course creation, third-party integrations, notifications and feedback, and grading rubrics.
  • Mobile Compatibility: According to 60% of users who discussed this aspect, Moodle's mobile app is very user-friendly and offers all necessary tools to support on-the-go learning. It lets users access course content, connect with team members, download learning materials and more.
  • Affordability: 80% of reviewers who discussed costs appreciated that Moodle is free to download and use and offers flexible pricing models for various needs.
  • Steep Learning Curve: Regarding this, 45% of users said Moodle has a steep learning curve for administrators. They feel its interface can be confusing to explore since it has a lot of features, and users need to know what they’re looking for to use the platform effectively.
  • Lack of Video Conferencing: 45% of users who discussed this con point out Moodle's lack of built-in video conferencing capabilities, which are increasingly important for online learning.

Key Features

  • Course Development: Create courses from scratch or upload existing ones to the system. The course builder tool allows you to:
    • Add name, category, start and end date, ID number, summary, number of sections, cover image, participants, tags, groups and other specific details.
    • Insert resources like checklists, files, forums, quizzes, wikis and more into sections. You can also set up virtual classroom sessions via BigBlueButton.
    • Add questions, files, competencies, course completion conditions, add-on apps and badges.
    • Generate reports to analyze competencies, log actions, live logs, training activities and course participation rates.
    • Import, back up, restore, copy and reset courses to reuse them.
    • Enable learners to request new courses and download course content.
  • Assignments: Use the assignment activity module to communicate tasks, collect tests and quizzes, and provide grades.
    • Allow students to submit any type of digital content, such as documents, spreadsheets, images or audio and video clips, or type text directly into the text editor.
    • Use assignments to remind students of offline tasks without having to make digital submissions.
    • Let students submit work individually or as a group. When reviewing, leave feedback comments and upload files like marked-up submissions, commented documents or audio feedback.
    • Grade assignments using numerical scales, custom scales or advanced methods like rubrics. Record final grades in the gradebook.
  • Forums: Use forums to encourage students to socialize, make course announcements, discuss learning content, host face-to-face sessions online and more.
  • Checklists: Allow teachers to create checklists and help students track tasks and to-do lists.
  • HTML5 Packages: Upload and add HTML5 Packages (H5P) to the platform. H5P allows you to integrate interactive content like presentations, videos, quizzes, games and more into course materials. Automatically grade questions attempted in H5P activities and record them in the gradebook.
  • Calendar: Log important events like assignment deadlines, upcoming meetings, and course start and end dates and more on the company calendar.
  • BigBlueButton Integration: Integrate with BigBlueButton and conduct live online classes, virtual office hours or group collaborations. Use features like audio, video, chat, slides, screen sharing, a multi-user whiteboard, breakout rooms, polling and emojis in real time. Record sessions for playback later.
  • Feedback: Design surveys with multiple-choice, yes/no or text-input questions to gather participant input. Keep responses anonymous if needed, and decide whether to share results with participants or restrict them to teachers only.
  • Notifications: Track updates and alert users when a new event occurs. Enable triggers for new course additions, upcoming deadlines, published grades, schedule changes and more.
  • Course Tracking: Monitor course progress and the number of activities completed by each learner. View their completed assignments, course start and end times, achievements and other details for each course.
  • Quizzes: Create assessments with various question types, such as multiple-choice, matching, short-answer and numerical questions, and include them in course exams, topic tests, practice sessions and more.
    • Configure options for multiple attempts, randomize question order from the question bank and set time limits.
    • Automatically grade each attempt, excluding essay questions and record results in the gradebook.
    • Customize when to display hints and feedback and correct answers to students.
  • Multi-Device Support: Access the site from any device via the free mobile app for Windows, iOS and Android. It's compatible with mobile layouts and can be used in any browser for a consistent experience.
  • Plugin Management: Manage all plugins from one interface for quick access. Provides plugins for different types of educational needs (e.g., universities). Connect with MS Office 365 and Google Apps.
  • Personalized Dashboards: Organize and access training information like checklists, badges, latest announcements, timelines and course overviews on a customizable dashboard.
  • User Management: Add new users, set user preferences, define user profile fields, upload user pictures and more.
Brightspace  Award
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Why We Picked Brightspace

Brightspace is one of our top-rated LMSs with a solid analyst score of 92. It’s designed for large organizations and is popular for both education and corporate training. 

According to our data, Brightspace has a high score for several LMS modules. These include: 

  • Collaboration: 100
  • Compliance: 100
  • Reporting and Dashboard: 100
  • Assessments: 93

One of its standout features is the flexible course builder, allowing you to create interactive courses without technical expertise. With Creator+, you can use ready-made templates to quickly build professional-looking content, complete with quizzes and polls to keep learners engaged.

Brightspace also makes it easy to add videos and multimedia, giving courses a dynamic feel. Built-in design styles help ensure that everything looks consistent and polished. The platform’s grading system, including the Gradebook, simplifies the grading process by automatically pulling in scores from assignments, quizzes and discussions. Setting up grading is easy with a step-by-step wizard, and you can provide feedback through text, audio or even annotations.

Brightspace’s predictive analytics helps you spot students who might need extra support by analyzing grades, engagement, and activity. Performance+ adds even more reporting power, letting you generate detailed reports, track learning patterns and set up personalized learning paths for each student based on their progress.

If you need advanced reporting across courses, the Achievement+ package includes tools for tracking learning outcomes and viewing results over time. This package includes features like the Outcome Achievement Dashboard and the Course Achievement Overview, which offer visual reports that can also be exported for offline use.

Brightspace integrates with third-party tools like video conferencing and student information systems. Plus, its mobile-friendly design allows students to access courses from any device, anytime. Based on our data, Brightspace stands out in collaboration, compliance and reporting. Its Performance+ suite offers real-time training insights, and it complies with standards like WCAG and SCORM, while providing strong security measures like encryption and backups.

However, compared to other platforms like Docebo or LearnUpon, Brightspace lacks certain AI-powered features such as AI-based tagging and content recommendations, which could be a disadvantage for organizations wanting advanced AI tools. Absorb LMS also offers more options for subscription management and interactive learning, which Brightspace doesn’t fully support — potentially making it less ideal for businesses looking to monetize training or enhance engagement with interactive features.

Although Brightspace excels in core features like tracking, reporting, and compliance, it’s missing some capabilities like workload balancing and lesson gating, which can help manage learner progress. Pricing varies by organization size, making it scalable, though some users note a steeper learning curve than with other platforms.

For organizations that need a customizable LMS with strong analytics, Brightspace is a worthwhile investment, especially for businesses focused on data-driven training and development strategies.

Pros & Cons

  • Comprehensive Feature Set: Brightspace gets major props for its "all-in-one" feature set that includes tools for creating and managing courses, delivering content in various formats (videos, quizzes, documents) and promoting collaboration. Users appreciate its support for different instructional approaches, whether it's entirely online, blended or traditional classroom settings.
  • User-Friendly Interface: The platform's interface is generally described as clean and intuitive, which is crucial for both instructors and students. This minimizes the learning curve, allowing users to focus on teaching and learning rather than navigating a complex system.
  • Customization: Institutions and instructors like the ability to tailor the platform to their branding and specific needs. This includes customizing themes, layouts and navigation.
  • Analytics and Reporting: Brightspace provides detailed analytics and reporting tools that allow instructors to track student progress, identify areas where students might be struggling and measure the effectiveness of their teaching methods.
  • Accessibility: Brightspace is built with accessibility in mind, complying with standards like WCAG 2.1, Section 508 and EN 301 549. Features like screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation and alternative text for images ensure that all learners, including those with disabilities, have equal access to educational content.
  • Learning Curve: While the interface is generally user-friendly, some users, especially those new to Brightspace or transitioning from another LMS, may find the initial setup and learning process to be challenging.
  • Limited Customization in Certain Areas: Although Brightspace offers extensive customization in many areas, some users have reported limitations in specific areas, such as fine-grained control over page layouts and graphics.
  • Cost: Depending on your organization's size and requirements, the cost of Brightspace can be a significant factor. Additional costs for add-ons or premium features can further increase the overall investment.

Key Features

  • Roles and Permissions: Create, define, modify and delete user roles, and assign permissions to control access to features like creating discussions or editing navigation bars. Apply roles to users for specific org units to determine their access levels, and use cascading roles to extend permissions to all subordinate org units for easier management.
  • Calendar: Display all upcoming events to learners in one central location. Post essential dates like project deadlines, office hours, in-class events and more on the calendar.
  • Assignments: Create and edit assignments using the Assignments tool, track submission times and review work directly. Associate assignments with rubrics and competencies, and return them with grades and feedback. Organize them into categories, and set restrictions by date, group membership or special access.
  • Mobile App: Use the Brightspace Pulse mobile app to let learners access course calendars, assignments, grades and announcements from one place. Send real-time alerts for cancellations, room changes, and new content or grades. Allow them to view schedules and weekly tasks with built-in visualization tools to track what’s due today, this week and later.
  • Portfolio: Use the Portfolio tool to help learners capture and showcase their learning journey. Create and update digital portfolios to track progress over time. Use the app to collect evidence, record audio and video reflections, and document achievements.
LearnUpon  Award
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Why We Picked LearnUpon

LearnUpon is a versatile and easy-to-use platform that effectively meets a wide range of training needs. Its simple interface, along with features like course creation, eCommerce options and detailed reporting, makes it a strong choice for organizations of all sizes. It excels in serving diverse audiences, including employees, customers and partners.

We particularly liked the intuitive user interface that makes it easy to manage and deliver training content. Both administrators and learners appreciate the clean design and straightforward navigation, which simplifies finding and engaging with courses. The course creation process is accessible even for those without technical expertise, allowing you to build engaging and interactive learning experiences with ease.

Another standout feature is the reporting and analytical suite. You’ll find detailed insights into learner progress, course completion rates and assessment results, helping you track the effectiveness of your training programs. These analytics enable you to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance learning outcomes.

We would also like to highlight LearnUpon’s flexibility. It supports multiple portals for catering to different audiences and managing training content efficiently. This feature is handy for handling diverse training needs and various learner groups.

The platform supports a range of content formats, including SCORM and xAPI, and includes features like gamification and mobile access to keep learners engaged. It also ensures data security with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 compliance.

However, LearnUpon lacks advanced AI features and some mobile collaboration tools, which might be necessary for specific organizations. Additionally, while the platform offers good value, the cost could be a concern for smaller businesses.

Overall, LearnUpon is a strong, user-friendly solution for managing training programs. Its intuitive interface, comprehensive reporting and smooth integrations help you streamline training processes and achieve your learning goals effectively. It might not be the best fit for very small businesses or those needing highly specialized features like advanced AI capabilities or extensive mobile collaboration tools.

Pros & Cons

  • Outstanding Customer Support: Users consistently praise LearnUpon's customer service, describing it as responsive, knowledgeable and genuinely committed to helping clients. Many reviews mention quick turnaround times for support tickets and personalized assistance from Customer Success Specialists.
  • User-Friendly Interface: The platform is noted for its clean and intuitive interface, making it easy for users to navigate and set up courses. Many reviewers highlight the ease of uploading and customizing content, which enhances the overall user experience.
  • Integration Capabilities: Users like that it supports various third-party integrations, including SAML SSO, which they find easy to implement. This feature is particularly valued by organizations looking to streamline user access across platforms.
  • Excellent Ecommerce Features: For organizations that offer courses for sale, LearnUpon's eCommerce functionalities, including easy setup with PayPal and discount code options, have been well-received.
  • Integration Challenges with Content: Some users report difficulties integrating authored content, such as SCORM files, into the platform.
  • Occasional Technical Glitches: Users have noted technical issues, such as problems with course enrollments not displaying correctly on dashboards. While these issues are not pervasive, they can disrupt the learning experience.
  • Cost Considerations: Although many users feel they receive good value for money, some reviews indicate that the pricing structure may be a concern for smaller organizations or those with limited budgets.

Key Features

  • Course Builder: Design training tailored to your needs, be it microlearning for quick lessons or comprehensive learning paths for detailed training.
    • Develop programs with diverse content types, including webinars, instructor-led training, SCORM, xAPI files, documents and videos.
    • Integrate SCORM and xAPI content from your authoring tools. Add videos with progress tracking, prevent skipping, and include captions or transcripts.
    • Upload documents and presentations directly into courses or embed Google Docs and Slides with links.
    • Schedule and manage live, instructor-led sessions, including webinars, and track their progress.
    • Structure content into modules and create learning paths that guide learners through linked courses. Build a catalog for easy browsing and self-enrollment.
    • Manage SCORM and xAPI content with ease: drag and drop files, adjust settings without reauthoring, replace files without disruption, and track learner interactions and performance.
  • Security: Adhere to international standards with ISO 27001:2013 certification for information security management. Meet stringent data security criteria with SOC 2 compliance, covering availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Leverage AWS's robust and secure cloud infrastructure for reliable performance.
  • User Management: Effortlessly manage users and minimize administrative tasks.
    • Bulk Upload: Add thousands of users at once by uploading a spreadsheet with their email addresses.
    • Import and Automate: Connect with your HRIS or CRM systems to automatically import new users.
    • Organize Users into Groups: Segment users based on specific attributes. Tailor content for each group and generate group-specific reports to track progress.
    • Define User Roles and Permissions: Customize user roles to fit your organization’s structure.
      • Administrator: Full privileges to configure settings and manage the LMS.
      • Instructor: Manage courses, mark assignments and facilitate instructor-led training.
      • Manager: Limited control to run reports and oversee specific groups.
      • Learner: Focuses on completing courses and learning paths, earning points and badges.
  • eCommerce: Create your online storefront and customize and manage it effortlessly.
    • Branding: Reflect your brand with custom colors, logos for desktop and mobile views, a large hero image, and optional videos from Vimeo or YouTube.
    • Configuration: Adjust settings for bulk purchasing, currencies (USD, CAD, AUD, GBP, EUR), course bundles, custom store URL, Google Analytics, social media integration, payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, Shopify), coupons and sales tax.
    • Adding Courses
      • Course Setup: Select courses from the "Courses" page, set prices and enable the "Course is sellable?" option. Include courses with live sessions to appear on a calendar.
  • Purchase Process: Enable learners to add courses to their cart, apply coupon codes and proceed to checkout. After payment, they receive a confirmation email and enrollment notifications, and new users can set up profiles for future courses.
  • Reporting and Analytics
    • Sales Report: Track revenue, course performance, and coupon usage. Export data for accounting and strategy adjustments.
    • Webhooks: Receive real-time notifications of purchases and course completions, integrating with systems like Slack for immediate updates.
  • Easygenerator Integration: Send courses from Easygenerator directly to your LMS. Imported courses show up as SCORM modules in the Library or as draft courses for review. Update your content in Easygenerator and control when changes appear in LearnUpon. Track learner interactions like votes and responses in Easygenerator.
  • Reporting and Performance Tracking: Use reporting tools to track and analyze various aspects of your training program, including user progression, exam results, survey responses and training histories.
    • Discover where learners may be struggling and understand course status, certifications, exam results and survey feedback with quickly exportable reports.
    • Apply filters like date ranges to tailor reports before exporting them, ensuring you obtain the most relevant information based on your needs.
    • Automatically export and share data via Excel, PDF or directly to team members' inboxes.
    • Integrate reporting data with other systems to create a unified data narrative across platforms.
    • Monitor key metrics such as enrollments and user logins directly from the admin dashboard.
  • Portals: Create distinct learning environments, or portals, within the platform to cater to different target audiences.
    • Upload company logos and apply your brand colors using the color picker to maintain a consistent brand identity across portals.
    • Set up new portals in seconds, each with its own features, users and content, tailored to specific needs.
    • Incorporate unique multimedia banners and choose to keep content separate or reuse it across multiple portals.
    • Customize URLs and remove any LearnUpon references to create a consistent brand experience for learners.
    • Copy, edit and share courses across portals with ease. Update a course in one portal and deploy changes across all linked portals.
  • Integrations: Use LearnUpon’s powerful integrations and partnerships to automate actions and enable smooth data flow between systems.
    • CRM: HubSpot, Salesforce
    • HRIS: BambooHR, Lattice
    • Webinar: Zoom, MS Teams
    • Learning & Content: Degreed, LinkedIn Learning, Go1, Elucidat
    • Sales & Partner Enablement: Gong, Impact.com
    • eCommerce: Shopify, Stripe, PayPal
    • Communication: Intercom, Slack, Zendesk
    • Access Management: Okta, OAuth 2.0, OneLogin, Microsoft Azure
  • API and Webhooks: Leverage the system API and webhooks to integrate with your products and commonly used tools.
    • API: Access comprehensive documentation to build custom integrations.
    • Webhooks: Receive real-time notifications for specific events, such as course completions or user enrollments.
  • Mobile App: Conduct and provide access to training on the go via an iOS and Android-compatible mobile app.
    • Access a dashboard summarizing enrolled and completed courses with course thumbnails and progress bars.
    • View and engage with courses through a visually informative interface that tracks overall progress.
    • Submit star ratings and comments on courses to provide feedback.
    • Manage your profile with features, including portal branding for a consistent look and feel.
    • Download documents, audio and video files for offline access.
  • Assessments: Conduct assessments to measure learner progress and course effectiveness.
    • Use various question types and set parameters like time limits, passing scores and attempts.
    • Let learners submit answers or upload files, review their work and give feedback.
    • Add regular quizzes within courses to ensure learners retain learning materials.
    • Collect feedback through surveys and course ratings.
Docebo  Award
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Why We Picked Docebo

Docebo is an AI-driven LMS that caters to a wide range of learning needs, making it particularly well-suited for large enterprises with diverse departments and audiences. Its multi-tenant architecture and configurable organizational management features allow you to manage complex structures, while the user-friendly interface and extensive customization options provide a smooth experience for both administrators and learners.

What impressed us most were Docebo's AI capabilities, which automate tasks like content tagging and translations, and offer personalized course recommendations. We appreciate how the platform’s emphasis on personalized learning paths enables users to tailor training experiences to individual roles, skills and goals. The AI-driven suggestions further enhance the learning experience by recommending courses that align with learners' interests and behaviors.

We also like Docebo's social learning features, which promote collaboration and knowledge sharing through forums, leaderboards and gamification. The integration with Microsoft Teams significantly amplifies these social learning opportunities, fostering a sense of community and encouraging active participation among users.

While Docebo offers impressive features, we found some limitations during our research. Users have reported occasional issues with webinar integrations and found the reporting capabilities limited. The platform also lacks some features like anonymous and automated grading, and the administrative interface is also considered cumbersome by some, requiring multiple steps for basic tasks.

Despite these limitations, Docebo's strengths in personalization, AI capabilities and user experience position it as a strong contender in the LMS market. The platform's focus on delivering tailored learning experiences and its extensive feature set make it a valuable tool for organizations seeking to enhance their training and development programs.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Friendly Interface: 85% of users commend Docebo for its intuitive design, which simplifies navigation for both administrators and learners. This ease of use reduces the learning curve, allowing teams to quickly adapt and utilize the platform effectively.
  • Robust Features: 80% of users highly value the platform's extensive features, including course creation, content management and assessment tools. They appreciate not having to recreate learning plans, as they can reuse existing ones, saving time and effort in course management.
  • Flexible Customization: The ability to customize the platform according to specific organizational needs is a significant advantage for 65% of users. They appreciate the option to create branded mobile apps and tailor the interface, enhancing user engagement.
  • Effective Support: According to reviews from 50% of users, the customer support team is very responsive and offers prompt and knowledgeable responses.
  • AI Capabilities: Nearly 50% of users recognize the potential of AI features in automating tasks and enhancing learning experiences. However, some feel that the AI's effectiveness is overstated, leading to mixed reviews.
  • Webinar Integration Problems: Nearly 35% of users report difficulties with webinar functionalities, particularly with the Coach & Share module. This can disrupt training sessions and limit the platform's effectiveness for live learning.
  • Complex Admin Navigation: The administrative interface is often seen as cumbersome for some users, requiring multiple clicks to perform basic tasks.
  • Issues with Offline Tracking: 40% of users see the platform's offline training tracking as inadequate, and delays in updating learner records cause issues when training is a prerequisite for other courses.

Key Features

  • AI-Powered Learning: Use AI to deliver personalized learning experiences tailored to each user’s needs.
    • Analyze learner behavior and performance to recommend relevant content and suggest learning paths.
    • Use the virtual tutor for conversational support and guidance.
    • Transform external content into microlearning lessons with the Shape tool.a
    • Automatically translate content into multiple languages with AI-powered translation.
  • Social Learning: Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing among team members through forums, leaderboards and gamification features. Enable them to engage in discussions, share ideas and ask questions. Recognize and reward achievements with leaderboards and badges to motivate active participation.
  • Personalized Learning Paths: Create personalized learning paths based on roles, skill levels, and career goals. Tailor distinct pathways to learners' competencies and interests, and include a series of courses from basic to advanced levels in each learning path.
  • Gamification: Gamify learning with points, awards and badges to boost engagement and course completion rates. Let learners exchange points for rewards, and track engagement and achievements from a central dashboard. Set specific awards for each branch to cater to diverse groups.
  • Third-Party Integrations: Docebo Connect allows you to integrate your platform with over 400 third-party SaaS systems. Connect with apps like Accredible, BambooHR, ADP Workforce Now, GoToMeeting, HubSpot, Jira, MailChimp, MySQL, Okta and NetSuite. Manage automated workflows, called recipes, to share and exchange data between systems based on specific triggers. Easily create and customize these workflows using a low-code platform.
  • Learning Impact: Understand the impact of your training programs by going beyond basic metrics and addressing challenges like complex data and low response rates. Improve your L&D programs with single-source content management, optimized survey techniques, built-in performance reporting and next-step action plans to make data-driven decisions.
  • Certifications and Retraining App: The Certifications and Retraining App lets you create and manage certification programs. Learners can earn certifications by completing courses, learning plans or external training. The app tracks and views certifications efficiently, allowing learners to see their progress. You can also customize delivery and expiration policies to fit your needs.
  • Course Catalog: Create customized course sets that users can enroll in or purchase. Activate internal catalogs for logged-in users and public (external) catalogs on the login page for broader access. Control user visibility by assigning specific groups to certain catalogs, allowing them to purchase or enroll.
  • eCommerce: Sell your training content online to internal and external customers.
    • Provide a user-friendly interface for customers to browse, preview and purchase content, including options for wire transfers.
    • Set up a professional storefront or integrate with popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Drupal, WordPress or Joomla.
    • Offer course bundles through subscription plans, and manage different plans for various customer groups based on licenses or enrollments.
    • Collect payments through global payment gateways like Authorize.net, Paypal, Adyen, Cybersource and Stripe.
  • ILT Classroom: Docebo supports both Instructor-Led Training (ILT) and Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) for in-person and online sessions. You can monitor attendance, manage waitlists and upload essential training materials for learners to access before, during and after courses. You can also track performance for certification purposes, and provide detailed records of evaluations to learners.
  • MOOC Builder: Use it to create and manage Corporate Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on your platform. Make a public course catalog visible to non-registered users, allowing them to browse and explore courses without an account. Enable self-registration directly from the public course page to simplify user access, and sell courses through the E-commerce App with easy payment options and transaction management.
  • Offline Player App: Download SCORM courses to Windows desktop computers to access and complete them offline. When back online, sync progress with the LMS to ensure all activities are updated. This allows learners to study anytime, anywhere, without an internet connection.
  • Docebo Flow: Docebo Flow lets you integrate your Docebo learning platform into other web pages.
    • Embed Docebo on any external website that allows HTML and JavaScript code. This lets you open your Docebo platform in a pop-up window when users click a button or link.
    • Display training content that matches users' actions on the website. This way, learners get relevant information exactly when they need it.
    • Set up Docebo Flow to automatically log users in, so they don’t need to enter credentials separately.

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • Subscription-based pricing model – based on the number of active users per month
  • Docebo LMS offers two types of flexible plans – Growth and Enterprise (500+ monthly active users). Please see the LMS pricing guide for details
  • The cost will vary based on the type of plan opted for
  • Billed annually and monthly (both options are available)
  • For each additional user, Docebo LMS will charge a fee of $5.90/user/month
  • All plans require at least an annual commitment
Maintenance Cost
  • Included in the subscription cost
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • The Docebo Learning Suite Enterprise plan is available for organizations, starting with 300 monthly active users and beyond. Compared to other learning technology vendors that use a monthly active user model and base usage on the number of logins, Docebo counts a monthly active user as a learner who accesses learning content within a 30-day cycle.
Customization Cost
  • Cost will vary depending on the functional requirements added on, such as Salesforce integration, phone support for admins, extended enterprise and social learning, based on business requirements
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Cost will vary depending on the current software, amount of data to be migrated, availability of migration tools, the complexity of data and gaps between the existing system and the new system
Training Cost
  • Admin training and on-demand webinars are provided by Docebo’s Learning and Support
  • There’s also a free Knowledge Base for administrators navigating the solution
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • Cost is equivalent to the subscription fee paid annually or monthly for continuous access to the product which is deactivated if not renewed on time
Absorb LMS  Award
Start Price
$16,200
Annually
Analyst Rating
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android

Why We Picked Absorb LMS

Absorb is a pretty impressive platform, especially if you're looking for something that's both easy to use and packed with features. It offers an intuitive interface and a clean dashboard with well-organized capabilities, a big plus for both learners and administrators.

AI tools help you create courses in minutes and tailor training elements to each user's specific needs. One time-saving tool we really liked is Intelligent Assist. You just have to ask a question like, “How many learners have not been graded?” and you'll instantly get the report or action screen you need.

Absorb Pinpoint, their video timestamping expert, uses AI and NLP to transcribe and timestamp video lessons. This allows you to find exactly what you want to learn in a long video without watching the whole thing, another great time-saver.

Two more things that really stood out are Absorb’s course creation and reporting modules.

With Absorb Create, you can build informational, crisp, good-looking courses using the most user-friendly tools. AI voiceovers, screen readers, themes and fonts, assessments and collaboration, and so many other elements help make course creation an enjoyable, creative and fun experience.

We are also fans of Absorb’s insightful universe powered by it’s BI tool, Absorb Analyze. Learners, courses, sessions, certificates, and ILCs — you have a report for all aspects of your training program. You can add multiple filters to drill down to the micro level and schedule them for the future.

Absorb’s gamification, user and role management, assessments and collaboration features are equally great and extremely easy to use. And if you need more help, they have Absorb Academy to fill you in on the know-how.

The only downside is that it could have some more eCommerce features and built-in virtual classroom tools. Its question bank functionality is limited to only multiple-choice and text-based questions, so it’d be nice to see some variety there. Also, while the interface is undoubtedly a cakewalk to navigate, it could use a bit of color and style, some visual flair to engage learners quickly.

Overall, Absorb LMS is a solid choice for anyone looking to boost their training and development efforts. We love that it offers a free trial, a suite of useful features for both small and big businesses alike, and excellent customer support. It has great built-in tools and integration capabilities, and rightly stands out among our top five LMS solutions.

Pros & Cons

  • Professional Development: Over 90% of users who mentioned the professional training abilities of this system felt it helped with career planning.
  • Comprehensive Feature Set: Nearly 75% of reviewers appreciate its wide range of features, including customizable course settings, multi-tenancy support, observational checklists, e-signatures and third-party integrations.
  • Customization: More than 80% of reviewers who discussed the customization features were happy with the options for personalization and branding.
  • Ease of Use: In just under 80% of reviews that discussed the UI, users highlighted the platform's intuitive interface, stating that it's easy to use for both administrators and learners. The dashboard is noted for its clean design, making navigation straightforward and enhancing the overall user experience.
  • Excellent Customer Service: Over 70% of reviewers that mentioned support felt the staff was friendly and helpful, and provided workarounds for a multitude of issues. Many reviews mentioned that the project managers and account managers are proactive in assisting clients throughout their onboarding and ongoing use of the platform.
  • In-Depth Reporting: 60% of users who reviewed its data and analytical capabilities said it offers extensive reporting capabilities with the ability to export reports easily and set up automated reporting schedules.
  • Insufficient eCommerce: In over 90% of reviews that discussed the system's eCommerce abilities, users felt it wasn’t flexible enough to sell content properly.

Key Features

  • Content Libraries: Access expert-curated, always-current courses via Amplify content portfolio. It offers three content libraries:
  • Amplify
    • Over 500 foundational courses ideal for small to mid-sized companies.
    • Features essential and mandatory business training.
    • Engaging micro-learning format for quick, impactful learning.
  • Amplify Plus
    • More than 2,000 courses covering basic to intermediate topics.
    • Includes compliance, safety, skills, and continuing education.
    • Versatile formats with bite-sized lessons, full-length courses, and instructor-led training.
    • Available in English and Spanish, with voiceovers in French and Spanish.
    • Accessibility features include closed captioning in multiple languages.
  • Amplify Max
    • Extensive library with over 20,000 courses from over 100 reputable publishers.
    • Covers essential to advanced levels, including safety, business skills, technology, wellness and industry-specific accreditations.
    • Supports diverse learning styles and is available in 90+ languages with localized content in over 40 languages.
  • Search Analytics: Track learner searches with the Search Analytics Report. This feature displays data on searches conducted by both authenticated and unauthenticated learners. Monitor which items learners select from search results, including details such as the item’s ID, name, type and rank. With the correct permissions, access information on the selected items to gain insights into learner behavior and preferences.
  • Salesforce Connector: Enable customers, partners and employees to access and engage with learning materials without leaving Salesforce.
    • Track training engagement and evaluate its impact on sales revenue and service metrics.
    • Display relevant courses on the home screen to upsell or educate prospects about new products.
    • Provide access to essential training across Salesforce Support, Sales and Community environments.
  • Course Catalog: Edit course access based on departments to ensure the right learners have the appropriate permissions. Refine course lists by name, type, vendor, tags, location, type and other criteria. Organize and view courses in various formats, including detailed, list and calendar views.
  • Third-Party Integrations: Connect with third-party apps to streamline learning management across your organization.
    • Integrate with communication tools like Zoom and HR platforms like ADP.
    • Develop custom integrations to facilitate data transfer between the LMS and other applications.
    • Integrate off-the-shelf eLearning content from the Absorb Amplify Portfolio.
    • Integrate LMS logins with existing SSO solutions to improve security and user experience.
    • Use RESTful APIs to manage and expand integrations. Build scalable workflows and connect with various systems, devices and learners both inside and outside your organization.
    • Create real-time integrations that respond instantly to key events. Use webhooks to automate notifications for events like course completions and user registrations.
  • Absorb Engage: Keep learners engaged and motivated with interactive tools. These include:
    • Polls: Gather learner feedback with customizable, open-ended polls. Design questions for fact-based, opinion-based or choice-based responses. Monitor results over time to adapt training content.
    • Collaborations: Create discussion spaces for learners to share ideas on specific topics or courses. Features include document sharing, post interactions and member messaging.
    • Leaderboards: Encourage competition by awarding points for course completions, curricula, instructor-led courses, and competencies. Learners earn points for achievements and interactions, with points being date-stamped and non-retroactive.
    • Billboards: At the top of the Learner Dashboard, display announcements, new initiatives or course promotions with eye-catching video or photo banners.
  • Dashboards: Design multiple dashboards for different departments and customize them with a variety of widgets, including competencies, reports, logins, activity and course enrollment.
    • Admin Controls: Only System Admins can create, edit or delete dashboards.
    • Permissions: Set access and editing permissions for users.
    • Report Handling: Download completed reports or have them emailed to you.
    • Dashboard Templates: Adjust the colors and images of the Learner Dashboard and the Login Page, and add a Public Dashboard.
  • Absorb Analyze: Generate custom reports to gain insights into various aspects of your LMS data, including:
    • Course Enrollment: Track details such as enrollment ID, key, type, status, dates (started, completed, expired), progress, score and more.
    • Course: Analyze course-specific data, including ID, type, name, status, language, tags, enrollment types, certificate details and other settings.
    • User: Examine user information, including ID, names, email, status, roles, job details and location, and sync data from external systems.
    • Department: Review department data such as ID, name, description, and contact information.
    • Reports: Access essential reports on learner activity, competencies, progress, course activity, curricula, evaluations, approvals, certificates, and credits.
  • Course Creation: Choose a theme for your course or build around content like screen recordings, videos, PowerPoint presentations or AI-generated materials.
    • Add and manage different content types, including course materials, instructor-led sessions, course bundles, curricula and categories.
    • Organize courses by ratings, access date, comments, self-enrollment, audience, author, automatic enrollment, average rating, category, certificate details, and more.
    • View detailed reports on learner course starts, ends, scores, departments, and certificates.
  • Course Settings
    • General: Adjust status, title, description, and default language.
    • Syllabus: Customize content, completion order, terms, mobile compatibility and proctoring.
    • Enrollment Rules: Set department restrictions, enrollment rules, self-enrollment options, automatic enrollment, approvals and eCommerce settings.
    • Completion: Define certificates, competencies, credits, leaderboard points, failure and re-enrollment policies.
    • Availability: Schedule access, due dates, expiration, prerequisites and offline access.
    • Catalog Visibility: Customize mobile app visibility, category, images and posters, and make courses mandatory or featured.
    • Course Administrators: Designate individual or department admins.
    • Messages: Manage and customize course notifications.
    • Resources: Add files and notes for learners.
    • Course Uploads: Provide instructions for uploading course materials and certificates.
    • Attributes: Enable ratings and evaluations, and add audience, vendor, goals, external IDs, time estimates and costs.
    • Social: Enable comments and collaborations.
    • Competencies: Reward users with custom designations, like 'CPR Certification,' for completing courses. Set up and assign competencies with unique names and images, which can serve as icons or badges.
    • Competency Levels: Award competencies on a scale from 1 to 10, allowing for incremental achievements and more control over user progression.
    • Access Management: Configure competencies to grant or restrict access to additional catalog content based on user achievements.
    • Reports: Use the Learner Competencies Report to view user achievements, modify data fields, create new competencies, message users, view transcripts or delete competencies.
    • Integration: Edit or add competencies to online courses, instructor-led courses or curricula.
  • ILC (Instructor-Led Courses): Facilitate live or asynchronous training sessions, either physical or virtual. Enrolled learners choose which session to attend. While a venue is optional, it helps specify the training location.
    • Recurring Classes: Schedule classes to repeat regularly with consistent time, instructor(s) and location, similar to Outlook calendar invitations.
    • Waitlist: Manage session capacity by adding learners to a waitlist when sessions are complete. Automatically enroll learners from the waitlist when seats become available or manually override capacity limits.
    • ILC Sessions Report: Access detailed reports on session details, learner enrollments, attendance, waitlists and instructor messaging.
  • Course Enrollments: Access and manage enrollments for curricula, ILCs, online courses and course bundles. Add, modify or delete course enrollments as needed. Re-enroll users in training, un-enroll them from courses, and update user details as required. Access detailed user transcripts, message users directly and review enrollments to track past training activities.
  • Enrollment Keys: Provide enrollment keys to users to automatically assign them to departments and courses, and manage validity and usage limits. Create and customize keys, name them, define access, and configure user details and notifications.
  • Observational Checklists: Use Observation Checklists to evaluate users based on specific criteria, and ensure they have the necessary skills and perform tasks effectively. Ideal for tracking mentoring and on-the-job training, these checklists help reviewers assess and document user performance.
  • Knowledge Checks: Add knowledge checks between courses to assess learners' understanding. Use question types like multiple-choice, true-or-false, matching, sequencing, pick one, pick many, drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blanks and free text.
Start Price
$4,188
Annually
Analyst Rating
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android

Why We Picked SkyPrep

SkyPrep is a versatile and easy-to-use platform that works well for training in different industries. What really stands out is how intuitive it is, with advanced tools for creating courses and integrating with other software.

Its AI capabilities are impressive — you can use AI to build assessments, create courses, generate images and provide feedback, making it a game-changer in online learning. The course builder is also a highlight, letting you upload SCORM files or create content from scratch with simple yet powerful tools. SkyPrep Studio, their built-in content authoring tool, is an excellent feature that allows you to create both text and interactive multimedia content on any device.

SkyPrep's knowledge-sharing platform, BoostHQ, is another aspect we love. It helps you share and organize important documents and videos in one place, making it easy for employees to find what they need, discuss ideas and learn from each other. Plus, you get insights into content usage and employee engagement, which is especially useful for keeping a remote workforce connected.

The branding tools are flexible and easy to use, and the platform offers enterprise-grade security. With eCommerce tools, third-party integrations, collaboration features and a mobile app, SkyPrep covers all the bases. Their AI chatbot, Sky, and the Knowledge Booster tool add a personalized touch to the learning experience, making it even more effective.

The only limitation we found is that it doesn’t have an in-built video conferencing tool. Still, it has a ton of third-party software like Zoom, Teams, GoToMeeting and BigBlueButton for live training sessions or webinars.

SkyPrep is undeniably a strong contender in the LMS market. It's user-friendly, feature-rich and caters to the training needs of various industries, with a strict focus on compliance. Whether you need to train 25 or 250 employees, SkyPrep has a set of learning management tools for businesses of all sizes, and if you’re looking for an industry leader, it ranks among our top five LMS products.

Pros & Cons

  • Excellent Customer Service: Over 90% of users who discussed support said they were attentive, well-organized and solved problems efficiently.
  • Good Functionality: More than 90% of users were pleased with the features such as the administrative tools, learning paths customization and more.
  • Streamlined Course and Content Creation: Over 90% of learners and administrators who discussed course creation capabilities were pleased with the results.
  • Easy to Use: In discussions of usability, over 80% of users felt the platform was simple to pick up and navigate.
  • Inadequate Testing: Over 70% of the reviews that discussed it found assessment abilities lacking.
  • Limited Reporting: Over 80% of reviewers who discussed analytic capabilities felt the system was too limited.

Key Features

  • Course Creation: Create course content using existing materials, a content builder or rich HTML editor, embedding links, or uploading videos from Vimeo or YouTube.
    • Add name and description, duration, credits, category, passing rules, points awarded and other details for each course.
    • Search courses by name, keyword, category or tag, and filter them based on status (active/inactive) and category.
    • View each learner and group’s course progress and completion rates.
    • Add course partitions to break your course up into separate sections visually.
  • Dashboard: Get an overview of ungraded assignments, checklists for review, pending certificates, upcoming deadlines and more on a centralized dashboard. Track active users, platform activity, and login trends for managers and learners, as well as manage widgets to configure your dashboard.
  • Mobile App: Allow learners to complete their training anytime and anywhere using the Android and iOS-compatible mobile app. Enable them to complete courses and assessments, browse the course catalog to enroll in courses, access the resource center and more.
  • Checklists: Monitor tasks completed by learners using a 1 to 5 scale, custom point values or yes/no formats. Add optional subtasks, recommend additional materials from the Resource Center, and set skills and points awarded upon completion of the checklist. You can also allow learners to complete Checklist tasks independently.
  • Compliance Tracking: Ensure employees receive required industry-specific training to understand compliance rules and prevent legal issues and penalties.
    • Easily create, manage and monitor compliance training courses in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, food and beverage, and finance.
    • Prepare for inspections with automated workflows and schedule performance reports to monitor compliance efforts effectively.
    • Automate compliance courses so they’re auto-assigned to learners.
  • Multi-Tenancy: Create sub-platforms for different segments of learners, and easily navigate and manage them all under one umbrella.
  • Branding: Use custom logos, icons, templates, domain names, CSS and color schemes to brand your platform.
  • Third-Party Integrations: Use the open API to integrate with BigBlueButton, PayPal, Stripe, OpenSesame, G Suite, Microsoft Office 365 and other third-party apps. Sign in easily through single sign-on accounts such as Facebook, G Suite, LinkedIn, Microsoft Active Directory, OneLogin and Windows Live.
  • Gamification:
    • Award points to learners when they start courses, finish checklists, attend ILTs or complete learning paths, among other achievements.
    • Give out badges when learners reach specific point milestones, like earning the Activity Novice badge at 100 points.
    • Rank learners on a company leaderboard, filter them by user type and time frame, and view total badges, points and completed courses on a dashboard.
  • Security: Secures data with SSL-certified infrastructure, HTTPS protocol, login verification, encrypting data at rest, IP and domain restriction, PCI-DSS compliance and more.
  • eCommerce: Sell self-driven or instructor-led content on a branded eCommerce website. Upload pre-existing content from Google Drive or Dropbox, automate course enrollment and reporting, process payments and track all course selling activities on a central dashboard. This includes creating emails, certifications and learning content.
  • Data Backups: Store data from the cloud and store it multiple times per day. It’s saved for up to 90 days off-site, online and on Amazon servers.
  • Reporting: Access real-time data reports on various business processes like user activity, course completion, learner performance, enrolments and more.
    • Dashboard: Get a quick, at-a-glance overview of crucial training metrics like ungraded assessments, upcoming deadlines and re-enrollments. Easily track learner and program performance to spot trends and make data-driven decisions to improve your training.
    • Reporting Wizard: Customize reports to your preferences using filters and data fields. Toggle between spreadsheet and visual views to analyze data. Favorite frequently used reports and schedule them to be emailed out on a recurring basis. Tailor the data by adding, removing or filtering columns.
    • Report Builder: Create detailed reports on learners, courses, groups and overall training. Get performance profiles, automatically grade assessments and generate certificates. Automate user enrollment in courses to streamline your training operations.
    • Advanced Reports: Access a range of reporting options at multiple levels, including user, course, group and summary reports. Accurately measure learning performance with advanced analytics.
  • Industry-Specific Compliance: Comply with HIPPA, OSHA, ISO, SOX, GDPR and other standards.
  • Course Discussion Boards: The course discussion forums are a great place to get help with course content or questions about assessments. Search for similar questions or post your own, and engage by reading and responding to posts from other learners. Mentors and active course participants can reply, and occasionally, course staff and instructors join discussions to provide assistance.
  • Assessments: Easily create assessments by uploading questions via Excel or using existing ones.
    • Choose from various question types, such as fill-in-the-blanks, multiple-choice and true/false.
    • Assign points, provide hints for each question and include feedback for learners.
    • Set skills and award points for completing assessments successfully.
    • Define a passing grade percentage to ensure learners pass the assessment.
    • Set a time limit for how long learners have to answer questions, with an option for unlimited time if needed.
    • Decide on the maximum number of attempts allowed for learners to pass the assessment, or set it to 0 to allow unlimited attempts.
    • Prevent learners from leaving an assessment until it's submitted.
    • Provide post-assessment feedback to learners after they submit their assessment and view their results.
  • Instructor-Led Training: Create ILT training sessions for various courses. Assign instructors, add start and end times, specify time zones and locations and track session progress on a dashboard.
  • Course Catalog: Upload, track and view details of all types of courses in the course catalog.
  • Learner Resource Center: Store all training materials in the learner resource center. Add the name, type and category for each resource, and include details like upload date, uploader, downloadability and any actions taken.
  • Learning Paths: Add courses, names, introductions, images, tags, categories, learners and groups to each path. Track their status and allow learners to self-enroll. Award users a certificate when they complete every course in the path. Set the skills and points awarded for completing the entire learning Path.
  • User Management: Create users and track them on a centralized dashboard. Store their personal information, such as name, email, phone, job roles and location. Add them to groups, courses and learning paths. Use the Permissions & Roles feature under Users & Groups to create custom roles in the platform and control what your users can see and access.
  • Custom Certificates: Create customized course completion certificates for each learner. Fill out the certificates with details like their name, job role, department, and the start and end date of the course.
Litmos  Award
Start Price
$5,400
Annually
Analyst Rating
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android

Why We Picked Litmos

SAP Litmos really stands out as a user-friendly, cloud-based LMS that suits businesses of all sizes and industries. We love how intuitive the interface is and how quick and easy it is to set up, making it perfect for organizations looking for a hassle-free training solution. The availability of off-the-shelf courses means you can get started with training right away without having to develop content from scratch.

The platform’s AI features are a huge plus, offering targeted materials and actionable insights to boost learning efficiency. With a vast course library and the option to monetize training content, Litmos adds excellent value to the learning experience. Its streamlined course management, customizable assessments and branding options let you tailor the platform to fit your needs perfectly.

However, there are a few areas where Litmos could improve. Expanding its compliance capabilities and enhancing collaboration features with native group chat and two-way messaging would be beneficial. Additionally, refining the course-building process and improving the content authoring tool could enhance the overall user experience.

Despite these areas for growth, Litmos is a strong choice for a flexible and efficient LMS. Its user-friendly design, AI-powered features and extensive course library make it a valuable asset for onboarding, employee development and customer training initiatives. The platform's focus on customization and flexibility empowers you to create a tailored learning experience that aligns with your brand and objectives.

Pros & Cons

  • Ease of Use: Users find Litmos easy to use, both for learners and administrators. It has a clean and modern interface that is simple to navigate.
  • Customization: The platform offers a wide range of features that can be customized to meet specific needs, such as branding and assignment management.
  • Customer Support: Users appreciate Litmos' customer support team's quick and efficient response. The Dojo learning tool and online help forums are cited as valuable resources for learning and troubleshooting.
  • Quick Setup: Many users highlight the rapid implementation process, allowing organizations to get started with training programs without extensive delays. This is particularly beneficial for companies needing to onboard employees quickly.
  • Training Efficiency: Litmos assists in the onboarding process for new employees, making it easier to conduct training programs and ensure compliance. Some users have seen a significant increase in course completion rates after switching to Litmos.
  • Reporting and Customization: Users would like custom reports to be sharable within the system without needing to export and share them manually.
  • Efficiency of Course Building: The process of building courses could be more efficient, particularly in terms of packaging content into classes and courses.
  • Font and Sizing Restrictions: The content authoring tool has some font and sizing restrictions.
  • Customer Support Issues: Some users feel that Litmos's support relies heavily on the user watching learning courses, which can be time-consuming and inefficient.

Key Features

  • Content Authoring: Create professional and interactive eLearning content, suitable for users of all experience levels.
    • Create courses and modules using the intuitive Create Module tool.
    • Customize courses with a neutral theme that highlights your organization’s colors and logos. Tailor fonts, colors and themes to ensure a consistent brand experience.
    • With the following/back options, you can effortlessly navigate through pages or slides. The "lock progress" feature allows you to track learner progress throughout the course.
    • Adhere to 508 and WCAG AA standards to make content accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Users can also select their preferred language.
    • Build courses in multiple languages and structure them with multiple pages or slides. Add, delete, and reorder pages to control course flow and coverage.
    • Use predefined templates and components, such as text and images, videos, quizzes and more. Customize it with headings, images, buttons, and audio.
    • Set various completion criteria such as Last Page, Quiz Pass or Declaration. Attach resources and save important documents for easy access.
    • Publish courses directly into Litmos Training as SCORM 1.2 or download as a SCORM 1.2 ZIP file.
  • Third-Party Integrations: Easily integrate with a variety of third-party tools like Zoom, Zendesk, Okta, BambooHR, Paylocity, Shopify and Dropbox.
  • Off-The-Shelf Content: Access 2,000+ award-winning courses, 80,000+ courses from Go1, and 4,000+ eLearning videos from Bigger Brains. Use ready-made skills tagging and learning paths, or create custom ones tailored to your organization's needs. Enhance learning with workbooks, handouts and more.
  • Mobile App: Engage with training anytime, anywhere, on any device, with a consistent experience across desktop and mobile.
    • Download courses to learn without an internet connection.
    • Enable notifications to stay on track with reminders for deadlines, new courses and upcoming training sessions.
    • Use biometric single sign-on (SSO) and access training materials and interactive content from anywhere.
    • Support for 37 languages, microlearning modules and AI integration.
  • Compliance: Create a consistent compliance culture with up-to-date, country-specific compliance courses created by experts. Upload pre-existing content, create SCORM modules or use Litmos’ off-the-shelf compliance courses. Easily track progress and measure impact using built-in or custom reports to monitor course completions, quiz results and more.
  • Ecommerce: Generate revenue from courses and certifications to boost your bottom line.
    • Sell your courses and certifications on an eCommerce platform.
    • View and adjust revenue based on delivery methods, dates and locations.
    • Sell training credits upfront and bridge revenue gaps with automated tracking and management.
    • Automatically monitor and allocate expenses for events and vendors.
    • Link revenue to different business units or product lines and create unique eCommerce accounts for each.
    • Customize the appearance of your training offerings to match your brand so that customers and partners can easily recognize them.
    • Manage training in multiple languages and currencies with built-in support for global taxation.
    • Connect with CRM, ERP and financial systems using the Litmos API to handle data accurately.
  • Surveys: Use the survey tool and pre-built reports to gather feedback from employees and discover what users think about the course. Create surveys in multiple formats, such as multiple-choice, text comments and a rating scale, and prevent learners from filling out a survey multiple times to ensure accurate results.
  • Instructor-Led Training (ILT): Easily manage both in-person and virtual instructor-led training (ILT and vILT) sessions.
    • Coordinate schedules, track attendance, and handle all training details on a single platform.
    • Integrate with webinar tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex
    • Simplify registration with features such as single sign-on, mobile access and automated calendars.
    • Automate attendance tracking and conflict checking and send alerts for schedule changes.
    • Schedule recurring sessions and add multiple instructors to sessions.
  • Assessments: Configure assessments with various question types, such as multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank. Set assessments as mandatory or optional, with customizable passing scores, and integrate them directly into courses.
  • Customizations: Personalize the look and feel of your LMS with a variety of customization tools.
  • Branding
    • Custom Branding: Tailor the LMS interface to align with your organization's brand. Modify colors, fonts, logos and backgrounds to create a cohesive brand experience.
    • Custom Login Page: Design a personalized login screen that welcomes users and reflects their brand identity.
    • Header and Footer Customization: Customize the global header and footer for both admin and learner views.
  • Course and Content
    • Built-In Authoring Tool: Use the built-in authoring tool to create and customize courses and reuse existing content, such as PowerPoint presentations and videos.
    • Learning Paths: Create customized learning paths (curriculums) tailored to specific roles or competencies, guiding learners through a structured training experience.
  • User Experience
    • Personalized Views: Create personalized learner views for users to see content that is most relevant to them based on their roles, preferences or past activities.
    • Widgets and Interface Options: You can choose from various widgets, such as news, metrics, and assigned training, to display on the dashboard.
    • Navigation Customization: Select different navigation styles, such as horizontal or vertical menus.
  • Training: Besides the solution’s content library and knowledge management capabilities, it has valuable applications for several specific types of industries.
    • Customer Training: This solution allows for better adoption, upselling, and increased buyer loyalty by providing the opportunity to train customers on how to use products. Tracking lets users see which training programs work best for customers so they can adjust training as needed. Popular training enables organizations to increase sales through the eCommerce function.
    • Sales Training: Accessible by mobile, the sales training can use video assessments to help hone pitches and integrate with a CRM. It also comes with several courses on relevant topics.
    • Operations Training: The dual use of certification programs and learning paths, allows employers to ensure their operations managers are qualified and up to date with compliance issues.
    • Gig Worker Training: For jobs in the gig economy, such as Uber, Lyft and Airbnb contractors, the software can onboard people quickly and efficiently even when they’re not in the same country.
    • Contractor Training: The solution scales easily for a sudden upsurge in workers in an unpredictable market, while reporting and analytics allow managers to monitor workers closely. Bits of microlearning can help a variety of workers answer questions quickly without disrupting the process.
    • Supplier Training: Stay in touch and up to date with suppliers through presentations, video, audio, PowerPoints, reference materials and SCORM-standardized content. Scaling also helps accommodate a significant change in learners.
  • Certificate Management: Create unique certificates to reflect the attributes of each learner and course.
    • Customize various elements of the certificates, such as logos, colors, fonts and text, to align with your brand guidelines and enhance their visual appeal.
    • Create unique certificates for each course, ensuring that the design and content reflect the specific training completed by the learner.
    • Manage the lifecycle of certifications, including expiration notifications and renewal processes, to stay compliant with industry regulations.
  • Monitor Learner Activity: Receive alerts in real time for learner activities, like course completions or milestone achievements. Use the Boost feature to schedule and send push notifications to any device, including wearables.
  • Customizable Subdomains: Create multiple subdomains per subscription, each customizable and brandable. Designate one subdomain as the primary for system-wide course assignments.
  • Gamification: Incorporate gamification elements to enhance user engagement and motivation.
    • Allow learners to earn points and badges for completing courses and display them on their profiles to encourage participation and reward progress.
    • Rank learners on leaderboards based on their points to encourage healthy competition.
    • Tailor gamification mechanics to fit organizational training goals and create a personalized learning experience.
  • Data Reporting: Track learner progress and assess the effectiveness of training programs using insightful data reports.
    • Schedule automated reports to generate and send via email, keeping stakeholders informed without manual effort.
    • Create custom reports tailored to specific metrics or KPIs, focusing on what matters most to your organization.
    • Interpret data quickly with visual dashboards and graphical representations to identify trends and areas of improvement.
    • Track comprehensive metrics, including course completions, learner engagement levels and assessment scores, to get a bird' s-eye view of training activities.
  • Social Learning: Direct messaging and discussion forums enable learners to share insights and clarify doubts in real time. Social media integration allows them to collaborate on learning paths and share achievements and progress, boosting community engagement.

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • Subscription-based pricing model – per user, per month
  • The cost will vary depending on the subscription plan chosen from the pricing plans offered by Litmos LMS: Pro or Pro + Courses.
  • In case monthly active users exceed the monthly limit, Litmos will charge extra at the start of the next billing period
  • An “active user” or “unique login” is any trainer or trainee who signs up during the billing period. Once a user has become “active,” there is no limit to the number of times they can log in
  • Billed annually
Maintenance Cost
  • Included in the subscription cost
  • Litmos provides phone and email support to Enterprise customers 24/7
  • Provides resources such as infographics, guides, white papers, videos and webinars
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • None
Customization Cost
  • Cost will vary depending on the type of functional requirements added on based on business requirements, such as the automation bundle, multi-accounts, sandboxes and migration services
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Cost will vary depending on the amount and the type of data to be migrated from the legacy system, the availability of migration tools, the complexity of data, and gaps between the existing system and the new system
Training Cost
  • Provides eLearning and online training to users
  • It offers 1-hour live product training to its users for free
  • It offers hosted on-demand training, enabling users to build, deliver and track training from anywhere
  • Trainers and users can access the training modules or learning content from their mobile devices
  • It helps users build training courses by uploading their existing training material such as PowerPoint presentations, PDF, Word, Excel and other related training documents
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • Cost is equivalent to the subscription fee to be paid based on the number of active users and customization cost
Brainier  Award
Start Price
$3,000
Monthly
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Why We Picked Brainier

Brainier is an award-winning LMS with a 93% customer satisfaction rating, a user-focused design and a comprehensive feature set.

It offers exceptional tools to personalize learning. Administrators can create custom learning paths and dashboards, and set up tailored content pages that cater to specific job roles and departments. The LMS integrates smoothly with popular apps like Salesforce, UKG Pro and Ceridian Dayforce, and lets you manage complex team structures through custom group setups and multi-tenancy.

Brainier also emphasizes AI-driven functionalities, such as AI-powered video coaching and content recommendations. It uses AI to provide real-time feedback and personalized content suggestions, ensuring that learners focus on the most relevant materials.

The solution’s video coaching capabilities support skill development through self-paced practice and personalized feedback. Its course library offers an extensive range of content, covering everything from compliance training to leadership development.

Reporting tools, including a smart report builder, offer detailed insights into learner progress, helping organizations track skill mastery and make data-driven decisions. Accessibility features and automated learning objectives further enhance the platform’s appeal by ensuring that training is inclusive and efficient.

User reviews highlight Brainier’s ease of use, scalability and excellent customer support. Many users appreciate its flexibility and integration capabilities, though some find the interface a bit cluttered. While Brainier’s pricing is competitive, it may not be the best fit for smaller businesses or those with limited budgets, as its features could come at a higher price point.

Brainier is ideal for mid-sized to large enterprises, especially in industries like healthcare, manufacturing and financial services, offering customizable learning, compliance tracking and integration with HR systems like ADP and UKG. With personalized learning paths, detailed analytics and scalability, Brainier supports both growing businesses and established enterprises, ensuring effective employee engagement and training outcomes.

However, companies primarily needing basic course delivery or those with highly specific training requirements may find Brainier’s extensive capabilities overwhelming and might require customizations.

Pros & Cons

  • Ease of Use: Users find the platform easy to navigate, with a straightforward and intuitive interface. The student portal is highly praised for its simplicity and ease of use.
  • Responsive Support: Users appreciate the friendly and helpful support staff, who are available via multiple channels (email, chat, phone).
  • Integrations and Custom Security: Many users like that it integrates with other HR software products, including payroll, benefits and performance management solutions, and allows them to set custom securities to manage user accessibility and security levels.
  • Comprehensive Content Library: Users praise Brainier’s content library, which includes a wide range of learning materials covering common business issues like skills development and leadership training.
  • High Costs: The pricing structure may be a deterrent for smaller organizations with limited budgets.
  • Busy Interface: Some users find the design to be too cluttered, which can make it less intuitive to use.

Key Features

  • Content Creation: Use Chameleon Cloud to transform your PowerPoint presentations and video library into tailored learning content.
    • Customize your training materials to fit your organization’s specific needs.
    • Incorporate full-motion video, study materials, discussion questions and multiple-choice tests into your content.
    • Ensure compatibility with AICC, SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004 formats.
  • Embedded AI: Use AI-powered tools to enhance and contextualize the learning experience.
    • AI Coach & Auto Analysis: Use AI Coach for real-time feedback on speech content and delivery during video coaching. This tool provides quantitative and qualitative feedback, including keyword analysis and delivery metrics.
    • Content Creation: Automate quiz, survey and object description creation with generative AI.
    • Auto-Tagging Learning Objects: The system scans content to suggest relevant tags, and efficiently categorizes learning objects by topics, subjects and competencies.
    • Learning Content Recommendations: AI analyzes tags and actions to recommend relevant content, helping learners bridge knowledge gaps and follow a guided learning path.
  • Ecommerce: Turn your learning content into a revenue stream by selling courses internally and externally.
    • Set custom pricing rules easily using your organizational chart.
    • Offer flexible payment options, such as credit cards, PO numbers and promo codes.
    • Process payments securely through PayPal without storing credit card information.
  • Gamification: Engage learners with built-in gamification features that inspire friendly competition and reward top performers.
    • Create leaderboards to identify top performers using a points system and customizable goals.
    • Unlock badges and ranks through activities like completing courses and sharing content, with easy admin customization.
    • Recommend relevant courses based on job titles, locations and completed courses.
  • Assessments: Use built-in assessment tools for comprehensive evaluations, including self-assessments and 180 and 360-degree reviews.
    • Use a variety of question types, such as linear scales, radio buttons, drop-down menus, essays and text boxes.
    • Configure different sections and points within assessments to map competencies.
    • Recommend relevant learning content based on assessment results to address skill gaps.
  • Content Library: Use the built-in content library featuring essential topics and expand it further with top content providers for extensive off-the-shelf learning options. Course topics include:
    • HR Compliance: Ensure compliance with state and industry regulations.
    • Finance: Enhance financial literacy with Banker’s Academy.
    • Leadership Development: Develop mentoring, management and leadership skills.
    • Productivity: Improve day-to-day efficiencies and overall strategies.
    • Customer Support: Deliver exceptional customer support with materials designed for meaningful and personal interactions.
  • Analytical Reporting: View real-time learner progress with powerful analytics tools, including native reporting dashboards, data visualization and custom reports.
    • Configure the system to deliver up-to-the-minute learning data via email or FTP, tracking overdue training, event registrations and approaching expiration dates.
    • Provide role-specific access to relevant learning data for administrators, instructors, managers and custom roles.
    • Empower leaders at all levels to view critical learning information tailored to their needs and organizational structure.
    • Use the Smart Report to get an in-depth view of individual or group progress, as well as a summary of all learning activities in the LMS to date.
    • Use the Custom Report Builder to create reports that meet specific business needs. With over 1,000 standard report options and customizations, it generates insightful data on users, groups, and learning objects.
    • Configure these reports to auto-generate and deliver on a regular schedule.
  • Social Learning: Enable learners to like, comment and share content within the system.
    • Allow learners to engage in discussions, share knowledge and build communities of practice via forums.
    • Use the learner directory to connect learners to peers and mentors
    • Use real-time chat, group chat and native video chat with screen share to enhance collaboration and interaction.
  • Compliance Management: Simplify access to compliance training with single sign-on (SSO) or an efficient access page. Employees can quickly navigate to their required courses via a customized dashboard, reducing confusion and enhancing the user experience.
    • Training At-Scale: Set up recurring assignments for annual compliance, re-certifications and safety courses. Custom expiration dates and automated reminders help prevent overdue training and reduce administrative tasks.
    • Learner Analytics: The Analytics Dashboard gives you real-time oversight of learning progress. Segment groups and access detailed data on specific learners or teams. Built-in reporting tools monitor compliance training status from a macro or micro perspective.
    • Common Compliance Content: Access extensive off-the-shelf compliance course libraries relevant to 99% of industries. These courses cover essential topics like harassment prevention and workplace safety, meeting state mandates and reducing the need for additional sourcing.
TalentLMS  Award
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Why We Picked TalentLMS

TalentLMS stands out as a user-friendly and adaptable LMS that caters largely to small and midsize businesses. Its intuitive interface, advanced feature set and focus on customization make it a useful tool for employee, customer and partner training.

According to our data, TalentLMS supports several key LMS modules fully out of the box. These include:

  • Collaboration: 100
  • Content and Course Management: 100
  • Ecommerce: 100
  • Reporting and Dashboard: 100

Its extensive feature set allows you to create and manage content, sell courses online and facilitate real-time communication. The AI-powered course creation tool, TalentCraft, enables you to generate personalized courses that address specific skill gaps quickly.

You can use custom certificates to showcase your company’s branding and course completions. Users can quickly log in to the system using SSO, and learn anytime, anywhere on the mobile app.

Integrations with tools like Zapier add automation options, and the support team and community resources provide valuable resources and guidance to help you set up. You can also add new users and features as needed to the platform without having to switch systems.

I recently tested TalentLMS through its free plan and explored key features like course authoring, reporting, gamification and integrations. The platform’s dual interface options — legacy and modern — made navigation smooth and intuitive, and I appreciated how easily I could access course materials, progress tracking and reports.

TalentLMS also impressed with its AI-driven course creation tools and the ability to quickly add a variety of content types, including assessments, SCORM files and multimedia. The platform’s customizable dashboard and notification features made managing courses and users effortless.

I dive deeper into my experience in the “See It in Action” section, where I provide more insights on the course authoring process, reporting tools and gamification elements.

One area where TalentLMS could improve is its video capabilities. The platform lacks full support for virtual classrooms, attendance tracking, session recording and interactive whiteboards. Additionally, the mobile app could benefit from push notifications to keep learners updated on their training progress.

TalentLMS is great for small to medium businesses, with a vast feature set and affordable starting price. It’s ideal for straightforward setups, though costs can increase with more users or added courses, which might be a challenge for larger organizations.

Pros & Cons

  • Ease of Use: 85% of users praise TalentLMS's intuitive and user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for both administrators and learners to create courses and navigate the platform.
  • Affordability: Over 70% of users regard TalentLMS as an affordable LMS, especially for small to medium-sized businesses.
  • Excellent Customer Support: 70% of users highlight the responsive, knowledgeable and helpful customer support team that’s quick to address any issues and questions.
  • Feature-Rich: According to 65% of users, the solution offers a diverse feature set that caters to varied industry-specific requirements.
  • Mobile App Limitations: 45% of users who reviewed the mobile app said it has limited functionality compared to the web-based platform, with some users unable to perform specific tasks on the go.
  • Onboarding and Implementation Challenges: A few users (30%) expressed that the initial setup and onboarding process can be challenging, especially for users who’ve never used an LMS before.

Key Features

  • Dashboard: Get an overview of active users, assigned courses, training time, course completion rates and more. Use the Timeline widget to track account activity, monitor each course’s progress status, and add or delete widgets to customize your dashboard.
  • User Management: Create and store users' personal information, such as name, location, bio, sign-in credential, learner type and email.
  • Course Creation: Add the course code, specify the category and pricing, insert intro videos, assign start and end times, set completion rules and include certificates for each course. Fill the courses with text, videos, PPTs, images, assignments, surveys and more.
  • Course Management: Reuse presentations and videos or find external media to build classes. Offer certifications for compliance courses and create learning paths tailored to each user’s requirements.
  • Course Store: Subscribe to TalentLibrary to access over 900 English and Spanish courses in various fields, such as HR, leadership, safety and compliance, personal development and business skills.
  • Gamification: Offer discounts as rewards when learners achieve a set number of points, badges or levels. Reset users' gamification statistics as needed, either for the whole portal or for a specific group or branch. You can:
    • Award users with points for different learning activities.
    • Give badges to highlight milestones in their learning journey.
    • Represent stages in their learning journey with levels.
    • Show users their learning progress in points compared to others with leaderboards.
  • Integration: Integrate directly with third-party apps like WordPress, BambooHR, GoToMeeting, Salesforce and Shopify. Add Zapier to access over 750 additional options like Slack and Zendesk, and use the API and JavaScript integrations for additional extensibility.
  • Security: Protect sensitive data with features like AWS storage, 2FA, DDoS, BCDR, incident response plans and STAR compliance.
    • Restrict registration to specific email domains and prevent multiple logins from different browsers.
    • Disable video transcoding if videos are web-compatible and add a system logo watermark on uploaded videos.
    • Meet the guidelines for various security and accessibility standards, such as ISO 27001, ISO 9001GDRP, PCI Compliance and WCAG-2.
  • Files Repository: Organize, reuse and share files with selected users. Upload and store various types of files in your account, and easily manage and distribute them.
  • Collaboration: Allow instructors and learners to engage in discussions, interact through video conferencing, send group and private messages and stay connected at each touchpoint of the training process.
  • Branches: Create independent sub-portals (branches) for various departments, user types and customers. Customize each portal with its own URL, theme, language, users and courses.
  • Automation: Automate day-to-day tasks to avoid manual admin work and reduce errors. Assign courses to many users simultaneously, send reminders, deactivate users and more.
  • Reporting: Generate data reports to track key metrics like course completion rates, courses not started or passed, courses in progress, and training time for each learner, branch, group and course. Track users and their roles, progress status, scores, and completion dates and times for each course. Create and automatically export custom reports.
  • Learning Activities: Add learning activities like assignments, tests, surveys and ILT training to courses.
  • Blending Learning: Use blended and instructor-led training (ILT) to organize classroom events, manage all aspects of ILT sessions, set up automatic notifications and deliver virtual lessons in real time.
  • Assessments: Build a variety of tests with different question types, such as multiple-choice, drag-and-drop matching, ordering, fill-in-the-blank and open-ended questions. Use them to evaluate learner progress and knowledge retention.
  • Surveys Engine: Build surveys to gain insights into your learners and training. Send surveys, collect responses and analyze results to gather valuable feedback and data.
  • Learning Paths: Set up learning paths by selecting the desired course. They can link courses to create the path and add prerequisites, so learners must complete these courses in any order before proceeding. They can also create alternative paths using the Add an alternative rule option and enable Levels in the Gamification tab to require learners to reach a certain level before accessing a course.
  • TalentLibrary: With a subscription, you can access high-quality content in the form of interactive quizzes, expert-created materials and new classes stored in the online library.
  • Embedded Video Conferencing: Use a built-in tool for conducting meetings via video call and integrate it with popular apps like Zoom, Google Meet and Skype.
  • Mobile App: Allow learners to complete their training on the go using the iOS and Android-compatible mobile app.
Start Price
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Why We Picked Canvas

Canvas is an eLearning solution used for online, in-person and hybrid learning in a variety of educational settings. Users praise its smooth interface, mobile accessibility and integration capabilities, while also highlighting some technical and usability challenges that may require attention.

Users found the system easy to use and navigate, and were happy with its vast suite of features, especially the grading, assignments and assessment tools. Most reported that it’s budget-friendly and had positive experiences with customer service.

On the downside, users said they encountered bugs and glitches in the program. They requested a more flexible due date policy and more ease of use in advanced features.

All things considered, Canvas is a versatile LMS that provides a modern platform and industry-specific features to make learning more engaging and personalized. It may require some initial investment in training and customization, but it delivers a positive overall experience for both instructors and students.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Friendly Interface: According to 60% of users who mentioned this pro, Canvas offers an intuitive and navigable interface, and is easy to use for both instructors and students.
  • Mobile Accessibility: The Canvas mobile app, praised by 72% of users, offers a responsive design and on-the-go access on various devices.
  • Best-In-Class Integration Capabilities: 55% of users said Canvas integrates well with a wide range of third-party tools and services, and helps create a customized learning environment.
  • Effective Communication and Collaboration Features: 45% of users appreciate Canvas’ communication tools, specifically discussion boards, announcements and email.
  • Personalized Course Design: Canvas offers flexible course designs, allowing instructors to create personalized learning experiences for their students, said 40% of users.
  • Technical Glitches and Bugs: Nearly 40% of users report experiencing technical issues, such as system crashes, data loss and bugs.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Complex Features: According to 30% of users, while the overall interface is user-friendly, more advanced features have a steep learning curve.
  • Rigid Due Date Policies: Some users mentioned that Canvas's rigid due date rules can be challenging for students who submit work late due to technical issues or other reasons.

Key Features

  • Course Creation: Create new courses using built-in interactive tools. Add specific details like name, course code, due date, language, grading scheme, modules and sections, description and more.
    • Announcements: Share key course information with everyone. Remind students of dates and tasks, point them to valuable resources, celebrate achievements and highlight events. You can include text, multimedia and files.
    • Grades: Show grades as points, percentages and complete/incomplete. Filter and arrange Gradebook entries, automatically apply grades for missing/late work, and hide grades until you're ready to release them.
    • People: Depending on permissions, add students, teachers, assistants and observers. Create student groups for group assignments, discussions and file sharing.
    • Pages: Create interactive content like weekly updates, collaborative wikis or resource lists. Include text, multimedia and links, and allow students to contribute to specific pages.
    • Files: Easily insert files into modules, assignments, discussions or pages. Share files with students or lock them until ready for download.
    • Quizzes: Use the New Quizzes engine for diverse question types. If unavailable, use Classic Quizzes to achieve your objectives.
    • Modules: Organize content by weeks and units. Add files, discussions, assignments, quizzes and more. Set prerequisites or lock modules until specific dates.
    • New Analytics: Use the New Analytics tool to monitor who has viewed content and participated in assignments and identify students needing extra support.
  • Dashboard: View published/unpublished courses, access the calendar and upcoming events, start new courses, view grades, enable notifications and more.
  • Assignments: Include quizzes, graded discussions and various online submissions (files, images, text, URLs media). Assign to everyone or set different due dates for specific groups. Organize assignments into groups, weigh them by percentage, and enable Peer Review for student feedback.
  • Gradebook: Easily input and distribute grades using various methods, such as points, percentages, pass/fail, GPA scale and letter grades.
    • Use SpeedGrader to assign grades and provide feedback efficiently.
    • Automatically create columns in the Gradebook for assignments, discussions, quizzes, surveys and attendance tracking.
    • View grades by grading periods, sort by due dates or student names, and apply specific filters for streamlined management.
    • Download and grade assignments offline and calculate totals.
    • Monitor grades across all courses, notify students of graded assignments and manage grade history.
    • Customize grading curves, message students based on assignment status, leave private comments and excuse assignments when necessary.
  • Rubrics: Set custom or outcome-based assessment criteria to communicate quality expectations. Use rubrics to align learning outcomes, assess submissions in SpeedGrader and support non-scoring assessments for comprehensive grading.
  • Canvas Catalog: Integrate with Canvas Catalog to streamline course offerings.
    • Easily bundle multiple courses into programs and enable registration for community education and professional development.
    • Create branded sub-catalog listings for specific departments or organizations.
    • Customize page templates for FAQs, contact info and individual course landing pages.
    • Set up personalized certificates and automate their distribution.
    • Allow students to track their progress with customized dashboards.
    • Generate reports on course progress, registrations, revenue and enrollment trends.
    • Offer hassle-free self-registration and self-paced courses with automated enrollment, payments and certificate distribution.
    • Build, manage and customize courses and programs.
  • SpeedGrader: Quickly grade student submissions in one place with SpeedGrader. Use a simple point scale or detailed rubrics to assign grades, and accept various document formats and URLs to mark up assignments directly for feedback. Sort submissions by student, hide names for anonymous grading and track your progress. Easily view submission details, handle resubmissions and manage moderated assignments.
  • Intelligent Insights: Enhance teaching and learning effectiveness with Intelligent Insights, a premium analytics solution tailored for admins.
    • Use AI and analytics to gather actionable data.
    • Leverage conversational AI for quick ad hoc data requests and pre-built analytics for tracking goals such as course effectiveness and student success.
    • Customize insights to pinpoint best practices, optimize LTI usage and address learning needs.
    • Build custom dashboards and automate SQL queries to streamline data management and improve learner support.
    • Identify courses that need improvement, notify instructors promptly and foster continuous improvement across teams.
  • Roll Call Attendance: Manage attendance in courses using the Attendance (Roll Call) tool, an external LTI app suitable for both online and face-to-face classes. Enabled at the account level, users can access it across all courses within your Canvas account.
  • Discussions: Communicate about course topics anytime. Create graded or casual discussions for idea exchange and problem-solving. Use threaded discussions for detailed topics and focused discussions for short exchanges.
  • Assessments: Administer assessments in the form of assignments, quizzes and discussions.
  • Assignments
    • Allow students to submit assignments online through text entry, file uploads, media recordings, external tools, URLs or Canvas pages.
    • Assign to individual students, groups or sections.
    • Include a due date for Not Graded assignments, without providing points or grades.
  • Discussions
    • Grade student responses to discussion topics.
    • Assign to individual students, groups or sections.
  • Quizzes
    • Conduct surveys or assess student comprehension of course content through quizzes.
    • Assign to individual students or sections, but not to groups.
  • Collaboration: Teachers can communicate with individual students, groups or the entire class through messaging, audio notes, video and more. Students can work together via chat groups, video and other messaging tools.
  • Mobile App: Provide equal access to curriculum and instruction with native mobile apps for students, teachers and parents on iOS and Android devices.
  • Canvas Student: Enables students to access courses anytime, anywhere. They can:
    • View grades and course content.
    • Submit assignments.
    • Keep track of coursework with a to-do list and calendar.
    • Send and receive messages.
    • Post to discussions, take quizzes and watch videos.
    • Receive notifications for new grades and course updates.
  • Canvas Teacher: Helps teachers manage their courses anywhere, both in and out of the classroom. This app offers quick access to three main tasks:
    • Browse submissions and give feedback to students with the enhanced mobile SpeedGrader.
    • Send announcements and messages (like "Message Students Who..."), and join course discussions quickly.
    • Change due dates, publish assignments and correct misspellings directly from your phone.
  • Canvas Parent: Allows parents to see their child's educational details easily at a glance. They can:
    • View assignment descriptions and due dates
    • Set reminders for assignments
    • View assignment and course grades
    • View course announcements
  • Outcomes: Set and track learning goals. Focus on skills and activities, not just grades. Assess progress using the Learning Mastery Gradebook. Import existing outcomes and align them with course rubrics.
  • SIS Imports: Upload and integrate data from SIS using CSV files or through the Canvas API. Manage users, accounts, courses, enrollments, logins and more. Use IMS Enterprise Specification XML zip files or Banner Grade Exchange Results XML for automated imports.
  • Canvas Studio: Create, deliver and organize video content in various formats within your media library using Canvas Studio.
    • Upload videos directly from devices or integrate them from YouTube into courses.
    • Monitor student engagement by tracking views, duration and interactions.
    • Connect with platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts.
    • Engage students with interactive video quizzes, real-time feedback and integrated Gradebook.
    • Provide personalized feedback using SpeedGrader and customize learning paths with MasteryPaths.
    • Encourage student participation through video creation and peer feedback.
    • Integrate instruction, assessment and additional learning opportunities directly into the video experience.
  • Conferences: Integrate with BigBlueButton to host lectures, office hours and group meetings. Broadcast audio/video, share slides, and demonstrate applications and resources.
  • ePortfolios: Create ePortfolios to display and discuss your students’ submissions and experiences. Allow them to collect and document educational projects, assignments and more. Keep ePortfolios private or share them with peers, instructors and future employers.
  • Video Assessments: Create engaging video quizzes where students answer questions as they watch. Give instant feedback and automatically submit grades to the Gradebook. Review videos and provide comments. Use SpeedGrader to apply rubrics and offer quick, personalized feedback.

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All LMS Software (356 found)

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TalentLMS

by TalentLMS
TalentLMS
TalentLMS is an online training tool that facilitates learning through features like course management, progress tracking, reporting and gamification, branching and automation, and third-party integrations. The solution supports enterprise-level learning initiatives with personalized themes and unique sets of courses and audiences. It supports multiple languages, runs on Amazon's CDN for reliable performance, and provides a user-friendly interface for learners, admins, and instructors alike. It also includes mass action tools, automation options, and a RESTful API for data access. Plus, it offers custom fields and a marketplace for easily accessing additional classes. User reviews praise TalentLMSs intuitive interface, responsive customer support and course creation capabilities. I tested the product and found that it’s really easy to use, even if you're not tech-savvy. You can create courses, track your team's progress and even add some fun games to keep them engaged. It offers four pricing options: Core, Grow, Pro and Enterprise, each with a varied set of features. The free plan accommodates up to five users, and paid plans start at $89 per month. You can choose between monthly and annual billing options, and there are no long-term contracts, giving you the flexibility to adapt to your changing needs. Our Research Process for TalentLMS I tested TalentLMS through its free plan, diving into everything from course authoring to reporting and gamification. Getting started was easy — just create an account, add up to five users, and you’re off to explore key features like course creation, reporting and integrations. The interface was super intuitive, with two options: a legacy and a modern version. Both were easy to navigate, with a clean design that helped me quickly access course materials, progress tracking and reports. I was able to build courses from scratch, upload documents and even use AI to generate content in minutes. The platform supports various content types like tests, surveys, videos, SCORM files and more. I also tested the reporting features, which offered great flexibility, including customizable infographics and training status reports. For a little fun, I explored the gamification features, where learners can earn points and badges and track their progress on leaderboards. To wrap it all up, I checked out the mobile app, which let me track progress, view achievements and send messages, though it lacked the ability to create courses or generate reports on the go. Keep reading to get the full scoop on how each feature performs and where the platform shines (and where there’s room for improvement).
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
Company Size
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Adobe Learning Manager

by Adobe
Adobe Learning Manager
Adobe Learning Manager (formerly Adobe Captivate Prime) is a digital learning platform that helps train customers, employees, partners and franchisee workforce. It lets you create personalized and immersive learning experiences with support for hybrid classrooms, video conferencing and SSO integrations. It's easy to use, has lots of built-in resources, and makes your courses look and function great on any device. You can use Learning Manager to: Make training videos: Record your screen or use special effects to make effective how-to tutorials. Track how people are learning: Get detailed reports on how your courses are being used. Create interactive activities: Keep learners engaged with quizzes, games and other interactive elements. Train employees on workplace rules and regulations: Make sure your team knows the rules and stays compliant. User reviews for Adobe Learning Manager are a mixed bag. While some users praise powerful features for course creation and learner engagement and its visually appealing interface, others find it complex and challenging to navigate, highlighting difficulties with reporting and user experience. Adobe’s exact pricing details aren’t public, but their website mentions two pricing models: Registered User, for a fixed group of learners with continuous access, and Monthly Active User, for organizations needing flexible, on-demand access. Both models support use cases like employee reskilling, compliance, sales and customer education.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Brightspace

by Desire2Learn
Brightspace
Brightspace is a cloud-based LMS that supports personalized learning for educational institutions, corporations, healthcare institutions, nonprofits and more. For K-12 schools, it offers blended and virtual learning options, along with tools for professional learning. For companies, it provides an engaging learning platform to train employees, customers and partners.Key features include tools for tailored learning experiences, intelligent agents, analytics for tracking progress, course authoring and a gradebook with a mastery view. You can choose from flexible options to build and curate content, and use its mobile-friendly design for on-the-go learning.Users praise Brightspace for its extensive features, user-friendly interface and proactive support. A large number of reviews mention its exceptional implementation and onboarding process, praising the responsiveness and speed of the support team. While the majority of users are impressed by the solution’s capabilities, some mentioned that it may have a learning curve for new users.The exact pricing of the solution isn’t mentioned online. For accurate pricing details based on the size and requirements of your institution, you can contact the vendor for a custom quote.On the bright side, you can access the 30-day free trial to get hands-on experience with the platform. It includes a variety of pre-loaded courses to explore and a sandbox area where you can experiment with creating your own course.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$100 - $500
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android

Absorb LMS

by Absorb Software
Absorb LMS
Absorb is a cloud-based LMS designed to enhance corporate training and education. It caters to organizations of all sizes, offering scalability, a user-friendly interface, and a wide range of features such as gamification, personalized learning paths, content libraries and social learning tools to keep learners engaged.You can create, manage and deliver diverse training materials, and integrate with various third-party platforms, including HR, video conferencing and CRM tools. Advanced reporting and analytics provide valuable insights into learner progress and training effectiveness, helping you make data-driven decisions that align with business goals.The Absorb Learning mobile app, free on iOS and Android devices, provides anytime, anywhere access to training. Absorb Intelligence, an AI-powered toolset, uses predictive AI and natural language recognition to connect learners with relevant content, enhance search and microlearning, and streamline administrative tasks.Users like Absorb LMS for its intuitive design, advanced features, scalability, comprehensive analytics and exceptional customer support, all of which contribute to a positive learning and administrative experience. You can request a quote for pricing information.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
Cost Breakdown
$1,000 or more
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android

Pricing & Cost Guide

See the Price/User for the top Learning Management Software… plus the most important considerations and questions to ask when shopping.

Buyer's Guide

Learning Management Systems Are All About Delivering Customized, Engaging Training

Key Takeaway 1

Learning management systems are online learning and training tools used by corporations, educational institutions, government agencies and more.

Key Takeaway 2

Essential software features include course management, learning paths, gamification, assessments and third-party integrations.

Key Takeaway 3

Emerging trends in the LMS software space include mobile learning, GenAI, immersive learning and microlearning.

Key Takeaway 4

While evaluating various solutions, focus on how well they meet your learning requirements, compare vendors’ services and support options, and conduct a detailed cost analysis.

Primary Benefits

First thing’s first, how can an LMS help you? Let’s look at some of its key benefits for businesses and educational institutions.

Benefits of LMS Software

Remote Access

Since LMS software is typically accessible via laptops, desktops and mobile phones, learners can study at their own pace and convenience despite working from different locations and/or time zones. Accessibility features such as screen reader compatibility and adjustable font sizes cater to diverse learner needs, including those with visual or hearing disabilities.

Greater Savings

Learners save big on travel expenses since they don’t have to commute to class. Going virtual also saves you overhead costs on renting space, employing staff and using paper-based learning materials.

By centralizing learning resources and automating administrative tasks, the software streamlines training operations and saves operational costs. Many solutions are scalable, helping you train large numbers of learners or add new features to the platform without incurring significant incremental costs.

Easy Customizations

You can customize learning paths, content and assessments to align with organizational goals and individual learner needs. Customizable reporting and analytics features enable you to track specific performance metrics and gain data-based insights into business objectives.

Real-Time Collaboration

Social learning tools, such as peer reviews, discussion boards, and group projects and assignments facilitate knowledge sharing and community building. You can integrate the system with communication and collaboration tools, such as video conferencing and messaging platforms to enable seamless collaboration between learners and instructors.

Valuable Insights

Data-driven insights help identify learning trends, assess the effectiveness of training programs and make informed decisions to optimize learning outcomes. With detailed learner analytics, organizations can identify skill gaps, track certification compliance and measure the impact of training on overall performance.

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Key Features

Systems live or die by their features, so it’s crucial to prioritize your organization’s must-have functionality. Our LMS requirements guide and checklist go through a more comprehensive approach by defining and examining different systems. Below is an essential glossary of terms and tools you’ll encounter during your search.

Authoring Tool

Create lessons using multimedia elements like videos, images, PDFs and links to share with others. Allow admins to make and publish content, and learners to review and suggest changes to it.

Assessments

Gauge learners’ understanding of course content and overall progress using various assessment formats such as quizzes, tests and assignments.

Choose from a range of question types like MCQs, Fill in the blanks and True or False, use various grading options and provide automated feedback.

Course Management

Create, store and manage multidisciplinary courses. Populate them with various types of content formats such as documents, videos, quizzes and assignments and assign them to learners.

Certification and Compliance

Track, schedule and assign mandatory training and certifications to employees to ensure adherence to industry standards and regulations.

Document and verify completed certifications, maintain compliance records and send automated notifications and reminders to ensure timely completion of certification courses.

Mobile App

Allow learners to access virtual courses, participate in learning communities, take quizzes and more on the go using the mobile app.

Security

Keep data safe and secure in a centralized locale, especially useful for cloud-based LMS solutions, with third-party authentication, single sign-on, end-to-end encryption and PCI-DSS compliance.

Reporting and Analytics

Measure and track activities such as registrations, attendance, completion rates and resource usage. Analyze learner behavior, instructor and course performance or outcomes.

Scheduling

Schedule training and classes that accommodate multiple schedules across regions. Coordinate important events like classes, meetings, submission deadlines and conferences on an integrated calendar.

Virtual Classroom

Instructors can deliver and manage live classes online, keep track of student attendance, provide real-time feedback to learners, assign online group work and share resources.

Social Learning

Facilitate collaborative learning tools like messaging boards, discussion forums, group chats and more.

Learning Paths

Tailor learning paths and content based on learner profiles, job roles and performance data. Implement adaptive learning algorithms to adjust content and assessments to meet the unique needs of each learner.

Offer personalized course and content recommendations to enhance the learning experience.

Performance Management

Assess and track learner performance using real-time data reports that provide insights into course completion rates, class participation trends and overall engagement.

Use this data to establish learning objectives, competency frameworks and skill development plans aligned with individual goals and objectives.

Gamification

Make the learning process more engaging and entertaining by incorporating game-based elements such as badges, points and leaderboards.

Single Sign-On

Allow learners to use a single set of authentication details to log into multiple systems. Standard authentication protocols for integrating SSO include OAuth2 and SAML.

Third-Party Integrations

Integrate with various third-party applications, content repositories and learning tools.

Enable access to a wide range of external resources, such as eBooks, simulations and multimedia content within the LMS environment.

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Current & Upcoming Trends

Since this industry lives and dies by information, it’s no surprise that it’s continually evolving. Here’s what’s on the horizon for LMS in the next year and beyond.

LMS Software Trends

Data and Analytics

Beyond tracking completion rates, organizations are harnessing AI-powered analytics to unlock a deeper understanding of learners’ behavior and engagement, knowledge retention and skill mastery. A data-driven approach empowers educators to move from a one-size-fits-all model to an individualized learning experience that facilitates each learner’s personal growth and development.

Predictive analytics helps forecast learner outcomes and create early intervention strategies to support struggling students. Additionally, you can use content and learner data to assess the effectiveness of learning materials and instructional methods, leading to data-driven decision-making in curriculum development.

Mobile Learning

Organizations are going from simply programming mobile options to a mobile-first mindset. It’s so easy for learners to log in and train when it’s convenient for them. Over 65% of working-age internet users use the internet via mobile devices. That’s why more organizations are designing classes and materials for mobile before anything else and making it their priority.

Fractional Service Expertise

This shift empowers organizations to tap into the specialized knowledge and agility of freelance learning experts at a fraction of the cost of full-time employees. It involves picking and choosing the specific expertise you need for your LMS solution, whether it's content curation, gamification design or learner support, without traditional overhead or ongoing costs.

It breaks down hiring barriers too, allowing you to access niche expertise beyond your local talent pool. Need a VR training specialist for your immersive learning project? Or a microlearning guru to design bite-sized, engaging modules? Fractional services make it possible.

This agility fosters innovative learning solutions, allowing you to adapt quickly to changing needs and industry trends.

Immersive Learning

By incorporating immersive experiences like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) into LMS platforms, educators and trainers can create hands-on learning opportunities for learners.

These technologies enable learners to explore virtual environments and interact with content in ways that mimic real-world settings, leading to deeper understanding, improved retention and increased engagement.

With this and other similar benefits in mind, it should come as no surprise that the number of AR and VR users in the U.S. is expected to reach 299 million by 2028.

Here are some use cases of AR, VR and MR in the context of an LMS:

  • AR: Enable learners to learn in interactive environments and get real-time instructions using their phones, tablets or headsets. For example, you can replicate safety equipment in the form of 3D models and allow learners to rotate, view and zoom into objects.
  • VR: Engage learners in realistic, stimulated environments to facilitate experiential learning. Students can embark on field trips to historical landmarks or explore the human body in 3D in a safe, controlled setting.
  • MR: Use AR and VR technology to help learners interact with virtual objects while being aware of their physical surroundings in a collaborative problem-solving environment. For example, you can create immersive architectural design environments where students can interact with and manipulate virtual building models in real time

Some immersive learning applications include RealWear and Hololens 2.

Generative AI and Personalization

It’s no secret that AI is exploding, with 62% of organizations agreeing that it improves the productivity and efficiency of internal business processes.

Companies are using AI algorithms to analyze learner data, preferences and even learning styles to curate a path that maximizes knowledge gain. GenAI recommends learning materials that perfectly align with each learner's strengths and weaknesses, and provides AI-generated practice exercises tailored to their learning pace.

We asked Draven McConville, CEO of Klipboard, about the role of AI in creating personalized and career-oriented L&D programs:

AI-powered LMSs use machine learning algorithms to examine user data, including test results, completion rates, patterns of content consumption and user reviews. This allows LMS systems to provide data-driven suggestions for modules, courses and additional materials that align with each learner’s goals. These suggestions constantly change as the AI continuously improves its comprehension of each user's learning trajectory.”

Draven Quote

AI-powered chatbots that offer real-time support are also becoming popular. They offer clear and personalized explanations for course topics, along with targeted exercises based on each learner’s specific areas of difficulty. This personalized support system allows them to learn at their own pace and overcome challenges efficiently.

Microlearning and Gamification

The online world is rich in information, and people value content that’s engaging and quickly captures their attention. That's where microlearning and gamification come in.

They facilitate learning complex concepts in bite-sized, engaging modules that are fun and accessible on any device, making learning efficient, enjoyable and perfect for the modern learner.

Microlearning breaks down information into digestible chunks, delivered in short modules like videos, infographics or interactive quizzes. It helps learners process information better in small doses, minimizing cognitive overload and boosting knowledge retention.

Gamification adds playful elements by incorporating game mechanics like points, badges and leaderboards into the learning process. For example, learners can earn points for completing modules or unlock badges as they master new skills. This playful approach incentivizes learning, fosters healthy competition and keeps learners motivated to progress.

Short, engaging modules combined with game mechanics make learning efficient, accessible and enjoyable. They’re a fundamental shift towards creating learner-centric, engaging and effective learning experiences.

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How To Compare Learning Management Systems

As the market grows, the number of new, accessible options available for various platforms increases exponentially. Expectations for quality are high and the offerings are varied.

That’s why it’s vital to create an exact list of priorities before you even start to look at possible solutions. Make sure you understand some of the most urgent requirements.

Determining Requirements

To simplify your search, focus on your top needs. Create a list of essential capabilities and prioritize.

Engage with stakeholders from various departments, including HR, IT and training to gain a comprehensive understanding of their needs and expectations from the software. Factors to consider at this stage include the number of users, types of content you want to deliver, organization size, and primary and nice-to-have needs.

For a comprehensive guide to top-priority features and functionalities, we suggest our key features checklist.

Standards and Support

Support for a learning management system is crucial and can refer to a few different things. One invaluable piece for any LMS is an application programming interface (API). An API allows you to access the features of a program, application or software.

Support also refers to a set of standards within the program. Standards are a way of doing things in an agreed-upon manner. This case ensures designers construct programs in a standardized format that allows an LMS to communicate with external content sources like Lynda and LinkedIn Learning.

Popular support options include:

  • AICC: The Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee was one of the first standards. It crossed industries and was dissolved in 2004. Many standards are still AICC compliant to ensure communication with legacy systems.
  • SCORM: Shareable Content Object Reference Model is the current industry standard. It’s still relevant but can be a bit out of date with modern practices.
  • xAPI (previously Tin Can): A leaner and more straightforward solution to SCORM, once thought to replace its predecessor, xAPI lets developers send data to a wide range of programs, including mobile, help desk apps and talent management systems.
  • CMI5: A new standard, released after AICC dissolved, cmi5 is sometimes considered more flexible than SCORM and more regulated than xAPI.
  • LTI: The Learning Tools Interoperability standard, created by the IMS Global Learning Consortium, allows for smoother connections with various social learning tools.

Lastly, it’s always beneficial to have resources for when things go wrong in your system. Some standards may come with support. Others may not. Ensure that you have a service that can answer questions and solve glitches, especially when it comes to integrations.

Vendor Comparison

Once the requirements and standards have been established, the next step is comparing potential vendors. This includes conducting thorough research on the reputation, experience and customer reviews of each vendor.

You should run software demos to assess their user interface, functionality and customization capabilities.

For more transparency on pricing, compare the total cost of ownership, including setup and licensing costs, and ongoing maintenance expenses.

Cost & Pricing Considerations

Pricing is one of the single most important factors you’ll need to consider. Learning management systems have different payment models. A system may require you to pay a flat license fee or recurring subscription cost — some charge per learner or user and some charge for many people under a complicated formula.

Consider price when it comes to either buying or selling content. Evaluate the fidelity and quality of the information to see if the price is appropriate. If you create training and want to offer it to other companies or, alternately, need to purchase specific coursework, this will need to go into your calculations.

Here are some popular LMS pricing models to help you select the most viable payment option for your business:

  • Pay Per User: You have to pay a fixed price for a set number of learners.
  • Pay Per Active User: You’ll be charged for users who use the LMS during a billing cycle.
  • Pay As You Go: You pay only for what you use.
  • Licensing: You pay a set price for a periodic license for a given set of features.
  • Free of Cost: The platform is free to use, and no payment is required.
  • Essential: 50 to 150 users
  • Premium: 150 to 300 users
  • Enterprise: 300+ users
Price Guide for LMS Software

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LMS vs. LCMS

While doing research, you may see the term LCMS floating around and wonder, “What’s the difference between an LMS and an LCMS?

Technically speaking, an LCMS — or learning content management system — has content creation abilities. An LMS does not. Or, put more simply, an LCMS has the tools to create and publish the actual text, video or other media used for learning on the site.

An LCMS helps build, store and manage content, while an LMS delivers the content to learners and handles administrative issues like learner progress tracking, integrations and user enrollment.

It’s important to note that many vendors use the phrase LMS generically to refer to a platform with LMS and LCMS capabilities. Depending on the solution you buy, an LCMS could be a separate tool or, more likely, have its content authoring functionality built into the LMS. That’s why it’s crucial to conduct thorough research to understand the exact features you’re considering.

A learning content management system’s capability is essential when considering what kind of content you want to create in your system.

Who Uses Learning Management Systems?

Let’s take a look at how LMSs cater to the diverse needs of different types of users, and how they enhance teaching and learning experiences.

Corporations

The corporate LMS market is estimated to reach 42.84 billion by 2030. Easy access to training content, advanced progress tracking tools and a growing focus on employee engagement are top drivers behind rapid LMS adoption among professionals. These platforms are popular across multiple industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, financial services and hospitality.

Here are some ways businesses can use an LMS to fulfill their employee training needs:

  • Employee Onboarding: New employees can access essential training material, like company policies and job responsibilities, in multimedia formats to help them learn and adapt to various workflows.
  • Compliance Training: Administrators can create and manage mandatory compliance training courses on topics such as workplace safety and diversity and inclusion, ensuring that employees are up to date with necessary certifications.
  • Tracking and Reporting: Instructors can monitor learner progress, track course completion rates and compare assessment scores using informative data reports. These analytics help assess the effectiveness of training programs, identify areas of improvement and internalize changes to enhance employee performance.

Consider our guide for an overview of the software’s uses and applications in an enterprise or corporate situation.

Educational Institutions

With an LMS, schools can easily carry out the learning activities of a physical classroom in an online setting, and allow all students and teachers to stay connected no matter where they are.

Here are some ways an LMS can support educational programs and activities:

  • Course Delivery: Teachers can upload lecture notes, slides, videos and other educational content online so students can access and review them even when they’re outside of the classroom.
  • Academic Calendar: Administrators can manage and share important updates, such as assignment due dates, exam schedules and course registration periods, on an integrated calendar.
  • Attendance Tracking: Teachers can use attendance tracking features to take virtual roll calls, monitor student participation in classes and record session activity.
  • Parental Engagement: Some solutions offer a portal for parents to access information about their child's progress, including grades, homework, attendance records and feedback.

Government Agencies

Government institutions have similar needs to both corporate and educational environments, but with some key considerations. They can use an LMS to address a wide variety of needs, including:

  • Enrolling and registering users in various campaigns, knowledge drives and other public welfare initiatives centered around learning and skills development.
  • Providing microlearning content to users so they can retain knowledge more effectively.
  • Launching certificate-based training programs on various topics like health and safety, cooking, foreign language and more.
  • Making learning accessible for disabled users with features like text-to-sound conversion and screen resizing.
  • Creating unique training pathways for each learner based on their skill sets, career objectives and personal interests.

Freelancers and Independent Learners

You don’t have to be affiliated with a specific organization or institution to use an LMS. In fact, a typical LMS comes with a range of tools and resources for learners who seek to acquire new knowledge to pursue personal interests or deepen their understanding and expertise in specific fields.

For example, lawyers, engineers and healthcare professionals seeking continuing education may use an LMS to fulfill licensing or certification requirements, or stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices. The software also offers continuous learning opportunities to lifelong learners who have a general interest in various fields, such as history, science and literature.

LMS and Learner Engagement

Evaluating employee engagement is crucial in assessing the impact of your skill-building programs. 44% of companies say it’s their top HR priority, just above attracting and retaining talent.

Here are some LMS features you can use to improve employee engagement in training:

  • Gamification tools like badges, leaderboards and certificates to reward top-performing learners and promote healthy competition.
  • Social learning activities like group discussions and common messaging channels.
  • Blended learning models that combine classroom and online learning to suit different learning styles.
  • Personalized learning paths to help underperforming individuals or those with special training needs.
  • Multimedia content in the form of videos, images, text and audio so learners can engage with eLearning material in their preferred format.
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Questions To Ask During Your Search

Use these questions as a starting point for conversation:

LMS Software Key Questions to Ask

  • Why is an LMS important to meet my training/educational needs?
  • What types of training do I want to create?
  • Am I interested in a standalone LMS or a more comprehensive HR tool? Do I need to integrate with a talent management system?
  • Which features and capabilities are most important to my business?
  • What’s my budget and implementation timeline?
  • Will I need industry-specific configurations to meet sector-specific compliance and best practices?
  • Do I need to add HR, time management, attendance or other functionality to the solution?
  • Can the system be customized to fit my organization’s branding and specific requirements?
  • What kind of mobile support does the software offer?
  • Does the vendor offer 24/7 multi-language support during and after implementation?

FAQs

What is the most commonly used LMS?

Canvas, Blackboard Learn and Moodle are some of the most commonly used LMS platforms.

Is Google Classroom an LMS?

Yes, Google Classroom is a free online learning platform that integrates with G Suite applications

Is LMS a CRM?

No, an LMS isn’t a CRM. Both are distinct applications and can be integrated to work together.

Which was the first LMS?

The first LMS was EKKO, developed in 1991 by Norway's NKI Distance Education Network.

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Free Comparison Report

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Additional Resources

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

Technical Content Writer
Ishani is a Technical Content Writer at SelectHub who covers LMS, workforce management, telemedicine and POS. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and is passionate about translating complex technical concepts into engaging and accessible content for readers. Along with keeping the professional spirit hydrated, she likes petting dogs, looking up random facts and listening to any Lumineers song on repeat.
Technical Research By Nithin Shetty
Senior Analyst
With experience in research and consulting going back to 2015, Nithin Shetty is an asset to SelectHub's research team. In his Senior Research Analyst role, he works on projects in categories like HR, CRM, EHR and ERP. He's also a big movie buff and sports fan. When he isn't watching his favorite film or game, he's usually volunteering his free time to causes like blood drives and environmental cleanup.
Technical Review By Jaisri Narasimman
Principal Analyst
A graduate of NTU Singapore, Jaisri Narasimman honed her data mining and curation skills during her post-graduate education, focusing on developing strategies to help businesses make the most of their data. In her role at SelectHub, her research spans categories like HR, CRM and EHR.
Expert Review By Draven McConville
Contributor & Advisor
Draven McConville is the CEO of Klipboard, a technology product company. He has a proven record in sales, leadership and execution of business strategy. Before Klipboard, he served as Board Advisor to ESTHER, Managing Director at Gravity and Board Member at the Irish International Business Network. Collaborating with organizations like Simon Community, he developed innovative solutions like a mobile app for reporting rough sleepers, which garnered recognition with a Tech4Good Award. Outside of his business interests, he has a passion for modern art and charitable causes. Draven enjoys bringing his tech knowledge to use for social good. A particular charitable cause close to his heart is homelessness.
Content Editor
As an editor, Dianna Dragonetti leads a team of five writers in writing about a variety of software, with an emphasis on how these tools empower businesses. Categories include accounting, learning management systems, content management systems, supply chain management, and electronic data interchange.