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Ann Parfenova

Сourse creation · 15 MIN · 31.10.2024

How to choose a Learning Management System

Let’s make this article a bit interactive!
Try to ask Google "the best LMS." I’ll wait.

🕒 🕓 🕧

Let me guess: you see many results like "10 best LMS," "16 best LMS," "26 best LMS," and many more best LMSs. No, I’m not a fortune teller. It’s just that the LMS market is growing constantly — from $ 18.26 billion in 2023 to $ 47.47 billion in 2030.
The wrong choice can result in incomplete data collection, limit content creation, and affect the customer satisfaction of your courses. Two main reasons for disappointment with learning technology are the lack of integration between LMS programs and other digital platforms (52%) and a poor user experience (51%).

So, how to choose wisely? In this article, we share:

Key aspects you need to consider while choosing LMS:
Top 6 LMS for different needs

Decide how much money you are ready to spend

Budgeting is a critical step in "finding the right LMS" adventure. Everyone needs limits for their imagination to stop dreaming and start doing. Decide how much money you can spend on LMS. The usual pricing plans are:

  • Price for the number of users
  • Price for month/annual subscriptions
  • Price for features, support, and customisation (usually applicable for mid-size and enterprise)
Of course, the less money you are ready to spend, the fewer features LMS will include. So, you need to consider this factor before developing content for the course.

Study your audience

Before searching the LMS, creating your learners' portrait is crucial. Explore how they usually learn topics that you will cover in your course. What answers do you need to know?

  • How much time learners can spend on studying?
  • Where do they usually study? While shopping, on the way to work, or on the evening walk with the dog?
  • How are they usually studying: watching videos, reading text, or listening to podcasts?
  • What platforms are they already familiar with? What do they think about these platforms?
Ask questions about the past and present. Don’t ask questions about the imaginary future. What people want and what they use — are different things. Don’t try to create their dream; make a product they will use.

Determine the format of the course

After you set a budget — it’s time to think about format. What kind of education do you want to create? Do you need an LMS containing collaboration tools, or do you want to create adaptive learning tracks? Describe the view of your educational product that fits budget and audience needs.

Determine metrics that you need to collect

Begin with your objectives. Each course should have a specific business goal. Corporate training is designed to improve business metrics, such as the percentage of positive client feedback. Similarly, courses created by fitness bloggers aim to promote their services and products. It’s important to identify the metrics you need to track in order to measure progress toward achieving your business goals.
Create the list of metrics you need to collect. Not everyone needs complex and detailed statistics, so don’t spend money on LMS features you won’t use.

Formulate a set of features necessary for developing the course

You can make videos, write articles, and even develop simulators. Finding the LMS that enables you to publish all those things is essential. For example, some LMSs have limited tools for inserting custom code. Other platforms don’t have features for custom gamification.

When looking for the right LMS, ensure its features cover all your needs in content creation and publishing. And always take a moment to test out the demo before purchasing.

Top 6 LMS

We’ve gathered some LMSs that we think are interesting. You may find something suitable for your needs.

For collaborative learning: 360 Learning

Pioneers of collaborative learning. Over 10,000 large enterprises, non-profits, public administrations, and small/medium businesses use this platform for internal and external education. It is highly engaging, with a completion rate of 91%.
✅ Web version
✅ Mobile version
❌ Adaptive learning
✅ White label
✅ Mobile app
Best suited for online learning, webinars, and in-person learning.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (257 reviews)
https://elearningindustry.com/
Key Features

  • Collaborative learning through knowledge shared by internal experts.
  • AI-powered authoring tools.
  • Intuitive interface designed for both learners and creators.
  • A variety of assessment engines, including multiple choice, drag-and-drop, ordering, fill-in-the-blank, and more, along with support for all types of media and the ability to import content from the internet.
  • Automated user management features such as enrollment and completion certification.
  • Customised and automated reporting options

What to consider

  • No chatbot
  • No text-to-speech
  • No managed certification templates and predefined certification templates
  • No customised gamification mechanics
  • No additional external pages
🔗 Integrations
ADP, GoToMeeting, Office 365, Oracle Sales Cloud CRM, Salesforce CRM, SAP CRM, Canva, Google, Slack, Zoom and more..

💵 Pricing
For teams – $8 / for one user per month, individual enterprise plans.


For adaptive learning: Seturon

Seturon is a unique, user-friendly platform that offers automated adaptive learning with a mobile-first approach. It is designed for independent creators, corporate education, and online schools.
✅ Web version
✅ Mobile version
✅ Adaptive learning
✅ White label
❌ Mobile app
Best suited for adaptive online learning.
Key Features

  • The educational track adjusts to meet the individual needs of each learner.
  • Offers a diverse range of content and assignment options.
  • Courses are broken down into sections and smaller modules for easier memorisation.
  • Includes tests, team tasks, and peer-to-peer activities.
  • Provides analysis and data-driven insights to monitor learner progress.

What to consider

  • No chatbot, auto content translation, intelligent recommendations, predictive analysis, text-to-speech
  • No survey enrollment (based on a response)
  • No offline learning
💵 Pricing
By quote seturon.io

For gamified learning: Tovuti LMS

Gamification excellence with over 40 gamified content options. More than 10,000 large enterprises, non-profits, public administrations, and small to medium businesses benefit from employee and customer training.
✅ Web version
❌ Mobile version
❌Adaptive learning
✅ White label
❌ Mobile app
Best suited for in-person learning, online learning, and webinars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (73 reviews)
https://www.capterra.com/
Key Features

  • Social and collaborative remote learning.
  • Users can create social profiles to showcase their skills and connect with others.
  • Customisable learning paths to suit individual needs.
  • Automation of certificate management for easy handling.
  • Comprehensive analytics that tracks activity by time frame, courses, individuals, or groups.

What to consider

  • No grade book, grade book audit trail, grade book comments, multiple grading scales
  • No adaptive learning, Chatbot, auto content translation, intelligent recommendations, predictive analysis, text-to-speech
  • No login
  • No priced categories (bundles)
  • No certification life cycle
  • No course backup options
  • No survey enrollment (based on a response)
  • No live chat options
  • No levels and rewards
  • No ready-made themes
  • No automated report scheduling, email delivery of reports, grading report settings
  • No shopping cart as a plug-in
  • No automatic email reports in predefined intervals
🔗 Integrations
Adobe Connect, API, G Suite, Google Calendar, GoTo Meeting, GoToTraining, GoTo Webinar, Okta, Paypal, Salesforce, Zoom and more.

💵 Pricing
By quote www.tovutilms.com

For easy-to-use LMS: Talent LMS

It is one of the most popular software solutions among small and mid-sized companies, with over 70,000 teams across more than 30 industries in 124 countries.
✅ Web version
✅ Mobile version
❌ Adaptive learning
✅ White label
✅ Mobile app
Best suited for online learning and webinars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (253 reviews)
https://elearningindustry.com/
Key Features

  • AI content generation can help create the foundation of a course or complete units in just minutes.
  • The ability to create structured learning paths.
  • Various assessment engines (multiple choice, drag-and-drop, ordering, fill-in-the-blank, and more) and content types (all media types and internet content imports).
  • Custom LMS reports with training matrix and infographic.
  • Activity logs — view every action taken by each user on the platform.

What to consider

  • No grade book, grade book audit trail, grade book comments
  • No adaptive learning, Chatbot, auto content translation, intelligent recommendations, predictive analysis, quiz generation, text-to-speech
  • No hybrid learning
  • No gamification format or social format
  • No enrollment progress tracking and survey enrollment (based on a response)
  • No block management
  • No grading report settings
  • No anti-virus and IP blocker
🔗 Integrations
Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, Salesforce, Okta, LinkedIn certifications, Google Analytics, Slack, Mailchimp, Trello, and more.

💵 Pricing
From $1,068 to 2,148 annually and individual enterprise plans.

For automation workflow and repetitive tasks: Docebo

The platform for upskilling and reskilling with over 3,800 global companies. Services include employee onboarding, compliance training, talent development, and more.
✅ Web version
✅ Mobile version
❌ Adaptive learning
✅ White label
✅ Mobile app
Best suited for online learning, webinars, and in-person learning.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (134 reviews)
https://elearningindustry.com/
Key Features

  • AI-powered processes and workflow automation
  • AI-powered, hyper-personalized experiences that automatically identify and fill skills gaps for each learner
  • Tools for creating immersive learning
  • Personalised educational tracks
  • Social features and gamification
  • Customisable reports

What to consider

  • No login
  • No built-in authoring tool, content library, or hybrid learning
🔗 Integrations
Adobe Connect, API, BambooHR, G Suite, Gmail, Google Analytics, Google Calendar, GoTo Meeting, GoToTraining, GoTo Webinar, Okta, Paypal, Salesforce and more.

💵 Pricing
By quote www.docebo.com/pricing

For creating unique LMS for each audience inside one tool: LearnUpon LMS

Intuitive Learning Management System (LMS) used by over 10,000 organizations, including large enterprises, non-profits, and public administrations, as well as small and medium-sized businesses for employee and customer training.
✅ Web version
✅ Mobile version
❌ Adaptive learning
✅ White label
✅ Mobile app
Best suited for online learning, webinars and in-person learning.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (53 reviews)
https://elearningindustry.com/
Key Features

  • Customisable learning portals allow you to tailor your training for different target audiences, functioning as multiple LMS managed in one place.
  • Enhance engagement with features like badges, level-ups, and leaderboards.
  • Offer multiple types of activities, including tests, downloadable files, surveys, reviews, and more.
  • Access ready-made reports to generate insights rapidly.
  • Automatically import users from HRIS (Human Resource Information System) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

What to consider

  • No grade book audit trail, grade book comments
  • No adaptive learning, chatbot, AI content development, auto content translation, intelligent recommendations, predictive analysis, text-to-speech
  • No login
  • No built-in authoring tool, drag-and-drop interactions
  • No survey enrollment (based on a response)
  • No block management
  • No synchronous virtual classroom
  • No offline learning
  • No learning analytic tools
  • No anti-spam, anti-virus, and restricted registration for specific domains
  • No shopping cart as a plug-in
  • No live logs
🔗 Integrations
Adobe Connect, API, G Suite, Google Calendar, GoTo Meeting, GoToTraining, GoTo Webinar, Okta, Paypal, Salesforce, Zoom and more.

💵 Pricing
By quote www.learnupon.com
  • Ann Parfenova
    Learning experience designer
    With 7 years in Learning Experience Design, I’ve crafted 90+ interactive courses that prove learning can be fun! From gamified simulations to educational games, I'm all about making education exciting and engaging. Let's make learning an adventure!

    All articles by this author
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