12 Best SaaS Learning Management Systems (LMS) for 2024

Whether you’re looking for ways to kickstart your training program from scratch or transition from one tool to another, finding the best SaaS LMS to go with is a must. With so many choices with their own features on the market, it’s tough to narrow things down. It’s why we’re here to help. 

Let’s take a deep dive into SaaS LMS systems and what makes them tick so you can get a better understanding of SaaS learning management systems. With our comprehensive list, you’ll be able to pick the best SaaS LMS for your needs and provide your people with the training they need to rock their jobs in 2024.

Table of contents

1. TalentLMS
2. Docebo
3. Moodle
4. Cypher Learning
5. Blackboard Learn
6. LearnWorlds
7. Skilljar
8. Canvas LMS
9. EdApp
10. iSpring Learn
11. LearnUpon
12. Adobe Learning Manager

Useful resources

What’s a SaaS LMS?
What’s a Hosted LMS?
SaaS Learning Management System Benefits
How to Choose the Best SaaS LMS
Start training with the best SaaS LMS for you in 2024

What’s a SaaS LMS?

First thing’s first–what’s a SaaS LMS? Software as a service (SaaS) LMS is a cloud-based tool designed for online training programs. When software is cloud-based, it uses a vendor’s servers. This means you don’t have to worry about setup or server infrastructure–these services are provided by the vendor you choose to train your users.

Different LMS SaaS vendors focus on providing customers with different sets of features intended for specific online training programs. For example, some cloud-based LMS solutions focus on academic learning programs, while learning management systems provide rich eCommerce features, making them the best SaaS LMS for a particular use case.

What’s a Hosted LMS?

On the other hand, hosted LMS solutions are not “cloud-based”. Rather, hosted LMSs are installed on your company’s servers. This type of learning management system is harder to come by in terms of providers. Most vendors will provide their LMSs with a software as a service license and offer a hosted model as a secondary option. 

Choosing SaaS training software over a hosted solution lets you spend valuable time and resources on training and other tasks rather than manual LMS management on your end. That’s why opting for one of the best SaaS LMS solutions is a smarter choice in the long run, whether you’re shopping for an employee training LMS, a customer and partner training solution, or another type of LMS.

SaaS vs Self-Hosted LMS

Now that we’ve established the basics of software as a service and hosted LMSs, how do you choose between the two? It comes down to moment-to-moment vendor support. Updates, hotfixes, and feature improvements are rolled out to SaaS tools regularly and without downtime on your end. 

On the other hand, hosted LMSs need to be updated manually, meaning that you’ll need an IT specialist fully onboarded and prepared to manage your LMS around the clock. If any issues occur, deploying fixes and getting things up and running again can take longer compared to cloud-based solutions. With the best SaaS LMS in your hands, you don’t have to think about technical failures, upkeep, or out-of-date software. Everything is provided alongside the LMS as a service included in the license.

SaaS Learning Management System Benefits

What other benefits should you consider besides the fact that the best SaaS LMS solutions operate in the cloud? After all, you’ll rely on your training solution for the foreseeable future, and you should know what different learning management systems are capable of. Here are some of the best reasons to use SaaS training software for your eLearning needs.

Scale as you go

The best SaaS LMS solutions let you scale your training as your business grows. That means getting extra user slots and advanced features without starting over and buying a brand-new license from LMS SaaS vendors. Whether you want to scale your training program up due to hiring and training employees or down due to seasonality, SaaS LMS systems from reliable vendors will let you do that without difficulty.

Branch out your training program

The bigger your organization, the more complex your training will become. That’s why creating sub-portals is vital to easy eLearning management in all SaaS learning management systems. By separating your training portal into multiple sub-portals, you can compartmentalize individual departments, subsidiaries, or types of learners based on their unique needs. This means deeper customization and a bigger emphasis on personalized learning—something that can make even the best SaaS LMS out there even better for your needs.

Deploy new content seamlessly

Successful eLearning often means implementing new training courses and units on the fly. The best SaaS LMS tools give you control over course authoring tools, which you can use to create brand-new content quickly and easily. Paired with AI tools, you can deploy personalized courses tailored to your learners’ needs in minutes. Additionally, many SaaS LMS platforms offer dedicated content libraries which you can pick courses from, further speeding up the content deployment process.

Integrate your LMS SaaS with other apps

The best SaaS LMS tools out there feature native integration with dozens of useful apps and services that can further enhance different online training programs. Using your own HRIS for years and want to pass employee data to and from your SaaS training software? Check. Want to implement SSO or use your organization’s CRM alongside the LMS? Double-check! When looking for SaaS LMS providers, make sure you know which tools you can easily integrate with the training portal before you settle on the best SaaS LMS for your needs.

1. TalentLMS

Rating: 4.6/5 (701 reviews)

TalentLMS is the best SaaS LMS for growing businesses. It’s a cloud-based LMS that offers a range of advanced, practical features that are easy to learn and master. As an award winning LMS, it has native course authoring and user management tools, enabling you to create and deliver great training with one convenient tool. 

You can easily follow up training with its analytics tools, which allow you to extract the right kind of data at the right time. This makes building a training initiative that sticks much easier, and it makes data-keeping a breeze. TalentLMS also has its own readily available course library, TalentLibrary, with hundreds of bite-sized, expert-curated courses to cover various topics.

Why we chose TalentLMS

TalentLMS recently introduced TalentCraft, its AI-powered content creator. It makes creating immersive, interactive training content easy not only for beginners but even seasoned instructors. TalentCraft generates a diverse range of content types, including text, multimedia, flashcards, and quizzes. Best of all, it comes with a series of templates that make kickstarting your training even more convenient. Combined with TalentLMS’s other features, it makes for one of the best SaaS LMS solutions out there.

Key features:

• Content authoring with generative AI (TalentCraft)
• Content library (TalentLibrary)
• Reports and analytics
• Gamification
• White labeling
• Branches (Sub-domains)
• Certification
• Automations
• Blended learning
• Integrations

Best used for: Small-midsize business (SMB) training, employee onboarding and training, external training, compliance training

Not the best fit for: Academic learning, eCommerce

Pricing: Free plan available. Pricing starts at $69/month (Starter Plan), $149/month (Basic Plan), $279/month (Plus Plan), and $459/month (Premium Plan).

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Learner engagement and training efficiency? Check. All with TalentLMS.
The best SaaS LMS for successful teams.
Easy to set up, easy to use, easy to customize.

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2. Docebo

Rating: 4.3/5 (555 reviews)

Docebo is a SaaS LMS with features geared toward training automation with AI. Although it doesn’t have content authoring tools of its own, it has rich AI capabilities centered on learner engagement. These allow instructors to help learners understand their individual strengths and weaknesses. Then, every learner can go through courses knowing that the training materials they are learning from have been selected to address their unique needs. 

Thanks to its integrations, Docebo augments these features with social learning, encouraging users to interact on the LMS and beyond. Docebo is the best SaaS LMS for enterprise-level, ongoing learning, so it may not be the top fit for small businesses on a budget.

Why we chose Docebo

Docebo is an LMS SaaS with dozens of valuable native integrations with other apps and services. These go beyond simple integrations, allowing multiple platforms to work in tandem and expanding your instructors’ tool set. Native integrations with tools like Udemy, Evernote, G2, and LinkedIn, to name a few, make it a standout LMS. Whether you’re training internal or external learners, Docebo is the best SaaS LMS to enable you to do so more efficiently and with greater versatility.

Key features:

• AI-guided learning
• Certification
• Social learning
• Gamification
• Mobile learning
• Ready-made content library
• Integrations
• SCORM compliant
• Reports
• eCommerce

Best used for: Enterprise-level training, government-level training, employee onboarding and training, external training, compliance training

Not the best fit for: Small business training, academic learning

Pricing: No free trial. No price listed. Contact the vendor.

3. Moodle

Rating: 4.1/5 (391 reviews)

Moodle is an open-source SaaS LMS that offers extensive customization and abides by Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standards. It has its own accessibility checker, making it a great tool for training learners with different needs through a single learning platform. This also makes it the best SaaS LMS for academic institutions with their own internal data systems and needs to monitor learner progress. 

Instructors can seamlessly pass learner data to and from Moodle, making assessments at scale smooth and painless. The LMS supports various content types, including multimedia and documents, which can enrich the learner’s experience. Thanks to its open-source licensing, Moodle also supports full self-service, meaning you have full freedom to tailor it to your organization’s needs.

Why we chose Moodle

Because it’s open-source, Moodle has a very active community of developers you can always turn to for support. Its features, integrations, and stability are being worked on daily, so you’ll always have fresh tools to work with. Moodle is also highly customizable, although you will need an IT specialist to dive deeper into its code and make it work just like you want it to. This makes it one of the best SaaS LMS tools for academia. However, businesses might want to choose a solution with more enterprise-level corporate training features.

Key features: 

• Open-source
• White labeling
• Integrations
• Learning plans
• Progress tracking
• Custom reports
• Social learning
• Gamification
• Accessibility checker

Best used for: Academic learning

Not the best fit for: Employee training

Pricing: Free trial available. Pricing starts at $120/year (Starter Plan), $210/year (Mini Plan), $3800/year (Small Plan), $890/year (Medium Plan), and $1680/year (Standard Plan).

4. Cypher Learning

Rating: 4.4/5 (255 reviews)

Cypher Learning is a cloud-based SaaS LMS made to answer the eLearning needs of academic institutions and businesses alike. It does this by focusing on intuitive accessibility and user-friendly design across all its features. Cypher Copilot, a tool native to Cypher Learning, powers its course creation. 

What makes it stand out from other SaaS LMS tools is its content localization, with support for over 50 languages. These training courses and their assessments can be connected to certain competencies, helping learners acquire the exact skills and know-how you need them to. Paired with its gamification features and approachable UI, Cypher Learning makes for a great SaaS LMS.

Why we chose Cypher Learning

Cypher Learning is a SaaS learning management system that prioritizes the user experience. Its highly intuitive UI is simple and clear from the start. Whether you’re an instructor or a learner, it’s easy to use and make it work for you. In terms of accessibility, Cypher Learning has screen reader support, voiceover, accessibility-friendly themes, and other quality-of-life features. With in-depth UI and widget customization, this is one of the best SaaS LMS choices for training diverse learners.

Key features: 

• Content authoring
• Content localization
• Learner assessments
• Personalized learning
• Social learning
• Skills-based learning
• Gamification
• Automations
• Reports and analytics

Best used for: Academic learning, external training, compliance training

Not the best fit for: Small business training, government-level training

Pricing: No free trial. No price listed. Contact the vendor.

5. Blackboard Learn

Rating: 3.9/5 (847 reviews)

Blackboard Learn is a SaaS LMS powered by Anthology, a holistic eLearning organization with its own LMS, CRM, and SIS. As part of a tool stack, Blackboard Learn natively works with other platforms made by Anthology. It’s designed to streamline the instructional design process with AI and empower instructors with real-time learner insights. 

This is a versatile cloud-based SaaS LMS that places rich assessment functionality in the instructors’ hands with flexible grading and multimedia feedback options. Anthology Ally also acts as its accessibility checker, ensuring that all the content is inclusive and user-friendly before it’s rolled out. The bigger your learner pool, the more features you’ll be able to leverage, so it may not be the best SaaS LMS for small-scale training.

Why we chose Blackboard Learn

As a SaaS learning management system, Blackboard Learn emphasizes collaborative learning, empowering and encouraging users to interact and learn from each other. It does this with discussion forums, chat rooms, Instructor Led Training (ILT), group project tools, and other functionalities. Community-based learning is at the heart of Blackboard Learn, making it a valuable resource for academic institutions and organizations that prioritize teamwork and collaboration. As it’s built for training at a scale, this may not be the best SaaS LMS for small businesses and those looking to license their online courses via eCommerce.

Key features: 

• AI-powered course authoring
• Learner assessments
• Collaborative learning
• Mobile learning
• Gamification
• Surveys and feedback
• Integrations
• Reports and analytics
• Accessibility checker

Best used for: Academic learning, enterprise-level training

Not the best fit for: Small business training, eCommerce

Pricing: No free trial. No price listed. Contact the vendor.

6. LearnWorlds

Rating: 4.7/5 (319 reviews)

LearnWorlds is an LMS as a service that lets you train users through custom-made websites. Its intuitive drag-and-drop builder lets anyone create courses without prior knowledge. This builder features interactive video elements, allowing instructors to go a step further in how they deliver training to users. 

Combined with its gamification, it encourages users to keep engaging in online learning and dive into more courses once they’re done. This ties neatly into LearnWorlds’ core theme—its eCommerce features. This is the best SaaS LMS geared toward businesses seeking ways to monetize their eLearning content.

Why we chose LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds lets you create brand-new websites or integrate courses into your existing site and start selling them with a click. The learning platform also includes native affiliate marketing features, meaning that you have everything you need to run an eLearning business of your own. It’s the best SaaS LMS for monetizing your content, but this makes its internal training features lacking in comparison to other cloud-based tools on our list.

Key features: 

• eCommerce
• Affiliate program
• Blended learning
• Mobile learning
• Integrations
• ILT
• SCORM-compliant
• Reports
• White labeling

Best used for: eCommerce, small-midsize business (SMB) training, external training 

Not the best fit for: Enterprise-level training, employee onboarding and training, compliance training

Pricing: Free trial available. Pricing starts at $24/month (Starter Plan), $79/month (Pro Trainer Plan), and $249/month (Learning Center Plan).

7. Skilljar

Rating: 4.6/5 (204 reviews)

Skilljar is a SaaS LMS with features focused on external training. As external training is a vital component of many organizations, this LMS aims to fill these needs. It allows you to onboard and train customers on your products and services seamlessly by pulling their data from tools like Salesforce and Gainsight. 

Learners can engage with different courses throughout their customer’s journey to get acquainted with your portfolio through engaging online courses. It’s a great substitute for traditional training or self-paced online learning through static documents, making it the best company LMS if you’re looking for convenient customer education tools.

Why we chose Skilljar

Skilljar is an enterprise-level SaaS solution for customer training. But, its functionality extends beyond giving external learners access to your courses. You can also easily certify their knowledge. The learning platform features comprehensive assessment and a certification functionality connected with LinkedIn. Your learners can conveniently share their newly acquired certificates on social media and get unique URLs that lead back to your online training portal. This is one of the best SaaS LMS solutions that allows you to expand your offering beyond external training and monetize your courses via eCommerce.

Key features: 

• Reports and analytics
• Learning paths
• Learner assessments
• Certification
• eCommerce
• White labeling
• Mobile learning
• SCORM compliant
• Integrations
• Enterprise-level security

Best used for: External training, eCommerce

Not the best fit for: Employee training

Pricing: No free trial. No price listed. Contact the vendor.

8. Canvas LMS

Rating: 4.4/5 (1480 reviews)

Canvas LMS is an open-source cloud-based SaaS designed for academic learning. Its freemium licensing model allows you to scale your training as you go and add new features as needed. Thanks to its visually appealing and approachable UI, Canvas LMS the best SaaS LMS for K-12 and higher educational institutions. 

The platform abides by LTI standards and features seamless integration with existing academic systems containing student data. Its open API also means it can work in tandem with hundreds of apps and services to varying degrees. With its interactive analytics, training managers can easily get data driven insights and then use them to improve their students’ learning experience further.

Why we chose Canvas LMS

Canvas LMS is a SaaS learning management system packed with diverse learner assessment features, complementing its emphasis on academic learning. Some of these include assignments, quizzes, discussion forums, and artifacts, which are snippets of learners’ work uploaded to the platform. Instructors can also set up learning outcomes that give students context on why a certain course or assignment is vital for them. Canvas LMS is one of the best SaaS LMS tools for academia, but with its features leaning toward students, training employees can be overly complex.

Key features: 

• Open-source
• Gamification
• Content authoring
• Social learning
• Mobile learning (online only)
• Integrations
• ILT
• Essay writing assignments
• Attendance tracking

Best used for: Academic learning

Not the best fit for: Employee onboarding and training, seasonal training, compliance training

Pricing: Free plan available. No price listed. Contact the vendor.

9. EdApp

Rating: 4.7/5 (216 reviews)

True to its name, EdApp is a SaaS LMS made to work best on mobile devices. This means its features are geared toward microlearning and social learning. Its integrated authoring toolkit comes equipped with AI Create, EdApp’s own AI-powered content creator. 

It lets you quickly create courses you can instantly share with your users straight from their phones and tablet devices. With real-time analytics, EdApp gives you the tools to empower your learners with curated content updated on the fly. It’s the best SaaS LMS if you’re looking for one with a dedicated mobile app to deliver engaging, interactive training to your users.

Why we chose EdApp

Like many other SaaS LMS tools on our list, EdApp features a course library. These cover diverse topics, including industry-specific training and compliance courses. Its library is updated weekly, constantly offering instructors fresh courses to assign to learners. These courses are also editable, meaning they can be branded. This makes any content on EdApp’s course library appear native to your organization, making it the best SaaS LMS for businesses looking for such a feature.

Key features: 

• AI-powered course authoring
• Course library
• Microlearning
• Mobile learning
• Social learning
• Blended learning
• Reports and analytics
• Surveys and feedback
• Gamification
• Integrations

Best used for: Employee onboarding and training, external training, enterprise-level training

Not the best fit for: Small-midsize business (SMB) training, academic learning

Pricing: Free trial available. Pricing starts at $2.95 per user/month (Do It Yourself Plan), and $2.95-5.95 per user/month (Managed Plan).

10. iSpring Learn

Rating: 4.5/5 (78 reviews)

iSpring Learn is a SaaS LMS that favors rapid-fire learner onboarding and upskilling. It does this by featuring a native library of courses named iSpring Academy. This makes it one of the best SaaS LMS solutions for organizations needing ongoing compliance and seasonal training. Through its native mobile app, learners can complete courses on the go and even offline, further extending its functionality. 

iSpring Learn also goes a step further in letting training managers become certified in using iSpring software as an extra incentive to master all its ins and outs. However, this LMS doesn’t feature native course creation features. Instead, customers are required to purchase an additional tool that works with iSpring Learn. It’s a minor inconvenience in an otherwise very diverse and practical set of features.

Why we chose iSpring Learn

What makes iSpring Learn stand out as a SaaS learning management system is its unique combination of LMS and HRIS features. While it does allow you to onboard and train your employees, it also lets you manage their performance assessments. It does this through self-assessment, reporting, and 360-feedback tools that are combined to give instructors and managers a holistic view of an employee’s growth trajectory. Paired with an organizational chart, iSpring Learn has a little bit of everything for those looking for the best SaaS LMS to empower their employees to grow.

Key features: 

• Automations
• White labeling
• Course library
• Learner assessments
• Mobile learning
• Performance reviews
• Reports and analytics
• Gamification
• Integrations

Best used for: Employee onboarding and training, compliance training, external training

Not the best fit for: Academic learning, Small-midsize business (SMB) training

Pricing: Free trial available. Pricing starts at $2.99 per user/month (Start Plan).

11. LearnUpon

Rating: 4.6/5 (131 reviews)

LearnUpon is a cloud-based SaaS solution with features that cover most traditional eLearning use cases. While this makes it a jack-of-all-trades kind of LMS, its scope may be too wide for SMBs looking for simpler, straightforward training tools. Its course authoring tool allows instructors to use a diverse range of content types, including SCORM and xAPI, Google Suite documents, and multimedia. 

With its ILT feature, this LMS empowers instructors to facilitate different kinds of learning and cap the learning experience with assessments. LearnUpon also features rich eCommerce functionality, allowing you to create individual sub-portals with unique branding and training programs to use them as digital storefronts. It really is the best SaaS LMS for organizations looking to do a little bit of everything when it comes to eLearning.

Why we chose LearnUpon

As a SaaS learning management system, LearnUpon has deep learner assessment features. These are great for gathering user feedback and helping learners get the most out of their online courses. LearnUpon features randomized question assessments, timed exams, knowledge checks, and AI-generated quizzes, among other options. AI-generated quizzes can be particularly useful because they take existing content and create entire assessment pipelines for you.

Key features: 

• Course authoring
• Automations
• AI-powered learning
• Personalized learning
• Learner assessment
• Surveys
• Gamification
• eCommerce
• Portals (subdomains)
• Reports
• Integrations

Best used for: Employee onboarding and training, external training, eCommerce

Not the best fit for: Academic learning, small business training

Pricing: Free trial available. No price listed. Contact the vendor.

12. Adobe Learning Manager

Rating: 4.0/5 (314 reviews)

Adobe Learning Manager is a SaaS solution for structured learning. It allows instructors to create learning plans for different learner profiles. AI can then assign adequate content to each individual automatically. Learner dashboards can be customized with widgets to ensure every user has a clear overview of their training. 

The platform also has peer-recommended training features, meaning learners can highlight the courses they enjoyed for others to pick up. For external training, it natively connects with Adobe Marketo Engage, allowing you to follow up on external training with personalized marketing campaigns. While not ideal for SMBs, it’s among the best SaaS LMS solutions for enterprise-level corporate training.

Why we chose Adobe Learning Manager

Adobe Learning Manager is a SaaS learning management system with a skill matrix feature that allows instructors to address learners’ needs based on certain skills. This is useful for tackling skill gaps, upskilling, and ongoing learning. The skill matrix can also help learners when switching positions within the organization. It’s a useful tool for instructors to ensure that every eLearning initiative aligns with the organization’s overall goals.

Key features:

• Learning paths
• AI-guided learning
• Blended learning
• Mobile learning
• Skill matrix
• Gamification
• Integrations
• Gradebook
• Social learning
• Ready-made content library

Best used for: Enterprise-level training, government-level training, compliance training, external training, upskilling and reskilling, eCommerce

Not the best fit for: Small-midsize business (SMB) training, academic learning

Pricing: Free trial available. No price listed. Contact the vendor.

How to Choose the Best SaaS LMS

Choosing the best SaaS LMS means finding the right set of features that fit your training needs. But which features are those? Without an instructional designer on board to help you out, you may struggle to narrow down your selection of SaaS LMS vendor choices. Here are a few features that can prove crucial to your eLearning:

Course authoring

The ability to create, modify, and otherwise tweak your own courses and their content is invaluable in a learning management system. Some SaaS LMS platforms bar you from creating or even uploading your own content without their involvement, which can slow things down unnecessarily. Instead, look for the best SaaS LMS that has its own course authoring tools. Like with TalentLMS’s AI content creator, TalentCraft— a game-changer in how you create and manage your courses.

Sub-portals

Sooner or later, you’ll want to provide different types of learners with specialized training. When that happens, you’ll want reliable sub-portal management features in your LMS. Branching your eLearning into multiple divisions with their own courses, training content, or even branding and languages is very useful, especially for international organizations. The best SaaS LMS tools will let you seamlessly train internal and external stakeholders, so keep your eyes peeled for native sub-portal functionality.

Reports & analytics

The larger your training becomes, the more difficult it will be to keep everything in check manually. This is where reports and analytics come in handy, as you can customize the type of data you want to see at any moment. Reliable LMS SaaS solutions will allow you to schedule these reports to be exported and sent to different email addresses. This is useful for data-keeping and to ensure all instructional designers and trainers are aware of how your training is progressing.

Gamification

The secret sauce to every great learning management system lies in gamification. Attaching different points, badges, achievements, and rewards to your courses will incentivize learners to do their best. Moreover, leaderboards are a great way to create healthy competition among your users, giving the training process an extra ‘oomph’ of excitement. The best SaaS LMS solutions will allow you to customize gamification to facilitate a highly engaging and rewarding learning experience.

Start training with the best SaaS LMS for you in 2024

Choosing the best LMS is no small feat. It comes down to what kind of training you want to deploy and what results you expect to see from it. To that end, the best SaaS LMS will be the one that meets your needs. The best way to find ‘the one’ is to go through our list and match each solution’s features and primary use cases to your training plans. 

Your next step should be to contact some of the SaaS learning management system vendors to learn more about each solution and see live demos. By taking a closer look at how each LMS functions in real time, you’ll have a much better idea of which one to go with. Then, it’s only a matter of eliminating unsuitable options before arriving at the best SaaS LMS to power your training in 2024 and beyond.