10 Best Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems (LMS) in 2024

As a training manager and technology enthusiast, choosing the right cloud-based learning management system (LMS) can be a game-changer for both individuals and organizations.

In this article, I will introduce you to the 10 best cloud-based LMS, which can redefine how you train and how your learners learn.

What is a Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems (LMS)?

A cloud-based LMS is an online platform hosted in the cloud. It allows organizations to create, deliver, manage, and track training and educational content. Such platforms are accessible through the Internet, and they provide scalability, flexibility, and easy access to users from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Watch: What is a Cloud-Based Learning Management System?

Shortlist of Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems (LMS)

1. ProProfs Training Maker – Best for Corporate Training
2. TalentLMS – Best for Course Creation
3. Absorb LMS – Best for Artificial Intelligence
4. Docebo – Best for Automated Learning Experiences
5. LearnUpon – Best for SMEs
6. Litmos – Best for Social Learning
7. 360Learning – Best for Collaborative Learning
8. iSpring Learn – Best for Corporate Training
9. Lessonly by Seismic – Best for Upskilling
10. Moodle – Best for Personalized Training

Let’s now explore each of the tools in detail. 

List of Best Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems (LMS)

I compiled this collection of cloud-based LMS using a combination of my personal experience, extensive research, and suggestions from colleagues who have utilized these platforms. Additionally, I considered unbiased evaluations from external websites and feedback from clients when making my selections.

1. ProProfs Training Maker – Best for Corporate Training

ProProfs Training Maker stands as a reputed cloud-based learning management system that has garnered recognition in the industry. Designed for enterprise-level usage, this cloud-based system offers a user-friendly interface and has been adopted by millions of customers across the globe. 

When I deployed this tool, I was able to simplify, streamline, and optimize my corporate training efforts. I feel this is something that makes it a trusted solution in the realm of online learning. 

One of the notable features that I particularly like about ProProfs Training Maker is the ability to effortlessly create online courses. It comes with professionally designed courses and templates, which you can use as-is or customize based on your needs.

Similarly, the software supports 100+ settings and configurations to ensure that the courses align with the organization’s branding and requirements. 

What You Will Like:

• Professionally designed courses for a quick start
• Mobile-friendly LMS for learning on the go
• A clean & lean interface that ensures ease of navigation 
• White labeling capabilities to deliver training your way

What You May Not Like:

• While ProProfs offers a free plan, it’s only up to 1o learners
• You don’t get premium features with forever forever-free plan

Pricing:

Forever free plan available for up to 10 learners. Paid plan starts at $1.97/learner/month. No hidden charges. A 15-day free trial.

2. TalentLMS – Best for Course Creation

Another tool that I explored for online training was TalentLMS.

For me, this tool is definitely one of the best cloud-based LMS systems, as it allows companies to build a smarter organization by providing training solutions for their employees, customers, and partners. 

Learners can access the platform easily from any device, enabling them to engage in training anytime and anywhere. Unlike other LMS platforms that require extensive setup and configuration, TalentLMS is ready to go right out of the box.

Users can create new courses with just a few clicks, add participants, and launch their training programs quickly. This eliminates the need for lengthy setup times and allows organizations to start delivering training in a short period.

Personalization is another strength of TalentLMS. I was able to customize the training experience to align with my branding tone and style.

What You Will Like:

• High degree of customization to suit your learning needs 
• Mobile readiness for self-paced learning 
• GDPR compliant for better data privacy and security
• Certificate of completion to validate achievement 

What You May Not Like:

• Discussion forum could be improved 
• Navigation is complex, especially for beginners 
• Steep learning curve for the beginners 
• Limited assessment options like question formats 

Pricing:

Starts at $69/month (billed yearly)

3. Absorb LMS – Best for Artificial Intelligence 

Absorb LMS is an AI-powered learning management system designed to simplify and enhance the learning experience for organizations. It offers a robust platform for managing and delivering training programs, providing personalized learning paths, and analyzing data to optimize learning outcomes.

As the best cloud LMS, the platform provides a user-friendly interface, personalized branding, and mobile accessibility to create an engaging learning environment.

It offers features such as smart administration, learner engagement tools, e-commerce capabilities, reporting and analytics, observation checklists, content libraries, and mobile app support. The integration capabilities of Absorb LMS allow it to connect with other software and platforms, expanding its functionality.

Absorb LMS is trusted by major brands such as Sony, Johnson & Johnson, and Samsung, and it has received positive reviews from its customers.

What You Will Like:

• Simple and user-friendly interface for easy navigation
• Auto-assignment of curriculum for streamlining the process of assigning courses
• Enables self-paced learning to complete modules at a speed that suits individual needs 
• Ability to track learner’s progress in real-time 

What You May Not Like:

• Some workflows such as user enrollment could be streamlined
• Difficulty to manage blended learning 
• The amount of setup time and configuration is slightly complicated
• Inability to schedule recurring sessions

Pricing:

Starts at $800/active user/month

4. Docebo – Best for Automated Learning Experiences 

Docebo Learn LMS is an AI-powered learning management system designed for enterprise use cases. It offers a sleek design, powerful functionality, and the ability to scale to meet the needs of any team or use case. Docebo is best for automated learning as it offers intelligent course recommendations, personalized learning paths, automated assessments, and gamification elements to engage learners. 

With Docebo’s Learn LMS, users can leverage a robust configuration engine that allows for the creation of audience-specific pages using drag-and-drop functionality. This enables the quick setup and deployment of learning programs.  

The platform also offers extensive customization options, including free extensions like certifications, e-commerce, gamification, and more, allowing organizations to tailor their LMS to their precise requirements.

The platform also focuses on AI-based upskilling and reskilling, delivering personalized learning experiences that align employees’ development with business needs.

What You Will Like:

• The user interface is sleek and easy to navigate
• You can effortlessly gather content from various sources
• Learners can be automatically assigned to specific learning paths
• Customize the platform with your own branding elements

What You May Not Like:

• Reporting needs improvement affecting the depth of analytics provided
• Managing and organizing a large amount of content can be challenging
• Need to improve PowerPoint presentations (in terms of interactive features) 
• Need more integrations for seamless workflows 

Pricing:

Starts at $25000/ year

5. LearnUpon – Best for SMEs 

For me, LearnUpon stands a chance to be among the top 10 cloud-based learning management systems. And I’ll tell you why!

This is one of the most comprehensive cloud LMS solutions that empower businesses to deliver effective and impactful training experiences. With a focus on simplicity and results, LearnUpon offers a range of features and solutions to meet various training needs. Its affordable pricing plans and exceptional customer support make it a preferred LMS for SMEs seeking a budget-friendly solution.

This cloud-based learning system provides a wide range of features, including course creation, training delivery, user management, learner engagement, portals, reporting, integrations, and webinars. It offers solutions for employee training, customer training, partner training, member training, and extended enterprise training. This makes it suitable for SMEs with moderate learning needs.

What You Will Like:

• Course setup is easy for admins
• Easy to locate dashboard and classes
• Huge customization capabilities to accommodate your branding needs 
• Range of assessments for range of test creation 

What You May Not Like:

• Certificates are clunky, therefore, need some improvement
• Difficult to search for courses as an admin
• ILT scheduling needs improvement 
• The notification feature should be improved 

Pricing:

Starts at $599/month (billed annually)

6. Litmos – Best for Social Learning

As the leading cloud-based learning system, Litmos facilitates online learning and training programs for organizations. It is utilized by top-performing companies worldwide, with over 20 million learners across 150 countries benefiting from its features.

One of the key advantages of Litmos is its cloud-based and mobile-friendly nature, allowing learners to access training materials and courses anytime, anywhere, and from any device. 

I used Litmos to try out different formats of delivering training. What I particularly liked was that it supported various learning formats, including virtual, classroom, mobile, and social learning. With features like discussion forums, social feeds, and user-generated content, Litmos promotes a collaborative learning environment. Additionally, it supports blended learning approaches by enabling learners to interact with instructors and peers through virtual classrooms and live chat.

So, these features helped me create an engaging learning experience for my learners. The platform also facilitates collaboration and co-authoring of content, allowing trainers and instructional designers to create engaging and interactive courses.

What You Will Like:

• Large library of content to quickly start with course creation
• Excellent user interface for smooth navigation 
• Engaging learning paths to enable guided learning 
• Gamification elements for better engagement 

What You May Not Like:

• The eLearning authoring tool is not very advanced 
• The mobile app is not very user-friendly and does not support offline access
• The user management does not allow you to assign different roles or permissions 
• Lack of tagging option in learning paths

Pricing:

Starts at $3 per user/month

7. 360Learning – Best for Collaborative Learning 

I recently had the opportunity to use 360Learning, and it has truly revolutionized my learning management experience. This powerful tool offers a comprehensive range of features that make managing and delivering training a breeze. It takes care of all the tedious administrative tasks, such as user management and enrollment, allowing me to focus on the more important aspects of training. 

With features like group projects, peer feedback, and real-time collaboration tools, 360Learning creates a dynamic learning environment. Its social learning capabilities, combined with robust analytics and engagement metrics, make it the go-to LMS for organizations aiming to facilitate effective and engaging collaborative learning journeys. 

The tool also offers a wide range of integrations with popular business systems such as HCM/HRIS, Salesforce, MS Teams, and Zoom. This means that I can seamlessly connect all of my business systems, ensuring data accuracy and optimizing access to learning for my teams. 

What You Will Like:

• AI-based training creation to save time and effort 
• Streamline administrative tasks to reduce manual workload 
• Seamless user integration to leverage existing user data without manual data entry
• Easy to navigate, making it accessible and straightforward 

What You May Not Like:

• Lacks options for tracking and managing Cloud-based LMS certifications
• Uploading files and embedded links is not always simple
• Search field needs improvement for better filtering options 
• Need adjustments in assigning programs to provide more control over scheduling 

Pricing:

Starts at $8/user/month

8. iSpring Learn – Best for Corporate Training

I have been using iSpring Learn, and it has been an incredible cloud-based learning system for our employee training needs. With its comprehensive set of features, including content authoring, tracking, and reporting, iSpring Learn offers a seamless and efficient platform for delivering and managing corporate training programs. 

One specific use case where iSpring Learn has made a significant impact is in our new hire onboarding process. With iSpring Learn, we have been able to create engaging and interactive onboarding courses that effectively introduce our new employees to our company culture, policies, and job responsibilities.

The platform’s intuitive course creation interface has made it easy for me to develop captivating courses for corporate training programs. Assigning training content to employees has been a breeze with iSpring Learn. I can easily select the specific teams or individuals who need to complete the training and set deadlines for completion. 

What You Will Like:

• Ability to create combined video and PowerPoint presentations 
• Easy to collaborate while learning 
• Works seamlessly across all devices 
• In-built screen recording tool

What You May Not Like:

• Template storage and reuse could be better
• Text search feature in presentation needs improvement
• SSO does not support the latest standards 
• Narration editor is not very intuitive  

Pricing:

Starts at $2.29 USD per user/month (billed annually)

9. Lessonly by Seismic – Best for Upskilling

Lessonly by Seismic has been an absolute game-changer for our team. As someone responsible for training new employees, I can confidently say that Lessonly is a powerful training software that has transformed the way we learn, practice, and work.

One of the things that immediately drew me to Lessonly was its simple, mobile-friendly experience, ensuring that our team members can access training materials anytime, anywhere, for upskilling. Its features include personalized learning paths, assessments, and skill tracking, enabling companies to enhance employee knowledge and skills to meet evolving business demands.

As they say, building a lesson in Lessonly is as easy as writing an email. It’s that intuitive. The flexibility to incorporate SCORM and other formats has been incredibly beneficial for us. We can customize the learning experience to suit our specific needs.

What You Will Like:

• Easy to use interface for smooth navigation 
• Ability to add engaging elements to lessons
• Supports self-paced learning
• Grading quizzes and essays are easy 

What You May Not Like:

• Lacks self-serve support resources
• Needs more audio capabilities 
• Text editing features need improvement 
• Search feature is not robust 

Pricing:

Starts at $0 (limited to 25 users) 

10. Moodle – Best for Personalized Training 

Moodle LMS, in my experience, is an exceptional cloud LMS that offers personalized and engaging eLearning experiences.

Whether you’re in K-12 classrooms or multi-campus universities, Moodle provides a flexible and feature-rich platform to meet the diverse needs of learners now and in the future.

The fully customizable nature of Moodle is its main USP. You can easily modify its source code and tailor the platform to run your way. You have the freedom to create and edit courses, delivering content and tasks in various formats to accommodate different learning environments. 

The platform integrates with content accessibility checkers and text-to-speech tools to accommodate diverse learning needs and ensure that everyone can access the learning materials. The platform has received global recognition and awards for its excellence and continuous evolution, reflecting the dedication of the Moodle team and community.

What You Will Like:

• Allows for flexible teaching and learning, accessible anytime and anywhere
• It provides tools to measure and manage learner progress through detailed reports
• Text-to-speech tools are available, enhancing accessibility for learners
• It supports the delivery of learning materials in various formats

What You May Not Like:

• Engagement tracking could be more robust and comprehensive
• Integration with third-party software is limited, hindering seamless workflow
• Scheduling management could be improved for better organization
• The mobile version requires further development to enhance the usability

Pricing:

Starts at $180 AUD annually for 50 users 

As a trainer who has experienced the power of cloud-based LMS training, I can confidently say that finding the right platform can transform your training journey. With a myriad of tools at your fingertips, the possibilities are endless. So, embrace the future of learning and choose the platform that suits your unique needs. It’s time to unlock your full training potential and empower your learners like never before.

How to Choose a Cloud-Based Learning Management System (LMS)?

Start by assessing your organization’s needs, including scalability, user experience, and desired features. Evaluate the platform’s usability, customization options, and compatibility with existing systems. Consider security measures, data protection, and compliance with industry standards. Look for a provider with a strong reputation, reliable customer support, and regular updates. Request demos or trials to test the platform’s functionality and user interface. Compare pricing models and ensure it aligns with your budget. Lastly, choose an LMS that meets your specific requirements, offers a seamless learning experience, and provides long-term value for your organization. Read this guide to know more or watch this video:

How to Choose the Best LMS Software for Employee Training

Which Is the Best Cloud-Based LMS for You?

As I already said, the choice of a cloud-based learning management system will depend on your training requirements, audience, and budget. 

However, to make the search process easier for you, here’s my opinion on which tool you should consider. 

Option A: ProProfs

ProProfs Training Maker is user-centric and easy to use. Its ready-to-go courses save course development time. Furthermore, the virtual classroom enables you to administer courses with anyone, anytime, anywhere, on any device. ProProfs Training Maker is best suited for organizations with an ongoing need for training on skills, safety, compliance, and policies. 

Option B: TalentLMS

Another option you can consider is TalentLMS due to its strong focus on course creation and customization. It offers a user-friendly platform that allows organizations to quickly create and launch training programs with ease. TalentLMS is highly customizable, mobile-ready, and GDPR-compliant, making it a suitable choice for businesses seeking personalized training experiences. 

Option C: Absorb LMS

Speaking from my experience, you can also consider Absorb LMS if you want some powerful AI features in your tool. It simplifies the learning experience and offers tools for learner engagement, reporting, content libraries, and more. Absorb LMS supports various use cases like extended enterprise training, onboarding, and compliance training. It is well-suited for organizations that prioritize advanced features and integration possibilities to enhance their learning programs.

If you ask me, ProProfs Training Maker stands out as the best cloud LMS. Its extensive library of ready-made courses and templates, user-friendly interface, customization options, and automation have simplified and optimized my training initiatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of cloud-based learning management systems (LMS)?

Cloud-based LMS offer several benefits and advantages.

1. Firstly, they provide easy accessibility as users can access the platform from anywhere with an internet connection.
2. They are scalable, allowing organizations to accommodate growing numbers of users and content without infrastructure limitations.
3. Cloud-based LMS solutions also reduce IT burden as the service provider handles maintenance, updates, and security.
4. They offer cost-effectiveness as they eliminate the need for upfront hardware and software investments.

What are the features of cloud-based learning management systems (LMS)?

Cloud-based LMS typically include user management, content management, assessment and grading tools, collaboration tools, and reporting and analytics. They also provide virtual classrooms, integration capabilities, mobile accessibility, and customization options. Additionally, a cloud-based LMS often provides settings, permissions, and user roles. Check out this LMS features list.

Cloud-based LMS vs. self-hosted LMS: What’s the difference?

The main difference between a cloud-based LMS and a self-hosted LMS lies in the infrastructure and management. A cloud-based LMS is hosted on remote servers and accessed through the internet from anywhere. It eliminates the need for organizations to manage and maintain the underlying infrastructure. In contrast, a self-hosted LMS is typically installed on-premises or on dedicated servers, requiring organizations to manage and maintain the hardware, software, updates, and security on their own. They require a dedicated in-house IT team and can be expensive. For more on LMS types, read Top 8 Types of LMS to Power Your E-Learning Programs

How much does a cloud LMS cost?

The cloud based LMS pricing can vary depending on several factors. These include the number of users, desired features, customization requirements, and the service provider. Most cloud LMS solutions offer tiered pricing models based on user count or active learners. Prices can range from a few hundred dollars per month for small organizations to thousands of dollars per month for larger enterprises. Some providers may also charge additional fees for implementation, support, or advanced features.

You may also find providers offering free cloud LMS. It’s important to carefully evaluate pricing plans, consider your organization’s needs and budget, and select a solution that offers value for money.