TalentLMS vs Brainshark

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

Brainshark Software Tool

Product Basics

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).

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Brainshark is a comprehensive sales readiness solution that equips client-facing teams with crucial skills to maximize their productivity. Its advanced training materials and detailed analysis of an organization’s sales performance prepare sales executives to capitalize on every selling opportunity. It trains employees to outperform the competition by mastering superior sales techniques and handling tricky situations.

Businesses can author dynamic sales content quickly that can be accessed and imported from anywhere. It fast-tracks onboarding and delivers on-demand training to sales representatives while keeping them updated. Sales executives are coached to exploit every buyer interaction and effectively engage with buyers to bag more deals. It uses scorecards to display sales performance statistics and helps organizations make smart business decisions.
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$89 Monthly, Freemium
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$83/User, Monthly
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • 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.
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  • Employee Structuring: Organize salespeople by objectives, activities and importance of tasks. Highlight top-performing executives and publicly reward their achievements. Gather knowledge from experienced sales representatives for reference. 
  • Content Sharing: Empower sales and marketing leadership to send approved, updated and consistent communication to all employees. Let sales executives find and share the best content from a central portal. 
  • Integrations: Integrate with major CRM and financial modules like Salesforce, Highspot, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Seismic, TopOPPS and more to complete sales cycles. Ensure meaningful sales conversations with your existing systems. 
  • Notifications: Correct individual and team behaviors with notifications to avoid company specified prohibited zones. Steer sales processes in the right direction. Real-time updates help sales teams remain aligned to their goals. 
  • Mobile Application: Track progress of sales teams’ readiness and monitor performance on-the-go with its mobile application. Sales representatives have the flexibility to access training content anytime, anywhere, even in the areas with low bandwidth. 
  • Manage Live Events: Develop course materials for live events like webinars, instructor-led-training sessions along with the content for on-demand training programs. Offer flexibility for people to choose the sessions of their choice and schedules. 
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  • 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.
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  • Content Authoring: Create immersive, multimedia content to drive sales readiness. Develop video-based training content for sales representatives that can be accessed from anywhere. Convert Google Slides, PowerPoints, screen recordings, PDFs, webpages and more into compelling voice-based presentations. Include attachments, interactive polls, surveys and examination questions. Update existing content so that sellers can access relevant information. 
  • Onboarding and Training: Provide flexible training to salespeople anytime, anywhere. Help new sales representatives close deals quickly with immersive, on-demand training. Identify learning gaps of sellers and focus on critical skills retention with continuous learning. Ensure mandatory completion of specific training programs and provide badges and certifications once requirements are met. Improve formal training, onboarding, peer learning, certification, skills development and more. 
  • Coaching: Prepare sellers to meet rising revenue goals and hit targets. Create practice activities and training materials to tackle different types of selling scenarios. Curate text and video-based training scenarios to assess and certify the preparedness of sales executives. Make sure that sellers retain training information and demonstrate crucial messages. Promote peer learning through best video examples and boost team performance. 
  • Readiness and Scorecards: Identify and address sellers’ readiness issues before they impact performance. Track team coaching and learning trends to recognize how individual sales representatives are performing. Monitor team activities to identify top scorers, early finishers and those missing the mark. 
  • Machine Analysis: Transform coaching programs with AI-backed feedback and scoring. Generate user scores automatically when they upload a video. Gather actionable insights on a seller’s key metrics like performance, topic coverage and emotions exhibited. Scale coaching using machine learning while prioritizing feedback. 
  • Reporting: Create customizable reports to gauge employee performance. Generate default or customized reports to understand interaction prospects and usability of training materials. Get individual and team insights on staff’s sales readiness. 
  • Learning and Development: Create unique learning paths for sales representatives and other client-facing teams. Access assessments and learning programs created to achieve high customer satisfaction levels. 
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Product Ranking

#3

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LMS Software

#84

among all
LMS Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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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
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 1419 reviews
Good User Sentiment 21 reviews
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.

79%
of users recommend this product

Brainshark has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 79% when considering 21 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (25)
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4.6 (737)
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3.93 (21)
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3.3 (91)
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Awards

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

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

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.
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Content Creation: Brainshark enables users to easily create content using a variety of media formats, including video, audio, and screen recordings. This flexibility allows for engaging and interactive learning experiences.
Content Management: The platform offers robust content management features, allowing users to organize, store, and share content efficiently. This streamlines the learning process and makes it easy for learners to access the materials they need.
Analytics and Reporting: Brainshark provides detailed analytics and reporting tools that allow users to track learner progress, identify areas for improvement, and measure the effectiveness of training programs. This data-driven approach helps organizations optimize their learning initiatives.
Integrations: Brainshark integrates with a wide range of other business systems, such as CRM and HR platforms. This allows for seamless data sharing and a more holistic view of learner performance.
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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.
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Limited Customization: Brainshark's customization options for branding and user interface are restricted, making it challenging to align the platform with specific organizational branding guidelines or user preferences.
Reporting and Analytics: The platform's reporting and analytics capabilities are relatively basic, lacking the depth and flexibility required for comprehensive data analysis and performance tracking. This limitation can hinder organizations in gaining meaningful insights into learner engagement and progress.
Integrations: Brainshark's integration options with other business systems, such as CRM or HR platforms, are limited. This can create challenges in streamlining workflows and data synchronization across different systems.
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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.

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Dive into the deep end of learning with Brainshark: Brainshark users highlight its user-friendly interface and robust reporting features as standout strengths. The platform's ease of use makes content creation and management a breeze, even for non-technical users. Brainshark's reporting capabilities provide valuable insights into learner engagement and progress, allowing organizations to track the effectiveness of their training programs and make data-driven decisions. However, some users note that Brainshark's customization options can be limited compared to other learning management systems (LMS) on the market. Additionally, while Brainshark offers integrations with various third-party tools, some users express a desire for more extensive integration options. These factors are crucial for organizations seeking a highly tailored LMS experience or those with complex integration needs. Brainshark's emphasis on sales enablement and coaching sets it apart from competitors. The platform offers features specifically designed to support sales teams, such as video coaching, role-playing exercises, and content sharing capabilities. This focus on sales makes Brainshark an ideal choice for organizations looking to enhance their sales training and development initiatives. While Brainshark may not be the most customizable LMS available, its user-friendly interface, robust reporting, and sales-specific features make it a compelling option for organizations seeking to streamline their training processes and empower their sales teams. Keep in mind that the LMS landscape is constantly evolving, so it's always a good idea to check for the latest updates and offerings from Brainshark and its competitors.

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