
As more businesses adopt a remote or hybrid work model, the need for innovative online learning platforms continues to grow. That’s why most companies now offer their employees some kind of digital learning.
However, creating an eLearning course or training program is a time-consuming task. According to a study, 53% of course creators spend three months or longer developing a course.
The fix? A good eLearning authoring tool. These platforms allow you to build interactive learning experiences quickly and easily with the help of pre-built course templates, drag-and-drop customization, AI capabilities and other features.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to 10 of the best eLearning authoring tools for creating professional and engaging courses and training materials.
*Disclaimer: The comparisons and competitor ratings presented in this article are based on features available as of March 29, 2024. We conduct thorough research and draw on both first-hand experience and reputable sources to provide reliable insights. However, as tools and technologies evolve, we recommend readers verify details and consider additional research to ensure the information meets their specific needs.
An eLearning authoring tool is software that lets you create online courses and training materials with ease. Most eLearning authoring tools let you combine multimedia like text, images, videos, animations and interactive elements to create engaging learning experiences.
The best authoring tools take the complexity out of eLearning development. With user-friendly interfaces, built-in templates, and drag-and-drop editors, trainers and creators can build professional-quality courses without getting bogged down by technicalities.
Plus, you get powerful features like quizzing, software simulations and learner tracking to make your training programs more impactful.
Most importantly, top authoring tools allow you to publish your courses in formats compatible with any Learning Management System (LMS), such as SCORM and xAPI. So once your course or module is ready, you can seamlessly integrate it into your existing eLearning ecosystem for distribution.
Visme is one of the best eLearning authoring tools out there. It’s incredibly easy to use and comes packed with features like ready-made templates, advanced customization and interactivity to help you create high-quality, engaging learning content in minutes.
Use our content authoring tool to build all kinds of training and development programs, courses and onboarding materials in minutes. Export them in SCORM or xAPI to add to your learning management system (LMS).
Let’s dive into some of Visme’s features that can help you create stand-out and effective eLearning content for your business or academic training:
Visme offers a free basic plan that you can use for as long as you like.
To access more features, download options and premium templates, you can upgrade to one of the following paid plans:
Adobe Captivate is a top rated interactive training software and authoring tool designed to create engaging eLearning experiences, including software demos, interactive simulations and scenario-based training. The tool offers a vast asset library that includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) components, ready-made slide templates, and a dedicated widget gallery.
Captivate’s interoperability with other Adobe software like Photoshop and Illustrator enables educators and designers to import high-quality graphics and elevate their eLearning materials.
Adobe Captivate offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.
Their paid plans are:
Storyline 360 is part of the Articulate 360 suite. It’s one of the best authoring tools out there for intuitive course creation with advanced customization.
The platform offers an extensive library of slide templates, characters and animations and customizable transitions, making it a great authoring tool for both new and seasoned creators.
Take advantage of Storyline 360’s collaboration features, multi-device preview and conditional trigger functionalities to create engaging quizzes and simulations for learners.
Articulate 360 offers a 30-day free trial. The paid plans are as follows:
iSpring Suite is an innovative eLearning authoring tool that lets you design courses in a familiar environment—PowerPoint. Convert your existing slide decks, Word docs and PDFs into professional, interactive eLearning or training content.
The downloadable software offers an AI assistant, interactivity features, dynamic role-plays, translation and localization support and a vast library of templates to set you up for training and course creation success.
iSpring Suite offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. After the trial, you can switch to one of the following paid plans:
Business
Freelancer
Academic
Gomo Learning is a cloud-based eLearning authoring platform that helps businesses design highly interactive and responsive online courses that look great across multiple devices.
The tool stands out for its drag-and-drop interface, multi-language and localized content support that enables global learning, and a suite of advanced features like collaboration, resource management and publishing options packed inside an easy-to-use course creator.
Gomo Learning offers a 21-day free trial and three paid plans for businesses:
Contact sales to discuss pricing for all three plans.
Elucidat stands as a powerful eLearning authoring platform known for its ability to create visually stunning, enterprise-level training content.
The tool offers a rich library of ready-made templates, localization and translation support, brand management, multiple export formats, scalable editing and more. All of this helps you design captivating learning experiences for learners distributed across the globe.
Elucidat also offers collaborative features and seamless integrations, which make it easier for multiple team members to work on course development together.
Elucidat comes with a 14-day free trial. You can upgrade to one of the following paid plans once the trial period is over.
Contact sales to request pricing for all plans.
isEazy Author is an award-winning eLearning authoring tool that simplifies creating interactive, multimedia-rich online courses. You can design presentation-style courses or leverage a vertical scroll format ideal for microlearning on smaller devices.
But what makes isEazy Author stand out is its AI-driven course creation. With a single click, you can generate video presentations, voiceovers, tests, quizzes and translations to encourage interactive learning material and save valuable time in the process.
isEazy Author offers a forever free plan with limited capabilities. Their paid plans are as follows:
Lectora is a versatile and powerful eLearning authoring tool that allows creators to design responsive and scalable online courses.
With its comprehensive suite of authoring tools, collaboration features, multi-device publishing, localization and accessibility support, you can craft immersive learning experiences for all kinds of audiences, regardless of where they are or what device they’re using.
Lectora offers a 30-day free trial to help you get started. You can upgrade to one of the following paid plans after the trial period:
LearnWorlds is an all-in-one platform offering a suite of eLearning tools, from robust authoring capabilities to a comprehensive course management system.
Its user-friendly SCORM authoring tool allows you to effortlessly create interactive courses that incorporate elements such as quizzes, videos and interactive PDFs.
LearnWorlds also offers powerful marketing and sales tools, enabling you to promote and monetize your courses effectively. With its built-in analytics and reporting features, you can gain valuable insights into learner engagement and course performance.
LearnWorlds offers a 30-day free trial and the following paid plans:
Easygenerator is an online eLearning authoring software designed for enterprises. It's goal is to help L&D teams easily create accessible, localized and interactive courses and training programs for employees spread across the globe.
The platform’s newest feature—EasyAI—helps you create high-quality courses faster. Generate ideas, brainstorm, create assessments, summarize, simplify and more. Additionally, the auto-translation feature powered by Amazon AWS enables you to localize your training materials across 75+ languages.
Easygenerator offers a 14-day free trial. You can upgrade to one of the following paid plans once the trial period is over.
There are dozens of popular authoring tools in the market. Some of the best ones include Visme, Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline 360, iSpring Suite, Gomo Learning, Elucidat, isEazy Author, Lectora, LearnWorlds and Easygenerator.
No, SCORM is not an authoring tool. SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model. It’s a set of technical standards that regulate how eLearning content is packaged and delivered to learning management systems (LMS). You can use a SCORM-compliant authoring tool to create courses and training materials that integrate with your LMS.
A Learning Management System (LMS) is a platform used to distribute and manage eLearning content. An authoring tool is used to create eLearning content, such as presentations, quizzes, assessments, videos, simulations and other course materials. Most authoring tools let you export your eLearning content and integrate it with an LMS for distribution and tracking.
Visme is a great example of an authoring tool that lets you create highly interactive and engaging courses and training materials. Use features like pre-built templates, drag-and-drop editing, AI-powered tools, collaboration, data visualization, brand management, and SCORM and xAPI export formats to build immersive learning experiences.
No, eLearning is not the same as LMS. eLearning refers to the delivery of education and training through electronic means, whereas a Learning Management System (LMS) is a platform through which eLearning content is distributed to learners.
Designing effective courses and training materials that actually engage and upskill your learners often boils down to using the right eLearning authoring tool.
This is where Visme comes in. Our AI-powered platform not only helps you create interactive eLearning materials but also enables you to publish, share and track their performance. You can also easily export your projects in SCORM and xAPI formats to add to your preferred LMS.
But Visme is more than just an eLearning authoring tool. It’s a visual content creation hub that lets you collaboratively build all kinds of infographics, documents, presentations, printables, social media visuals and more using an intuitive, drag-and-drop editor.
Better yet, it’s packed with features like templates, interactivity, custom animations, dynamic fields, analytics, branding tools, AI tools, data visualization tools and a built-in library of free graphic assets like icons, stock photos, videos and audio clips.
Try it for yourself by signing up for free. Or learn more about how Visme can help training and development teams author and distribute amazing eLearning content.
*Disclaimer: The comparisons and competitor ratings presented in this article are based on features available as of Mar 29, 2024. We conduct thorough research and draw on both first-hand experience and reputable sources to provide reliable insights. However, as tools and technologies evolve, we recommend readers verify details and consider additional research to ensure the information meets their specific needs.
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