I think this is a great question, but one that often gets answered without providing context from the person who is asking the question or context from the person that is answering the question. Part of you making decisions around what tools to leverage in your business is knowing what you need that tool to do for you. 

I can’t just be “Oh, I need a learning management platform. Let me just pick one," because each learning management platform has different features and benefits. So before you jump in and sign up for something, you need to know what you need that tool to provide. 

For example: Maybe you decide that you want a platform that not only allows you to house your content, but also allows you to give and grade quizzes. Perhaps you also want a community element embedded within the tool (depending on your service model). 

All of those details significantly narrow down the platforms that will work for you and your course which is why context is so important. Then you can investigate which of those options will work for you. 

Another thing you want to be clear on is whether or not the learning management platform needs to offer a checkout component. Basically, do you want people paying for the course inside the platform or outside of it? If you already have a payment processor outside of your learning management platform you don’t need one within it, but if you don’t already have one, that feature could be very helpful.  

I highly recommend thinking about this before choosing a platform especially if you want to use the payment processor within the platform. You’ll need to determine what payment options the processor provides (debit card, bank deposit, credit card), and if they offer a payment plan/recurring plan feature as well. 

Now that I’ve shared those two big things with you, I’ll share some options that I know of when it comes to Learning Management Platforms.

Kajabi: This is one of the most popular platforms, and is often referred to as the ‘all-in-one’ platform. Along with housing course content, Kajabi provides email (you can do your email marketing using this tool) and webpages (you can build your website and other sales pages using this tool) as well as a lot of customization options. It’s an option for you if you want everything in one place.

Teachable: This platform is purely a course platform. They offer a checkout option, but unlike Kajabi, Teachable doesn’t offer email marketing or webpage building software. Now, I use Teachable in my business currently, but I do not use their checkout software. I don’t play with people’s money, and the way Teachable handles payment processing is funky. Other than that, I like Teachable, it’s very user friendly, though not as customizable as Kajabi. 

A few others to mention are Thinkific & Mighty Networks (has a really big community aspect). You’ll definitely want to do your own research when it comes to choosing the right option for you, but these are just a few jumping off points. Remember, the most important thing when it comes to making a decision on learning management platforms is knowing what you want and what your business will need. You always have the right to change your mind, but it’s important to do your research as well! 

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