Top 100 Learning Systems 2021-22

The List. That is what I refer to it as, you can refer to it as whatever you wish (hopefully – nice). The List represents learning system vendors from around the world. Sales Enablement Platforms? Yes. LMS? Yes. LXP? Yes. LMS and LXP combo? Yes. Learning Suite? Yes. A Learning Platform in general? Yes. Training Management Platform? Yes. Skills-specific platform? Yes. Skills Metrics/Measurement Platform? Yes.

A TXP? Yes. A TXP who continues to refer to themselves externally as an LXP? Yes.

While there are plenty of people who think that I only focus on the states and are unaware of who or what is out elsewhere, well, The List shows otherwise.

The List includes systems from Australia, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, France, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Israel, and the United States.

The systems themselves, some you will definitely recognize, others, probably not. The List isn’t a who’s who in the marketing or placing themselves on some top 10 directories or similar. They represent every nearly every vertical out there (industry-wise), audience size – small business, SMB (including mid-market), mid-market, Enterprise, Large Enterprise, Customer Education/Training/B2B and B2C (aka as extended enterprise).

Each one of these vendors is in consideration for the awards – including the Diamond and Platinum Picks for 2021, and the Top 10 for 2022 (although 11-20 will be noted too).

Each one is in consideration for the best system in specific industries and certain items (such as best for skill development) for the end of 21 and into 22.

I monitor over 1,300 learning systems in the world (right now it is edging towards 1,358). Some I see a lot of, others I do not, but by paying attention, observing, and watching the system to see which way it goes – focus, design, approach, even audience type – employee-only, employees and customers (aka combo) or customers only (aka extended enterprise).

There are vendors that are not on this list. It may be yours. It may be the one you bought. It may be the one you and some other person are debating over right now. I hear you. Okay, I don’t, after all, I do not have access to your mic., but I get it. One of those is Workday Learning. There is way too much to explain why not, including the use of LL whereas data on what is taken cannot be brought back into WL (although rumors say in the next version this will be resolved).

SuccessFactors is not on this list. No need to explain why. Moodle isn’t – because it is not centralized – it is decentralized and open source.

There were four systems that are not on the list, only because they are either not yet live or they are – but I need to validate a few items with the system(s) – in one case I already have seen the system, but it is in “beta” right now, another is in “beta” as we speak – I’ll be seeing it in two months, and one other is not even in launch mode.

Before you ask:

• There are ZERO FEES involved here. I didn’t ask for any fees, nor require any fees to be paid, nor any fees down the road or whatever. ZERO. Nada. Nothing.
• This isn’t a popularity contest. I honestly do not care that vendor A received 52 five stars on site ABCD. Or that 300 people think Vendor X is as good as a matchbox car (although I do want to know which one).
• This is the first time I have made this list public. I create one each year from my award consideration but have never made the list public. Now I have. Why? Voodoo my dog told me in three barks, that I should. I always listen to my pittie (to be fair, Spirit mumbled and Cali tried to eat a sneaker).

Podcast Tie-In

• A deeper dive on many of these systems will be on my Podcast, “The Amazing E-Learning Roadshow” which will appear Thursday on Anchor.fm, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and a couple of other podcast sites. It will kickoff season two of my podcast series. Thus, if you want o know way more than just a list, this is the place to go to. There will be a link to the Podcast on this post – Thursday afternoon.

Codes

Next to each vendor’s name you may see the following (CEP, FAL) CEP means the vendor has agreed and signed my Certified Customer Support, a rigorous certification program to ensure that their support is validated thru a series of checks. FAL – The vendor is on my FindAnLMS platform. Here you can compare the vendor to other vendors, see more details about them, request a quote, save as favorites and so on. If you see nothing next to their name, well, it means they are not on FAL or CEP.

To go to the vendor’s website simply click on their name.

As I move closer and closer to October for the Diamond and Platinum Picks, check back to this post, because you will start to see additional information next to many of their vendors’ names.

The List

It is in alphabetical order. A PDF version with links will be available in a few weeks. Systems are identified as either “Employee-focused” (at least 80% of their clients use the system for internal workforce), “Combo” (Employees and Customer Ed, usually skews more clients for employees, but there are exceptions) or “Customer Ed Focused” (aka extended enterprise – at least 80% of the client base is customer education/partner training/B2B/B2C – thus skews heavy towards Customer Ed – B2B segment). Associations, regardless if professional or trade will always slide in the “Customer Ed focus).

• Absorb LMS (CEP, FAL) – Combo
• Academy of Mine – Combo
• Access LMS (FAL) – Employees, Focus – Financial Services
• Ascendre – Inquisiq – Combo
• Acorn LMS (FAL) – Combo
• Administrate (FAL) – Combo, but more skewed towards employees heavily
• Agylia (CEP,FAL) – Combo
• Area9 – Adaptive learning platform – always skews employees
• Avallian Magnet – Combo
• Axonify – Combo
• BenchPrep Combo
• Biz Library (CEP, FAL) – Combo
• Blossom (FAL) – Combo
• Blue Volt (FAL) – Customer Ed Focused
• Brainier (FAL) – Combo
• Brainshark by Bigtincan – Sales Enablement Platform – An SEP requires a component of sales capabilities plus a learning component. A SEP is not the same as a vendor saying they do “sales training”. A SEP does that, but a lot more due to the sales functionality within it.
• CanopyLab – Combo
• Centrical – Combo
• Continu – Combo
• Coorpacademy – Combo skewed more so on employees
• Cornerstone Learning (FAL) – Combo skewed more on employees. I recommend going suite here with Learning (LMS) + Content Anytime (content marketplace) + PXP (think Skills platform combined with an LXP). If you add the “Careers” mod to the above, then the system becomes a TXP (but you need all four mods).
• CourseStage (CEP, FAL) – Customer Ed focused, associations and non-profits included
• CrossKnowledge (FAL) – Combo
• Crowd Wisdom (FAL) – Association-focused system, non-profit, foundations. You can purchase the system without having to purchase Community Brands’ association platform.
• CXCherry – Combo
• Cypher Learning – MATRIX (FAL) – Combo, although skewed more towards employees
• D2L – Brightspace (Corporate version) (CEP, FAL) – Combo – plays well in the association market too.
• Degreed (FAL) – TXP (Talent Development + LXP) – Employee-Focused
• Digital Chalk LMS (Combo)
• Disprz (FAL) – Skills heavily focused platform. Employee-focused
• Docebo Learning Suite (excluding Shape) – (FAL) Combo system
• EdCast XP (CEP, FAL) – I consider EdCast XP as a TXP (Talent Dev + LXP). I recommend adding on Domo for stronger analytical capabilities
• Edolando (FAL) – Combo, skews more towards employees
• ELMO Learn with Rewards/Recognition and Predict – Employee focused
• eloomi – Combo
• enabley (CEP, FAL) – Combo, a bit of a wildcard – I like that.
• Ethos CE (FAL) – Employee-focused, strong in the Continuing Ed space for medical
• Eurekos (CEP, FAL) Customer-Ed focused. Strong Player. Plays in association space well.
• Filtered (FAL) – Employee focused
• Fuse (CEP, FAL) – Combo, Best analytical metrics/data visualization in the industry (out of the box – i.e. comes with the system)
• G-Cube (CEP, FAL) – Combo
• Growth Engineering (FAL) – Combo system, skews more towards employees – Gamification driven
• Gyrus Aim (CEP, FAL) – Combo, Underrated – Not anymore.
• HALIGHT – Atmosphere LMS (FAL) – Combo
• HCM Deck for Learning – Combo, skews heavy towards employees
• IMC – AG (FAL) Combo, skews heavy towards employees
• Intellum (FAL) Customer-Ed focused. Strong Player.
• Juno Journey (FAL) – TXP – i.e. Talent Development + LXP – Legit competitor against Degreed and EdCast XP
• Kallidus Learn – Combo, skews heavy on employees
• Knowledge Anywhere (CEP, FAL) – Combo, robust platform, streamlined design
• Kokm (FAL) Combo – skews heavy towards employees
• KREDO (FAL) Micro-learning Platform. Combo
• Learn Amp (CEP, FAL) – Combo, skews very heavily towards employees. It is a Learning System (LMS, with LXP functionality, Skills and Content market)
• EdFlex (FAL) – Combo – Skews towards employees
• Learningbank Combo
• Learning Zone – Ekko (Compliance LMS) – Employee focused
• Learnster (FAL) Combo
• LearnUpon (FAL) Combo
• LMS365 (FAL) – SharePoint Online LMS fully integrated into Microsoft 365 and Teams – Employee focused
• Looop (FAL) Combo
• Meridian KSI – Customer-Ed Focused
• MindTickle! – Sales Enablement Platform – Very robust.
• MyLearninghub – (FAL) – Partner Training/Customer Education
• NetEx Learning Cloud (FAL) Combo, skews more to employees
• NorthPass – Combo
• NovoEd – Combo
• OKN Learning – Combo
• Origin Fractal LXP – (FAL) Combo, skews heavy towards employees
• Peoplefluent (FAL) – Employee focused
• Pluralsight Skills – Skills-based platform, specifically tech skills. Employee focused.
• Raven360 (FAL) Not a full fledged SEP, rather a learning platform that gears more towards Customer Ed segment.
• Relias Employee-focused, Medical, Senior Care, Behavioral Health, Health care
• Rockstar LMS (CEP, FAL) – Combo. LMS with LXP functionality. From eLearning Brothers. Been out less than a year. And yet, here they are.
• SAP Litmos (FAL) – Combo. If you have SAP and are debating between SF and Litmos? Trust me – go Litmos.
• Sesimic – Lessonly – Sesimic is a Sales Enablement Platform, my vibe is that Lessonly will be continue to be a standalone (too many ARR accounts), but parts to go into Sesimic for the SEP powerhouse of a system. I can easily see this combo being a legit threat to MindTickle!
• Schoox (CEP, FAL) – TXP. Talent Development + LXP. Legit competitor against Degreed, EdCast XP
• Skilljar (FAL) Combo, Nearly 50-50 employees vs customers.
• Skills Base – Skills metrics/measurement platform. This is all metrics here. Only skills metrics/measurement platform on the top 100.
• Skills Hub – Employee focused – This is around the learning platform itself.
• Skore – Combo, very under the radar.
• SkyPrep (FAL) – Combo
• SmarterU (CEP, FAL) – Combo – Continues to improve – Welcome to THE LIST! (I always wanted to say that)
• Stream LXP (FAL) – Employee focused
• StudyTube – Combo
• SumTotal Learning Management Combo, heavily skewed towards employees
• Talent LMS (FAL) – Combo skews employees
• Talentsoft Learning – Employee focused
• Thinqi – Combo
• Thought Industries (CEP, FAL) Customer-Ed focused. Strong Player. Plays in association space well.
• THRIVE LXP Combo, skews more towards employees
• Totara Engage LXP – Combo, heavily skewed towards employees
• Tovuti – Combo
• Traineasy LMS-X (FAL) – Employee focused
• Upside LMS (FAL)
• Valamis – Customer-Ed focused.
• Vowel LMS – Combo
• WBT Systems (FAL) – Combo, skews towards employees
• Wisetail – Combo
• WorkRamp Combo

Bottom Line

There they are.

All 100 of them.

I’ll toss one more in – At #101 – Bridge LMS.

To gain even more insight, tune in to my Podcast on Thursday.

Or just wait for the book

Next year.

Update – If you find any of the links not working, please contact me.

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