24 Best Learning Management Systems (LMS) Reviewed for 2025
10 Best Learning Management Systems Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 24 tools reviewed.
Get free help from our HR software advisors to find your match.
Choosing the right learning management system (LMS) can feel overwhelming. You need software that simplifies course creation, tracks learner progress, and supports your training goals, but figuring out which tool fits best is no easy task.
This guide highlights the top LMS options to help you streamline your search and find the perfect match for your team’s learning needs. I'll also share my insights on the most important LMS features based on my personal experience running an internal learning and development program for many years. Now, let's dive in!
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Best Learning Management Systems: Pricing Comparison Chart
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top learning management system selections to help you find the best system for your budget and business needs.
| Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Deel Deel Engage allows you to automate training pathways for better onboarding and career development. | Best for integrated performance and learning | Free demo available | Flat rate user pricing, with a free version for businesses with up to 200 people | Website |
| 2 |  Mitratech Trakstar The courses section displays a summarized version of all course-related elements, including the overview, manage, settings, modules, and trainees tabs. | Best learning management system for auto-enrollment | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website |
| 3 |  Synergy Learning Synergy Learning provides customizable dashboards with options for course management, updates, and personalized learning paths. | Best for customizable LMS needs | Not available | Pricing upon request | Website |
| 4 |  Kallidus Learn Choose from over 100 ready-made courses to launch your corporate training quickly and efficiently. | Best for compliance and development | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website |
| 5 |  Workleap Workleap LMS provides reports for enrollment and learning progress. | Best for managing employee training | 14-day free trial available | From $1,800/year (up to 25 users) | Website |
| 6 |  Connecteam The all-in-one learning management system enables businesses to efficiently create, manage, and track robust and engaging employee training programs. | Best on-the-go training for frontline employees | 14-day free trial + free plan available | From $29/month (for up to 30 users, billed annually) + $0.5/user/month for each additional user | Website |
| 7 |  iSpring Learn The system's advanced feature set makes it a scalable solution for enterprise-level businesses. | Best for authoring and tracking capabilities | 30-day free trial | From $2.87/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| 8 |  Learn Amp Communities and cohorts in Learn Amp enable collaboration and knowledge sharing among employees. | Best learning management system for tailored learning pathways | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website |
| 9 |  SkyPrep The dashboard provides an overall snapshot of your learning environment, with shortcuts to performance reporting. | Best for personalized customer support | 14-day free trial | Pricing upon request | Website |
| 10 |  Absorb LMS The software comes with an accessible and intuitive interface all wrapped in a professionally designed, custom branded style. | Best LMS with AI-powered smart features | Free trial + free demo | Pricing upon request | Website |
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Willo
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.8 -
ClearCompany
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6 -
Guru
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
Best Learning Management System Reviews
Below is a brief description of each learning management system that made it into my top 10 list. I’ve explained why I picked each system and summarized the key features that showcase each LMS’s best use case. I’ve also included screenshots to give you a snapshot of their user interface too. Plus, there are 10 more bonus options below, if you still want more choices to consider.
Deel Engage is an all-in-one talent development platform designed for businesses seeking to enhance their employee training, performance management, and career development processes.
Why I picked Deel: I like that Deel bridges the gap between training, performance, and career development with its platform. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including an intuitive learning management system, AI-powered career progression frameworks, and customizable performance reviews. I especially like the software's AI capabilities, which allow users to quickly build engaging courses using drag-and-drop tools, and integrate elements like images, quizzes, and tasks.
Additionally, its automation features enable automatic assignment of courses based on criteria such as start dates and department roles, ensuring consistent and timely training delivery without manual intervention.
Deel Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include its customizable performance review system that offers 360° feedback and advanced analytics, such as heatmaps and 9-box grids, to identify skill gaps and track employee progress effectively. Additionally, the platform’s career development tools help define clear career paths and competencies, providing employees with a motivating roadmap for their growth. The platform also includes advanced tracking capabilities with pre-built dashboards, allowing managers to monitor course progress and completion rates in real time.
Integrations include various HR systems and tools, like Workday, BambooHR, and Personio. It also integrates with Slack and offers custom integrations through its Open API.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Integrates with Deel HR
- Training automation capabilities
- Drag-and-drop interface
Cons:
- Platform could have more customizations
- Learning curve for new users
Best learning management system for auto-enrollment
Mitratech Trakstar is a SaaS company that offers a suite of products to help you manage your various HR functions. One of those products is their learning management system (LMS), called Mitratech Trakstar Learn.
Why I picked Mitratech Trakstar Learn: I appreciate Mitratech Trakstar Learn’s auto-enrollment function, which helps expedite the course enrollment process when you have new employees to train. Rather than enrolling employees individually, you can select a subset of courses (e.g., onboarding) and assign them to groups of employees, teams, or departments to be enrolled with a single click. The LMS then automatically sends out all the online learning materials to your learners by email.
The course content creation tool is one of the easiest to use and most versatile in the industry. Users can create not just simple course content, but also multimedia content, with gamification, quizzes and assessments, and other unique options. The reporting and compliance features allow HR teams to conduct document compliance training, as well as evaluate departmental success and monitor progress across the entire workforce.
Mitratech Trakstar Standout Features & Integrations
One standout feature of this platform is that it can be bought together with the other HR tools offered by Mitratech Trakstar. The company has an applicant tracking system (ATS) for recruiting new hires, a performance management platform for nurturing your existing workforce, and a workforce analytics tool to help you measure the output of your HR initiatives. This makes it a modular and scalable solution, depending on the needs of your business.
Integrations include ADP Workforce Now, ej4, Paylocity, BambooHR, GoToWebinar, Ramco, Shopify, UKG Pro, Zoom Webinars and many single sign-on (SSO) applications.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy to integrate SCORM content from third-party providers
- Training can be linked to employee performance goals
- One of a suite of HR SaaS products
Cons:
- Small list of pre-built integrations
- Pricing details and plan features are not transparent
Synergy Learning is a provider of learning management systems (LMS) that partners with organizations to create meaningful and measurable learning experiences. They specialize in platforms like Totara and Moodle, aiming to unlock the full potential of these systems for their clients.
Why I picked Synergy Learning: Its focus on customization means you can have a system tailored specifically for your organization. With Moodle, for example, you get a flexible and scalable LMS, which lets you create and manage courses that enhance staff retention and compliance. This is particularly useful if your organization has unique training needs or compliance standards to meet. Moodle Workplace takes things further by offering features designed for organizational training and development.
Totara, on the other hand, is about creating engaging learning experiences that boost productivity and performance. It supports every aspect of learning and talent management, which is great if you're looking for a system that educates and also manages talent effectively within your organization.
Synergy Learning Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include managed hosting services that ensure your LMS is reliable and secure, consultancy and training services to help your team make the most of the platform, and bespoke development options that allow for further customization to meet specific requirements.
Integrations include HubSpot, Power BI, Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365, SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, Stripe, PayPal, and Zoom.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Highly customizable learning management systems
- Offers managed hosting and consultancy services
- Client-focused approach ensures tailored solutions
Cons:
- May not be ideal for those looking for a quick-start solution
- Customization options may require additional development
With Kallidus Learn you can distribute personalized learning experiences for your employees at scale. The learning solution works for companies of any size.
Why I picked Kallidus Learn: I chose Kallidus Learn because of how quickly you can get your training programs up and running. The platform includes over 100 ready-to-go courses you can use to launch corporate training at your company. It also has additional modules that address the full employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding, as well as modules to recruit and attract top talent, monitor employee engagement, and assess employee performance.
Kallidus Learn Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include blended learning formats (a combination of online, in-person, video, and social learning), plus tools to create segmented course content for each user (or groups of users) to create a more personalized learning experience.
To ensure training compliance, the system also has an auto-assign and reminder feature that sends personalized follow up emails to any employee who hasn't completed their training, to keep your company compliant.
Integrations include Meta for Business, Microsoft Office, Natural HR, Rewards Gateway, Tazio, and Yammer.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Support team is responsive and helpful
- Caters to all learning styles
- Easy back end management
Cons:
- Course catalogue can be challenging to navigate
- Notifications are not customizable
Workleap LMS is an intuitive learning management system designed for employee training and development. It offers a platform where companies can create, deliver, and monitor training programs tailored to individual or team needs.
Why I picked Workleap LMS: The platform allows companies to create interactive courses using multimedia elements, enhancing engagement and learning retention. Additionally, the learning paths feature ensures that employees follow a customized training journey, catering to their specific roles or objectives.
Another standout feature is the certification and evaluation functionality, which automates assessments and certifications. This ensures that employees meet required standards without manual oversight. The built-in analytics and reporting tools provide real-time data, enabling administrators to monitor learner progress and make data-driven decisions.
Workleap LMS Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include a robust knowledge management system that helps centralize company information, making it easy for employees to access and share knowledge. Its simplicity in implementation allows for quick setup, and the platform offers built-in collaboration tools to foster communication between learners and instructors.
Integrations include Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Office 365, Salesforce, and Dropbox.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Tailored learning paths for individuals and teams
- Easy course creation
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- No learner collaboration tools
- Can be expensive for small teams
Connecteam is a workplace software provider that offers platforms for training management as well as internal communications and operations for deskless employees.
Why I picked Connecteam: The training management platform provides the tools you need to build, manage, and track your employee training initiatives. But I chose it for my list because of its unique features that make for a more engaging training experience for your staff. You can create fully customized video courses, even if you're not a technical expert or videographer. You can also add quizzes and evaluations to your training modules to ensure people are retaining the key takeaways.
Connecteam Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features of this software include the mobile app, which allows employees to do their training from their mobile device. The training platform also facilitates employee recognition and rewards, so you can give meaningful recognition when people complete their trainings. Finally, one of the other great features of this software are its pre-built templates. Ready-made industry-specific and topical training modules are available for you to use.
Integrations include Paychex, Xero, Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll (online + desktop), Google Calendar and others.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Tracks training progress per employee
- Does not require technical expertise
- Keeps an updated database of all courses created
Cons:
- Complex pricing structure
- Integration details are limited
iSpring Learn is a learning management system with advanced features and a scalable pricing structure that makes them a great choice for enterprise organizations.
Why I picked iSpring Learn: The number of advanced features included in this platform are what landed it its spot on my list. It's highly customizable, and even has white-label branding so you can create a unified employee experience across it and your other tools. You can also have your training content translated into other languages using the localization feature.
The software is cloud-based and offers unlimited storage. But if you need the security of on-premise installation, it's available, too. These are all helpful features and functionalities for large-scale enterprise businesses.
iSpring Learn Standout Features & Integrations
Some of the standout features of this platform are its tools for boosting employee engagement in training programs. You can set up colorful badges, dynamic leaderboards, and gamification elements in your learning modules. Another nice feature is the direct messaging tool and a designated Q&A section where learners and course authors can communicate on course material.
Integrations include ADP, BambooHR, Salesforce, Workday, and Zoom. Additional integrations can be configured using their REST/SOAP API.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Well-suited for processes that require extensive training
- 360-degree feedback feature
- Flexible and versatile to suit various training and learning needs
Cons:
- Complicated pricing structure (many modules and add-on options)
- Limited native software integrations
Best learning management system for tailored learning pathways
Learn Amp is a comprehensive people development hub that integrates learning, talent development, and performance improvement.
Why I picked Learn Amp: I like that Learn Amp takes a holistic approach to learning and development. It integrates learning management with talent development and performance improvement, creating a comprehensive platform that supports the entire employee lifecycle. Its personalized learning pathways allow organizations to tailor training to individual needs, enhancing engagement and knowledge retention.
Additionally, the platform supports social learning and community engagement, fostering a collaborative environment where employees can share knowledge and learn from each other. Learn Amp also offers AI-powered learning recommendations, ensuring that employees receive relevant and timely content that aligns with their career goals.
Learn Amp Standout Features & Integrations
Features include automation of LMS processes to reduce administrative burden and a skill-driven training module that allows organizations to identify skill gaps and provide targeted training to bridge them. Additionally, its analytics and reporting capabilities provide deep insights into learning effectiveness and employee performance.
Integrations include Anders Pink, HiBob, BambooHR, Zapier, Workday, Oracle HCM, Personio, SAP SuccessFactors, Gusto, Remote, Google Workspace, ADP, UKG Pro, Paychex, Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Effective learning management
- Flexible platform that can adapt to various requirements
- Good reporting functionality
Cons:
- May take time to learn the platform
- Performance tools could be improved
SkyPrep is a powerful learning management system (LMS) that helps organizations train their employees, customers, and partners with ease.
Why I picked SkyPrep: I included SkyPrep because it's well-known for its best-in-class customer support. Every client on a paid plan is paired with a dedicated and knowledgeable Customer Success Manager who creates a personalized action plan to help you get the most out of their LMS system. Whether you're looking for an LMS to onboard employees, train customers on your products, keep up with compliance requirements, or sell your courses online, you'll be well-supported along the way.
SkyPrep Standout Features & Integrations
Some of the software's standout features include role-based training workflows and individual client portals. With these tools, you can craft more personalized learning experiences for your audience. You can also add custom branding to the platform, giving it a familiar feel for employees, clients, or partners.
Integrations include ADP, BambooHR, BigBlueButton, Ceridian Dayforce, Cisco Webex, ClickMeeting, Google Suite, GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, Office 365, Paylocity, PayPal, Salesforce, Shopify, Stripe, UKG Pro and Zoom. You can also access additional custom integrations using their API, or by connecting a paid Zapier plan.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent course authoring tools
- Easy to set up & learn
- Ability to craft personalized learning experiences
Cons:
- Automatic video captions locked to highest paid plan
- Pricing is not transparent
Absorb LMS is a learning management system with smart administrative features, high quality learner engagement tools, and even ecommerce options to sell your custom built courses online.
Why I picked Absorb LMS: I chose this software for my list because of its powerful artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. The system's AI can help you customize the learner experience for each employee. It can anticipate each employee's needs and connecting them to relevant training.
The AI can also support your day-to-day administrative tasks. You can give it simple or complex reporting requests, and it will carry out the work on your behalf. AI is also incorporated into the system's search capability, helping enhance your search results based on your historical choices.
Absorb LMS Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include the platform's intuitive dashboard with multi-language support. The dashboard is in full accordance with WCAG 2.0 standards, making your online employee development program as inclusive as it is effective. You can also set up customized learning experiences for different teams and departments within your organization, as well as for partners and other external learners.
Integrations include ADP, BambooHR, ClearCompany, Namely, Salesforce, Webex, Zoom, and single sign-on (SSO) applications.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great customer service
- Extensive customization options
- Robust pre-built templates
Cons:
- Resources lack a thumbnail feature
- Limited assessment features
Other Learning Management Systems
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best learning management systems list. They’re also great products and solid options if the LMS systems above didn’t satisfy all your needs:
- Coassemble
For its course builder
- TeachFloor
For cohort-based learning
- Docebo
For AI course creation
- eloomi
Learning management system for all-in-one learning and development
- WeSchool
For social learning features
- LearnDash
For hosting courses through WordPress
- SkillSoft
For skills-based development programs
- Constructor Tech
LMS for employee, partner, and customer training
- Hone
For leadership training
- Eduflow
For peer-to-peer feedback
- BetterUp
For access to quality coaching
- Leapsome
For its learning content library
- Tovuti
For creating virtual classroom experiences
- Qooper
For internal knowledge sharing
Related HR Software Reviews
If you still haven't found what you're looking for here, check out these other related tools that we've tested and evaluated:
- HR Software
- Payroll Software
- Recruiting Software
- Employer of Record Services
- Applicant Tracking Systems
- Workforce Management Software
Selection Criteria for Learning Management Systems
Selecting the best learning management systems for this list requires a deep understanding of internal learning & development (L&D) and internal training processes, and how common pain points can be alleviated by choosing the right system.
Drawing on my personal experience as an L&D support person — where I organized internal and external training, maintained training and compliance records, and prepared our training-related statistics — I was able to pinpoint the LMS features that add the most value for users on both sides of the table.
Using my experience to guide my final selections, I examined each system in fine detail, using the key criteria below as my framework:
Core Learning Management System Functionalities (25% of total score): To be considered for inclusion in my list of the best learning management systems, the LMS solution had to offer the following basic functionalities first:
- User-friendly course templates and multimedia content creation tools to create internal training materials from scratch
- A pre-loaded course content library that staff can access according to their preferences
- An intuitive user interface (UI) that makes a positive and engaging connection with your active users to create a positive user experience (UX) for them
- Learner reports and analytics that document individual progress, measure overall engagement and assist with compliance management
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score): To help me narrow in on the best employee engagement software out of the numerous options available, I also took note of any unique features, including:
- AI-driven content recommendations or advanced analytics capabilities
- Innovative engagement features such as personalization, gamification, or social learning capabilities
- Tools to customize learning experiences and create tailored learning paths for your employees based on their role or personal interests
- Automatic compliance-tracking features for easy oversight of required or mandatory training, including certification expiry dates
- The ability to support offline learning via mobile devices, for when your employees are off the grid
Usability (10% of total score): To evaluate the usability of each LMS, I considered the following:
- An intuitive design and user interface, with a minimal learning curve to master
- Clear and straightforward content organization, including the ability to create content libraries through drag-and-drop tools
- A good balance between powerful features and ease of use to accommodate all skill levels and create a positive user experience
- Either dedicated mobile apps or a mobile-friendly user interface that supports flexible learning on both Android and iOS mobile devices
- Role-based access controls that are straightforward to configure
Onboarding (10% of total score): To get a sense of each software provider's customer onboarding process, I considered the following factors:
- A streamlined setup process and clear configuration guidelines
- The availability of training materials such as videos or interactive tutorials
- Customizable templates to speed up the onboarding process
- Support for migrating employee data into the new platform
Customer Support (10% of total score): To evaluate the level of customer support each vendor offered, I considered the following:
- The availability of multiple support channels, including email, phone, and chat
- The existence of a self-service knowledge base or other self-help resources to speed up troubleshooting
- The overall quality, responsiveness, and helpfulness of the support team during customer onboarding and post-purchase, as inferred from customer reviews
Value for Price (10% of total score): To gauge the value of each software, I considered the following factors:
- The availability of free trials or demos to test the software before purchasing
- Competitive and transparent pricing models that reflect the software's feature depth and explain which features are included at each level
- Tiered pricing plans that cater to different business sizes, from small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) up to enterprise-level organizations
Customer Reviews (10% of total score): Evaluating customer reviews is the final element of my selection process, which helps me understand how well a product performs in the hands of real users. Here are the factors I considered:
- Whether a product has consistently high ratings across multiple review platforms, indicating a broad level of user satisfaction
- Specific praises, criticisms, or trends in customer feedback that indicate the software's strengths or areas for improvement
- Whether customer feedback specifically mentions issues with ease of use, customer support responsiveness, or lacking features
Using this assessment framework helped me identify the learning management systems that go beyond basic requirements to offer additional value through unique features, intuitive usability, smooth onboarding, effective support, and overall value for price.
How to Choose a Learning Management System
A learning management system can help you centralize your internal learning resources and create more flexible learning experiences for your employees, based on their needs.
To choose an LMS that best fits your needs, you need to pinpoint your key users and document their specific challenges first.
As you work through your own unique LMS software selection process, keep the following points in mind:
- What problem are you trying to solve? Start by identifying the challenges you're trying to overcome. This will help you clarify the features and functionality the learning management system needs to provide.
- Who will need to use it? To evaluate cost and requirements, consider who will use the software and how many licenses you'll need. For a learning management system, you'll likely want access for your entire workforce, with special access for your HR administrators and managers. Once that's clear, it's also useful to rank the needs of your different users to identify the key priorities for your power users, managers, and employees, to ensure they're all met.
- What other tools it needs to work with? Clarify what tools you're replacing, what tools are staying, and the tools you'll need to integrate with, such as HR management systems, performance management systems, and communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams. You'll need to decide if the tools will need to integrate together, or alternatively, if you can replace multiple tools with an all-in-one employee learning & development platform.
- What outcomes are important? Review the capabilities you want to gain or improve, and how you will measure success. For example, you may want to offer learning experiences in more flexible formats, gain stronger tools for progress tracking, or improve your compliance rates for internal training purposes. You could compare LMS features until you’re blue in the face but if you aren’t thinking about the outcomes you want to achieve, you could waste a lot of valuable time.
- How it would work within your organization? Consider the software selection alongside your existing workflows and systems. Evaluate what's working well, and any problem areas that need to be addressed.
Remember every business is different — don’t assume that a learning management system will work for your organization just because it's popular.
Trends in Learning Management Systems (LMS) for 2025
Employee training, upskilling, and cross-skilling are increasingly important as organizations feel the pressure to keep pace with emerging technologies and stay afloat in economically uncertain times.
Learning management systems can greatly contribute to a culture of ongoing development, helping your teams address any weaknesses identified in your skills gap analysis process.
Here are some of the ways these systems are evolving to better address the shifting needs of businesses and their workforce:
- Personalized Learning Paths: LMS platforms are increasingly using AI and machine learning algorithms to analyze user performance and preferences to tailor course content and offer personalized learning paths. This functionality addresses the challenge of diverse learner needs within organizations, enabling more targeted training that improves outcomes and learner satisfaction.
- Mobile Learning and Accessibility: With the rise of hybrid and remote working environments, mobile learning and enhanced accessibility features are becoming increasingly important. This trend addresses the need for flexible learning options that cater to employees working from various locations. Mobile-friendly LMS platforms ensure continuous learning and development, regardless of an employee's physical location.
- Gamification and Interactive Content: Novel and unusual features such as gamification and interactive content are gaining traction. These features make learning more engaging and enjoyable, leveraging competition and rewards to motivate learners. This approach addresses the challenge of learner engagement and retention, a common pain point for HR professionals.
- Microlearning and Bite-Sized Content: The shift towards microlearning reflects a growing understanding of attention spans and the need for flexible, concise training modules. This feature caters to the modern learner's preference for quick, digestible pieces of content that can be easily incorporated into a busy schedule or consumed easily on a mobile device.
- Advanced Analytics and Reporting: For leaders who aim to be strategic partners in their organizations, understanding the impact of learning initiatives is vital. Advanced analytics and reporting capabilities provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your training programs, supporting a data-driven approach for making future program adjustments. These tools can help you monitor key metrics like:
- Training completion rates,
- Assessment and evaluation scores, and
- Engagement with various training modules.
This snapshot of LMS trends shows a clear focus on enhancing the learning experience and making the format and delivery of learning materials more accessible. As these platforms continue to develop, they promise to offer even more innovative solutions to meet the changing needs of learners and organizations alike.
What is a Learning Management System?
Learning management systems (LMS) are streamlined digital platforms for education and training. They provide a centralized space for creating, delivering, and tracking educational content and courses. LMSs enable efficient learning by offering tools for educators to manage course materials and for learners to access and engage with these resources. The purpose is to simplify the educational process, make it more accessible and effective, and support a diverse range of learning needs.
Features of Learning Management Systems
Learning management systems can do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to offering flexible learning environments, tracking learning progress, and supporting upskilling and employee development. Here are the features I consider essential when reviewing learning management systems:
- Course Management Features: This includes a handful of useful tools such as personalization features, learning paths, and role-based course groupings that will help you curate the most relevant learning materials for learners at the individual, group, job function, or department level.
- Content Management Features: This includes tools for uploading and organizing multimedia materials into libraries, version control for course content, easy integration with external resources, and any other tools that make it easy to update and maintain course materials.
- Assessment and Competency Tools: These are tools that help you ensure that your employees are actually retaining the information they're learning. They include features like skill assessment questionnaires and spot quizzes that measure learning comprehension.
- Learner Engagement Features: Learner engagement features include things like training gamification, employee leaderboards with training scores, and internal communication tools that keep students engaged. Beyond that, some systems allow learners to collaborate within the LMS, ask questions & add comments, or encourage peer-based learning.
- Tracking and Reporting: Comprehensive tracking and reporting capabilities allow educators to monitor learner progress and engagement. This feature is indispensable for identifying areas where learners may need additional support, or for monitoring required or mandatory training for compliance purposes.
- Automated Alerts and Notifications: These features are especially valuable for organizations that have specific training requirements, such as those in safety-sensitive industries. With integrated alerts and notifications, your HR professionals won't have to chase down employees to complete any mandatory training. Instead, the system will do that work automatically on your behalf.
- Collaborative Learning Tools: You don't want your employees being trained in a silo. Instead, the best LMS systems include communication and collaboration features that support social learning, allowing employees to post questions or comments within an internal chat to spark engagement with other colleagues.
- Mobile Compatibility: A mobile-friendly platform ensures that learners can access materials anytime, anywhere. This feature is vital for accommodating the needs of learners who rely on mobile devices for their educational activities. (Make sure the LMS is compatible with both Android and iOS devices to ensure maximum flexibility for all your active users.)
- Customization and Branding: The ability to tailor the look and feel of the platform to match an organization's branding enhances the learning experience. Customization ensures that the LMS feels like a natural extension of the organization's educational offerings.
- Customer Support: Even though LMS systems are very straightforward and intuitive for the most part, you still want to know that the vendor you choose has your back if you need them. That's why I always double-check what kind of support a vendor offers, including customer support by phone, email, or chat.
If you'd like to dig into this more, read our advanced round-up of the best learning management system features next.
Benefits of a Learning Management System
A well-chosen learning management system can function as a cornerstone of your employee development and corporate training environment, giving you the tools you need to deliver, track, and manage your internal training programs. By investing in the best LMS for your needs, you can expect to gain the following benefits:
- Centralized Learning Resources: LMS platforms house all learning materials in one location, making it easier for users to access and for organizations to manage. This centralization ensures that everyone has access to the same information and resources, streamlining the learning process, reducing redundancy, and providing a consistent learning experience for all users.
- Scalable and Flexible Learning: When using an LMS, businesses can easily scale their training programs to accommodate growth and adapt to changing learning needs. This flexibility supports continuous learning and development opportunities, catering to a diverse workforce with varying schedules and learning preferences.
- Enhanced Tracking and Reporting: LMS platforms provide advanced tools for monitoring user progress and measuring the effectiveness of training programs. This capability allows businesses to make data-driven decisions about how to improve and tailor their training initiatives, ensuring they meet their learning objectives and return on investment.
- Improved Learner Engagement and Retention: Interactive features, multimedia content, and personalized learning paths within LMS platforms engage users more effectively than traditional training methods. Enhanced engagement leads to higher retention rates, ensuring that learners not only complete their courses but also absorb and apply the knowledge gained.
- Reduced Training Costs: By reducing the need for physical materials, travel, and instructor-led sessions, LMSs offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional training methods. Organizations can allocate their resources more efficiently, by investing in high-quality online training that delivers measurable outcomes.
As you can see, investing in a learning management system isn't just about adopting new technology; it's about creating a learning culture that covers the needs of all learners, offers greater flexibility and analytics, and reduces operational costs, while streamlining learning processes to make them easily scalable. By investing in an LMS, businesses can unlock the full potential of their workforce and drive operational success.
For more on this topic, this article covering the benefits of learning management systems is a logical next step.
Costs & Pricing for Learning Management Systems
LMS providers typically offer a range of plans to accommodate the diverse needs and scales of organizations, from startups to large enterprises. These plans are designed to provide flexibility and scalability, ensuring that businesses can find an option that fits their specific training and development requirements. Below is an overview of common LMS plan options and pricing to help you make an informed decision.
LMS are all SaaS products, which means you pay a monthly subscription to access them, generally based on the number of users you have. For some systems, pricing details are only available upon request. However, you can still get a sense of the features they include with each pricing plan by taking a closer look at their website. I also recommend taking advantage of a free trial, if available, before you commit to a contract.
Plan Comparison Table for Learning Management Systems
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Access to basic features, limited user count, and community support |
| Basic | $5-20 per user/month | Basic learning management features, reporting, and email support |
| Standard | $20-50 per user/month | Advanced analytics, customization options, integration capabilities, and phone support |
| Premium | $50-100 per user/month | Full feature access, dedicated support, advanced integration, and personalized training |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Custom features, enterprise-grade security, a personal account manager, and bespoke training solutions |
When selecting a plan, consider both your immediate and long-term organizational needs. While free and basic plans offer a good starting point for small teams and budgets, standard, premium, and enterprise plans provide the scalability and features to help large organizations fully optimize their training programs.
Here are several common scenarios for when you might want to opt for a more advanced LMS plan:
Increased User Capacity: As your organization grows, the basic plan may not support the number of users you need. Upgrading ensures all employees can access the system without limitations.
Customization Needs: Basic plans often come with limited customization options. Upgrading allows you to tailor the system to fit your company's unique training requirements and integrate your corporate branding elements.
Compliance and Certifications: If your industry has strict compliance and certification requirements, advanced plans offer the necessary tools to ensure you meet these standards, including proactive certification renewal reminders. These features help avoid non-compliance issues and maintain professional standards without requiring a lot of manual involvement by your HR staff —definitely worth paying extra for if this applies to your organization.
Advanced Reporting and Analytics: To track detailed progress and performance metrics, you may need the sophisticated reporting tools offered in advanced plans. This data can help you make informed decisions about your training programs to make them even more effective.
Ultimately, it's important to secure a plan that offers the features you require to satisfy your current needs and solve your challenges without exceeding your budget.
New & Noteworthy Product Updates
Below, I've summarized the most recent release notes and product updates for my top LMS recommendations. Discover what’s now possible through new feature releases, improvements, and updates for web, desktop, and mobile apps. Learn what’s new, if it’s hot—or not, and why it matters for learning, training, and employee development.
2024 Q4: LMS Software Updates
Absorb LMS Update Notes
Absorb LMS recently released its Q4 2024 update, focusing on improving learner engagement and streamlining administration. The rollout will take place between late November and early December 2024, depending on your geographic region (you can refer to their expected deployment timeline here).
The update adds Learner Engagement Reporting to share activities like assessments and certifications via iPaaS connectors and Salesforce. It includes SCIM API integration for automated user provisioning with Okta, AI-generated quizzes in Create AI, adjustable playback rates, mobile app access to course completion certificates, and enhanced Skills features for personalized content and learning goal resets.
These changes save time for admins, improve learning flexibility, and offer tailored training experiences. The new integrations and AI tools help organizations meet specific learning needs more effectively.
Verdict: Hot! These new updates will improve the user experience for both employees and platform admins substantially.
Workleap Update Notes
During Q4, Workleap launched a new product called Workleap Performance, which is a new tool designed to streamline performance management. It replaces outdated review systems with a flexible solution designed to foster regular, meaningful feedback between employees and managers.
The platform lets companies customize their review process to fit their needs. Options include different review schedules (annual, quarterly, weekly), formats (peer, self, manager), and parameters like deadlines and review questions. This adaptability ensures it works for any team structure.
Workleap Performance simplifies reviews with a clear interface and automated notifications. Managers can track progress easily, ensuring fair evaluations. By combining feedback from peers, self-assessments, and managers, the tool delivers a full picture of employee performance, supporting growth and better results.
Verdict: Not hot for LMS purposes, but still a worthwhile new product to know about, especially for existing Workleap users.
Kallidus Learn Update Notes
Recently, Kallidus has released an update to its Learn platform, introducing an AI-driven skill generation feature currently in beta. This new tool helps organizations quickly develop comprehensive skills frameworks tailored to their specific needs.
The new feature leverages artificial intelligence to generate a list of relevant skills based on user-provided information, such as market sector. By inputting pertinent details, users receive a curated set of skills that serve as a foundation for building or refining their organization's skills framework. This marks the initial phase of the beta release, with plans to incorporate additional functionalities in future updates.
For users, this AI-driven tool automates the process of identifying and cataloging essential skills, reducing the time and effort traditionally required. By providing a tailored skills list, organizations can more effectively align their training and development programs with industry standards and specific business objectives, ultimately enhancing workforce competency and performance.
Verdict: Hot! This new feature speeds up skill identification, ultimately improving workforce skills, performance, and learning objective alignment.
SkyPrep Update Notes
Throughout the fall, SkyPrep released several minor enhancements to improve the user experience, help users create more engagement content, and support new integrations.
The key updates include the addition of transition animations in SkyPrep Studio, allowing users to apply animations to content blocks for more dynamic presentations. A new tab layout option within Studio sections offers greater flexibility in content organization.
Additionally, the integration with BambooHR enables automatic user imports, terminations, and rehires, facilitating seamless user management. Plus, the checklist grading page now features a new print option.
Verdict: Warm? These are good updates, but also not super groundbreaking changes either.
Learning Management Systems: Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers to commonly asked questions you may have about learning management systems, how they work, and how they can add value to your internal HR learning and training initiatives:
Are there different types of learning management systems?
There certainly are, and if you’re in the market for an LMS, you should definitely school yourself in the different types of learning platforms out there.
First, consider the size of your organization. If you’re shopping for an LMS for a large, multi-national organization or enterprise, you’ll want something with robust features, including location-specific customizations and the ability to translate content. In that case, you’ll likely find what you need in my list of the best corporate learning management systems.
If you’re working for a small or medium-sized business (SMB), you can likely get away with something more affordable that offers lean but useful features to organize your training content and track your learner progress. If that sounds like you, take a look at my list of the best LMS for small businesses instead.
Aside from the size of your business, there are other important business needs you should also consider. Ask yourself how you plan to use your chosen LMS. Do you need it primarily to help with your onboarding or health & safety training? Or will it be used more for professional development and upskilling?
Also, how do you want the software delivered to you? Most LMS providers offer their services on a SaaS (software-as-a-service) subscription model where their software is cloud-hosted. However, if your business has tight security requirements, or you’re working for a government or educational institution, a self-hosted LMS may be a more prudent option to pick.
How can I tell which LMS is right for my business?
Before you commit to purchasing an LMS, you need to analyze your organization’s learning needs. Ask yourself the following questions to point yourself in the right direction:
- What are your company’s learning needs?
- Will your training courses be instructor-led or will staff complete the course modules independently?
- Which elements of your current learning and development program are working, and which are not?
- What are your wish list features that you would really like to gain by purchasing a new LMS system?
- Are there any LMS features you don’t want or need?
- What is your realistic budget for purchasing an LMS system?
Consult with other members of your HR department to brainstorm these questions together. Once you’ve settled on your answers, you’ll have a better sense of the ideal type of learning management system for you.
The next step is making a compelling business case for new software and convincing your upper management to approve the financial investment in the LMS software of your choosing.
How popular are learning management systems? Show me some stats!
Learning management systems have a lot to offer, and have surged even more in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Here are some interesting stats related to LMS use that prove this point:
- In 2019, the global LMS market was valued at $8.76 billion. Since then, it is expected to grow to a value of $38.10 billion by 2027!
- Mobile learning, specifically, is expected to reach a market size of $80.1 billion by 2027.
- 66% of learning & development professionals have experienced substantial growth within their role since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 90% of students prefer e-learning content instead of classroom learning.
- 75% of employees prefer video-based training instead of reading text-heavy training information.
- 82% of learning and development professionals say reporting analytics is the most important aspect of using an LMS.
Why is compliance monitoring an important part of LMS software?
Compliance monitoring is an important aspect of most internal employee training programs. This is especially true for organizations working in potentially dangerous industries with employees in safety-sensitive positions. Some training is considered legally mandatory. That’s why you absolutely need an LMS system that automatically tracks training compliance for you.
What does that mean exactly? Basically, you want an LMS system that will chase down incomplete training on your behalf automatically, rather than relying on your HR staff to follow up on loose ends. Some training may come with expiry dates, and you want a system that can automate those reminders as well. On top of that, you want a system that automates compliance reports for you, in case you get audited by a safety inspector unexpectedly.
Can an LMS meet specific industry needs?
Absolutely, many learning management systems can be tailored to specific industry requirements. These platforms often offer customizable modules and content that can align with unique regulatory compliances, operational standards, and learning objectives particular to industries like healthcare, finance, or manufacturing.
It’s all about choosing a system with the right features and flexibility. You want one that can grow and adapt as your industry evolves. Plus, many LMS providers work closely with their clients to ensure their system meets these specific needs, offering custom development or integrations as necessary.
Do learning management systems support mobile learning?
Most modern LMS platforms are designed with mobile learning in mind. They’re built to be responsive, ensuring that courses and materials are accessible on smartphones and tablets. This flexibility is key for supporting a remote or on-the-go workforce, allowing employees to engage with their training anytime, anywhere.
How do learning management systems engage learners?
Learning management systems can help companies engage staff in training and development content with features like:
- Interactive content
- Personalized learning paths, and
- Gamification elements like badges and leaderboards
They often also include social learning features, allowing for discussions and collaboration among peers. Real-time feedback and assessments help learners understand their progress and areas for improvement. By catering to various learning styles and providing flexible access to resources, LMSs create a more dynamic and engaging learning experience.
Other Learning & Training Software Reviews
With learning, training, and employee development already on your mind, you may also want to take a look at these other related software reviews too:
- Enterprise Learning Management Systems
- Learning and Development Certifications
- Employee Training Software
- Training Management Software for Skill Building
- Onboarding Software for Training New Hires
- Online Training Software for Internal Training
More Resources for Best-in-Class Learning Programs
Still craving a bit more information? Here are some of our other top articles covering learning management, and how to do it right:
- How A Learning Management System Can Benefit Your Business
- 5 Employee Learning Trends to Shape Your Learning Strategy
- A Culture of Learning Has Two Enormous Organizational Benefits
- 18 Key Learning Management System Features You Need to Know
- 3 Reasons Why Blended Learning Might Be Right for Your Team
- How to Revolutionize Your Talent Development with Skills Mapping
Use an LMS to Make Learning Easy
LMS tools are the easiest way to streamline your learning process and offer new learning resources to your entire organization. They'll help you easily create courses and share them with your teams, or access quality training resources from pre-existing course libraries. You just need to choose a platform that suits your needs.
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