TopHat vs Trainual

Last Updated:

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

TopHat Software Tool

Product Basics

Top Hat is an online teaching platform that offers digital classrooms, discussions, customizable questions, textbooks, lectures, videos, attendance, assignments and more. Learners can get real-time feedback, proctor tests and quizzes and stream lectures. Administrators can track progress and look at overall trends.


It integrates with other education programs and works for students and instructors. Overall, the tools let users design workspaces, create interactive materials, make quick assignments and proctor exams. In many classes, it’s used to replace clickers which allowed teachers to show materials on-screen and students to choose answers via a handheld device at their desk. The resulting answers are shown via a bar graph on the screen for a visual representation of the group’s understanding. Its specialty is helping educators find and publish quality open education resources.
read more...
Trainual is a cloud-based solution designed to automate onboarding and training processes for growing businesses. Its centralized setup helps users document procedures, processes, policies and delegate roles and responsibilities to every staff member. It is fast to install and accessible from anywhere.

It helps companies develop their training manuals, standard operating procedures, playbooks, handbooks and more. It automates the onboarding process by assigning processes and content to new employees based on their roles, department or location. It lets managers add to their teams, create subjects and assign roles. It supports customization with colors and logos.

It automatically notifies staff about any modifications to their completed training packs and ensures that they review the revised content. Employees can easily look for training modules and SOPs using its Chrome browser extension, desktop inclusion or mobile support.
read more...
$33 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$249 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Better Content: The solution can help create and deliver high-quality content. Learners keep access to their materials even after the lesson is over. It also changes up boring PDFs and replaces them with interactive content with embedded videos, questions and graphics.
    • Digital Textbooks: Instructors can create, adapt, share and customize textbooks and other interactive materials for their course. They are always up-to-date. Users can embed assessments right into the material to see how students are absorbing material as they read. The text can also integrate videos and animations for more engaging material. It’s free or low-cost for the students and constantly added to by a community of educators.
    • Marketplace: It provides different integrated applications for coursework and content. Learners and teachers have access to thousands of textbooks, educational materials, question packs and over 20,000 open classroom resources. The subjects include anthropology, arts, biology, business, chemistry, computer science, cultural studies, earth science, education, engineering, ethics, health, humanities, law, math, medicine, physics, religious studies, science and more.
    • Customizing and OER: Users can change up the digital textbooks for intro courses to add and remove relevant information. Content is up to date and easy to modernize in the places where it may be lacking. It can take feedback and give changes in real-time. Through the marketplace, it’s easy to get open education resources from places like OpenStax and Saylor. This makes it easy for the school library to find the OER they need.
  • Greater Student Engagement: Students can receive more encouragement to participate, learn and have a voice. Some tools include a discussion prompt added between slides, awarding participation points and anonymous participation for shy students. Students can vote for responses in a queue, giving teachers an idea of where the group isn’t understanding the material. For creative questions, students can even submit drawings. The solution allows instructors to sync slides with students’ devices while students can’t move ahead of the class. This forces them to pay attention. Educators can share the responses of students in fun, interactive ways with visual graphs, heat maps and word clouds. Upon the end of the lecture, instructors can let their students see slides in review mode so they can study.
  • Better Interoperability: While the solution does some of the same things as the learning solutions, it also integrates with other more complex platforms such as Blackboard, Canvas, D2L and Moodle. For those who already have an LMS and SIS set up, this connects seamlessly to bump up the experience without getting rid of present tools.
read more...
  • Keeps Teams Up-to-Date: rainual notifies staff members about changes made to a previously completed training module. It sends notifications when new content is added to a course or the module undergoes a change and ensures that they review the changes. These notifications keep employees up-to-date with the most relevant changes to completed training modules and accelerates their learning. 
  • Responsive Web Application: ts centralized organizational knowledge is easy to access from the workplace or on-the-go. It is designed to let businesses, team leads and training managers organize SOPs and processes, centralize knowledge, automate training processes and develop training modules for growing, scalable and saleable organizations. 
  • Fully Customizable: Trainual can be fully customized to suit a company’s outlook and branding. Users can add their logos and choose a color scheme to customize their accounts when they first log in. Employees can build their accounts with personalized content by inviting other staff members and selecting a pre-built process or procedure template from the template library. 
  • Makes Training Fun: Businesses can add zing to their training processes by embedding GIFs and images from Trainual’s free stock library. Administrators can also add videos, customized forms and surveys to the training material and arrange it sequentially and by employees’ role and responsibilities. It has a built-in screen recorder tool to record videos, making it easier for employees to get trained. 
  • Affordable: Trainual is an affordable alternative to costly enterprise LMS and is ideal for growing businesses. It empowers employees to put in their best efforts and can capture an organization’s tribal knowledge. It automates onboarding, enhances training and simplifies the hiring process. 
  • Integrations: It seamlessly integrates with third-party productivity tools like Zapier, Gusto, Google Docs, Teamwork, Slack, Asana, Basecamp, Sheets, Dotloop, Dropbox, Linkedin, Typeform and more. Integrations help businesses automate time-consuming onboarding and training processes while enhancing productivity. Its admin panel grants permissions to relevant users for editing and subject updates. It helps organizations crowdsource content and organize tribal knowledge. 
  • Mobile Responsive: Trainual offers a responsive mobile interface for organizations with a varied workforce. Its user interface provides a consistent experience, regardless of the device. It is easy to update, access and track from anywhere. 
read more...
  • Testing: With built-in security, users can host tests, quizzes and exams in a virtual environment where students can bring their own devices. Tests are easy to build and customize with multiple formats for questions. The fourteen unique question types include fill-in-the-blank, word answers, multiple-choice, numeric answers, click-on-target and many others. Students can also do video assignments, drawings or chemistry questions. Several behavioral algorithms help teachers monitor students and prevent cheating. If they do, they’re immediately locked out. Instructors can also see a real-time report and can offer secure codes so students can get into the proper test. Once the exam is complete, educators can automatically grade and have results show up immediately in the gradebook. This system is compatible with smartphones, laptops and tablets and doesn’t require a separate app. Grades can transfer to an LMS or other solution. Once grading is complete, it’s easy to review results and identify at-risk learners.
  • Attendance: Teachers can verify attendance in several ways. First, they can prompt students to sign in using a unique code and assign grades to reward students who are present. Second, the solution can verify the students’ physical location so only those in class get counted. It sends points for roll call and participation straight into the gradebook. Alternatively, instructors can build options for excused absences.
  • Grading and Reporting: Users can track learner progress, implement weighted grading and track attendance and performance. All of this transfers to the gradebook automatically. Instructors can weigh factors such as questions, participation and attendance. From there, administrators can analyze information and adjust for future lessons. To make sure teachers miss nothing it automatically captures student replies and participation grades in the gradebook.
  • Course Creation: Users can integrate quizzes, tests and other course materials. They can also track through analytics and port results over to other software. The system is FERPA compliant and has extensive support. Some other functions are the discussion tool where students can collaborate, offline mode, multiple file type capabilities, access to the marketplace, design consulting and more. Administrators can include gamification, flip classrooms and use devices to bump up engagement. Teachers can also stream lectures and students can participate in a live chat.
  • Assignments: It provides the functionality to create, personalize and auto-grade homework. Teachers can assign unique questions based on the group or individual and use interactive questions to engage students and reinforce the material. Homework assignments are easy and quick to assemble. Users can time responses, limit wrong answers or show the correct answers. They can also add images, videos and website links and build existing homework right into the platform. When the homework is complete, instructors can provide feedback immediately with comments. For hard subjects, users can create ungraded homework.
  • Institutions: Broader districts or institutions using the solution can acquire support specifically for their needs. The solution provides help with implementation, scaling, onboarding and other resources. Afterward, the company can help administrators review the program’s success. For organizations looking for more comprehensive help, the company manages support and training for the institution. They also offer workshops that follow the pedagogy and challenges of the faculty. A team of 40 instructional designers works to make this happen while a dedicated account manager communicates one-on-one. It integrates with all major LMSs and works with Shibboleth for easy configuration and single sign-on capability. It comes with institution-paid and student-paid options and has a clicker buyback program for the early transition.
  • Cloud-Based: The solution is a Software-as-a-Service and available without additional hardware or installing. It’s designed to scale smoothly and collects student data to ensure the organization is keeping track of student aptitude and progress.
  • Assessments: These deeper level analytics go after not just individual grades or students, but can track performance, completion, persistence and learning outcomes across the organization. It offers both summative and formative analysis so instructions can both correct the overall course and find individuals who need help. This makes it easier to track, identify, diagnose and fix problems when they arise.
  • Content Creation and Course Authoring: For specialized content, the solution provides authoring tools to create the materials. Users can get help with textbook projects. Instructors who want to share their work on the marketplace still own the copyright and earn royalties. It also provides collaborative projects where multiple educators and experts can come together to make a textbook. Creators can import OER or other content and split the revenue among collaborators.
  • Accessibility: It has various options to accommodate different students and learning styles. This includes allowing students to dial-in to a lecture via phone, transcripts of lecture records and videos of class meetings. It also optimizes assignments and textbooks so students can work from their desired device.
read more...
  • Centralized Knowledge: By centralizing organizational knowledge, Trainual stores all information on the hows and whys of a business in one place. Once a growing business starts to document their expertise, it helps them create operations manuals and memory banks. 
  • Automates Training and Onboarding: Trainual automates cumbersome training and onboarding processes for businesses. It groups content and processes by department, role and location to build templates and automate onboarding. It assigns grouped content to the right staff members and tracks their progress. It also assigns relevant content to newly hired employees. It lets employees access all the information required to handle day-to-day work. 
  • Performance Management: Trainual evaluates employees’ knowledge and expectations from them with simple tests that are created into automated sequences. It monitors user progress and tracks their logins. It also tests prospective and newly hired employees on their commitment and understanding about their organization. Organizations can create tests in different subjects to enhance their teams’ preparedness.  
  • Retains Talent:  It makes it easier for companies to retain talented employees by ensuring that they don’t feel stagnated and unappreciated. It helps businesses nurture talented employees and improve their skill sets by keeping them updated on training in progress. 
  • Powerful SOP Search: Trainual offers powerful keyword searching for SOPs and training materials. Users can search for any topics or keywords across their organization’s training library to find reference materials and SOPs when required. 
  • Makes Live Changes: It lets companies make real-time changes to their documents and save any modifications. Users can develop knowledge flows and subjects, automatically assign content to employees according to their roles, upload pictures, video content or existing documents to make training easier. It also weeds out the possibility of inconsistencies in training material. ;
  • FEATURE: It lets companies make real-time changes to their documents and save any modifications. Users can develop knowledge flows and subjects, automatically assign content to employees according to their roles, upload pictures, video content or existing documents to make training easier. It also weeds out the possibility of inconsistencies in training material. 
  • Industry Compliance: Trainual offers training solutions that are compliant with industry regulations like government, healthcare, manufacturing, law enforcement and more. It offers its users a course marketplace to access and consume content online. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#31

among all
LMS Software

#46

among all
LMS Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

we're gathering data
53
we're gathering data
0
we're gathering data
43
we're gathering data
50
Show More Show More

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

TopHat
Trainual
+ 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 0 43 50 0 81 50 67 65 65 57 55 0 25 50 75 100
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
0%
0%
100%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
40%
0%
60%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
33%
0%
67%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
0%
0%
100%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
80%
0%
20%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
0%
0%
100%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
38%
0%
62%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
63%
0%
37%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
60%
0%
40%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
60%
0%
40%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
55%
0%
45%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
36%
0%
64%

User Sentiment Summary

Good User Sentiment 63 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 1193 reviews
78%
of users recommend this product

TopHat has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 78% when considering 63 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

95%
of users recommend this product

Trainual has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 95% when considering 1193 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.0 (22)
4.7 (503)
n/a
4.78 (333)
3.8 (38)
4.8 (340)
n/a
4.5 (2)
4.0 (3)
4.6 (15)

Awards

we're gathering data

Trainual stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Interactive Features: TopHat offers interactive features such as live polling, quizzes, and discussion tools.
Easy Integration: TopHat can be integrated with other educational tools to streamline workflows.
Improved Engagement: TopHat helps increase student participation and engagement during lectures.
Valuable Analytics: Educators gain insights into student performance through TopHat's analytics features.
Show more
Easy to Use: Users appreciate the platform's intuitive interface and straightforward design, making it simple to navigate and find necessary information. The user-friendly nature of Trainual reduces the learning curve for both administrators and employees, allowing for quick adoption and implementation.
Customization Options: Trainual provides flexibility in tailoring the platform to specific organizational needs. Users can create custom content, workflows, and branding elements to align with their unique training requirements and company culture. This adaptability ensures that the platform can effectively support diverse training programs and objectives.
Content Creation Tools: The platform offers a variety of tools for creating engaging and interactive training materials. Users can incorporate various media formats, such as videos, images, and quizzes, to enhance the learning experience and cater to different learning styles. These tools empower organizations to develop comprehensive and effective training content.
Show more
Cost: TopHat is often more expensive than other LMS options, which can be a barrier for budget-conscious users.
Technical Issues: Some users have reported experiencing occasional technical glitches or difficulties with the platform.
Learning Curve: New users may require some time to familiarize themselves with all of TopHat's features and functionalities, leading to a learning curve.
Show more
Limited Customization: Trainual's customization options for branding and theming are quite restricted, making it challenging for companies to align the platform's appearance with their unique brand identity.
Reporting Features: The platform's reporting capabilities are relatively basic, lacking the depth and flexibility needed for comprehensive data analysis and insights into training effectiveness.
Integrations: Trainual's integrations with other business tools and platforms are somewhat limited, potentially hindering seamless workflows and data exchange with existing systems.
Show more

Is TopHat a top-tier learning management system, or does it fall flat? User reviews from the last year reveal a mixed bag. TopHat is praised for its interactive features that boost student participation, such as polls, quizzes, and seamless integration with existing LMS platforms. Educators particularly appreciate its ability to transform lectures into engaging experiences, as highlighted by a professor who lauded TopHat for breathing life into their classroom and facilitating dynamic student interaction. However, some users find the platform's initial navigation somewhat cumbersome and occasionally encounter technical hiccups. A case in point is the "time-constrained attendance marker," which reportedly suffers from lag, impacting user experience. While TopHat's customer support receives mixed reviews, its strengths lie in its user-friendly interface, diverse question formats, and smooth integration capabilities. Its standout feature, the ability to create an interactive and engaging learning environment, makes it a hit among educators. Conversely, the pricing model, which requires students to pay individually, draws criticism for potentially hindering access for some. A user aptly pointed out, "Not all of my students have the means to pay for access (which can really impact their grade if they don't use the platform)." TopHat's differentiating factor lies in its dedication to fostering student engagement and active learning. This is achieved through features like real-time polls, quizzes, and interactive presentations, setting it apart from traditional, static learning platforms. A testament to this is a user's comment, "Top Hat is a great student engagement tool, useful in polling students on the fly or setting up assessments prior to class." In conclusion, TopHat is best suited for educators seeking to infuse their classrooms with interactivity and boost student participation. Its array of engagement-focused tools makes it ideal for educators who prioritize active learning. However, the pricing structure might pose a challenge for students with limited financial resources, making it crucial for institutions to consider alternative funding models or explore site licenses to ensure equitable access for all.

Show more

Trainual provides a one-stop shop for businesses to onboard, train, and scale their teams. Users rave about its user-friendly interface and intuitive design, making it a breeze to create and manage training materials. The platform's flexibility shines, allowing businesses to tailor content to their specific needs, whether it's for onboarding new hires or upskilling existing employees. Trainual's strength lies in its ability to streamline the training process, saving businesses time and resources. However, some users note the platform's limitations in advanced features compared to competitors like Lessonly and TalentLMS. Trainual may not be the best fit for organizations requiring complex learning paths or intricate assessments. Additionally, while Trainual integrates with popular tools like Slack and Google Workspace, some users desire more extensive integration options. Trainual's sweet spot lies with small to medium-sized businesses seeking a user-friendly and efficient solution to manage their training needs. Its simplicity and affordability make it an attractive option for growing companies looking to establish a solid training foundation without breaking the bank. For larger enterprises with complex training requirements, exploring more robust platforms might be necessary.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in LMS Software


Absorb LMS

Adobe Learning Manager

Blackboard Learn

Brainier

Brightspace

Canvas

Cornerstone LMS

Docebo

LearnUpon

Litmos

Moodle

Schoology

Seismic Learning

SkyPrep

Spoke LMS

TalentLMS

Thinkific

Tovuti

Trainual

WorkRamp

Related Categories

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings