Brightspace vs Brainier

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Our analysts compared Brightspace vs Brainier based on data from our 400+ point analysis of LMS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

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.

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Brainier helps organizations of all sizes create and manage employee training programs. It’s cloud-based, mobile-compatible, and designed to support collaboration and building a broader community around development efforts.

The solution offers personalized learning experiences through features such as certification and compliance management, content authoring and social learning capabilities. It also provides insights into learner progress and program effectiveness through data reports and a mobile app that lets users access learning materials anytime and anywhere.

Brainier Cultivate, its talent management platform, offers built-in tools, including assessments, certification planning and goal tracking. Administrators can create self, 180, and 360 assessments, set dynamic certification plans, and track goals for individuals or teams. The platform also allows learners to receive personalized learning recommendations and track progress with gamified leaderboards.

The LMS is praised for its content creation, reporting tools and user-friendliness. Its intuitive interface and drag-and-drop functionality make course building easy, even for those with limited technical expertise. You can contact the vendor for a personalized quote.

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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Revolutionizes Learning with AI: D2L Lumi uses AI to simplify tasks for both teachers and admins in Brightspace. It can automatically generate practice questions and custom learning paths for students, speeding up course setup. For learners, Lumi provides personalized feedback and helps with note-taking, making learning more efficient and boosting training outcomes.
  • Digitizes Courses: Brightspace’s Content Experience platform makes it easy to build interactive courses with videos, images and even external tools like Google Drive and OneDrive. Pre-made templates simplify course design, and tools like Video Note come with automatic captions, ensuring accessibility for learners with special needs.
  • Facilitates Performance Review With Grading Tools: Based on our data, Brightspace scores 93 for the Assessments module. Its Gradebook and Mastery View make it easy to grade and track student progress in one place. With the Creator+ add-on, AI helps you by automatically generating quizzes and practice questions, saving you time. Advanced Analytics give you clear insights into student engagement and performance, so you can quickly spot who may need extra support and adjust your teaching to fit their needs.
  • Improves Decision-Making: With predictive models, you can actually forecast how learners will perform and fill in any knowledge gaps with personalized learning paths. Plus, real-time reports and visualizations give you a clear view of how effective your courses are and how engaged learners are.
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  • Offers Needs-Specific Resources: Access thousands of courses from top industry content providers to meet your learning goals. Whether you need training in business skills, compliance or safety, Brainier simplifies the process by partnering with extensive content libraries. These libraries feature hundreds of high-quality, up-to-date courses covering leadership development, managerial skills, mindset training and various soft skills topics, so you don't have to start from scratch.
  • Market Leader: Brainier ranks among our top 10 LMS solutions. It holds its own among industry leaders such as LearnUpon and Docebo, and offers a range of features, including eCommerce, reporting and dashboards, and content and course management, available right out of the box.
  • Comes With Excellent Course Management Capabilities: If you’re seeking an LMS with outstanding content and course management, and mobile capabilities, Brainier is our top choice. In our analysis, it scored exceptionally well for its features that assist users in creating and managing courses, learning offline, tracking courses on the mobile and learning materials. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools out of the box, including course cataloging, authoring, learning paths and progress tracking.
  • Offers AI-Powered Recommendations: The Daily Snapshot highlights featured learning objects, and transforms the LMS into your daily hub for relevant training, events and information. It considers due dates for assigned training, completion status, upcoming events and assignment progress. You can provide personalized suggestions to groups or individual learners, helping them prioritize their time in the system based on various factors.
  • Improves Coaching Delivery: Video coaching helps learners develop practical and soft skills on a large scale. It uses three main methods: spaced skill practice, personalized feedback and real-world application of knowledge. By recording and sharing videos, you can get an accurate picture of your learners' understanding and abilities.
  • Easily Integrates with Third-Party Software: For companies looking for HR tools, succession software, talent management, CRMs or other workforce technology, Brainier has many partners to broaden its capabilities. This includes Bullseye Engagement, Ceridian, Edcomm, ExponentHR, HR Performance Solutions, iCIMS, J.J. Keller, Media Partners, Prositions, Salesforce, Skillsoft, TalentGuard, Ultimate Software, U.S. Learning and Vado.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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Product Ranking

#11

among all
LMS Software

#65

among all
LMS Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

82
79
43
29
93
77
100
83
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Collaboration
Compliance
Learning Delivery
Reporting and Dashboard
Assessments
Content and Course Management
Mobile Capabilities
Reporting and Dashboard
eCommerce
Platform Capabilities

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Brightspace
Brainier
+ Add Product + Add Product
AI-based Capabilities Assessments Collaboration Compliance Content And Course Management ECommerce Learning Delivery Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Reporting And Dashboard User Management And Gamification 43 93 100 100 86 92 100 87 93 100 81 29 77 83 50 100 100 92 100 93 100 91 0 25 50 75 100
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71%
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83%
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87%
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93%
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93%
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82%
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18%
91%
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9%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

71%
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29%
64%
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36%

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 911 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 167 reviews
87%
of users recommend this product

Brightspace has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 87% when considering 911 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

91%
of users recommend this product

Brainier has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 91% when considering 167 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

4.4 (598)
4.6 (130)
n/a
4.5 (35)
4.3 (217)
n/a
4.1 (18)
3.4 (2)
4.4 (78)
n/a

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Brightspace and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Assessments, Compliance and Learning Delivery.

Assessments Award
Compliance Award
Learning Delivery Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Brainier and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Content and Course Management and Mobile Capabilities. Brainier stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Content and Course Management Award
Mobile Capabilities Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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: 93One 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.

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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.

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Screenshots

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