If you’re looking for a learning management system or LMS, you won’t struggle to find choices. There are thousands of LMS vendors out there, all of whom claim to be the best and use complicated jargon to explain why. But finding unbiased information on each vendor can prove challenging, especially when many shoppers aren’t even sure precisely what they should be searching for.
Luckily, expert help is available if you know where to look for it. Craig Weiss is a thought leader with over two decades of experience in the e-learning industry. Yes, that means he can trace his professional history back to the dawn of e-learning in the late 1990s. His predictions have proven over 90% accurate since 2009 and Weiss enjoys special access to information on what vendors plan to add to their systems in the future. Weiss leverages both his expertise and access to create an annual list of the best learning systems, with 2023’s list recently released.
Lists make for great articles because readers are dying to know which vendor will claim the coveted top spot, but what if you’re looking for recommendations personalized to the unique needs of your organization? Weiss created FindAnLMS.com as a free resource to help average people easily compare the top names in e-learning complete with insight from the expert himself. You can create a free account on FindAnLMS.com today to begin your search.
What criteria go into Weiss’s LMS rankings?
This year, Weiss created a rubric awarding points for features such as user interface (UI), user experience (UX), analytics, skills functionality, mobile functionality, and NexGen features (among others). Vendors earning top scores appear on the list below, while those falling short are excluded from it. Notably, vendors could not pay for a more favorable ranking on the list nor was there an application fee of any kind for consideration. Price played a small role in the rankings, while each vendor’s market share was ignored. If an LMS solution is targeted toward small businesses with 500 end users, they shouldn’t be penalized for not having the raw user numbers of competitors going for accounts 100 times larger.
All kinds of learning systems were considered, including those focused on L&D, employee development, customer training, associations, and more. While most LMS vendors are “combos” capable of handling all of these tasks, more specialized vendors were not excluded. Similarly, vendors were still eligible if they abandoned the LMS acronym in favor of TDP (talent development platform), LXP (learning experience platform), or any other combination of letters in their marketing materials. If it’s e-learning, it was considered.
Furthermore, vendors do not need to appear on FindAnLMS.com to appear on the list below. Weiss looks at hundreds of LMS solutions and only adds the best to the FindAnLMS.com database, but vendors are under no obligation to accept an invitation. This year, there’s a top-10 vendor that isn’t on FindAnLMS.com.
Since these rankings are generic, the best LMS solution for your specific needs may not be here. Spoiler alert: this year’s number one probably isn’t right for any organization looking for employee training. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 15 vendors that just missed Weiss’s top 10 (there were a lot of ties):
The List (11-20)
20: Learnster
Learnster combines a slick UI/UX for learners with an easy back-end for admins to navigate, making it a system easy to implement at all levels of an organization. Its mobile app is strong as well, giving this system a ton of potential to improve in 2023. That said, skills functionality is currently lacking.
19 (tie): NetEx Learning Cloud
NetEx Learning Cloud is a system great for small businesses searching for something with a unique UI/UX, mobile apps on both iOS and Android, and an intuitive interface. The solution is very affordable, and their roadmap indicates lots of fresh functionality coming in 2023.
19 (tie): SmarterU
SmarterU consistently gets better every year and they offer a ton of potential in the coming year. The UI/UX is great for navigation and ease of use, with the Admin side scoring a perfect 100% on Weiss’s rubric. If they add more skill development features, the sky is the limit.
18: AccessLMS
AccessLMS excels for compliance training, easily tracking CEUs/CPDs (continuing education units or continuing professional development) to help learners gain or maintain regulatory credentials. The platform’s gamification elements are among the best in the industry and help learners look forward to practice tests. The built-in course authoring tool also exceeds expectations.
17 (tie): Gyrus
Gyrus is a very rich system offering solid UI/UX and strong overall functionality. Skill development is above average as well. Gyrus plays well for Large Enterprise organizations looking to train thousands of learners at a time.
17 (tie): MATRIX
MATRIX is an e-learning platform with a lot of great ideas but suboptimal implementation. Administrative tools are robust but admins cannot hold multiple roles simultaneously. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android but the Android version lacks on/off synch. The UI/UX is strong and there’s a solid foundation for skills and customer education too.
16 (tie): Knowledge Anywhere
KA nearly earned a perfect score on Weiss’s rubric for administration, only losing points because admins cannot be assigned multiple roles. A good UI/UX and strong multi-tenancy features (or the ability to set each learner up with their own portal on a single instance of software) mean that there’s a lot to like here. Skills could use some work though.
16 (tie): TopClass
TopClass is a super strong player in the association space. The system tracks CEUs/CPDs, easily captures external training for vILT (virtual instructor-led training), and skill development is a major focus of the company’s roadmap for 2023.
15 (tie): LearnUpon
LearnUpon offers good functionality, a slick UI/UX, and the ability to track CEUs/CPDs with aplomb. Native integration with Google Workspace is a major plus as well, making LearnUpon a fantastic budget option for associations and small businesses alike.
15 (tie): Acorn LMS
Where Acorn LMS truly excels is in its ability to send SMS notifications (text messages) to learners without integration for self-registration, onboarding, course enrollments, and more. There’s also a dedicated Microsoft Teams app, multi-tenancy features with limited white labeling (or the ability to customize your domain name), and a perfect score on skill development per Weiss’s rubric.
14 (tie): Schoox
Schoox is an extremely capable talent development platform with an emphasis on connecting skills to job roles. Skill development and multi-tenancy both score well. The UI/UX is in desperate need of a refresh though which isn’t coming until the fourth quarter of 2023 at the earliest. Therefore, it lost points relative to previous iterations of Weiss’s list.
14 (tie): Bridge
Bridge is an excellent system for customer education with an easy-to-use interface for administrators. Unfortunately, it offers no e-commerce capabilities out of the box and relies too heavily on optional add-ons for core features such as a course authoring tool. The system works very well with all of the add-ons, but you shouldn’t have to pay extra for them.
13: Uqualio
Uqualio is a video learning platform best described as “Wow!”. A top contender for “NexGen System of the Year,” Uqualio allows course creators to easily splice video into existing content and create the industry’s best micro-learning modules. The company’s marketing is below standard though, selling an outstanding product short.
12: Valamis
Weiss describes Valamis as a “power system,” noting its super slick UI/UX, strong administration scores, and good learning environment as clear pluses. The company once focused on customer education nearly exclusively, but now they are a true combo.
11: Brainier
Brainier is an affordable learning system that packs a punch. Video text transcripts allow users to click on words or sentences and immediately go to the specific segment, a handy bit of functionality you don’t see often. QR codes linked to content help learners find what they need as well, and the platform earned a perfect score for administration. Video streaming capabilities and strong skill ratings add to the appeal of the platform that just missed the top 10.
Do your own research on FindAnLMS.com
The rest of Weiss’s list will appear in another post, but remember that your organization has unique needs that aren’t necessarily reflected in the rubric Weiss used. If you would like to learn more about Weiss’s grading, he posted his thought process in The Library along with exclusive insight and information from leading LMS vendors.
Creating a free account on FindAnLMS.com is the best way to take your specific needs and Weiss’s industry-leading insight into consideration to find the best e-learning platform for your organization. Choosing an LMS can be tough, but you can do it through due diligence with the expertise of Craig Weiss by your side.
