Revolutionize your training by choosing the best LMS platform!

These days, the market is constantly evolving at a breathtaking pace. Given this paradigm, it's hardly surprising that many professionals feel they're falling behind: new technologies, new methodologies, new products... That's why training has become a major challenge for companies. To stay in the race, you have to keep your employees up to speed!

It's all very well to train your staff... but how do you go about it?

In recent years, we've seen the development of a category of software that responds perfectly to these challenges: the LMS platform.

What are the best Learning Management Systems on the market ? What exactly do they consist of, and why are they so beneficial to organizations? How do you choose yours?

All questions answered in this article. Get out your notebooks 📒!

See all software Learning Management System (LMS)

What is an LMS platform?

The LMS platform: definition

First introduced in the 1990s in the university sector, the LMS ( Learning Management System) platform is a tool designed to distribute and manage training and learning paths for learners.

Thanks to this software, users have easy access to content developed around a defined training strategy, as well as to learning assessment systems.

Although LMSs are aimed at a number of target groups, such as educational institutions, they have developed rapidly as companies have become aware of the benefits to be gained from digital learning, starting with increased flexibility (learners follow courses autonomously, at their own pace).

Learning Management Systems have therefore won over the hearts of organizations that want to enhance the skills of their employees, but also spread the same level of knowledge to all teams.

💡 Note: to better track employee skills and promote consistency in training actions, these platforms integrate seamlessly with corporate information systems (HR tools, CRM, etc.).

How does an LMS platform work?

An LMS platform is primarily used by trainers to distribute and manage online courses. Some of them also take care of the content creation phase, with integration of several types of media such as text, video, audio, etc.

Learners (employees, students, etc.) then access the Learning Management System using their log-in details. Once logged in, they not only follow the course, but can also submit assignments or interact with other users via dedicated forums and chats.

Finally, LMSs are able to track student progress and generate reports on engagement and course effectiveness. This data is a valuable source of information for continuously improving content and methods.

Comparison of the 5 best LMSs on the market

What are the different LMSs on the market? Don't confuse them with training platforms!

Focus on 5 tried-and-tested LMS examples 🔎.

360learning

360learning is an all-in-one LMS for collaborative learning. Its goal? Engage employees through the power of in-house expertise. The proof? Completion rates of 91%, compared with 21% on the market. Its broad functional coverage, beyond traditional LMSs, convinces training teams, encompassing LXP functions, content creation or skills management.

👍 360learning's key benefits:

• A flexible, comprehensive solution that adapts to your changing training needs, as well as to all learner use cases and habits (blended learning, mobile application, etc.) ;
• Integration with numerous tools ( HRIS, Salesforce, business applications, etc.) to streamline processes and link training to your internal workflows;
• Innovative, AI-powered software that automates time-consuming tasks for training teams, allowing them to focus on strategic projects.

360Learning

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Collaborative Learning Platform

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Adobe Learning Manager

Introduced by Adobe, Learning Manager is an LMS that helps you develop the skills of your employees, with the clear aim of increasing productivity and sales. This software also focuses on customer and partner training.

👍 Key benefits of Adobe Learning Manager:

• A single platform to deploy any type of experience, thanks to dedicated features for blended learning, webinars, videos, etc. ;
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, used to personalize each learner's learning path to the maximum;
• More than 86,000 references available in a content marketplace to enrich your learning programs in just a few clicks.

Adobe Learning Manager

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Empower Learning with Intuitive LMS Solutions

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Didask

Powerful and innovative, the Didask LMS combines artificial intelligence and cognitive science to help companies create far more engaging training courses... in less time! Indeed, thanks to the authoring tool with pedagogical AI, training designers develop and structure their content very easily and with complete autonomy, even if they are not e-learning experts.

👍 Didask's key advantages :

• The contribution of cognitive sciences that promote pedagogical effectiveness, i.e. the memorization and practical application of newly acquired knowledge in everyday work ;
• The deployment of personalized learning paths (adaptive learning) based on the user's needs and progress;
• Artificial intelligence cuts course and module creation time by a factor of ten.

iSpring

iSpring is a tool designed to support the development of your employees, from their onboarding and throughout their career with your company. At the same time, it enables you to distribute courses to your partners and customers. Addressed to all business sectors, iSpring has over a million learners worldwide.

👍 iSpring's key benefits :

• Support for content creation, including interactive courses, videos, simulations and assessments;
• Save time by automating many time-consuming tasks, such as re-registering employees for recurring training sessions;
• Continuous assessment of employee engagement, thanks to feedback from news feeds, course comments or chat exchanges.

Moodle

Thanks to its open source nature, the Moodle LMS platform offers a high degree of customization. It is therefore perfectly suited to any type of organization, whatever its size or field of activity. Moodle even includes accessibility checkers and text-to-speech tools, so that anyone can easily follow courses.

👍 Key benefits of Moodle :

• Various task or activity formats, handy for proposing learning paths tailored to employees' preferences ;
• A mobile or e-mail alert system, to notify learners of key information (upcoming deadlines, for example), and thus guarantee their attendance ;
• Integration with numerous certified partners, to extend the solution's functionalities with reliable, user-approved tools.

Moodle

+200 reviews

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Innovative Learning Management System for Educators

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What needs do LMS platforms meet?

Particularly appreciated by companies, Learning Management Systems support employees throughout their career.

Since they are used to disseminate a certain level of knowledge to them, with a specific objective in mind, they are favored in the following situations 👉.

Integrating new employees

The issues surrounding the integration of new employees are gaining in importance, especially at a time when talent shortages are rampant.

According to a Mercuri Urval study, 50% of employees have already considered leaving their company before the end of their trial period.

New recruits point to a lack of communication and a feeling of being lost in an unfamiliar working environment as one of the main bottlenecks.

Thanks to LMSs, these worries are a thing of the past, as they offer an effective way of introducing new employees to the necessary policies, procedures and training... and tracking their progress!

Accelerating digital transformation

As Covid has demonstrated, it's impossible for organizations to miss out on digitalization, whether in their working methods or their business practices.

LMS platforms accelerate the digital transformation of companies:

• by supporting individuals through change (acquisition of digital skills, etc.) ;
• stimulating innovation.

In short, they provide a better grasp of new technologies, which are essential for keeping up with the competition.

Improving product knowledge

Launching new products, keeping up to date with the latest consumer expectations... it's all part of company life.

Learning Management Systems simplify the distribution of up-to-date product information to employees, partners and customers alike.

Aligning partners

If you work with a large number of partners, who may be scattered around the globe, LMSs are a great asset.

In fact, they enable you to offer everyone the same level of product knowledge, as we've just seen, but also on other key aspects such as your distribution methods or the components of your brand image.

Complying with new regulations

As we saw a few years ago with the RGPD, implementing actions in line with new regulations is far from a smooth process.

Here again, learning software comes to the rescue of professionals by speeding up their compliance. Ultimately, they help reduce legal risks.

💡 Good to know: when it comes to company size, LMSs aren't just the preserve of large groups! More and more SMEs are getting on board too, aware of the added value of these platforms when it comes to developing their employees' skills quickly, at lower cost.

The benefits of LMS platforms

For companies

Train quickly and well

From a purely operational point of view, LMSs enable employees to be trained quickly on the skills they lack, the best practices deployed within the organization, and so on.

This is achieved by means of a system structured around a logical, progressive learning path, far more effective than simple webinars and YouTube tutorial videos.

Standardizing knowledge

With Learning Management Systems, employees receive the same standardized training, which is essential for maintaining consistency in processes and corporate culture.

What's more, LMS solutions encourage the sharing of knowledge and practices between employees. This supports collective intelligence mechanisms, a key component of continuous improvement!

Cost savings

Before the development of Learning Management Systems, organizations were already training their employees... but this came at a cost! These included travel costs (for the trainer or learners), teaching materials and even room hire.

Even if LMS platforms aren't free, they considerably reduce expenses, since all actions can be carried out online, from a computer or even a cell phone.

They therefore promise an excellent return on investment.

Gathering feedback

Compared with other training media, Learning Management Systems are particularly well suited to gathering feedback from learners. They also integrate data analysis functions.

As a result, they offer companies the advantage of being able to reliably check whether the training courses they have developed are bearing fruit, both in terms of user commitment and knowledge acquisition.

High degree of personalization

Last but not least, most Learning Management Systems offer a high degree of personalization and flexibility, so that learning can be adapted not only to the company's needs, but also to the employee's skill level.

And if content needs to evolve (new regulations, for example), updates within the tool are easy to make and immediately visible to users.

For employees

Greater flexibility

According to #VyondTheSurface, 51% of employees prefer guided online self-training to instructor-led training.

It has to be said that this learning method promises all the flexibility sought by today's employees.

And with LMS platforms, resources can be accessed anywhere, anytime, even if teams work remotely and/or on a flexible schedule.

More collaboration

Alongside flexibility, collaboration is another factor in well-being at work.

Today's employees are looking for more horizontality, as opposed to the vertical models that are still all too common. This more participative type of management means more freedom of speech and active contribution to the life of the company.

The good news is that a Learning Management System often includes collaborative spaces, such as discussion forums and chat rooms, where teams can exchange knowledge and practices. Perfect for stimulating the collective intelligence mentioned above!

Learning... while having fun!

Last but not least, with LMSs, employees benefit from training courses that are more impactful, and even more fun, than a good old PDF to skim through, or a face-to-face training session that drags on forever. And that's bound to stimulate learning.

What's more, some of these programs incorporate gamification principles, by introducing game mechanisms and other reward systems designed to motivate users.

And the limits of Learning Management Systems?

In view of the above-mentioned advantages, the LMS platform seems more than suited to the needs of companies. However, as with any system, there are limits.

Starting with those specific to e-learning. Indeed, while e-learning may be all the rage, let's not forget that it is not suitable for :

• all subjects, especially those that are really complex or require practical application (manual skills, for example);
• to all profiles, since organizations still have to deal with a large number of employees who are not technophiles. Not to mention the fact that some individuals find it difficult to work independently.

☝️ It's important to thoroughly assess your own situation before deciding whether e-learning is right for you.

On the other hand, some experts see limits to Learning Management Systems themselves, or at least to some of them. In their view, the absence of certain functionalities forces professionals to compare the different solutions carefully before making their choice.

• Are they ergonomic enough to engage employees and maintain their level of interest?
• Do they leave enough room for the much sought-after collaboration?
• And above all, do they include all the necessary functionalities? This is a central question, hence our next part 👉.

What are the functionalities of an LMS platform?

Basic features of LMS software

The acronym LMS, which, let's not forget, stands for Learning Management System, clearly shows the two essential components around which these solutions are built:

• learning,
• learner management.

The primary functionalities of these tools are as follows:

• Centralization and organization of training content, making it easily accessible to users and adapted to specific needs.
  
  
• Setting up learning paths that guide students towards their objectives, using a logical, sequential itinerary.
  
  
• Learner management and follow-up. More specifically, this involves integrating them into the platform and assigning them access to the necessary resources, according to their profile. But it also involves tracking learners to find out who has done what, who has succeeded, what the sticking points are, and so on.
  
  
• Progress evaluation systems, such as quizzes, open-ended questions, online interviews, etc., are also used. The aim? To know whether the employee has acquired the expected skills, and to provide the feedback needed for improvement.

Other features of Learning Management Systems

As with all software, functional coverage is expanding, and every company can find something to suit its needs.

As a result, LMSs can sometimes take charge of :

• The development of courses themselves, i.e. the editing of content, from texts to assessment devices.
  
  
• Mobile use. Here's a feature to consider, at a time when more and more people are using their cell phones as a priority when surfing the Internet.
  
  
• Gamification and rewards, which have proven their worth in terms of learner engagement. These can take the form, for example, of a competitive system to challenge learners, or simple puzzle-solving.
  
  
• Social learning, an approach that promotes horizontal knowledge sharing. Basically, each user teaches as well as learns.
  
  
• Analytics and reporting, designed to test the effectiveness of the training courses deployed. Thanks to these tools, you can track various KPIs (assessment success rates, user satisfaction, etc.), then determine whether adjustments are necessary.
  
  
• Certification and compliance, essential for ensuring that employees comply with internal or external regulations.

💡 Good to know: as you can see, all LMS platforms have their own unique features. Some even benefit from a high level of parameterization, to build the tool best suited to your business.

How do you choose your LMS platform?

Compare these 5 software products at a glance

Rates as of March 2025.

Selection criteria to evaluate

To choose the right LMS platform for your organization, start by identifying which of the above-mentioned functionalities are absolutely necessary.

☝️ But that's not all! There are other criteria to consider too:

• Hosting mode. In general, companies opt :
  • either a SaaS model 👉 here, data is hosted in the Cloud. This cost-effective solution saves on the costs of software installation, IT infrastructure and technical updates;
  • an on-premise model 👉 it leaves more autonomy to the organization, but proves more costly.
    
    
• Ergonomics, very important for rapid learning and perfect adoption of the platform by learners.
  
  
• Management of different types of content, beyond simple text format. This includes audio, and especially video, since it has been shown that learners retain 10% of what they read, compared with 50% of what they see and hear.
  
  
• Flexibility. Your Learning Management System needs to adapt not only to your existing IS, but also to your internal processes. Ideally, it should be scalable, i.e. it should support an increasing number of users and content, if your company is to grow.
  
  
• Costs. A good LMS promises the best possible return on investment. That's why it's important to carefully assess all the costs associated with deploying the solution.
  🤑 Looking for a free LMS platform? Beware of the all-too-common belief that open source = free. In fact, even if you don't pay a license or subscription fee, beware of the costs associated with hosting and customizing the tool!
  
  
• Integration with your other software. For example, by connecting with your CRM, you can see the correlation between your company's results and the training provided. Learning Management Systems also interface with HR tools, to streamline all operations linked to GPEC, onboarding, etc.
  
  
• Customer service quality. Very important! Because despite the quality of the LMS you've selected, you'll still need to contact it at some point. It's best to be available and responsive!

See all software Learning Management System (LMS)

The LMS platform in brief

With LMS platforms, you can take your training activities to the next level 🚀.

Gone are the days when employees ingested a ton of content presented on very unsexy media (hello printed PDF 👋). Learning Management Systems have grasped the whole point of digital learning to put some glitter ✨in employees' lives, by means of much more user-friendly and attractive courses.

Some of these software packages even leave more room for learners and mitigate vertical models, by developing collaborative learning features.

All that's left is to find the LMS that's right for you, by examining numerous criteria such as its functionality, of course, but also its intuitiveness, flexibility, scalability... and of course its ROI!

And since progress never stops, why not take a look at artificial intelligence, and find a Learning Management System that understands the benefits of this technology in developing more relevant and personalized learning paths? We're told that AI is clearly going to change the way we think about training...