Best Online Learning Platforms

How Many Online Learning Platforms Products Does G2 Track?

Total Products under this Category: 403

Category Stats (Sep 2026)

  • Average Rating: 4.44/5 (↑0.01 vs Aug 2026) The average rating of products in this category, based on all submitted ratings
  • Top Trending Product: ODILO (+1.57%) - Among all products in this category, ODILO recorded the largest rating increase compared to last month

Last updated: September 01, 2026

How Does G2 Rank Online Learning Platforms Products?

Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:

  • 30 Analysts and Data Experts
  • 14,900+ Authentic Reviews
  • 403+ Products
  • Unbiased Rankings

G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category.

G2 Grid® for Online Learning Platforms

G2 Grid® for Online Learning Platforms plotting products by satisfaction and market presence

Highlighted products: Udemy Business, DataCamp, Absorb LMS, Mighty Networks, D2L Brightspace, 360Learning, Speexx, and Circle.

Underlying data: [Grid® JSON](https://www.g2.com/categories/online-learning-platform/grids.json?focus%5B%5D=udemy-business&focus%5B%5D=datacamp&focus%5B%5D=absorb-software-absorb-lms&focus%5B%5D=mighty-networks&focus%5B%5D=d2l-brightspace&focus%5B%5D=360learning&focus%5B%5D=speexx&focus%5B%5D=circle-so-circle)

Udemy Business

Udemy Business is the AI-powered skills acceleration platform designed for a future-ready workplace. By leveraging advanced technology and a vast library of on-demand content, we provide tailored learning experiences that cater to the diverse needs of users across various industries, job titles and skill levels. Our Udemy Business platform benefits organizations of any size seeking to upskill, reskill and close skill gaps. With a focus on both technical and soft skills, Udemy Business offers a comprehensive range of courses that address the evolving demands of the job market - like AI transformation, AI integration and more. This makes it an ideal solution for businesses looking to upskill their employees, as well as for professionals who wish to stay competitive and relevant in their fields. At the core of the Udemy experience is a suite of AI capabilities that go well beyond basic personalization. The Udemy AI Assistant acts as an always-on learning companion — answering questions in real time, simplifying complex concepts, and generating quizzes to reinforce retention. Skills Mapping and AI-powered learning paths turn business goals into customized training frameworks in minutes, with top-rated courses automatically matched to each path. AI Role Play gives learners access to 6,000+ instructor-built scenarios to practice real-world conversations and build confidence before applying skills on the job. Skills Assessments identify individual proficiency gaps and surface personalized content recommendations, ensuring learners focus on exactly what they need. And through AI integrations with tools like Claude and ChatGPT, learning happens seamlessly in the flow of work — without ever leaving the platforms employees already use. Key platform features also include multi-language support for global accessibility, real-time course innovation that keeps content aligned with the latest industry trends, and a flexible on-demand model that empowers users to learn at their own pace. Together, these capabilities make Udemy a robust, scalable solution for skills development — one that helps organizations build future-ready workforces while giving individuals the tools they need to grow and thrive in today's dynamic landscape.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 662

How Do G2 Users Rate Udemy Business?

  • Ease of Use: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Udemy Business?

  • Seller: Udemy, Inc.
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2010
  • HQ Location: San Francisco, CA
  • Twitter: @udemy
    290,256 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    9,185 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 35% Large, 33% Small

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Udemy Business?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the diverse course catalog of Udemy Business, which offers high-quality content in multiple languages.
  • Users find Udemy Business to be easy to use, appreciating the intuitive navigation and diverse course offerings.
  • Users appreciate the variety of content offered by Udemy Business, enabling diverse perspectives and skill development.
  • Users appreciate the variety of courses offered by Udemy Business, enhancing skill development and knowledge expansion.
  • Users appreciate the wealth of educational resources offered by Udemy Business, enhancing knowledge across diverse topics.
Cons
  • Users find a limited course variety, with inconsistent quality and duplicate options causing confusion in their learning experience.
  • Users notice a lack of consistency in course quality, finding some outdated or too simple compared to others.
  • Users find the inconsistent quality of course content on Udemy Business can hinder their learning experience.
  • Users find a limited selection of courses on Udemy Business, with some being outdated or lacking depth.
  • Users find poor content quality on Udemy Business, noting inconsistency and confusion among course offerings.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Udemy Business?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Udemy Business?

DataCamp

From foundational data and AI literacy to advanced technical or tool-focused skill building, DataCamp equips your workforce with the job-ready data and AI proficiency required to meet the demands of the new era of technology: Enterprise-Wide Learning People Love Stop relying on static course libraries. DataCamp delivers dynamic, role-specific learning designed for the complexity and speed your business demands. Whether 50, 500, or 50,000 learners, build critical data and AI capabilities across your entire organization that drive tangible business results and accelerate your data and AI adoption. Scales Like a Platform; Delivers Like a Partner Launching impactful data and AI upskilling at scale is a complex, time-intensive undertaking. DataCamp shoulders that burden as your dedicated partner, not just a content vendor. We provide guidance and do the heavy-lifting often missing from self-serve options (like helping drive adoption, aligning learning with business goals, and equipping you with clear reporting) to ensure your initiatives succeed. Personalized Upskilling Via Custom-Fit Curricula Move beyond generic training and content libraries. DataCamp gives you the tools and flexibility to create highly targeted learning experiences, from tracks customized to your specific tech stack and strategic priorities to private courses and projects using your own data. Equip your teams with the exact skills they need to perform, progress, and drive measurable impact on your most critical data and AI goals. Blended Learning for Better Engagement & Outcomes Drive higher engagement and skill mastery with blended learning. Whether your teams thrive on self-paced learning, need the structure of live cohorts, or want a mix of both, DataCamp delivers. Our multimodal approach combines world-class, self-paced learning with live, instructor-led and hybrid training for maximum flexibility to meet your data and AI upskilling initiatives.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 537

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How Do G2 Users Rate DataCamp?

  • Ease of Use: 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind DataCamp?

  • Seller: DataCamp
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2014
  • HQ Location: New York, NY
  • Twitter: @DataCamp
    108,287 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    1,912 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Data Analyst, Student
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 39% Large, 35% Small

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About DataCamp?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find DataCamp's platform to be easy and beginner-friendly, enhancing their learning experience with engaging interactive content.
  • Users love how DataCamp provides easy learning with interactive courses, making it beginner-friendly and engaging.
  • Users appreciate the hands-on interactive coding exercises of DataCamp, making learning engaging and practical for skill development.
  • Users value the interactive learning experience of DataCamp, which fosters hands-on practice and engagement.
  • Users appreciate the interactive skill development offered by DataCamp, enabling them to learn effectively and build confidence.
Cons
  • Users often face learning difficulties due to overly guided exercises and unclear prerequisites, hindering deeper understanding.
  • Users find the limited course variety on DataCamp makes it challenging to progress and encounter real-world complexities.
  • Users note that course limitations include basic content for intermediates and a lack of real-world application experiences.
  • Users find the difficulty in navigating course options overwhelming, complicating their learning experience on DataCamp.
  • Users note a lack of courses on essential topics like project management and advanced machine learning on DataCamp.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of DataCamp?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About DataCamp?

Absorb LMS

Absorb is an agentic AI-powered learning platform designed to deliver results for all learners — employees, partners, and customers alike. With AI agents that handle the heavy lifting across administration, content creation, and learner guidance, Absorb goes beyond traditional LMS capabilities to actively drive learning outcomes at scale. Seamless integrations across your tech stack, native content authoring, and advanced reporting and analytics simplify learning management while AI handles the routine. Personalized learning paths, automated workflows, and white-labeled experiences let your team focus on high-impact learning initiatives rather than managing the system. Absorb helps organizations improve time-to-productivity, ensure compliance, and scale training programs efficiently — whether you’re onboarding employees, training partners, or educating customers.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 959

How Do G2 Users Rate Absorb LMS?

  • Ease of Use: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 8.1/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Absorb LMS?

  • Seller: Absorb Software
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2003
  • HQ Location: Calgary
  • Twitter: @AbsorbLMS
    1,463 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    675 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Instructional Designer, Training Manager
  • Top Industries: Hospital & Health Care, Non-Profit Organization Management
  • Company Size: 45% Medium, 37% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Absorb LMS?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find Absorb LMS to be easy to learn and customize, with excellent support enhancing their experience.
  • We value the outstanding customer support from Absorb LMS, making our transition smooth and our experience enjoyable.
  • Users commend the outstanding customer support from Absorb LMS, praising their helpfulness and expertise throughout the learning process.
  • Users commend the excellent support from Absorb LMS, highlighting knowledgeable and helpful team members throughout their learning journey.
Cons
  • Users find the limited features of Absorb LMS can hinder functionality and ease of use in content development.
  • Users find the limited customization options in Absorb LMS cumbersome and time-consuming to navigate effectively.
  • Users express concern over the missing features in Absorb LMS, limiting administrative control and customization options.
  • Users find the learning curve challenging, especially without adequate support and guidance from Absorb resources.
  • Users are frustrated by the inadequate reporting, requiring manual updates and lacking advanced filtering options for courses.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Absorb LMS?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Absorb LMS?

D2L Brightspace

Learning That Transforms Lives D2L Brightspace is a powerful, flexible learning platform designed to put learners first. Whether you’re supporting students, employees, or members, Brightspace helps you create personalized, engaging, and measurable learning experiences that drive success. Built for Your World Brightspace adapts to the needs of every learning environment: K–12: Empower teachers and inspire every learner Higher Education: Deliver personalized learning at scale Corporate: Drive business results through smarter learning Associations: Turn training into a competitive advantage Training Providers: Deliver scalable, high-impact learning programs Modernize with Confidence Easily digitize your courses and adopt intuitive tools designed to enhance engagement, accessibility, and outcomes—no technical background required. Scale Personalized Learning Automate routine tasks, unlock actionable insights, and build learning paths that adapt to each learner’s needs. Brightspace helps you save time while improving outcomes. Support Advanced Learning Models From mastery-based progressions to competency-based learning, Brightspace has the power and flexibility to support even the most advanced online and blended strategies. A True Partner in Your Success More than a platform, Brightspace comes with a team dedicated to helping you succeed. From onboarding to optimization, we align our support and services to your goals—every step of the way.

Average Rating: 4.4/5.0

Total Reviews: 669

How Do G2 Users Rate D2L Brightspace?

  • Ease of Use: 8.4/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 7.5/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind D2L Brightspace?

  • Seller: Desire2Learn
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 1999
  • HQ Location: Kitchener, ON
  • Twitter: @D2L
    23,447 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    1,260 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Instructional Designer, Teacher
  • Top Industries: Higher Education, Education Management
  • Company Size: 45% Medium, 40% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About D2L Brightspace?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find D2L Brightspace to be user-friendly, with an intuitive interface that enhances personalized learning experiences.
  • Users appreciate the user-friendly interface of D2L Brightspace, making navigation and setup effortless for both teachers and students.
  • Users appreciate the flexible feature diversity of D2L Brightspace, enhancing engagement and usability for both trainers and students.
  • Users value the intuitive and visually appealing design of D2L Brightspace, enhancing their teaching and learning experience.
  • Users appreciate the ease of learning with D2L Brightspace, highlighting its user-friendly interface and effective tools.
Cons
  • Users note limited features in Brightspace, leading to inefficient workflows and inconsistencies across different tools.
  • Users find limited customization options frustrating, as it complicates their ability to adapt the platform to specific needs.
  • Users find the complexity of configurations overwhelming, making tasks unnecessarily time-consuming and confusing.
  • Users experience navigation issues due to complex structures and excessive clicks needed to access discussions efficiently.
  • Users find the user interface cluttered and unintuitive, making navigation and accessibility frustrating and challenging.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of D2L Brightspace?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About D2L Brightspace?

Mighty Networks

The most popular all-in-one community platform for creators and entrepreneurs. Nearly $500M in creator earnings on Mighty. With Mighty, you can bring your courses, memberships, and offers together in a powerful community under your own brand on iOS, Android, and the web. The possibilities are endless. We can't wait to see what you'll build with Mighty.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 746

How Do G2 Users Rate Mighty Networks?

  • Ease of Use: 8.4/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 7.4/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 8.5/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Mighty Networks?

  • Seller: Mightynetworks
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2017
  • HQ Location: Palo Alto, California
  • Twitter: @MightyNetworks
    37,455 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    145 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Founder, CEO
  • Top Industries: Health, Wellness and Fitness, Professional Training & Coaching
  • Company Size: 92% Small, 6% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Mighty Networks?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of Mighty Networks, finding the interface intuitive and integration with other systems simple.
  • Users value the proactive and thorough customer support from Mighty Networks, enhancing their experience and success on the platform.
  • Users appreciate the user-friendly design and responsive support of Mighty Networks, enhancing community engagement and communication.
  • Users love the seamless user interaction of Mighty Networks, enhancing engagement and connection within their communities.
  • Users value the intuitive interface of Mighty Networks, enhancing engagement and ease of use for hosts and customers alike.
Cons
  • Users lament the missing features of Mighty Networks, desiring more personalization and streamlined functionality for better experience.
  • Users find the difficult setup of Mighty Networks challenging, requiring considerable time and effort to learn effectively.
  • Users find the pricing expensive and wish for more affordable higher-level plans for added value.
  • Users find the poor interface design of Mighty Networks complicates navigation and has a frustrating learning curve.
  • The difficult learning process for new users makes it challenging to navigate Mighty Networks effectively.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Mighty Networks?

360Learning

360Learning is the AI-driven enterprise LMS that closes skills gaps by capturing internal expertise with collaborative learning Academies. Legacy systems force L&D teams to choose between scale and relevance. 360Learning eliminates this trade-off. Using agentic AI, we transform the expertise that runs your business into scalable learning for your entire organization - upskilling employees, customers, and partners from one platform. The platform merges enterprise LMS and LXP capabilities including agentic automation, adaptive coaching, a multimodal AI content builder, and the market’s #1 rated mobile app. Our ecosystem of 50+ partners includes an SAP Silver Partnership and Workday Design Partnership, ensuring learning connects to your broader business strategy. Over 2,500 companies, including Heineken, Equinox, Michelin, Merlin, and Cisco, trust 360Learning as their enterprise LMS. Rated #1 AI LMS by eLearning Industry and backed by dedicated implementation, support, and services teams, we help L&D become a growth lever, not a cost center. Founded in 2013. $240M raised. Teams across North America and Europe.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 612

How Do G2 Users Rate 360Learning?

  • Ease of Use: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 8.5/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind 360Learning?

  • Seller: 360Learning
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2013
  • HQ Location: New York
  • Twitter: @360Learning
    10,748 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    498 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: CEO, Chef de projet formation
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 53% Medium, 28% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About 360Learning?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find 360Learning to be easy to use, making content creation and learning management straightforward for everyone.
  • Users value the ease of course creation with 360Learning, enhancing engagement and providing a tailored learning experience.
  • Users value the exceptional customer support from 360Learning, enhancing their overall experience and ensuring smooth implementation.
  • Users find the admin experience smooth with easy enrollment, efficient dashboards, and valuable AI assistance.
  • Users value the engagement features of 360Learning, enhancing collaborative learning and interactive experiences for learners.
Cons
  • Users note limited features, which can make finding specific tools challenging despite responsive support.
  • Users experience a noticeable learning curve during setup, which can slow down initial usage of 360Learning.
  • Users find limited customization in organizing content, which hinders their ability to efficiently manage training resources.
  • Users find the missing features in 360Learning limit functionality, particularly in course enrollment and interactivity options.
  • Users find the learning curve steep for 360Learning, with complexity affecting user experience and support efficiency.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of 360Learning?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About 360Learning?

Speexx

Speexx is the people development platform, trusted by global corporations to upskill their workforce. Speexx delivers language training, business coaching, strategic mentoring, intercultural training, and skills assessment, combining AI-driven learning with certified trainers and coaches, CEFR-based assessment, and role-specific content to more than 2,000 clients and 8 million+ users across 80 countries. Speexx is the first provider to pass two independent audits by ICF Germany, evaluating both the Speexx Team Coaching Framework and Speexx AI Coaching Platform against ICF's professional and AI coaching standards for quality, safety, transparency, and governance. Built for corporate L&D teams, Speexx integrates with SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, and Microsoft Teams. Speexx is GDPR compliant and holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO 9001, SOC 2 Type II, TISAX, and CyberVadis Platinum certifications, alongside EcoVadis (Silver, 2024) and CDP ESG/CSR accreditations, and has earned more than 200 industry awards for technology and innovation, including recognition as a TIME Magazine Top EdTech company. Founded in 2012, Speexx operates with a global team of more than 2,800 trainers, coaches, and employees, driving professional development and upskilling at scale.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 653

How Do G2 Users Rate Speexx?

  • Ease of Use: 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Speexx?

  • Seller: Speexx
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2012
  • HQ Location: Munich, Bavaria
  • Twitter: @speexx
    1,424 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    958 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Project Manager, Consultant
  • Top Industries: Automotive, Banking
  • Company Size: 50% Large, 26% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Speexx?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find Speexx to be very easy to use, with a step-by-step learning approach enhancing language acquisition.
  • Users value the flexibility in learning options offered by Speexx, enhancing their language acquisition process.
  • Users love the interactive live group sessions of Speexx, fostering global communication and practical language skills.
  • Users appreciate the engaging exercises in Speexx, facilitating enjoyable and effective language learning experiences at their convenience.
  • Users appreciate the flexibility in choosing classes and professors with Speexx, enhancing their language learning experience.
Cons
  • Users find the poor interface design of Speexx challenging, leading to a frustrating user experience.
  • Users experience pronunciation recognition issues with Speexx, often requiring slow speech for proper system response.
  • Users find group classes unproductive and report difficulty using Speexx due to language and integration issues.
  • Users find the limited features of Speexx restrict their learning experience and spontaneity in practice.
  • Users find that the UX improvement is needed as the interface is often not intuitive and feels rigid.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Speexx?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Speexx?

Circle

Circle is the world’s leading all-in-one branded community platform. Circle enables you to bring together your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. Circle customers range from creator-led communities like Ali Abdaal’s Productivity Club, Dr. Becky’s GoodInside, and Jay Shetty’s Coaching Program, to organizational communities like Harvard’s CrimsonConnect, SpaceX’s Starbase community, The RSA’s Circle, and Oprah’s Daily Inside club. Join 18,000 community builders on Circle to: ● Build a dedicated home for your community with full control and ownership. ● Engage your audience through events, courses, email and gamification. ● Monetize with paid memberships, gated content, and recurring subscriptions. ● Scale your business with automations, AI tools, and fully branded mobile apps. Circle Plus is a premium solution that offers fully branded mobile apps for iOS and Android, designed to help community businesses stand out in the app stores and earn more revenue. The service includes a fully done-for-you app, world-class design support, hassle-free migrations, and much, much more. With Circle Plus, you can run courses, memberships, events, and community on your own branded mobile apps, on any device. It features tools like push notifications and in-app purchases, which help keep engagement high and unlock new revenue streams. Professional community businesses choose Circle Plus to: ● Maximize credibility: Ditch the complex, disjointed tech stack and bring together all your offerings in one white-labeled platform. ● Simplify growth: Circle’s white-glove service handles everything from design to onboarding, migration, and maintenance, helping you launch quickly and confidently. ● Get discovered: Boost visibility with app store placement and seamless sign-up flows, making it easier for new members to find and join you. ● Boost engagement: Branded push notifications and DMs keep your community informed and active. ● Earn more money: Reduce the cost of customer acquisition and increase conversions with one-click in-app purchases and optimized acquisition funnels. ● Scale: With unlimited data and prioritized support, Circle Plus grows with you. Circle Plus also comes with expanded product limits and priority support, making it an ideal choice for community builders looking to scale their business effectively. With a 4.9/5 app store rating, Circle Plus helps customers achieve up to 147% membership growth, 7x mobile adoption, and 37% higher engagement.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 515

How Do G2 Users Rate Circle?

  • Ease of Use: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Course Completion: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Circle?

  • Seller: Circle.so
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2019
  • HQ Location: New York, US
  • Twitter: @circleapp
    14,693 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    368 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Founder, CEO
  • Top Industries: Health, Wellness and Fitness, Professional Training & Coaching
  • Company Size: 70% Small, 11% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Circle?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find Circle's ease of use remarkable, allowing for quick setup and smooth navigation for community engagement.
  • Users appreciate the responsive feedback and constant feature updates, enhancing the overall functionality and user experience.
  • Users appreciate the user-friendly interaction in Circle, enhancing community engagement and fostering motivation among members.
  • Users appreciate the easy setup of Circle, finding it simple to create courses and manage community engagement.
  • Users value the exceptional customer support from Circle, enhancing their overall experience with the platform.
Cons
  • Users note several missing features, including an underdeveloped website builder and a lack of group paywall functions.
  • Users find Circle to be expensive, limiting access for smaller communities and requiring significant financial commitment.
  • Users express frustration with the limited customization options in Circle, making it hard to personalize their experience.
  • Users find Circle has limited features that restrict its effectiveness for associations and specific use cases.
  • Users often experience bugs and glitches in Circle, leading to frustration with messaging and navigation issues.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Circle?

Thinkific

Thinkific is an award-winning learning commerce platform where courses and community come together to power business growth. Thinkific gives academies, experts, and businesses everything they need to create and sell online learning experiences, build communities, and grow their revenue — all from one platform. More than 35,000 customers — including companies like GoDaddy, Nasdaq, and ActiveCampaign — have generated billions in revenue using Thinkific, impacting more than 200 million people worldwide.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 385

How Do G2 Users Rate Thinkific?

  • Ease of Use: 8.7/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 7.4/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Thinkific?

  • Seller: Thinkific
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2012
  • HQ Location: Vancouver, CA
  • Twitter: @thinkific
    10,769 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    404 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Founder, CEO
  • Top Industries: E-Learning, Professional Training & Coaching
  • Company Size: 75% Small, 20% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Thinkific?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find Thinkific to be extremely easy to use, facilitating course creation and integration with websites effortlessly.
  • Users value the engagement-focused features of Thinkific, enabling a deeper teaching experience for their students.
  • Users consistently praise the exceptional customer support of Thinkific, highlighting their quick and helpful assistance.
  • Users praise Thinkific for its intuitive design, making it easy to build and manage their online courses.
  • Users value the customization options in Thinkific, enabling tailored course experiences and professional-looking pages.
Cons
  • Users find Thinkific's limited features lackluster, particularly for customization and API connectivity needs.
  • Users feel there is limited customization in Thinkific, with challenges in templates and design options needing improvement.
  • Users find missing features in Thinkific, particularly with SCORM integration and outdated quiz functionality.
  • Users report feature discoverability issues in Thinkific, making it challenging to access and utilize all tools effectively.
  • Users find Thinkific expensive due to accumulating add-on costs, making it less appealing for corporate scaling.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Thinkific?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Thinkific?

LearnUpon

LearnUpon’s Agentic Learning Platform is the LMS of the future, built to elevate human capability in the AI era. By pairing human ingenuity with specialized AI agents, our platform automates heavy administrative workflows to deliver hyper-personalized learning experiences, empowering learning leaders to recapture energy and elevate strategic impact.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 247

How Do G2 Users Rate LearnUpon?

  • Ease of Use: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind LearnUpon?

  • Seller: LearnUpon
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2012
  • HQ Location: Dublin , Ireland
  • Twitter: @learnupon
    2,432 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    328 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Computer Software, E-Learning
  • Company Size: 44% Medium, 26% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About LearnUpon?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of LearnUpon, finding course creation and report setup intuitive and efficient.
  • Users appreciate the timely and responsive customer support from LearnUpon, enhancing their overall experience and satisfaction.
  • Users find LearnUpon intuitive and easy to use, enhancing their online learning experiences and engagement significantly.
  • Users love the user-friendly design of LearnUpon, enhancing professional learning and engagement within their organizations.
  • Users commend the ease of course creation on LearnUpon, appreciating its intuitive interface and flexible content options.
Cons
  • Users find the limited forum features of LearnUpon outdated and lacking important navigation options for better interaction.
  • Users desire limited customization options in LearnUpon, affecting flexibility and user experience across various features.
  • Users face navigation difficulties due to limited forum options and confusing mobile app requirements, impacting usability.
  • Users encounter difficulties in course management, including enrollment issues and limited viewing options for course deadlines.
  • Users find that missing features, like customizable reporting and streamlined integrations, hinder their overall experience with LearnUpon.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of LearnUpon?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About LearnUpon?

LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds is an online course platform and corporate LMS that helps training businesses deliver professional learning programs from one flexible setup, whether they're launching a new academy, scaling customer training, or connecting learning into an existing tech stack. Most learning management software is built for one use case. LearnWorlds is built for training businesses that have several. A single platform for branded academies, B2B client programs, corporate education, and paid learning, with user groups, roles, ecommerce, reporting, and automation tools that let you configure each program differently without starting from scratch. AI content creation, integrations like HubSpot and Stripe, and scheduled reporting mean less time on the work that doesn't need a human, and more time on the work that does. When you outgrow a basic online course platform or a standard learning management solution, the problem is rarely just course creation or course authoring. Every new client brings new learner groups, access rules, seats, reports, certificates, stakeholder visibility, and rollout work. LearnWorlds gives training businesses the delivery, reporting, commerce, and operational control to run programs across multiple client organizations without rebuilding from scratch or adding more manual work. One core offer, adapted for every client, built on: - Branded academies - User roles and access rules - Certificates - Ecommerce, analytics, and scheduled reports Teams can configure repeatable training experiences that serve different clients, cohorts, partners, customers, employees, members, and paid learners. Most training teams already have the content, it just lives across documents, slide decks, notes, and existing materials. LearnWorlds AI helps turn that knowledge into course-ready material, including outlines, activities, assessments, pages, emails, and visuals, while allowing teams to refine specific sections and keep content consistent across the academy. LearnWorlds helps commercial training businesses launch new clients faster, prove impact clearly, support more complex delivery models, and scale operations without scaling headcount.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 381

How Do G2 Users Rate LearnWorlds?

  • Ease of Use: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind LearnWorlds?

  • Seller: LearnWorlds
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2014
  • HQ Location: Limassol, Greece
  • Twitter: @LearnWorlds
    2,948 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    195 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: CEO, Owner
  • Top Industries: E-Learning, Professional Training & Coaching
  • Company Size: 87% Small, 11% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About LearnWorlds?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users rave about the exceptional customer support from LearnWorlds, always responsive within twenty-four hours.
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of LearnWorlds, noting its intuitive interface and straightforward setup process.
  • Users value the feature diversity of LearnWorlds, enabling customization and fulfilling various needs with ease.
  • Users praise LearnWorlds for its excellent support, highlighting fast responses and personalized assistance from the team.
  • Users highlight the outstanding customer support of LearnWorlds, appreciating the personalized and timely assistance provided.
Cons
  • Users find limited features frustrating, particularly regarding payment options and user management flexibility.
  • Users find limited customization options frustrating, particularly for multilingual setups and mobile usability issues.
  • Users note the missing features in LearnWorlds, particularly key integrations and bulk edit options for better functionality.
  • Users find the platform not intuitive, facing confusion initially, especially with mobile navigation and multilingual setup.
  • Users find LearnWorlds not user-friendly, struggling with integration costs, editing frustrations, and a poor mobile experience.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of LearnWorlds?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About LearnWorlds?

WebAssign

WebAssign is a digital solution designed by educators to enrich the teaching and learning experience. WebAssign provides extensive content, instant assessment, and superior support.

Average Rating: 3.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 25

How Do G2 Users Rate WebAssign?

  • Ease of Use: 7.5/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind WebAssign?

  • Seller: Cengage Learning
  • HQ Location: Boston, MA
  • Twitter: @CengageLearning
    11,943 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    4,669 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Education Management, Higher Education
  • Company Size: 40% Large, 36% Medium

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of WebAssign?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About WebAssign?

ClassLink

ClassLink is a leading provider of cloud-based education products that connect educators and students with their classroom, curriculum, and each other in richer, more powerful ways. As leading advocates for open data standards, we offer instant access to apps and files with single sign-on, streamline class rostering, automate account provisioning, and provide actionable analytics. ClassLink empowers 14 million students and staff in over 1,800 school systems.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 58

How Do G2 Users Rate ClassLink?

  • Ease of Use: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 6.4/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 4.8/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 4.2/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind ClassLink?

  • Seller: ClassLink
  • Year Founded: 1998
  • HQ Location: Clifton, NJ
  • Twitter: @ClassLink
    3,350 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    321 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Teacher
  • Top Industries: Primary/Secondary Education, Education Management
  • Company Size: 57% Medium, 36% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About ClassLink?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find ClassLink to be extremely easy to use, streamlining roster management and integration seamlessly.
  • Users value the quick and efficient customer support from ClassLink, ensuring smooth operations and easy troubleshooting.
  • Users find the easy setup of ClassLink incredibly beneficial, simplifying the roster import process significantly.
  • Users value the setup ease of ClassLink, enjoying seamless integration and automatic roster management for their programs.
  • Users value the efficiency of ClassLink, streamlining access and management of digital resources for students and staff.
Cons
  • Users find the data management issues with ClassLink complicated, particularly in integration with vendors and SIS.
  • Users experience integration issues with ClassLink, particularly with vendor cooperation and software compatibility challenges.
  • Users experience access issues with ClassLink, particularly when the service is down or onboarding new staff.
  • Users experience access restrictions when ClassLink is down, limiting login options for connected software programs.
  • Users find Complex Usability an issue, particularly when managing data and interacting with support teams.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of ClassLink?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About ClassLink?

GoSkills

GoSkills is a modern, AI-first Learning Management System (LMS) and Learning Experience Platform (LXP) that helps organizations create, deliver, track, and scale employee training quickly, easily, and affordably. The #1-rated LMS for growing startups, SMBs, and mid-market organizations that want to launch training fast, without the complexity of a traditional LMS. Easy to implement, easy to manage, and comes with a free plan and flexible pricing. Key capabilities • Built-in course library: 500+ expert-led courses in business, technology, software, soft skills, leadership, and professional development, continuously updated. • Gamified microlearning: 3–7 minute lessons with quizzes, exercises, and reference materials that drive engagement and retention. • Course builder: Build custom courses with an intuitive block-based editor; import SCORM, xAPI, AICC, and CMI5 content; export courses to other LMS platforms. • AI course creation (Genie AI): Generate full courses with a conversational AI assistant, or turn PDFs and PowerPoints into structured training in minutes, in multiple languages. • Learning paths: Curated sequences that take learners from novice to expert, or guide them through skills needed for career advancement and role transitions. • AI tutor and recommender: On-demand 24/7 learner support and personalized course suggestions based on goals. • Reporting and analytics: Granular tracking from learner progress to individual lesson level; identify and close skills gaps; collect feedback with customizable review forms. • Automated workflows: Manage learners by role or team, assign courses, set due dates, and schedule reminders. • Certification and compliance: Issue certificates on completion; log offline and live training; maintain audit-ready records. • Custom branding: Personalize your platform with custom logos, login pages, and certificates. • SSO and integrations: Google, Microsoft, and Okta SSO; SCIM 2.0; REST API and Zapier; SOC 2 compliant. Use cases Employee onboarding, upskilling and reskilling, leadership development, compliance training, and partner or customer training. Who GoSkills is for L&D professionals, HR teams, operations managers, team managers, and company owners. Its intuitive design makes it easy for roles outside of L&D to deploy and manage a successful training program. Used across technology, professional services, retail, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, nonprofits, government, and more. Problems GoSkills solves GoSkills replaces the fragmented combination of a learning library, authoring tool, and LMS with one intuitive platform launchable in minutes. Its microlearning format drives completion rates above 40% — more than 3x the industry average — tackling the engagement challenges most organizations face. Built-in AI tools and simple admin workflows significantly reduce course creation and management time. Why teams choose GoSkills GoSkills uniquely combines two essentials in one platform: a built-in library of 500+ expert-led courses, with a modern LMS for creating and managing custom training. Teams can get started fast with ready-made content, then build their own onboarding, compliance, SOP, customer education, and role-specific training in the same system. Unlike traditional LMS platforms, GoSkills is fast to set up, genuinely enjoyable to use, and priced for teams of any size, including small teams that other platforms won’t serve. Trusted by 10,000+ teams worldwide, GoSkills is consistently rated #1 on G2 for Ease of Use, Setup, and Support.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 317

How Do G2 Users Rate GoSkills?

  • Ease of Use: 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
  • Progress Reports: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)
  • Course Completion: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)
  • Course Access: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10)

Who Is the Company Behind GoSkills?

  • Seller: GoSkills
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2013
  • HQ Location: Palo Alto, CA
  • Twitter: @getgoskills
    4,128 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    24 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Project Manager, Administrative Assistant
  • Top Industries: Accounting, Hospital & Health Care
  • Company Size: 61% Small, 25% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About GoSkills?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find GoSkills' user-friendly interface makes learning enjoyable and easy, enhancing their overall experience.
  • Users appreciate the wide range of courses offered by GoSkills, enhancing both personal and family learning experiences.
  • Users highly value the quality content of GoSkills, appreciating its clarity and relevance in professional development.
  • Users appreciate the ease of learning with GoSkills, allowing both personal growth and family involvement in education.
  • Users appreciate the high-quality courses offered by GoSkills, enhancing skills and learning experiences for all ages.
Cons
  • Users find the limited course offerings of GoSkills restricts learning, especially for those seeking advanced skills.
  • Users find the limited advanced content in GoSkills courses less satisfying, impacting the learning experience for experienced learners.
  • Users find the limited course variety in GoSkills lacking advanced content and practical hands-on assignments.
  • Users note that GoSkills is too expensive, especially compared to cheaper alternatives like Udemy.
  • Users find the high subscription cost of GoSkills burdensome compared to alternatives like Udemy.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of GoSkills?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About GoSkills?

HarvardX

Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally.

Average Rating: 4.4/5.0

Total Reviews: 12

How Do G2 Users Rate HarvardX?

  • Ease of Use: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)

Who Is the Company Behind HarvardX?

  • Seller: Harvard University
  • Year Founded: 1636
  • HQ Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Twitter: @Harvard
    1,737,112 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    36,352 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Company Size: 42% Small, 42% Large

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of HarvardX?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About HarvardX?

Emma Stein
ES
Researched and written by Emma Stein
Updated October 3, 2024

Online Learning Platform Topics

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Learn More About Online Learning Platforms

What is an Online Learning Platform?

Online learning platforms, also referred to as eLearning platforms, are tools that allow users to create high-quality customized courses for people to take online. Using these tools, an instructor can build a course from scratch by adding elements like videos, presentation slides, documents, quizzes, and project assignments. The content of the course can vary widely, depending on the skills the instructor is trying to teach. Some online learning platforms have libraries with content that instructors can add to the course, or the instructor can use their content. The finished course can be published online, where students can find it and complete the lessons.

What are the Common Features of an Online Learning Platform?

Course structuring: Instructors can divide their online courses into smaller sections to better organize the course materials. Within each section, there might be a variety of elements like lectures, projects, and quizzes. Dividing up the course into smaller pieces makes it easier to keep students engaged and track their progress.

File attachments: To create multimedia courses that are more engaging for students, online learning platforms typically allow instructors to upload a variety of file types into online courses. Depending on the platform, instructors can upload files like videos, documents, presentations, images, or courses previously created using course authoring software.

Gamification: Awarding badges and points for completing lessons or mastering assessments can be an effective way to motivate students and make the learning experience more fun. Leaderboards display which users completed the most lessons or achieved the highest quiz scores. Adding gamified elements to courses created through online learning platforms gives students a sense of accomplishment and lets them share their progress with others using social media.

Course marketplace: For solopreneurs selling online courses, some platforms come with built-in marketplaces that allow them to sell their content to students. Management features enable instructors to write course descriptions, upload images, and publish samples of the course.

Discussion boards and peer communities: Learning is a social endeavor, so online learning platforms often host discussion forums where users can ask questions of other students taking the same course or talk about the course content. Instructors can create cohorts of students taking the same course, allowing learners to engage with each other and give each other feedback and encouragement.

Mobile compatibility: Building mobile compatibility into courses allows students to access course content anywhere, giving them more flexibility to complete courses and assessments. Some platforms’ applications allow users to download content to their iOS or Android devices so it can be accessed even without an internet connection. Some products may also have a dedicated mobile app component to supplement the web-based platform.

Reporting and analytics: Course administrators can access data about how many students are taking a course, how students are interacting with the content, and how they are performing on assessments, among other metrics. Students can also get information about how they have performed on quizzes and their usage patterns on the platform.

Video hosting: Video lessons can be uploaded to online learning platforms and serve as the main method of delivering online classes, providing a more engaging learning experience compared to reading static slides or web pages. Some tools provide multiple methods of uploading video lectures, including grabbing videos from the cloud.

What are the Benefits of an Online Learning Platform?

Online learning platforms enable course administrators to create and deliver customized course experiences, no matter the audience. From entrepreneurs to corporate trainers to educators, users have access to a wide range of features that allow courses to be built in a way that meets the needs of their students.

Customized learning experiences: There are thousands of prebuilt courses available for purchase through online course providers for developing skills in a variety of areas, from computer programming to business management to art history. Sometimes, there is no prebuilt course that works and a customized course must be created. For example, preexisting online courses don’t always meet the needs of a college professor who wants to teach a physics class using a specific curriculum, or a company that wants to create internal training about how to use administrative functions of their web application. With online learning platforms, instructors can build courses from the ground up that target the exact skills they have in mind and the needs of a specific group of students.

Education content made more accessible: For instructors, online learning platforms offer a way to expand access to their course materials outside of a physical learning environment. This is important as online education continues to rise in popularity. Some of these tools allow instructors to upload presentation files from a lecture and display them as part of an online course. Students who missed a training session or are studying remotely can easily access videos and other course content. Courses can also be accessed by learners at their convenience, accommodating different schedules. Compatibility with mobile applications further extends the reach of courses built on online learning platforms.

Who Uses an Online Learning Platform?

Educators: Education industry professionals use online learning platforms to make the content they teach available online. Some platforms come with tools that enable instructors to upload files that teachers might already use in their lessons, such as videos, word documents, and presentation files. Educators can add customized homework assignments, projects, and quizzes to their online courses and grade students based on how well they demonstrate targeted skills. Publishing course material online also allows professors to make course content available to students outside of in-person sessions, allowing students to review material or catch up if they miss a class.

HR trainers: Employee success departments use online learning platforms to create customized training experiences for employees and streamline the management of their onboarding content. New hire training materials can be crafted for the company’s overall training objectives as well as for new skills that specific employees need to build. Some lessons might be aimed at soft skills, like team management, while others could focus on hard skills, like how to program in Python. Publishing the training content online allows employees to complete training when it’s convenient for them. Customizing courses for specific roles maximizes the efficiency of training programs, so employees aren’t sitting through irrelevant lessons.

Technical trainers: Businesses use online learning platforms to train customers or clients on their products. This is especially beneficial for software trainers, who are often tasked with educating customers on how to get the most value out of the company’s software. While there will always be a need for live trainings, the ability to publish a custom online tutorial for a product’s most commonly used features allows users of that product to get most of the information they need, potentially cutting down the necessity for in-person trainings.

Solopreneurs: For an entrepreneur who is running their business without any other employees, online learning platforms provide a structure for creating online courses or webinars for in-demand skills and selling them online. Some tools provide marketplaces where course creators can list their courses for sale, or offer tiered models that mix free courses and paid courses to entice subscribers. Depending on how dedicated the solopreneur is to their online teaching business, publishing courses through online learning platforms could be a side hustle that generates passive income or a full-fledged small business that they run full time.

What are the Alternatives to an Online Learning Platform?

Course authoring software: Course authoring software is used to develop training courses and content that can be consumed in either a corporate or more traditional educational setting. These products may be appealing to companies looking to create internal training programs for onboarding and ongoing professional development, especially if they don’t need all the additional features that an online learning platform provides.

Learning management system: Online learning platforms and learning management systems (LMS) are often seen as the same, but an online learning platform serves as a foundation for eLearning and will often be used in conjunction with other supporting software tools. Online learning platforms are occasionally sold as an integration within a larger LMS product too. 

An LMS helps instructors deliver and manage online learning by creating a streamlined communication channel between instructors and students. These software applications manage all types of content, including video, courses, and documents, and allow students to access all course content from any device. Instructors can use an LMS to manage rubrics, student discussion boards, and course syllabi, and they provide key features for reporting, progress tracking, and assignments and assessments.

Challenges with an Online Learning Platform

Effectively marketing a course: Online learning has become an increasingly crowded and competitive business segment. Solopreneurs trying to create a course on an online learning platform are competing with thousands of courses already on the market on any imaginable topic. Users of online learning providers must consider how their marketing will set their course content apart from others that already exist. Then, they must determine how to best market their course, including what kinds of students it will target, what topics it will cover, how they will advertise it, and how they will write a course description that catches attention. Without thinking through how to make a course stand out through effective marketing, it is bound to get lost in the virtual ocean of educational content already available online.

Creating engaging courses: Designing informative, interesting, and attention-grabbing courses is a challenging task. While the ability to create a customized course unlocks many potential benefits, it also requires creators to be thoughtful at the outset about how they want to build a course that will deliver on their key learning objectives. For corporate trainers writing a course about topics that employees may consider less than exciting, they must leverage their creativity to deliver the content engagingly.

Which Companies Should Buy an Online Learning Platform?

Colleges and universities: Any educational institution, but especially higher education, that needs to make course content accessible online should consider an online learning platform. These tools give educators tremendous flexibility in building comprehensive course content and making it available to students on their own schedule. Online learning platforms are particularly crucial for universities that offer online degree programs and nanodegree programs, notably in the areas of computer science, data science, and business.

Massive open online course (MOOC) providers: MOOCs are courses available online to anyone with the proper hardware and internet connection, offering a more relaxed structure and either no or minimal cost to take. They are often seen as alternatives for individuals looking to learn for fun, as MOOCs typically do not confer a degree or certification upon completion if they’re free. MOOC providers need an online learning platform to build and host their content library.

Standard businesses: Businesses looking to manage their onboarding and employee development programs better should consider an online learning platform. These tools can allow businesses to customize training content to fit their branding and unique needs, and group employees by cohort and department to organize specific trainings more easily.

Training and development businesses: For businesses that sell training courses to companies that outsource professional development, online learning platforms are a useful tool to organize all their course content and make it accessible to companies even after the training sessions. These tools can also allow training and development businesses to scale up their training content and make them accessible to a wider clientele.

How to Buy an Online Learning Platform

Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for an Online Learning Platform

There are an incredible amount of online learning platforms available today, which can make the buying decision stressful. Before beginning vendor conversations, schools and companies looking to purchase an online learning platform should identify what their goals and objectives are, both currently and in the future. Selecting the wrong platform could lead to a large problem down the road.

Buyers should determine what types of eLearning content they intend to deliver through an online learning platform, and how that training content supports their larger organizational goals. Compliance training may be better achieved through cheaper alternatives, for example. Companies that have a geographically scattered workforce will need to determine the mobile capabilities of each platform they consider purchasing. Additionally, companies with large workforces and large educational institutions will need to consider the pricing model for products; a flat fee will save more money as opposed to per-user priced platforms.

Scalability and adaptability are both important factors to consider as well, which is why buyers need to know their current and future needs before making a final decision. An online learning platform should be able to grow as an organization grows, without leading to a lot of surprise costs and technical difficulties to accommodate. Online learning platforms should offer the right level of customization for users to build courses that meet their specific needs.

Compare Online Learning Platform Products

Create a long list

Long lists are created by eliminating the options that do not provide critical functionality. For example, schools should seek out online learning platforms that are optimized for the education sector, rather than platforms that favor corporate eLearning. A typical long list should not include more than 10 products unless there are many options that are very similar. In this case, additional details like the geographical presence of the company or its reputation can be used to eliminate vendors.

Create a short list

Short lists are created by reviewing the RFI information received from vendors. Some vendors may decline to participate and respond to RFIs. These vendors are usually eliminated from the selection process. From there, this short list steers the buying decision closer to completion, leaving only a couple of vendors to choose between based on small, key factors that fulfill all the requirements and considerations a school or company has for implementing an online learning platform.

Conduct demos

Demos are a great opportunity for buyers to see how the online learning platform works. Only the shortlisted vendors are invited to demonstrate their solutions. Demos should be performed live, using the system, and not through slide decks and screenshots. All vendors should follow a predetermined scenario that simulates the business processes of the buyer. Buyers should request to see a walkthrough from the perspective of a course creator and a student to understand how the interface looks for both sides. Additionally, request to see a sample course created from start to finish to understand what tools can assist in developing eLearning content.

Selection of Online Learning Platform

Choose a selection team

To choose a selection team, decision makers need to involve subject matter experts from all teams that will use the system. For schools, this will likely involve the principal or dean, as well as a select number of teachers who represent the larger faculty's needs. For businesses, this may involve the HR team, CFO, and other roles related to recruiting and employee management.

Negotiation

Negotiation happens between the buyer and the short list of vendors. In some cases, there are only two vendors that make it to this stage, which means that they offer similar products. At this point, the dealbreaker is the price of the product, which can vary based on the discounts offered by each vendor. Buyers should consider upfront costs, price per user costs, and any associated content hosting costs with the online learning platform.

The final decision should be based on all the information gathered previously.