So you’ve rolled out a shiny new Learning Management System (LMS), but now you’re stuck staring at an empty dashboard wondering, “How do I actually create the content to go in here?” Or maybe you already have training materials—PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, or videos—but they aren’t interactive, engaging, or trackable.
Enter: eLearning authoring tools that allow you to create training content quickly and get relevant information to your Learners ASAP.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the best eLearning authoring tools on the market today, highlighting their unique features and how they can make your training content development faster, easier, and more impactful. Whether you’re looking for tools to convert existing materials into SCORM-compliant courses, add interactivity, or design content from scratch, we’ve got you covered.
What to Look for in an eLearning Authoring Tool
Selecting the right eLearning authoring tool can make or break your training program. A good authoring tool should streamline content creation, improve learner engagement, and save you time while ensuring your training materials align with organizational goals. But with so many options available, how do you choose the best fit? Here are the critical features and considerations to keep in mind:
1. Ease of Use: How To Simplify Content Creation
Whether your team is made up of seasoned instructional designers or employees with limited technical skills, the tool you choose should be user-friendly. A drag-and-drop interface, pre-built templates, and intuitive workflows can make creating training content straightforward—even for non-designers. Tools like iSpring Suite or Elucidat excel in this area, offering interfaces that make building courses feel less daunting.
Without a user-friendly tool, your team may spend more time troubleshooting the software than focusing on creating impactful learning experiences.
2. SCORM and xAPI Compliance: What’s Compatible?
One of the most essential features of an authoring tool is its ability to produce content that integrates seamlessly with your Learning Management System (LMS). Ensure the tool supports SCORM, xAPI, or AICC compliance so that your training is trackable, and learner progress and completion data are captured effectively.
3. Make Your Content Stand Out with Customization and Branding
Your training materials should reflect your company’s unique culture and branding. Look for authoring tools that allow you to fully customize your courses, from colors and logos to fonts and layouts. Custom branding fosters a sense of ownership among employees and makes the learning experience more engaging and relatable.
4. Interactive Features to Keep Learners Engaged
Let’s be honest – static PowerPoint presentations and one-dimensional, AI created videos get skipped through. Modern eLearning authoring tools should offer interactive elements like branching scenarios, quizzes, gamification, and drag-and-drop activities. These features not only make learning more engaging but also improve knowledge retention.
Research shows that learners retain 60% more information when content is interactive rather than passive – creating interactive content that keeps learners involved and motivated.
5. Analytics and Assessment Features to Track Your Training
Training shouldn’t be a guessing game. Choose an authoring tool that includes built-in assessment and reporting features to help you gauge learner progress and identify areas where additional support may be needed.
Look for tools that allow you to build quizzes, track scores, and analyze engagement levels. These insights are crucial for improving the effectiveness of your training over time (and the main reason you’ve invested the time and money into a training platform).
6. Cost-Effectiveness
As your organization grows, so will your training needs. Select a tool that can scale with you, offering features that can accommodate both small projects and large-scale content development. Additionally, evaluate the cost of the tool to ensure it fits within your budget, keeping in mind both upfront costs and ongoing subscriptions. You need something that provides an affordable entry point, but also allows you to grow long-term.
The Top 10 Best eLearning Authoring Tools
Selecting the right eLearning authoring tool can make all the difference when it comes to creating effective, engaging, and professional-grade training content. Below, we explore some of the top authoring tools on the market, each tailored to meet different needs, whether you’re repurposing existing materials or starting from scratch. These tools are designed to help you save time, improve the quality of your training, and simplify the course creation process.
1. Scormify
Best for: Converting existing training materials into SCORM-compliant courses, Scormify is an essential tool for anyone who already has training materials—like PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, or videos—and wants to make them SCORM-compliant without reinventing the wheel. SCORM compliance ensures your content can integrate seamlessly into any Learning Management System (LMS), allowing you to track learner progress, completion rates, and scores.
Sure, you still need to create the content. But this is the most affordable tool on the market and allows for anyone, with any skill level to create LMS courses in a variety of formats.
Features:
- Easy Conversion: Upload your existing materials, and Scormify quickly transforms them into SCORM-compliant content with minimal effort.
- Cost-Effective Solution: Ideal for organizations looking to repurpose materials without hiring an external developer or redesigning from scratch.
- Time-Saving: Skip the lengthy process of building new courses; let Scormify handle the technical formatting for you.
Why We Love It: Scormify is a perfect entry point for organizations new to eLearning or those with tight deadlines. Instead of spending weeks creating new content, you can quickly repurpose what you already have and focus on delivering impactful training.
Pricing Starts With: free trial, $19 per month
“The product is intuitive with a solid user interface. Customer service is outstanding.”
2. Articulate Storyline 360
Best for: Creating interactive and highly customized eLearning courses
Articulate Storyline 360 is widely regarded as the “PowerPoint on steroids” for eLearning professionals. It’s an industry leader when it comes to designing interactive and visually appealing content. Storyline 360 is perfect for those who want to take their training to the next level with scenario-based learning, quizzes, and gamified elements.
Features:
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: Easy to use, even for beginners, but powerful enough for advanced users to create custom animations and interactions.
- Slide Templates: Choose from a massive library of pre-built templates to speed up course creation.
- Scenario-Based Learning: Build branching scenarios to immerse learners in real-world decision-making experiences.
- Mobile-Responsive Design: Your courses will look great on any device, from desktops to smartphones.
Why We Love It: Articulate Storyline 360 makes even the most complex course ideas possible. Whether you’re creating compliance training or onboarding modules, this tool offers unmatched flexibility and creativity.
Pricing Starts With: free trial, $1,749 per year per user
“Articulate 360 provides the ability to create and review training exactly how you envision them.”
3. Adobe Captivate
Best for: Advanced content creators who want to integrate virtual reality (VR) and simulations
Adobe Captivate is a robust authoring tool that goes beyond basic course creation. It’s an excellent option for organizations looking to create immersive learning experiences, such as software simulations, VR training, and responsive courses.
Features:
- VR Training Support: Build virtual reality courses for a cutting-edge learning experience.
- Interactive Videos: Add quizzes, overlays, and interactions to videos to keep learners engaged.
- Screen Recording: Easily create software demos and simulations for technical training.
- Responsive Design: Create courses that adjust seamlessly to any device size.
Why We Love It: Adobe Captivate is perfect for organizations in industries like manufacturing or technology, where simulations and hands-on practice are crucial. Its advanced features cater to the tech-savvy instructional designer who wants to push boundaries.
Pricing Starts With: free trial, $33.99 per month per user (annual subscription required)
“The features in Captivate that allow the creation of interactive videos were useful.”
4. Elucidat
Best for: Collaborative course creation with large teams
Elucidat is an eLearning authoring tool built for scale. With its team-friendly features, it’s ideal for organizations with large instructional design teams or those who frequently collaborate on course content. It focuses on simplifying the course creation process while maintaining brand consistency across all materials.
Features:
- Cloud-Based Platform: Allows multiple team members to work on courses simultaneously from anywhere in the world.
- Brand Control: Maintain consistency with pre-set themes, fonts, and branding elements.
- Adaptive Design: Automatically adjusts course content for mobile, tablet, and desktop users.
- Analytics Dashboard: Track how learners are engaging with your content and identify areas for improvement.
Why We Love It: Elucidat empowers teams to work together efficiently, making it a top choice for organizations that prioritize collaboration and scalability.
Pricing Starts With: $2,500 per year
“I like how easy it is to customise courses, with colour, fonts etc. I like the templates available, which have helped me learn how to construct branching and write scenarios. The customer support is usually quick and they’ve helped me with most problems.”
5. Camtasia
Best for: Creating video-based training content
If your training strategy heavily relies on video content, Camtasia is the perfect tool for you. This software is designed to help you create high-quality instructional videos, screen recordings, and tutorials. It’s user-friendly and doesn’t require advanced technical skills to produce polished results.
Features:
- Screen Recording: Record your screen with voiceovers for step-by-step tutorials.
- Video Editing Tools: Add animations, effects, and captions to create professional-grade videos.
- Templates and Assets: Access a library of pre-built templates and stock assets to enhance your content.
- Interactive Elements: Add quizzes and call-to-action buttons to make videos more engaging.
Why We Love It: Camtasia is perfect for training programs that need a lot of video-based content, such as software training, product demos, or compliance walkthroughs.
Pricing Starts With: free trial, $299.99 for a one-time license
“It allows you to screen recording with astounding features, animations, and effects. A lot of features I like it more especially video transitions, great effects, and so on.”
6. Lectora
Best for: Accessibility-focused course creation
Lectora is known for its emphasis on creating courses that are compliant with accessibility standards. It’s a great choice for organizations that need to ensure their training content is inclusive and usable for all employees, including those with disabilities.
Features:
- WCAG & Section 508 Compliance: Build courses that meet accessibility requirements, including screen reader support and keyboard navigation.
- Translation Capabilities: Easily translate courses for global audiences.
- Advanced Interactivity: Create quizzes, drag-and-drop exercises, and other engaging elements.
- Flexible Publishing Options: Export content to SCORM, xAPI, and more.
Why We Love It: For organizations with a diverse workforce, Lectora ensures that no one is left behind by focusing on inclusivity and accessibility.
Pricing Starts With: free trial, $999 per year per user
“This is the most powerful and flexible authoring software, although there is a learning curve.”
7. iSpring Suite
Best for: Rapid course development
iSpring Suite is a fast, user-friendly authoring tool that’s great for organizations looking to quickly turn existing PowerPoint presentations into interactive eLearning courses. Its straightforward interface makes it accessible for beginners while still offering advanced features for seasoned designers.
Features:
- PowerPoint Integration: Convert PowerPoint slides into eLearning courses with interactive elements.
- Quizzes and Assessments: Build engaging quizzes and surveys to test learner knowledge.
- Video Narration: Add voiceovers and video presentations to enrich your content.
- Mobile Compatibility: Publish courses that work seamlessly across all devices.
Why We Love It: iSpring Suite is perfect for organizations on a tight deadline that need to create professional-looking courses quickly without sacrificing quality.
Pricing Starts With: free trial, $770 per year per user
“Easy to use and some great features. Seamless integration with Powerpoint is also a great feature.”
8. Gomo Learning
Best for: Cloud-based, multi-device content delivery
Gomo Learning is a cloud-based tool that simplifies multi-device publishing. Its focus on responsive design makes it a top choice for organizations with employees who rely on mobile devices to access training.
Features:
- Cloud-Based Authoring: Design and publish courses directly from the cloud.
- Multi-Language Support: Translate courses for global learners with ease.
- Analytics Integration: Monitor learner progress and engagement with built-in analytics.
- Templates and Themes: Speed up course creation with a variety of pre-designed templates.
Why We Love It: Gomo Learning excels at ensuring that training materials are optimized for mobile and tablet use, which is especially important for remote or on-the-go employees.
Pricing Starts With: free trial, $180 per month
“If you want nice looking content that is more web style than traditional slide based content, I’d give Gomo a try“
9. Easygenerator
Best for: Beginners and non-designers creating eLearning content
Easygenerator lives up to its name, offering an intuitive platform for users with little to no experience in course design. This cloud-based tool simplifies the creation process, making it accessible for subject matter experts (SMEs) who want to develop training content without needing technical expertise.
Features:
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: Build courses quickly with no technical background required.
- Pre-Built Templates: Save time with customizable templates for various training needs.
- Built-In Collaboration: Teams can co-author content in real-time.
- Cloud-Based Delivery: Easy to update and share content, ensuring learners always have access to the latest materials.
Why We Love It: Easygenerator empowers SMEs to contribute directly to eLearning initiatives, cutting out the middleman and speeding up the content creation process.
Pricing Starts With: free trial, $108 per month per user
“Extremely user-friendly and speeds up the process of creating quality eLearning courses.”
10. H5P
Best for: Interactive, open-source content creation
H5P is an open-source platform that allows users to create interactive eLearning content directly within their existing Learning Management Systems or websites. It’s highly customizable and provides a cost-effective option for organizations on a budget.
Features:
- Interactive Learning Activities: Build drag-and-drop exercises, timelines, interactive videos, and quizzes.
- SCORM Integration: Seamlessly export content to your LMS for tracking and reporting.
- Open Source: Flexible and adaptable to suit your unique needs.
- Free Resources: Access a vast community of pre-built templates and shared content.
Why We Love It: H5P’s open-source approach makes it a versatile and cost-effective solution for organizations that want to create interactive content without investing heavily in proprietary software.
Pricing Starts With: Free for basic features; add on pricing from there
“[A large] variety of activities can be built: many different types of quizzes using words, images, videos. I also like that the interface is pretty straightforward to use and does not require any coding skills.”
Conclusion
These eLearning authoring tools cater to a variety of needs, whether you’re repurposing existing materials, creating interactive experiences, or focusing on accessibility. The key to choosing the right tool is understanding your organization’s specific training goals and workforce requirements. Start exploring these tools today and take your eLearning content to the next level!
