The Best Learning Management Systems for Self-Learning
In 1924, Professor Sidney Pressey invented the first electronic teaching device with the goal of helping teachers create inspirational and thought-provoking activities for learners. Today, the learning and development landscape has expanded significantly, with 73.8 million learning management system (LMS) users worldwide. The LMS market is expected to grow from approximately US$22 billion in 2023 to around US$52 billion in 2032. This article showcases some of the best learning management systems to help you find a reliable platform that can guarantee engagement, offer an exceptional learning experience, and prove a return on investment.
What is a Learning Management System?
A learning management system (LMS) is a software or cloud-based SaaS solution used to plan, implement, and manage an organization's learning processes. LMSs are critical for implementing your learning strategy, whether the focus is on increasing learner engagement, boosting employee retention, or developing skills. An LMS is the most effective method for managing online learning programs, enabling L&D professionals to create impactful training courses more efficiently and in a way that is easier for learners to access. By choosing the right learning platform, you and your team can see the benefits of an LMS reflected in your learning cycle, such as a consolidated approach to training, proven tangible Return on Investment (ROI), or a streamlined and impactful onboarding process.
Why Use an LMS Platform?
Implementing an LMS varies depending on the organization, industry, and country. Here are a few of the most common use cases for an LMS:
- Employee Onboarding: An LMS automates the onboarding process in role-specific formats with active engagement through blended and self-guided learning.
- Compliance Training: You can automate compliance training, create custom training programs, engage internal experts to co-create course content, and drive completion rates.
- Sales Enablement: Empower your sales team by accelerating the onboarding process, leveling up their performance, and upskilling them in their workflow.
- Customer Training: An LMS can assist you in producing customer training in large quantities, avoiding repeating tutorials or one-on-one training, and helping customers get the most out of their investments in your products or services.
Top LMS Platforms for Self-Learning
Here are some of the best LMS platforms, including SaaS cloud-based solutions and open-source platforms, suitable for both corporate training and higher education:
1. 360Learning
360Learning is an all-in-one learning solution that combines the features of an LXP, LMS, and Academies with collaborative learning. As an AI platform designed for L&D, it is an ideal choice for both small and medium companies and enterprise organizations seeking to amplify their impact with practical, end-to-end solutions.
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Suitable for organizations seeking a hybrid platform for both external (customer and partner enablement) and internal employee training, 360Learning is a choice for L&D teams looking to scale upskilling, automate manual tasks, and deliver personalized learning at scale. The platform automates compliance, onboarding, sales enablement, customer and frontline training and is designed to turn your in-house experts into L&D collaborators.
360Learning is known for its user-friendliness, comprehensive data and analytics, built-in certification engine, and ease of use. It uses AI and collaborative features to help L&D teams and subject-matter experts (SMEs) overcome content creation bottlenecks. This enables you to quickly and continuously upskill your workforce-all from within your organization.
In addition to a built-in collaborative authoring tool, 360Learning’s AI-powered authoring features enable your internal experts to create engaging courses fast, with no instructional design experience required. The platform also offers an AI Companion at every user’s fingertips, which acts as a personalized, intelligent partner to boost productivity and drive skill development. This end-to-end platform helps you streamline workflows and automate administrative tasks, freeing L&D to focus on strategic work.
Key Features:
- Collaborative Course Creation: Enables multiple authors or subject-matter experts to work together on courses.
- In-Course Feedback and Reactions: Learners can comment, rate, or react to content, providing real-time insights.
- Automated Compliance & Mandatory Training Workflows: Automate enrollments, reminders, and expiration tracking.
- Skills & Learning Path Tagging: Skills can be mapped, up-skilling paths identified, and linked to content.
- Strong Integrations and Platform Flexibility: Supports APIs, allows customizing layout, and integrates with tech stack.
What Reviewers Say:
- “Being able to segment learning for different audiences creates a more tailored experience has been a game changer, as well as the features allowing us to create varied types of content.”
- “The AI capability is great, and I'm looking forward to seeing this grow over time!”
- “I recommend 360Learning 200% to any company looking for a reliable and innovative partner to accelerate the digitalization and training of its teams!”
2. Skilljar
Skilljar is a user-friendly learning management system for training external customers and partners. This LMS solution is an excellent option for managing and providing customer, partner, and compliance training. Skilljar provides a visually appealing and customizable interface for learners, promoting the consumption of learning materials. It has a built-in certification engine, comprehensive data and analytics, and many authoring capabilities.
Key Features:
- External/Customer-Education Focus: Built specifically for training customers, partners, and external audiences.
- Multimedia Content Support: Supports videos, quizzes, live sessions, and self-paced learning.
- Branding & White-Labelling: Custom themes and separate portals for specific audiences.
- License & User-Group Management for External Audiences: Manage access, assign licenses, track usage.
- Analytics & Integration with Business Systems: Connect training outcomes to CRM/CS tools, measure business impact.
What Reviewers Say:
- “It’s great for tracking customer progress and engagement, which helps us improve our training materials. I also like how well it connects with other Gainsight tools, making it easier to manage customer success efforts in one place.”
- “The courses are clear and easy to follow, with good customer support and simple integration with other tools.”
3. Blackboard Learn
Blackboard by Anthology is an LMS software that offers a platform for managing, delivering, and evaluating online courses. Created to aid teaching and learning within academic institutions, Blackboard has seamless integration with Student Information Systems and access through mobile devices.
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The platform’s features empower communication and collaboration between teachers and students, enable online and blended learning, provide a centralized location for course materials and assignments, and support a range of assessment and grading options to track learner progress.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive Course/Module Authoring and Management: Create/upload content, assessments, SCORM/AICC support.
- Communication & Collaboration Tools: Discussion boards, announcements, messaging between learners/instructors.
- Rich Analytics, Tracking, and Grade-Book Features: Track attendance, assessments, learner performance.
- Flexible Deployment & Hosting Options: On-premises, cloud, managed hosting.
- Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Responsive interface across devices, built-in accessibility support.
What Reviewers Say:
- “The constant effort to make changes and improvements always surprises. In addition, events, seminars, and support materials always help to improve the experience of teachers and students.”
- "Blackboard supports a wide variety of assessments including quizzes, discussion boards, journals, and group work."
4. Litmos
Litmos is a cloud-based LMS platform that provides an easy-to-use professional learning and development platform. Best suited for corporate learning and training courses, Litmos offers extensive content libraries, workflow tool integrations, and support services. It is known for its ease of use, custom branding, and mobile learning compatibility.
This learning platform enables the development of employees' skills by providing a diverse range of learning materials that learners can access from any location, at any time, and using any device.
Key Features:
- AI-Driven Learning Features: Natural-language search, AI content authoring, video assessments.
- Strong Mobile, Offline, and Multilingual Support: Access training anytime, anywhere in many languages.
- External Training/E-Commerce Capabilities: Public storefronts, monetize training, extended enterprise.
- Gamification & Learner Engagement: Leaderboards, badges, interactive content.
- Integration and Scalability: 30+ pre-built connectors, open APIs, global scale.
What Reviewers Say:
- “We particularly value how easy it is to create, assign, and track learning content across our large and diverse network of both our franchisees and colleagues.”
- “We have been very pleased with Go1 for content within Litmos and we also love having Blinkist as an additional resource for our teams.”
5. Rippling LMS
Rippling LMS is a component of a comprehensive HR and IT system that aims to aid employee training and growth. The integration with other HR and IT functions, such as payroll, makes Rippling key for businesses looking to run everything in one place, such as small- to medium-sized enterprises. With the easy to use interface and mobile learning functionality, Rippling has features you can leverage for course management, compliance training automation, and it has hundreds of templates ready to go.
Key Features:
- Pre-Built, Ready-Made Compliance Catalog: Over 80,000 courses via Go1, including sexual harassment, cybersecurity, and more.
- Automation of Course Assignments: Assign based on employee attributes (role, department, tenure) integrated with HR data.
- Real-Time Reporting: Monitor completion, overdue training, progress metrics across teams.
- Mobile and Multi-Language Support: 15+ languages and mobile interface with flexible learner access.
- Deep Integration with the Rippling Platform: Seamless enrolment and data‐sync across HR systems.
What Reviewers Say:
- “I love that everything is in one place. Onboarding, ordering devices, off boarding, PTO, payroll, IT, offboarding, and so much more.”
- “Everything is labeled clearly and logically. You can find what you need in seconds without needing a manual.”
6. SkyPrep
SkyPrep LMS aims to impact and support the delivery, tracking, and enhancement of training content for employees, customers, and partners. Designed with non-technical users in mind, SkyPrep offers simplified navigation, customizable layouts, and easy access to training programs. With the Virtual Classroom functionality, SkyPrep empowers the course management side of learning and development to create, manage, and schedule online training.
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7. Moodle LMS
Moodle is an open-source LMS created to facilitate blended and online learning. As a solution for educational institutions, Moodle is a solution with LMS features for meeting the needs of learners from K-12 through to higher education. Moodle offers various features to track student progress and engagement, integrate multimedia content, and provide multiple assessment and grading options. The mobile app allows learners to study while on the move, and you can assign learning paths to individuals or groups.
Key Features:
- Open-Source and Highly Customizable: Allows organizations to tailor the platform via plugins, themes, and custom development.
- Mobile and Offline Access: Learners can access content via the Moodle App, submit work, and engage even when offline.
- Comprehensive Assessment and Grading Tools: Supports quizzes, assignments, feedback, gradebook tracking, completion rules and activity restrictions.
- SCORM and Standards Support: Integrates SCORM 1.2 (and via plugins SCORM 2004), AICC, IMS, and thousands of community plugins.
- Robust User, Group & Role Management: Supports cohorts, groups, role-based permissions, and allows tracking of learner progress, completion and activity logs.
Additional Online Resources for Self-Learning
Beyond dedicated LMS platforms, many online resources can aid in self-directed learning:
- Khan Academy: Offers a wealth of information, from basic courses to advanced topics.
- Academic Earth: Provides access to over 700 courses.
- Eduscapes: Offers education for all age groups on various subjects.
Apps for Self-Directed Learning
- Epic!: Offers more than 40,000 digital books for students 12 and under.
- LightSail: Provides access to more than 6,000 books for independent reading.
- Bookly: Tracks the number of pages read, reading time, and speed.
- DiaryZapp: An app where kids ages 4-10 can create a digital diary.
- News-O-Matic: A newspaper dedicated to kids, providing non-fiction reading about current events.
- Popplet: A mind-mapping tool for forming connections and taking notes about basic ideas.
- Duolingo: A popular app for learning a new language.
- Science Zone: Features hundreds of videos and photos with information covering a variety of scientific concepts.
- Royal Society of Chemistry's Interactive Periodic Table app: For students of all ages to familiarize themselves with the elements.
- StarWalk app: Uses augmented reality to highlight different constellations, planets, and satellites.
- Genome Cache app: For creating a Genome Walk using information about DNA and human chromosomes.
- iNaturalist: An artificial intelligence and crowd-sourcing identification app for plants and insects.
- Mimo: An app that teaches people how to code.
- Photomath: Helps students solve math problems by providing step-by-step solutions.
- WolframAlpha: Uses AI technology to answer questions related to calculations, people, the arts, history, and linguistics.
- StudyBlue: Boasts a crowdsourced study library with flashcards, notes, and study guides.
- Kahoot!: An app for creating interactive quizzes and challenges.
- Quizlet: An app that lets students create their own flashcards, quizzes, questions, and challenges.
- Pocket Prep: Provides practice questions for standardized tests.
- Daily Practice for the New SAT: Created by The College Board to help students prepare for the SAT.
- Varsity Tutors: Offers personalized tutoring and online courses.
- Coursera: Streams on-demand video lectures from top universities and companies.
- EdX: A self-directed learning site to help older students test courses in various degree fields.
- My Study Life: A digital planner that helps students record assignments, plan schedules, and prepare for events.
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