Using the right learning management system (LMS) can make a real difference when it comes to managing your organization more effectively. There are quite a few LMS choices to consider, offering a wide range of features and plans. The following are some of the top LMS choices for associations and organizations.
1. LearnDash
LearnDash is a powerful all in one WordPress LMS plug-in designed to help users create and manage online courses.
- Course Creation — Build courses with a user-friendly interface adding content with ease
- Advanced Quizzing — Create advanced quizzes with various question types
- Drip Content — Send out content on a schedule.
- Integration with other tools — Ability to connect with other popular WordPress plugins
- Monetization — Easily set course pricing, payment plans and/or add subscriptions
- Certifications — Upon course completion users may be granted access to badges/certifications
LearnDash is a paid plug-in available in three different pricing plans: Basic, $199/year, suitable for a single site; Plus, $229/year, supporting up to 10 sites and access to premium features; and Pro, $369/year, supporting up to 25 sites, access to premium features, advanced reporting, and priority support.
2. LifterLMS
LifterLMS is a WordPress LMS that provides a wide variety of features for all types of organizations.
- Course Builder — Build online courses easily using a simple drag-and-drop process.
- Multimedia Lessons —Appeal to different learning styles by creating lessons in text, image-based, audio, and video formats.
- Lesson Downloads — Easy for members to download lessons in formats such as e-books, PDFs, audio, worksheets, and more.
- Drip Content — Make lessons available over time at a schedule that works for you and your members.
- Interactive Features —Create discussion areas such as forums, coaching areas, and lesson comments.
- Quizzes — Create multimedia quizzes to test users’ knowledge.
LifterLMS offers three plans, starting at $149/year for one site. Their Universe Bundle plan, which is currently $249/year supports 5 sites, while the Infinity Bundle, at $749/year, allows for unlimited sites.
LifterLMS can be installed as a WordPress plugin, so it’s only usable for WordPress sites.
3. Inspire360
Inspire360 is an LMS geared to health and fitness companies, allowing them to create courses, certifications, and workshops. Fitness enthusiasts like to be able to monitor their progress and set goals, which makes it extra important for anyone in this sector to offer compelling courses and other content.
- Create Distinctive, Branded Design — You can create a custom website with responsive design (i.e. works for all devices) on your own domain, using a drag-and-drop page builder.
- Course Creation — Create unlimited courses for any size audience. Certifications can be awarded to recognize accomplishments. Offer courses in multimedia formats such as audio, video, and text-based. Partner with credentialing agencies to add credentials such as CECs, CEUs & CMEs.
- Custom Certificates — Members can automatically receive certification upon completing courses.
- E-commerce Features —Offer flexible payment options, recurring payments, coupon codes, and international payments. Pixel supports lets you track Google, Facebook, and other social media ads.
- Live Workshop Management —Provide customers with live workshops that can be in person, online, or a combination of the two.
- Quizzes & Tests — Let members test their knowledge with quizzes and tests.
Inspire360 provides solutions for a variety of health and wellness companies, including fitness equipment sellers, education and certification organizations, and health and wellness experts who want to sell memberships and certifications to clients.
4. Absorb
Absorb is a leading, award-winning LMS used by many businesses and organizations for course-building, employee training, e-commerce, and other learning management tasks.
- Learner Engagement —Engage learners with multimedia content, including video and webinars, a mobile app, and social learning that fosters connections between learners.
- E-commerce —All Absorb plans come with a fully integrated e-commerce shopping cart with over 70 payment gateways. Supports bulk course sales, smart pricing (e.g., charge different rates to members and non-members), discounts, and more.
- Access eLearning Content Libraries —Absorb clients don’t need to create their own content as they can tap into large libraries of existing content for many purposes. Over 160 microlearning courses that cover topics such as leadership, IT, business skills, and more.
- Reporting & Analytics — Track your activities and receive actionable reports that help you improve results. Reports are easily shareable.
Absorb offers flexible, customized pricing based on the number of learners and the features your organization needs.
5. Tovuti
Tovuti provides an all-in-one cloud-based LMS that can be used by all types of organizations for learning and online training.
- Course Creation and Management — Create more than 40 types of content that is social, interactive, and gamified for better engagement. Manage enrollment and tracking individually or for groups. Organize and reuse content for different courses.
- SCORM Compliant — Use your own content or import SCORM files. SCORM is the most widely recognized e-learning standard that’s compatible with most other software.
Integrate With Powerpoint — Easily import Powerpoint content into training. Create quizzes that relate to the slides. Restrict the downloading of sensitive content. - Ratings and Comments — You have the option to let learners provide feedback on lessons and courses.
- Community Features — Make the learning environment social by setting up forums and discussion groups. Users also have the ability to create social profiles to create a social network atmosphere.
- Live Learning and Hybrid Sessions — The platform supports all types of learning, including synchronous, asynchronous, and blended learning. You can offer training in real-time and/or at the learner’s convenience.
These and other features allow for a great deal of customization. Tovuti offers customizable pricing plans. Schedule a demo to learn a pricing structure that fits your company’s needs. There are also setup fees.
6. Edapp
Edapp is a good LMS solution for organizations on a tight budget as the platform offers many helpful free resources for training, onboarding, and all kinds of educational content.
- Create Courses — With a choice of over 80 templates, you can create course material such as quizzes, games, and assessments quickly without the need for any coding.
- Library of Over 1,000 Courses — If you’re looking for pre-existing courses, there’s a large free library of quality content that can be edited and branded as your own.
- Supports Mobile Learning — Coursework can be accessed on phones and tablets from any location.
- Gamification — Turning learning into a game helps boost motivation and concentration. Edapp has built-in games that award users with points based on their scores. Depending on your preferences and budget, you can allow them to exchange these points for real world rewards.
- Edapp offers many resources for free. The paid plans, which start at only $1.99/month per user, allow for greater customization.
7. MemberPress
MemberPress is a WordPress plugin that makes it simple to create a membership site for any purpose.
- Online Courses — Create and sell online courses without coding.
- Offer Coupons —Customize coupons and set expiration dates.
- Paywalls —Limit access to some or all features.
- Drip Content —Send out content on a schedule.
- Set Up Automated Billing — Integrates with PayPal and Stripe.
- Community Features —Advanced plans include forums and communities.
- Create an Affiliate Program —Incentivize users to sign up others and get paid.
- Many Integrations —Zapier, ActiveCampaign, WooCommerce, AWeber, Blubrry, Constant Contact, and many more.
MemberPress is a paid plugin for WordPress that offers three plans. Basic, at $179/year, can be used on one site. Allows for unlimited members. Plus, for $299/year, supports two sites, while Pro, at $399/year, supports up to five sites.
Choosing the Right LMS
Finding the right LMS for your organization or association can help you run a more successful membership program, sell more courses, and engage better with members. When considering LMS options, you need to consider factors such as which features are important for you, how many members you have, and your budget.