Product-led Growth

What's the best LMS for you?

Published January 9th, 2020

Planning to invest in a learning management system (LMS) for the first time? Or want to upgrade to something more powerful to help take your LMS to the next level?

You’ve likely already established your LMS business case, so the next step before you invest in anything specific, is to know your LMS options. That means comparing some of the top LMS platforms available on the market and knowing what features and integrations you should be looking for and marking as ‘essential’.

Ben Long

Author at Tiny

LMS selection process

Take your time when comparing LMS platforms – it’s not a decision to rush. And definitely don’t just sign up for the first tool you come across.

Implementing an LMS can be time-consuming and costly to set up, not to mention the time and funds you’ll be investing in onboarding your users. That’s why it’s important to make the right choice and invest in a platform that’ll work for your organization for at least 3-5 years (and hopefully beyond).

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Steps to choosing a Learning Management System

There are hundreds of products on the market with different use cases and features to choose from. So, how do you know which one’s right for you? By comparing your LMS options, in 3 steps: research, plan, and test.

Step 1: Research

Make sure you understand the needs of your users (teachers and students).

It’s also a good idea to talk to people who know a lot about LMSs – whether they’ve compared LMS platforms for their own organization, implemented them, or experienced them as teachers or students. And, of course, do your own research on LMSs – read reviews, compare LMS feature lists, and start narrowing down your options.

Step 2: Plan

Plan the kind of learning experiences you want to create.

List all the ways you currently do onboarding, training, assessments, and other relevant tasks, tools, and integrations. Start to think about how you want to structure the information and navigation – with everything all in one place.

Step 3: Test

Most LMS platforms offer demos – whether that’s live, recorded, or via a free trial. Test out as many platforms from your shortlist as possible, to see what features and software are a good fit for your organization. Also, test the support by emailing, calling, and/or sending a chat request.

LMS features and integrations that are of most importance

So let’s kick off that research phase. Here are some features and integrations to look for when comparing learning management systems:

Content management

Look for platforms that include rich text editing (like the TinyMCE rich text editor) and multiple media formats

Testing and assessment

Built-in assessments can help you evaluate learning outcomes and ensure each student gets the help they need

Certification

Give your students something to show for their hard work

Gamification

Motivate your students to complete modules and absorb more information

Custom branding

Tailor the look and feel of your LMS to your organization’s brand colors, fonts, and logo

Reporting and progress
tracking

Access analytics to determine how subjects, classrooms, teachers, and individuals are performing

Collaboration and
interaction

Use message boards, forums, and comments to help your students stay engaged and learn more together

Learning paths

Customize the learning experience for students based on what they do or don’t know, or what they’re interested in

Dashboard

Give students and educators a home base for key information about their courses, discussions, and/or performance

Flexible platform

Online, offline, cloud, self-hosted, mobile, desktop, app, browser… or a little bit of everything

Data import and export

Make it easier to back up data and move it from one LMS or platform to another

Support

Get help with implementing your LMS, answering questions, troubleshooting, and onboarding your users

Security

Ensure your data is backed up, safe, and encrypted so you can stay compliant

Not all LMS software will automatically come with the above features. Not to mention, every organization and school will have different requirements, so it’s important to know what’s most essential for how you want to use your LMS.

Top 7 LMS platforms (we love)

Now you know some of the most popular LMS features and have an idea of what you’ll need, it’s time to investigate the LMS platforms that support them.

Here’s some of the best LMS platforms on the market, so you can start comparing LMSs and narrowing down your options – we’ve listed their key features and use cases.

We may be a little biased since all these platforms come with the TinyMCE WYSIWYG editor built-in. But they’re a great mix of BIG and niche LMS platforms, with many features worth checking as part of your wider research.

Blackboard

Blackboard is a leading global educational technology solution for Higher Ed, K-12, business, and government. The software features course management, customizable open architecture, and scalable design that allows integration with student information systems and authentication protocols.

Who uses Blackboard

K-12

Higher education

Governments

Corporates

Best LMS features, integrations, and options

Open source LMS
Learner registration and management
Mobile app
Course content
Course delivery
Learning modules
Virtual classroom
Announcements
Chat
Discussions
Media library
Rich content editor
Calendar
Analytics and reporting
Accessibility features
Marketing and enrollment services
Student services

IT help desk
Branded websites
Branded mobile apps
Mass notifications
Teacher-parent communication
Compliance and certification training
Assessment and accreditation
Assignments
Gradebook
Surveys and evaluations
Predict at-risk students and do early intervention
Originality reports and evaluations
Mobile-friendly design
Intuitive user interface
Flexible learning options
Flexible pricing model
Flexible hosting - cloud, self-hosting, or managed hosting options

Canvas by Instructure

Instructure's educational software includes Canvas LMS, which is used by schools and universities worldwide. Canvas easily connects instructors and students, and is used to monitor grades, manage active enrollments and assignment submissions, share course documents, facilitate message correspondence between students and instructors and contain course and institutional syllabus information for all to access.

Who uses Canvas by Instructure

K-12

Higher education

Best LMS features, integrations, and options

Open API
Student profiles
Dashboard
Activity stream
Course creation
Calendar
Pages
Modules
Badges
Groups
Inbox
Announcements
Discussions
Real-time chat
Conferencing
Assignments
Quizzes
Course updates via email, text, Twitter, or LinkedIn
Learning outcomes connected to goals
Rich content editor
Content creation options for students
Integrated audio and video recorder
RSS support
File upload and download

Polls
Grades
Speedgrader
Pages
Modules
Syllabus
Files
Group work
Analytics
Graphical insights
Quiz stats
Real-time performance tracking
ePortfolios
Customizable course navigation links
Browser and mobile app learning
Intuitive interface
Collaborative workspaces
Embed multimedia at every learning contact point
Send audio and video messages
Preview course elements in student view
Roles and permissions
Parent co-enrollment
Multiple language support

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Moodle

Who uses Moodle

K-12

Higher education

Corporates

Best LMS features, integrations, and options

Open source
Modern interface
Desktop and mobile friendly
Customizable themes
Custom design options
Mass enrolment
Bulk course creation
Calendar for deadlines, meetings, and other events
File management integration with OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive
Collaborative content creation and publishing
Embed external materials and assignments
Rich content editor
Media and images
Notifications and automatic alerts for new assignments, deadlines, and forum posts
Private messaging
Groups
Marking workflow management
In-line marking within browser
Peer assessment
Self-assessment
Badges
Outcomes, competencies, and rubrics

Gamified quizzes and level up checkpoints
Personalized dashboard
Task list with due dates
Forums
Wikis
Glossaries
Database activities
Word counter
Checklists
Attendance tracking
Progress tracker for educators and students
Secure authentication options
Easy backup and restore
Set roles and permissions
Integrate with external applications and content
Create your own plugin for custom integrations
Easily install and disable plugins
Regular security updates and patches
Detailed reporting on activity and participation
Flexible learning paths - instructor-led, self-paced, blended, or online
Flexible hosting - self-hosted or cloud-hosted
Language selection

Blackbaud LMS

Blackbaud Learning Management System gives teachers the tools to efficiently manage classroom communication. It delivers all the functionality needed – from assignments and graded discussions to rubrics and competency-based education – to power academic programs in the classroom and online.

Who uses Blackbaud LMS

K-12

Higher education

Nonprofits

Corporates

Foundations

Best LMS features, integrations, and options

Sports team practice/game schedules and notifications
Roster member updates/reminders
Location and transport management for teams
Groups (including smart groups)
Rich content editor
Community pages
Activity pages
Advisory pages
Internal organization news, events, and announcements
Forums
Discussions
Course requests
Teacher comments
Enrollment management integrations
Customizable inquiry and application process
Syncing with fundraising management software
Finance and billing integrations
Cloud-hosted
Marketing integrations
Course topic pages

Bulletin boards
Assignment center
Mobile uploads
Rubrics
Google Drive integration
Turnitin integration
Filterable calendars
Internal messaging
Resource board portals
User-friendly course search
Faculty profiles
Tuition management
Customizable payment plans
Role-based dashboards
In-depth tuition reports
Course schedule
Attendance history
Directories
Integrated CRM for alumni fundraising
Allocate, track, and report on funds

McGraw-Hill Connect

McGraw-Hill's "Connect" is an award-winning digital teaching and learning solution that empowers students to achieve better outcomes and enables instructors to improve efficiency with course management.

Who uses McGraw-Hill Connect

K-12

Best LMS features, integrations, and options

Custom course content
Rich content editor
Course sharing
Adaptive learning technology
Additional resource links
Question prompts based on study materials
Identifies what topics students need to practice
Recharge tool to increase retention
Calendar
Customized feed
To-do list
Question bank
Schedule and due date management
Policy management
Read Anywhere eBook app

Test builder
Automatic assignment and quiz grading
Outcome assessment
Insights and reports
At-risk student report
Student progress tracker
Student self-monitoring
Lecture capture
Capture synchronized audio, video, and computer screen activity
Free, computer-generated closed captioning
Seamless integration and single sign-on for multiple LMS platforms (Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle, and more)
Accessibility features

Kiddom

Kiddom is an online assignment, grading, and communication tool for teachers. Teachers assign students work from third party curriculum programs and monitor their performance, while students complete the assignments in a flipped-classroom style. It is free.

Who uses Kiddom

K-12

Best LMS features, integrations, and options

Import, build, and manage your curriculum in one place
Set scope and sequence for teachers
Share curriculum with teachers
Allow teachers to create content and personalize lessons for their class
See real-time student performance
Choose from 70,000 standards-aligned resources in the library
Build lessons

Create assessments
Rich content editor
Find students, assign to them, and provide grades
See class/skill mastery levels
Personalize learning with individual learning paths
Provide family access to performance data
See classroom trends and what’s driving outcomes
Mobile device access

Brightspace

Who uses Brightspace

K-12

Higher education

Corporates

Best LMS features, integrations, and options

Interactive training courses
Assignment evaluation
Intuitive interface
Mobile, tablet, and desktop friendly
Personalized learning and flexible training options
Built-in analytics and performance reports for departments, courses, and individuals
Virtual classrooms
Video assignments
Course merchant and registration storefront
Professional learning dashboard to support continuous training

App catalog for adding optional extensions and content
Online, onsite, and blended course delivery options
Self-enrolment
Multimedia presentations
Searchable video content
Content ratings
Comments
Rich content editor
Live or on-demand video
Web conferencing with whiteboards and slide sharing
Video recording and embedding

What LMS platforms are on your shortlist?

Which of the above platforms is right for you? Well, it depends on how you plan to use your LMS and how powerful it needs to be for your purposes.

There are many other top LMS platforms on the market that you should also research and explore. We’re just partial to this list because we know they have a great built-in WYSIWYG HTML editor (that’s TinyMCE!).

MORE RESEARCH

If you’d like to do a bit more research before you choose your LMS, read some of our other posts on the subject:

How a great WYSIWYG editor can take your LMS to the next level →

Establishing your LMS business case: Online learning benefits & more →

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