The 20 Best Learning Management Systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become increasingly important for companies of all sizes as software systems for creating, managing, and tracking training for employees, partners, and customers.

However, modern LMSs are also used for compliance training or customer education. Choosing the right LMS for the job is hard work, as they come with their own unique advantages and disadvantages, with many established solutions and modern systems with specialized functions.

This guide will help you decide which LMS is best for you!

Have you tried LearnWorlds LMS?

What is a Learning Management System (LMS)?

A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application that plans, creates, manages, and delivers online training content. An LMS -whether cloud-based or on-premise- is used widely in the eLearning industry and acts as a distribution and management vehicle for online courses, training programs, or learning and development programs.

LMSs usually include built-in authoring tools (course creation) and user management capabilities for reporting on outcomes. One of the most important functionalities of an LMS is the ability to deliver and track the completion of educational material, usually in SCORM, TinCAN, or another format.

You can access our LMS RFP template to help you shortlist the right LMS for your case:

Why use an LMS?

An LMS can be used by an individual, a team, or a business to create unique digital learning experiences. The role, modules, and functions of an LMS may vary depending on the learning goals of the person or company that is using it and, ultimately, the industry they are in.

Through an LMS system, you get accessibility to create and deliver online training for the following purposes:

• Corporate training: An LMS can be used as a learning ecosystem for an organization’s human resources administration initiatives. It can be part of the talent management or onboarding process, employee training, partner training, member training, compliance training, and sometimes sales enablement.
• Higher education: An LMS can be used by educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities, from primary to higher education. It offers an open, friendly, and flexible learning environment that can create personalized learning paths for students and provide certifications remotely.
• Customer training: Apart from educating their staff, companies are interested in educating their customers through learning programs on how to use their products. Face-to-face learning is ideal in some cases; however, remote learning is such a great convenience for most customers and businesses. An excellent option to enhance customer retention as well.
• Create and sell online courses: An LMS is a great e-learning course management solution for online instructors, entrepreneurs, and course creators. It can help create course material and learning programs in any subject that can be taught or is related to your business.

The first step in looking for an LMS system is deciding what you need it for. Determining this factor is crucial because you want to avoid using an LMS that doesn’t fit the training style you intend to create.

Your answer should help you decide whether you need an academic-oriented LMS or a corporate/enterprise LMS whose features and learning tools are more suitable for carrying out marketing initiatives, e.g., building an email list, creating a sales page, or even working with affiliates.

Choosing Your LMS Software

There are over 800 options of different LMS platforms (ranging from open-source to proprietary) with numerous LMS features. Choosing the best LMS to build your course contents and accommodate your learning objectives and training requirements requires in-depth research into the type of LMS you need.

Carrying out research on LMSs and examining aspects such as pricing models, features, integrations, and scalability can help you avoid losing valuable time and money and instead choose a reliable and cost-effective LMS platform.

Best Learning Management Software

This article lists the 20 most popular LMS providers to help you choose a learning platform to build your course content. This list can make your decision easier while you consider the pros and cons of each.

1LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds is our very own Learning Management System that offers the ability to build your online academy while creating unique, interactive, and social learning experiences (e.g., training courses, coaching programs, online courses for upskilling your workforce, and more).

The intuitive authoring environment allows for building engaging eLearning content easily and within minutes. Out of the best features it offers are its powerful Site Builder, its Assessment Builder – which  allows you to create advanced assessments, exams, and quizzes, and its rich community-building tool that streamlines the communication between users and instructors.

Deployment: Mobile Application, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It’s ideal for entrepreneurs, individual instructors, educators, small/medium businesses, professional trainers, internal training, product training, and customer training for companies that want to train their employees, external stakeholders, and customers.

Pricing: It offers a 30-day free trial and then subscription pricing plans at:

• Starter plan: $29/month (plus $5 per course sale, save up to 20% if billed annually upfront)
• Pro Trainer plan: $99/month (No transaction fees, 5 admins/instructors, save up to 20% if billed annually upfront)
• Learning Center: $299/month (No transaction fees, 20 custom user roles, save up to 20% if billed annually upfront)
• High volume & Corporate: Contact LearnWorlds to book a demo and discover more

* Pricing information retrieved from LearnWorlds in June 2024.

💁 For a more detailed analysis of the LearnWorlds plans, you can check our pricing plan comparison chart or contact us directly to get a customized pricing plan for your business needs.

2Docebo

Docebo comes with a top cloud-based LMS solution that ticks off the majority of every organization’s training needs and requirements. The platform is learner-centric and comes with L&D capabilities using learning-specific Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms that help to personalize the learning experience. Docebo is trusted by notable companies, including Bloomberg and Sharp.

Deployment: Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for?

It’s aimed for use by human resource professionals, HR departments, or enterprises.

Pricing:

Docebo has the following yearly subscription plans:

• Engage: Starting at $25,000/year (based on a 3-year contract)
• Elevate: Starting at $40,000/year (based on a 3-year contract)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing.

Although there is no free trial available, you can request a demo for any plan.

*Pricing information retrieved from Docebo & FinancesOnline in June, 2024.

💁‍♀️ Best Docebo Competitors

3TalentLMS

TalentLMS is a popular eLearning solution that allows businesses and individuals to create training courses within just a few clicks. Its easy-to-use platform allows people with no technical experience to get up and running and set up learning activities using the tools the system offers. It is enterprise-friendly and offers very specific training options to organizations regardless of the industry they are in.

Deployment: Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It is ideal for online course designers, trainers, and businesses of all types and sizes.

Pricing:

The platform offers a forever-free plan that allows up to 5 users, 10 courses, and unlimited email support. Subscription plans include standard plans and active plans.

Standard plans (on the yearly plan) include:

• Starter: $89/month
• Basic: $189/month
• Plus: $369/month
• Premium: $569/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (for companies with more than 1000 users)

Active plans (on the yearly plan) include:

• Starter Active: $179/month
• Basic Active: $339/month
• Plus Active: $489/month
• Premium Active: $649/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (for companies with more than 500 active users)

*Pricing information retrieved from TalentLMS in June 2024.

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4Trakstar Learn (formerly Mindflash)

As an industry-leading learning management system, Trakstar Learn (formerly Mindflash) aims to make the training process easier and more effective by offering an innovative solution in content creation, business analytics, program management, and enterprise integrations. For this reason, Trakstar Learn is ideal for corporate and customer training.

Deployment: Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It is suitable for companies in the extended enterprise, helping large and fast-growing companies deliver eLearning courses and training to contractors and business partners.

Pricing: Trakstar Learn applies a pay-per-user pricing model based on the number of trainees in your account. Training features and unlimited courses are all-inclusive.

For more pricing details, you need to get in touch with the company or book a live demo with their product expert, depending on the plan you are interested in.

*Pricing information retrieved from Trakstar Learn in June 2024.

5Coassemble

Coassemble, formerly eCoach, is an all-in-one online training platform that makes eLearning content management an easy and creative process. From creating and managing training content to analyzing detailed progress reports, this LMS offers a great L&D training solution for the purposes of employee training – onboarding and compliance, and customer training.

Deployment: Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It can be used by freelancers, SMEs, or large enterprises of more than 10,000 employees.

Pricing: The platform offers a 7-day free trial.

Subscription plans include:

• Starter: $0 (for individuals)
• Business: $9/creator/month (for teams)

*Pricing information retrieved from Coassemble in June 2024.

6eFront

eFront is another great option that offers multiple ways of distributing knowledge and measuring learning activities. Its platform can provide full control and management over a business’s virtual environment, training content, enrollment, and user data.

Deployment: Desktop application, Mobile application, Self-hosted cloud-based, Self-hosted system, and SaaS.

Type: Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It is great for large enterprises and businesses that have a remote or non-remote team of employees working for them because of its various deployment options.

Pricing: Plans are priced based on the training needs of individuals and businesses and types of users.

Subscription plans include:

• Registered: starting from $1200/month (for up to 1000 registered users)
• Active: $2000/month (for up to 150 concurrent users)
• On-premises: custom plan (for registered or concurrent users)

*Pricing information retrieved from EfrontLearning in June 2024.

7Go Skills

Go Skills is a learning platform that allows people to learn and develop skills that can help them reach their professional goals. In its content library, there are more than 120 courses ranging from Project Management, Microsoft Office, Soft Skills, Design, and Office Productivity, amongst many others that are vital to the workplace. The platform is trusted by Fortune 500 companies and many small startups.

Deployment: Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS, Academic LMS

Who is it for? It’s intended for use by businesses, training teams of any size, and freelance instructors.

Pricing: It offers a free trial for individuals and comes with many individual and team subscription plans:

• For individuals: free 7-day trial, and then €29/month.
• For teams: you can calculate the price for your package by the number of your learners.
• For enterprises: of 50+ people, you have to contact GoSkills to request a demo.

*Pricing information retrieved from Go Skills in June 2024.

8LearnUpon

LearnUpon is another great option for educational, corporate, customer, and partner training. This platform is well-known for its functionalities, user-friendly interface, and multilingual support it offers. One of its advantages is its ability to segment different teams and create unique learning paths. LearnUpon is trusted by TripAdvisor and Booking.com.

Deployment: Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It’s ideal for educational institutions and businesses of all types and sizes.

Pricing: It offers a free trial. Pricing is custom and based on the number of active users and portals. You need to contact LearnUpon for a price quote.
Subscription plans include:

• Essential for up to 150 users
• Premium for 150 to 500 users
• Enterprise for 500+ users

*Pricing information retrieved from LearnUpon in June 2024.

9Moodle

Unlike the majority of LMSs here, Moodle is a free, open-source learning management platform. Moodle was designed by a group of developers and includes a range of drag-and-drop tools and useful resources that can help the everyday user. The platform is translated into over 95 languages and powers learning environments worldwide.

Deployment: Mobile Application, Self-Hosted Cloud-based, Self-Hosted System

Type: Academic LMS, Corporate LMS

Who is it for? It’s suitable for educators, freelancers, businesses, and public administrations.

Pricing:

Moodle comes in two variations. The first one is the original open-source Moodle, which is free to use and runs most self-hosted eLearning websites. The other one is MoodleCloud, which offers a cloud-based solution, and its pricing is based on the number of users and file storage.

Subscription plans include:

• Starter: €110/year (50 users, 250MB)
• Mini: €190/year (100 users, 500MB)
• Small: €360/year (200 users, 1GB)
• Medium: €830/year (500 users, 2.5GB) – with custom domain add-on.
• Standard: €1570/year (1000 users, 5GB) – with custom domain add-on.

For a larger plan, you need to contact Moodle directly.

*Pricing information retrieved from MoodleCloud in June 2024.

10Litmos

Litmos (formerly known as SAP Litmos) is a well-known learning platform that offers a variety of eLearning solutions for businesses, including corporate, customer, partner, services, and support training, and compliance training. Amongst its bigger strengths is the ability to create customized learning paths for the needs and the style of every company and its employees.

Deployment: Mobile Application, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It’s great for businesses of all types and sizes.

Pricing: It offers a 14-day free trial.

Pricing is not publicly available on the site but is based on the number of active users after contacting their sales team. Access to the LMS, specific courses, and add-on features comes with a quote-based plan after making a pricing request to Litmos directly.

The three available pricing plans are Foundation Suite, Premier Suite, and Platinum Suite.

For more pricing details, you need to contact the company and request a demo.

*Pricing information retrieved from Litmos in June 2024.

11SkyPrep

SkyPrep offers a range of flexible training solutions to organizations. The purpose of this platform is to help businesses build their own training programs and keep their employees productive. What’s unique about it is that it offers advanced security options that are suitable for the most demanding companies that want to make sure their data is always safe and protected.

Deployment: Mobile Application, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It’s for public administrations and large organizations. It might not be ideal for small businesses with a restricted budget.

Pricing: It offers a 14-day free trial.

Pricing is based on the number of active users, administrators, and managers. You need to contact SkyPrep to get a custom price for your requirements. Subscription plans include:

• Lite: 100+ active users
• Premium 100+ active users
• Enterprise: for 1000+ users

*Pricing information retrieved from SkyPrep in June 2024.

12iSpring Learn

Another great LMS option, iSpring Learn can be integrated into any business’s corporate training program. Because of the wide variety of pricing plans and standalone tools it offers, organizations can choose what best fits their learning needs and budget.

Deployment: Mobile Application, Self-Hosted Cloud-based, Self-Hosted System, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It’s suitable for organizations of all types and sizes.

Pricing:

It offers a 30-day free trial. Pricing is based on the number of active users and starts at $2,99 per user, billed annually for organizations with 50 users or fewer.

It has three subscription plans – Basic, Advanced, and Pro for each set number of users (50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000). For more details on pricing information, check the platform’s pricing here.

*Pricing information retrieved from iSpringLearn in June 2024.

1Adobe Learning Manager
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Adobe Learning Manager (formerly Adobe Captivate Prime) is a comprehensive, cloud-based learning management system (LMS) designed to meet the training needs of medium to large enterprises. It offers a user-friendly interface, seamless integration with other Adobe products, and robust analytics to learner progress tracking and performance.

Deployment: Cloud-based SaaS, Mobile Application

Type: Corporate LMS, Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It is mostly tailored to meet the needs of medium to large businesses and organizations, providing extensive features suitable for corporate training and professional development.

Pricing:

There is no free trial available, but you can request a demo. The platform’s pricing differs based on the number of registered users and monthly active users. You can request custom pricing here.

*Pricing information retrieved from Adobe in June 2024.

14Blackboard

Blackboard is an LMS solution that offers an adaptable learning environment suitable for both academic and business development purposes. As a learning platform, it provides a range of social and blended learning features that can make any type of training engaging throughout its course.

Deployment: Desktop Application, Mobile Application, Self-Hosted System, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Academic LMS, Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It fits well with the requirements of educational institutes, public administrations, educators, trainers, instructional designers, as well as SMEs and enterprises.

Pricing: It offers a 30-day trial on selected products.
To learn about pricing options and get your custom plan, you need to contact Blackboard directly and arrange for a demo with an expert.

*Pricing information retrieved from Anthology in June 2024.

15TalentCards

TalentCards makes training easy and affordable through the revolutionary use of micro-learning (short-term learning) activities such as learning cards. The platform offers the unique ability to create micro-learning content in an attempt to improve the productivity and engagement of the users.

Deployment: Desktop Application, Mobile Application, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Academic LMS, Corporate LMS/Enterprise

Who is it for? It’s ideal for freelancers, educators, trainers, academic staff, SMEs, large organizations, and public administrations.

Pricing: It offers a free trial. Pricing is based on the number of users.
Subscription plans include:

• Free: $0 (up to 5 users)
• Standard: $50/month (50 users +$1,00 per additional user)
• Premium: $75/month (50 users +$1,50 per additional user)

Standard and Premium plans support up to 2000 users. For plans with more users, contact TalentCards for a custom quote.

*Pricing information retrieved from TalentCards in June 2024.

16Top Hat

Top Hat is a learning platform that aims to make teaching fun and effective. Its modern technology allows university and college professors to create online courses and deliver them in an engaging way that encourages students’ participation as a whole.

Deployment: Mobile Application, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Academic LMS

Who is it for? It is intended for use by higher education instructors, professors, and educational institutions.

Pricing: Top Hat is always free for professors. Students pay for an affordable active learning solution when they adopt one of the following:

• Top Hat Basic: Free
• Top Hat Pro: $30/student/four months

*Pricing information retrieved from TopHat in June 2024.

17CoreAchieve

CoreAchieve is a learning management system that aims to improve the current learning and training process of your business. Developed by CorePartners, the platform uses the latest technology and tools that were applied by a team of professionals with more than 20 years of experience in managing technical and business projects.

Deployment: Cloud-based/SaaS, Mobile Application, Self-Hosted Cloud-based, Self-Hosted System

Type: Academic LMS, Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It’s suitable for educational institutions, public administrations, and organizations of all types and sizes.

Pricing: It offers a free trial. Pricing is based on the number of active users.
Subscription plans include:

• Free: up to 5 active users, unlimited courses
• Starter: $175/month (up to 50 active users)
• Basic: $299/month (up to 100 active users)
• Standard: $798/month (up to 300 active users)

All the above-mentioned prices are for the US only. For international prices, you need to contact CoreAchieve at the following number: (301) 695-2673.

*Pricing information retrieved from CoreAchieve in June 2024.

18Looop by 360Learning

Looop by 360Learning offers a viable LMS solution for organizations that want to invest in their L&D training. Abandoning traditional training methods, Looop uses software that promises guaranteed performance and real results. The platform is trusted by many leading brands, including ASOS, Harrods, and Revolut, amongst others.

Deployment: Desktop Application, Mobile Application, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It can be used by organizations of all types and sizes.

Pricing: It offers a live demo and a free trial. Pricing is based on the number of active users; however, it is not available publicly, and you need to contact Looop for a demo and a custom quote.

Subscription plans include:

• Small Business: up to 50 users.
• Mid Size Business: up to 250 users.
• Enterprise: up to 500 users.
• Enterprise Plus: for more than 500 users.

*Pricing information retrieved from Looop by 360Learning in June, 2024.

19EduMe

As a Workforce Success platform, EduMe offers an eLearning tool that can be used by any organization to train, engage, and communicate with their employees. As a result of using EduMe to educate their workforce, Uber, Airbnb, Vodafone, and Deloitte have noticed an increase in employee productivity and their sales.

Deployment: Desktop Application, Mobile Application, Cloud-based/SaaS

Type: Academic LMS, Corporate LMS/Enterprise LMS

Who is it for? It is ideal for educational institutions and organizations of types and sizes.

Pricing: It offers a demo and a free trial.

Pricing is customer per number of users required. You have to submit a pricing request for a tailored quote for your workforce.

*Pricing information retrieved from EduMe in June 2024.

20Canvas LMS

Canvas LMS is a versatile, cloud-based LMS designed primarily for educational institutions, including K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. It has a user-friendly interface and offers a seamless teaching and learning experience through robust course management, communication, and collaboration tools. The platform supports extensive customization and third-party integrations and has dedicated mobile applications.

Deployment: Web-based, Cloud-based/SaaS, Mobile Application

Type: Academic LMS

Who is it for?

Primarily designed for educational institutions including K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, but also suitable for corporate training environments.

Pricing:

Canvas LMS offers an open-source solution, and its code is freely accessible. There is a Canvas Free-for-Teacher account that allows you to try the platform and offers access to basic-level features and functionality of Canvas LMS.

Pricing is not available publicly, but you can request a demo to get more details on the costs. There may be additional costs associated with setup, customization and maintenance.

*Pricing information retrieved from Canvas LMS in June 2024.

Which LMS is the best option for you?

Your choice of an LMS solution is crucial, and it’s one that you can’t afford to take lightly. Miscalculated time and money investments can be costly, whether you are an individual interested in an LMS or representing a company.

P.S.: Also, check out the list of the top mobile-friendly LMS.

Still don’t know which LMS is the best option for you? You can try the following:

• Read product reviews: reviews can tell you all about what an LMS can or cannot do for you, and this is probably the first place you need to look.
• Look for user feedback: reach out to people from your community who have tried the LMS platform of your choice and ask them what they think about it, or get more information from trusted sources.
• Ask for a consultation/demo: discuss your individual/business learning needs with the LMS vendors that interest you the most and find out what they can do for you specifically.
• Get a trial from an LMS vendor: a test drive of your top-of-the-list LMSs can help you decide if its features and functions are worth investing your time and money in.

Out of these options, the most effective is testing out the online learning platforms yourself.

So before you go, make sure to claim your free 30-day trial with LearnWorlds and let us know how it goes!