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Choosing the right Learning Management System (LMS) is one of the most important decisions an online training business can make.
Get it wrong, and you may spend months wrestling with integrations, frustrating learners, and discovering limitations only after you’ve committed. Get it right, and you create a learning environment that supports growth, credibility, and long-term success.
Whether you’re a solo course creator or a training organisation serving thousands of learners, asking the right questions early is what separates confident LMS decisions from costly mistakes. The questions below are based on real-world LMS evaluations across commercial, open-source, and bespoke platforms — and they are the ones that matter most.
This is the most important question of all. Understanding who your learners are — and how they will access your training — shapes every other decision.
Are you serving:
If B2B sales are part of your model, your LMS must support group enrolments, cohort management, and organisational dashboards.
Platforms like LearnWorlds make this relatively straightforward through white-labelled sub-schools. WordPress-based solutions like LearnDash can support group enrolments too, but typically rely on additional plugins.
Most commercial LMS platforms integrate with payment providers such as Stripe or PayPal. However, there’s an important distinction between integration and ownership of the sales process.
Some hosted platforms — such as Kajabi and LearnWorlds — include built-in ecommerce, subscriptions, and sales funnel functionality. Others work best when connected to an external website, CRM, or ecommerce system.
The key question is whether:
Many training businesses choose the latter for flexibility, but this requires careful consideration of integrations and data flow.
An LMS rarely serves learners alone. You may also need roles for:
Enterprise-ready platforms such as Moodle and LearnWorlds provide strong role-based access control out of the box. Platforms like LearnDash can support advanced role structures, but usually through additional plugins.
Thinking through these roles early avoids painful restructuring later.
For many training businesses, revenue doesn’t come solely from one-off course sales. You may want to:
Platforms such as LearnWorlds and Kajabi include strong native support for subscriptions and course bundles. LearnDash can support similar models through tools like WooCommerce or MemberPress, while Moodle can be configured to do so — though typically with more setup effort.
While terminology varies, all LMS platforms organise learning content hierarchically.
A clear, logical structure helps learners:
Over-complicated structures may look powerful but often create confusion. Simplicity and consistency are usually more effective — both for learners and administrators.
Most LMS platforms support:
However, things become more complex if you are using professional authoring tools such as Articulate Storyline, Rise, or Adobe Captivate.
At this point, you need to understand whether the LMS offers true SCORM or xAPI support, or whether it simply embeds content as a web object.
This distinction is critical.
For compliance-driven or analytics-heavy training, this difference can determine whether your LMS is fit for purpose.
Moodle offers strong SCORM support out of the box. LearnWorlds and Kajabi support SCORM uploads, but reporting depth can vary. LearnDash supports SCORM and xAPI when paired with plugins such as Tin Canny.
Your learners should feel they are inside your learning environment — not a generic platform.
Key branding considerations include:
Hosted SaaS platforms like LearnWorlds and Kajabi offer white-labelling, though full removal of platform branding may require higher-tier plans.
If you’re already running a WordPress site, a plugin-based LMS can offer immediate brand continuity, as learning takes place within your existing website. Solutions such as LearnDash and Tutor LMS are popular choices in this space, allowing course creators and training businesses to maintain full control over branding and user experience.
This approach can be particularly attractive for smaller teams or solo creators who want flexibility and ownership — though it’s important to weigh these benefits against considerations such as scalability, hosting, and ongoing maintenance.
Hosted SaaS platforms minimise technical overhead and are often the safest option if you don’t have in-house technical expertise.
Self-hosted solutions offer greater control and flexibility — but also come with responsibility for:
Some platforms, including Moodle and LearnDash, offer both hosted and self-hosted options via services such as MoodleCloud or LearnDash Cloud.
Basic completion tracking may be sufficient for some use cases. Others require:
LearnWorlds and Moodle provide strong reporting out of the box. LearnDash can deliver similar insights, but typically through additional reporting tools such as ProPanel or Tin Canny.
Remember: reporting quality is only as good as the data captured — which links directly back to content format and SCORM/xAPI support.
For vocational, professional, or compliance-based training, quizzes alone are rarely enough.
You may need support for:
Open-source Moodle has a strong academic heritage in this area. Commercial platforms such as LearnWorlds and LearnDash also support evidence-based assessment workflows, though configurations and plugins may be required.
The “best” LMS isn’t the one with the longest feature list — it’s the one that fits:
Three areas consistently cause problems when they’re not considered early:
If scalability and white-labelling are priorities, LearnWorlds is often a strong choice.If you want flexibility and control within WordPress, LearnDash Cloud can work well at smaller scale.If your model is heavily sales- and marketing-driven, an all-in-one platform like Kajabi may be a better fit.
The key is to ask the right questions before you invest — and not to take vendor claims at face value.
Still unsure which option is best for your requirements? Need help choosing the right LMS? If you are comparing patforms and want independent advice, you may find our LMS Consultancy Services helpful:
We’re happy to help you evaluate your setup and find the LMS for your specific needs and budget – asking our advice is free! Only getting us to do it for you is chargeable.
Thinkific LearnWorlds LearnDash Kajabi Tutor LMS
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