LinkedIn Learning vs TalentLMS

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared LinkedIn Learning vs TalentLMS based on data from our 400+ point analysis of LMS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.com, creates and hosts online courses for business, technology, creative services and certifications. Used by SMBs and in enterprise settings, it’s not a distinct learning platform; however, it does offer classes and video tutorials. Workers can build competencies in an individual subject or follow predefined paths for a comprehensive overview. Courses include graphic design, audio/visual editing, database management, leadership training, soft skills and a range of industry-specific information.
read more...

TalentLMS is an online training tool that facilitates learning through features like course management, progress tracking, reporting and gamification, branching and automation, and third-party integrations. The solution supports enterprise-level learning initiatives with personalized themes and unique sets of courses and audiences.

It supports multiple languages, runs on Amazon's CDN for reliable performance, and provides a user-friendly interface for learners, admins, and instructors alike. It also includes mass action tools, automation options, and a RESTful API for data access. Plus, it offers custom fields and a marketplace for easily accessing additional classes.

User reviews praise TalentLMSs intuitive interface, responsive customer support and course creation capabilities. I tested the product and found that it’s really easy to use, even if you're not tech-savvy. You can create courses, track your team's progress and even add some fun games to keep them engaged.

It offers four pricing options: Core, Grow, Pro and Enterprise, each with a varied set of features. The free plan accommodates up to five users, and paid plans start at $89 per month. You can choose between monthly and annual billing options, and there are no long-term contracts, giving you the flexibility to adapt to your changing needs.

Our Research Process for TalentLMS

I tested TalentLMS through its free plan, diving into everything from course authoring to reporting and gamification. Getting started was easy — just create an account, add up to five users, and you’re off to explore key features like course creation, reporting and integrations.

The interface was super intuitive, with two options: a legacy and a modern version. Both were easy to navigate, with a clean design that helped me quickly access course materials, progress tracking and reports.

I was able to build courses from scratch, upload documents and even use AI to generate content in minutes. The platform supports various content types like tests, surveys, videos, SCORM files and more. I also tested the reporting features, which offered great flexibility, including customizable infographics and training status reports.

For a little fun, I explored the gamification features, where learners can earn points and badges and track their progress on leaderboards. To wrap it all up, I checked out the mobile app, which let me track progress, view achievements and send messages, though it lacked the ability to create courses or generate reports on the go.

Keep reading to get the full scoop on how each feature performs and where the platform shines (and where there’s room for improvement).

read more...
$379.88/Seat, Annually
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$89 Monthly, Freemium
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Learning Paths: Take a bundle of specific classes to teach subjects comprehensively. Some of the paths include Digital Marketer, Graphic Designer, Manager, Project Coordinator and more. Give employees necessary training in a structured way.
  • Scalability: Plan for rapid growth. Accommodate more learners as the organization grows with scalable pricing and feature sets. Ensure that the system lasts more than a few years, cutting down on costly upgrades.
  • Close Skills Gap: Sort through information from LinkedIn to help students and administrators identify where they fall short of their peers. Ensure that all learners are caught up on core competencies. Then, get recommendations for courses or learning paths based on the insights.
  • Employee Engagement: Use micro-learning to keep employees interested. Provide videos and tutorials in bite-sized bits to ensure they have the information and can consume it quickly. Make workers feel more confident with comprehensive training.
read more...
  • Provides User-Friendly Interfaces: TalentLMS provides a Modern and Legacy interface. In my testing, I found both interfaces to be very well organized, offering a smooth browsing experience for administrators, instructors, and learners. Users can access all key features on a single screen, ensuring easy navigation and efficiency.
  • Offers Needs-Specific Features: According to our analysis, TalentLMS supports features that allow you to sell courses online, create and manage courses, help users communicate in real time and generate insightful reports, fully out of the box. It offers a vast suite of features, including content sharing, course bundles and marketing, reporting dashboards, content creation and two-way messaging.
  • Helps Create Innovative Content: You can address skill gaps with personalized, AI-generated courses made using TalentCraft (only accessible on the new interface). Create a variety of content using AI, including texts, images, lists, step-by-step guides, flashcards, content pages, labeled graphics, charts and MCQs.
  • Saves Money: The solution’s free version supports up to five users and ten courses. Even when using a paid subscription, the various automated and AI functions free up time. You can add new users and features as needed, without having to switch the system altogether.
  • Easy To Use: When I tested the product, I found that the features were neatly arranged and simple to find. The intuitive interface makes navigation a breeze, making it an ideal choice for organizations with a novice user base.
  • Customizable: Our experience with TalentLMS revealed that it's a very customizable platform with an option to personalize every aspect of your training. From language, themes, date and time formats, and the homepage to eCommerce controls, certificates and gamification elements, you can turn the platform into your own ideal training hub, all from a single location.
  • Increases Revenue: Want to boost your income? Join the affiliate plan. Find a unique URL to send traffic to the website and track all visitors/sign-ups/conversions. For every sale originating from a referred user, get a recurring commission added to your account.
  • Offers Valuable Insights: According to our data, TalentLMS supports 100% of reporting features fully out of the box. Its infographic reporting feature provides clear snapshots of training activities. With detailed activity logs, you can capture every action for comprehensive day-to-day records. Microstats and printable infographics keep learners motivated by showcasing their progress, pass rates and earned certificates and badges.
    • Another standout feature from our testing is the Training Matrix, which offers a single-page view of the training status for all learners across multiple courses, using color-coded blocks for easy visualization.
  • Award-Winning LMS: TalentLMS received many accolades in the SelectHub Awards 2024 across various LMS features. It earned honors for collaboration, content and course management, mobile capabilities, platform capabilities, and integrations and extensibility.
read more...
  • Content Library: Choose from a vast number of courses, videos and tutorials from a platform that generally adds more than 60 pieces of content per week. Analyze learning patterns and use the insights to find classes for the industry’s most relevant hard and soft skills.
  • Certification Prep: Quiz, train and prepare workers who want to advance in the industry via certifications. Choose from popular, valuable certifications such as Google, Linux, Microsoft, Oracle, PMI, Six Sigma, CompTIA and more.
  • Instructor-Led Courses: Give workers a face-to-face experience with experts that have real, practical field experience. Let them ask questions and request further help from someone who knows what they’re doing. Encourage conversations with industry experts to reinforce and explain content.
  • Reporting Dashboard: Measure the effectiveness of training through different data and analytics, allowing the staff to see how their education initiatives work. Pull reports and share relevant findings with leaders.
  • Integrations: Integrates with various online education and talent management products, including Absorb, Adobe Captivate, Blackboard, Bridge, Canvas, Cornerstone, D2L, Docebo, SAP SuccessFactors, and more.
  • Continuing Education: Provide employees with the opportunity to maintain certification or compliance through appropriate credit. Choose from a range of courses designed to satisfy specific requirements.
  • Translations: Provide access to students who speak different languages such as German, French, English, Japanese, Spanish and more. Help standardize training across an international organization.
  • Personalized Recommendations: Give workers course options that apply perfectly to their fields based on previously entered LinkedIn information. Suggest skills, courses, certifications, videos and learning paths that enrich employees.
read more...
  • Dashboard: Get an overview of active users, assigned courses, training time, course completion rates and more. Use the Timeline widget to track account activity, monitor each course’s progress status, and add or delete widgets to customize your dashboard.
  • User Management: Create and store users' personal information, such as name, location, bio, sign-in credential, learner type and email.
  • Course Creation: Add the course code, specify the category and pricing, insert intro videos, assign start and end times, set completion rules and include certificates for each course. Fill the courses with text, videos, PPTs, images, assignments, surveys and more.
  • Course Management: Reuse presentations and videos or find external media to build classes. Offer certifications for compliance courses and create learning paths tailored to each user’s requirements.
  • Course Store: Subscribe to TalentLibrary to access over 900 English and Spanish courses in various fields, such as HR, leadership, safety and compliance, personal development and business skills.
  • Gamification: Offer discounts as rewards when learners achieve a set number of points, badges or levels. Reset users' gamification statistics as needed, either for the whole portal or for a specific group or branch. You can:
    • Award users with points for different learning activities.
    • Give badges to highlight milestones in their learning journey.
    • Represent stages in their learning journey with levels.
    • Show users their learning progress in points compared to others with leaderboards.
  • Integration: Integrate directly with third-party apps like WordPress, BambooHR, GoToMeeting, Salesforce and Shopify. Add Zapier to access over 750 additional options like Slack and Zendesk, and use the API and JavaScript integrations for additional extensibility.
  • Security: Protect sensitive data with features like AWS storage, 2FA, DDoS, BCDR, incident response plans and STAR compliance.
    • Restrict registration to specific email domains and prevent multiple logins from different browsers.
    • Disable video transcoding if videos are web-compatible and add a system logo watermark on uploaded videos.
    • Meet the guidelines for various security and accessibility standards, such as ISO 27001, ISO 9001GDRP, PCI Compliance and WCAG-2.
  • Files Repository: Organize, reuse and share files with selected users. Upload and store various types of files in your account, and easily manage and distribute them.
  • Collaboration: Allow instructors and learners to engage in discussions, interact through video conferencing, send group and private messages and stay connected at each touchpoint of the training process.
  • Branches: Create independent sub-portals (branches) for various departments, user types and customers. Customize each portal with its own URL, theme, language, users and courses.
  • Automation: Automate day-to-day tasks to avoid manual admin work and reduce errors. Assign courses to many users simultaneously, send reminders, deactivate users and more.
  • Reporting: Generate data reports to track key metrics like course completion rates, courses not started or passed, courses in progress, and training time for each learner, branch, group and course. Track users and their roles, progress status, scores, and completion dates and times for each course. Create and automatically export custom reports.
  • Learning Activities: Add learning activities like assignments, tests, surveys and ILT training to courses.
  • Blending Learning: Use blended and instructor-led training (ILT) to organize classroom events, manage all aspects of ILT sessions, set up automatic notifications and deliver virtual lessons in real time.
  • Assessments: Build a variety of tests with different question types, such as multiple-choice, drag-and-drop matching, ordering, fill-in-the-blank and open-ended questions. Use them to evaluate learner progress and knowledge retention.
  • Surveys Engine: Build surveys to gain insights into your learners and training. Send surveys, collect responses and analyze results to gather valuable feedback and data.
  • Learning Paths: Set up learning paths by selecting the desired course. They can link courses to create the path and add prerequisites, so learners must complete these courses in any order before proceeding. They can also create alternative paths using the Add an alternative rule option and enable Levels in the Gamification tab to require learners to reach a certain level before accessing a course.
  • TalentLibrary: With a subscription, you can access high-quality content in the form of interactive quizzes, expert-created materials and new classes stored in the online library.
  • Embedded Video Conferencing: Use a built-in tool for conducting meetings via video call and integrate it with popular apps like Zoom, Google Meet and Skype.
  • Mobile App: Allow learners to complete their training on the go using the iOS and Android-compatible mobile app.
read more...

Product Ranking

#44

among all
LMS Software

#3

among all
LMS Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

we're gathering data
79
we're gathering data
0
we're gathering data
71
we're gathering data
100
Show More Show More

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

LinkedIn Learning
TalentLMS
+ Add Product + Add Product
AI-based Capabilities Assessments Collaboration Compliance Content And Course Management ECommerce Learning Delivery Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Reporting And Dashboard User Management And Gamification 0 71 100 67 100 100 76 87 96 100 91 0 25 50 75 100
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
0%
0%
100%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
70%
0%
30%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
67%
0%
33%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
54%
0%
46%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
88%
0%
12%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
93%
0%
7%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
91%
0%
9%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
71%
0%
29%

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 12 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 1419 reviews
96%
of users recommend this product

LinkedIn Learning has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 96% when considering 12 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

91%
of users recommend this product

TalentLMS has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 91% when considering 1419 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

n/a
5.0 (25)
n/a
4.6 (737)
4.8 (12)
4.7 (542)
n/a
4.4 (24)
n/a
3.3 (91)

Awards

LinkedIn Learning stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated TalentLMS and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Content and Course Management. TalentLMS stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Content and Course Management Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Extensive Content Library: Users appreciate the vast and diverse collection of courses available, covering a wide range of topics from business and technology to creative skills. The platform offers over 18,000 expert-led courses.
High-Quality Courses: LinkedIn Learning is known for its high-quality courses, featuring industry experts and thought leaders as instructors. The production value of the courses is consistently high, with clear audio and video, engaging visuals, and well-structured content.
Personalized Recommendations: The platform provides personalized course recommendations based on users' profiles, interests, and learning history. This helps users discover relevant content and build a customized learning path.
Integration with LinkedIn: LinkedIn Learning seamlessly integrates with the LinkedIn platform, allowing users to showcase their completed courses and earned certificates on their profiles. This can enhance professional visibility and credibility.
Offline Viewing: The platform offers the ability to download courses for offline viewing, enabling users to learn on the go or in areas with limited internet connectivity.
Show more
Ease of Use: 85% of users praise TalentLMS's intuitive and user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for both administrators and learners to create courses and navigate the platform.
Affordability: Over 70% of users regard TalentLMS as an affordable LMS, especially for small to medium-sized businesses.
Excellent Customer Support: 70% of users highlight the responsive, knowledgeable and helpful customer support team that’s quick to address any issues and questions.
Feature-Rich: According to 65% of users, the solution offers a diverse feature set that caters to varied industry-specific requirements.
Show more
Limited Course Selection: The platform's course offerings primarily focus on business, technology, and creative skills, potentially leaving gaps in specialized or niche areas.
Subscription-Based Model: Access to LinkedIn Learning's content requires a recurring subscription fee, which may not be ideal for individuals or organizations with limited budgets or those seeking specific, one-time learning experiences.
Variable Content Quality: While LinkedIn Learning hosts a vast library of courses, the quality and depth of content can vary significantly between individual courses and instructors.
Show more
Mobile App Limitations: 45% of users who reviewed the mobile app said it has limited functionality compared to the web-based platform, with some users unable to perform specific tasks on the go.
Onboarding and Implementation Challenges: A few users (30%) expressed that the initial setup and onboarding process can be challenging, especially for users who’ve never used an LMS before.
Show more

Get "linked in" to the world of online learning with LinkedIn Learning!  This platform has been making waves in the e-learning scene, but is it the right fit for your needs?  Let's dive into what users have been saying about LinkedIn Learning over the past year.  Users appreciate the vast and diverse course library covering technical skills, creative pursuits, and business acumen.  The platform's integration with LinkedIn is a major plus, allowing users to showcase their newly acquired skills on their profiles and potentially catch the eye of recruiters.  The bite-sized course format is perfect for busy professionals who want to learn on the go.  However, some users find the content to be more surface-level than in-depth, and the lack of interactive elements can make the learning experience feel passive.  While LinkedIn Learning may not be ideal for those seeking comprehensive, hands-on training, it's a valuable resource for professionals looking to upskill or reskill conveniently and efficiently.  The platform's seamless integration with LinkedIn and its focus on career development make it particularly well-suited for individuals seeking to advance their careers or explore new job opportunities.

Show more

TalentLMS stands out as a user-friendly and adaptable LMS that caters largely to small and midsize businesses. Its intuitive interface, advanced feature set and focus on customization make it a useful tool for employee, customer and partner training.According to our data, TalentLMS supports several key LMS modules fully out of the box. These include: Collaboration: 100 Content and Course Management: 100 Ecommerce: 100 Reporting and Dashboard: 100Its extensive feature set allows you to create and manage content, sell courses online and facilitate real-time communication. The AI-powered course creation tool, TalentCraft, enables you to generate personalized courses that address specific skill gaps quickly.You can use custom certificates to showcase your company’s branding and course completions. Users can quickly log in to the system using SSO, and learn anytime, anywhere on the mobile app.Integrations with tools like Zapier add automation options, and the support team and community resources provide valuable resources and guidance to help you set up. You can also add new users and features as needed to the platform without having to switch systems.I recently tested TalentLMS through its free plan and explored key features like course authoring, reporting, gamification and integrations. The platform’s dual interface options — legacy and modern — made navigation smooth and intuitive, and I appreciated how easily I could access course materials, progress tracking and reports.TalentLMS also impressed with its AI-driven course creation tools and the ability to quickly add a variety of content types, including assessments, SCORM files and multimedia. The platform’s customizable dashboard and notification features made managing courses and users effortless.I dive deeper into my experience in the “See It in Action” section, where I provide more insights on the course authoring process, reporting tools and gamification elements.One area where TalentLMS could improve is its video capabilities. The platform lacks full support for virtual classrooms, attendance tracking, session recording and interactive whiteboards. Additionally, the mobile app could benefit from push notifications to keep learners updated on their training progress.TalentLMS is great for small to medium businesses, with a vast feature set and affordable starting price. It’s ideal for straightforward setups, though costs can increase with more users or added courses, which might be a challenge for larger organizations.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in LMS Software


Absorb LMS

Adobe Learning Manager

Blackboard Learn

Brainier

Brightspace

Canvas

Cornerstone LMS

Docebo

LearnUpon

Litmos

Moodle

Schoology

Seismic Learning

SkyPrep

Spoke LMS

TalentLMS

Thinkific

Tovuti

Trainual

WorkRamp

Related Categories

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings