Hand picked by our HR Technology experts after product testing, user research, and much debate - enjoy!
Making an effort to keep your team at the forefront of their game through in-house training programs doesn’t have to be super expensive. Among many other things, 2020 has shown that having a proper learning management system among your software stack is of extreme importance, even if you’re not exactly running a higher education institution.
If you’re looking for good LMS vendors that won’t break your organization’s bank account or that will at least have a free and unlimited version that you can try before choosing to pay for something, we’ve done a lot of the initial work for you. Through hours of research and interviews with HR professionals in small and medium-sized companies, we’ve narrowed down the best options in the market when it comes to a free LMS. These are some cost-friendly alternatives to software like Docebo, SAP Litmos, Absorb LMS, and Canvas. You can also checkout our article on the best learning management systems.
We take research seriously. To make sure we’re offering our readers the very best solutions in a given software category, we are methodical, rigorous, and expansive in our research. We consult with HR professionals, vendors, and industry experts. We cut through the noise to bring you a carefully curated list of vendors, along with other essential information, to help you find the right software platform for your business.
Here’s how we chose who makes the cut:
Product: We believe in gaining a comprehensive understanding of a product before we recommend it, so we start by getting to know the software. Whenever possible, we meet with a senior executive (CEO or Head of Product) for a demo and Q&A. We also test the product ourselves to make sure it has a solid UI, intuitive workflows, and the features to make it a best-in-class offering.
User feedback: We go straight to the source and compile feedback on user experience. Real-world input supports our commitment to diligence in our software evaluation methods and the products we recommend. Keeping up with the everyday experience of HR pros also puts new vendors on our radar, and it keeps us close to our community so we can better connect the right products to the right people.
Financial metrics: We are certified finance nerds, so we use all the data we can get our hands on to make selections for our guides. We comb through data for concrete statistics like retention rates, growth, profitability, and scalability. We evaluate the bottom line of each product because we know making a software purchase can put your reputation on the line.
Best for a use case: Software is never a one-size-fits-all product. Sometimes the best solution is free or cheap. Other times it’s the one that is best for global companies or the one that’s sized right for early-stage startups. Keeping this in mind, we include solutions across the spectrum so our readers can find the best fit for their unique needs.
Here's more detail if you want to read more about how we research vendors. Our dedicated staff writers rely on hard data, impartial experts, and user feedback to ensure our reviews are helpful, truthful, and hopefully a pleasure to read!
We track thousands of HR Tech solutions. Here are the best free learning management systems as of 2023.
Why we love it
:
Eloomi’s learning management system (LMS) helps you create, deliver and track online courses. The platform is visually engaging and a new employee can start with the platform right away to consume their pre-onboarding content. They can access content by different categories, and topics, or turn on filters for specific skills. You can start with a free demo from Eloomi’s official site.
eloomi
Review:
Eloomi’s Learning Management System allows you to create and manage online courses and assessments for your employees. It comes with automated workflows and learning paths, compliance training, ready-made content and pre-built templates, and the ability to measure and track employees’ development. You can also make the learning experience more interactive by adding elements like quizzes, images, videos, and more.
eloomi
Customers:
Eloomi’s customer list includes BONUS Vorsorgekasse AG, Breakout Games, Carne Group, ElectricBrands, Nufarm, Domino’s, and more.
Eloomi’s customer list includes BONUS Vorsorgekasse AG, Breakout Games, Carne Group, ElectricBrands, Nufarm, Domino’s, and more.
eloomi
Pricing:
Eloomi offers custom pricing, so the best way to find out how much it costs is to request a demo.
Eloomi offers custom pricing, so the best way to find out how much it costs is to request a demo.
Best For
Eloomi is for HR leaders and managers of mid-sized and large businesses to make onboarding easier for employees, engage them through frequent feedback, and track the progress of their personal development.
Why we love it
:
This LMS offers customization at levels we have yet to see in other platforms. Its AI translation and content creation services are uncommon features you would hardly find in other learning and coaching systems.
SafetyCulture (EdApp)
Review:
EdApp is a learning management system designed for deskless workers. It provides useful features that help create bite-sized interactive lessons that can be accessed by anyone on any device, for free.
Speaking of free, they also provide free content creation services that involve turning old powerpoint slides, pdfs, and other learning materials into engaging and interactive content — all within the space of 48 hours.
SafetyCulture (EdApp)
Customers:
Audi, Deloitte, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
Audi, Deloitte, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
SafetyCulture (EdApp)
Pricing:
As far as content creation for educational purposes is concerned, EdApp is completely free. But you can get additional features across two paid subscriptions. Here is a breakdown of their price plans:
Note that EdApp offers a 30-day free trial period for all paid plans.
As far as content creation for educational purposes is concerned, EdApp is completely free. But you can get additional features across two paid subscriptions. Here is a breakdown of their price plans:
Note that EdApp offers a 30-day free trial period for all paid plans.
Best For
SafetyCulture’s EdApp works best for small-medium sized blue-collar companies as it is a mobile-first platform. Larger global companies can also benefit from its numerous features, such as multilingual content deployment.
Why we love it
:
TalentLMS is one of the most well-known, affordable, and versatile Learning Management Systems ever.
TalentLMS
Review:
This highly-popular LMS is designed for organizations that want online learning for their employees, partners, and even customers. They strive to get rid of the complexity that comes with creating and distributing learning programs and help you launch courses in record time. Their claim is that people are able to share courses two times as fast as with similar software because of how easy they make it for you to reuse content from other sources.
TalentLMS
Customers:
HarperCollins Publishers, Rosetta Stone, and DeLonghi.
HarperCollins Publishers, Rosetta Stone, and DeLonghi.
TalentLMS
Pricing:
TalentLMS is free for up to 5 users as long as you don’t create more than 10 courses. Afterwards, the pricing is as follows: