Is choosing the right learning management system a daunting task?
Choosing the right Learning Management System (LMS) can be a daunting task, especially with the myriad of options available, each designed to serve distinct markets and use cases. With more than 25 years of LMS development and implementation experience, I have seen the number of LMS’s grow from 20 LMS’s globally to probably thousands today with a huge diversity of use cases.
Recently, I met an owner of a consulting business who asked me about what LMS she needed to sell her courses to individuals. When I enquired about her current clients, the business owner told me her clients were businesses or government entities who hired her to train their employees. After explaining a bit about the different types of LMS’s based on her two distinct needs, it was important to provide more information about an LMS for selling courses individuals and an LMS to meet the blended learning requirements of her corporate and government clients in a way that protected her IP. In a future article, we can look how best to protect your IP with your LMS or a client’s LMS; or please feel free to contact with specific questions.
Understanding the key differences between different types of LMS’s is essential for making an informed decision. Here is a list categorises LMS platforms based on their target market and functionality, helping training providers, corporate organisations, and educational institutions find the perfect fit for their needs.
Marketplace LMS (E-learning Content Platforms)
📌 Examples: Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning
📌 Target Market: Individual learners or enterprises (via bulk licensing)
📌 Purpose:
- Hosts pre-created courses from multiple providers
- Allows learners to purchase courses on demand
- Includes certifications, micro-credentials, and enterprise learning bundles
- May not be relevant to skills required for a person’s job or position.
Course Creator LMS (DIY Course Selling Platforms)
📌 Examples: contact WorkPlan for more information.
📌 Target Market: Individual educators, coaches, consultants who want to sell individual courses to consumers.
📌 Purpose:
- Enables solopreneurs to create and sell online courses to individuals.
- Includes marketing & payment processing tools.
- Focuses on monetising expertise through self-paced learning
- Not appropriate for business to business sales
Corporate Enterprise LMS (Workforce Compliance & Development)
📌 Examples: WorkPlan Learning and others
📌 Target Market: Small to large businesses, multinational corporations, government organisations
📌 Purpose:
- Manages compliance training, leadership development, and workforce upskilling
- Offers advanced reporting and automation
- Offers team management and training aligned with job skill requirements
- Provides for collaboration and subject matter expert content development
- Provides blended learning environments with training event management
B2B Training & Coaching LMS (Selling Training to Organisations, B2B)
📌 Examples: WorkPlan Learning and others
📌 Target Market: Training providers serving corporate clients (B2B) or corporations training external stakeholders (partners, suppliers, customers)
📌 Purpose:
- Delivers custom learning portals for different corporate clients
- Supports self-paced and blended learning (e-learning + instructor-led training)
- Provides product knowledge, compliance training, and onboarding
- Automates enrolments, training and coaching workflows, progress tracking, and client reporting
- Provides multiple tenant environments with client branding
- Provides central content control and version control with tenant client course management
- Used by coaches, consultants, and leadership development firms
- Enables businesses to train non-employees (e.g., franchisees, resellers, distributors)
Academic LMS (Schools, Universities, & K-12 Education)
📌 Examples: Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas, Google Classroom and others.
📌 Target Market: Schools, universities, and academic institutions
📌 Purpose:
- Designed for course management, grading, and student collaboration
- Includes integration with SIS (Student Information Systems) and accreditation tracking
- Offers scalability for thousands of students
Association & Membership LMS (Continuing Education & CPD)
📌 Examples: WorkPlan Learning and others
📌 Target Market: Professional associations, trade organisations, and membership-based groups
📌 Purpose:
- Provides continuing education and certification programs
- Supports CPD (Continuing Professional Development) tracking
- Often integrates with membership management software
Learning & Competency Management Systems
📌 Examples: contact WorkPlan for more information.
📌 Target Market: Organisations needing competency-based learning & workforce skill tracking
📌 Purpose:
- Tracks sophisticated competency frameworks
- Aligns learning with job roles & performance outcomes
- Ensures recurring & mandatory training is automatically reassigned
🔹 Key Use Cases:
✅ Energy, Healthcare, Mining, Construction & High-Risk Industries – Tracks technical competencies & job qualifications
✅ Small & Medium Enterprises – Use WorkPlan Learning for automated recurring training & compliance tracking
Selecting an LMS that aligns with your needs is critical for delivering effective training and ensuring long-term business success.
This comparison chart provides a clear overview of the different LMS categories, highlighting their unique strengths and ideal use cases. Whether you’re a training provider seeking to expand your services, a corporate organisation managing compliance, or an institution delivering blended learning, there is usually an LMS tailored to your requirements. It is important to select the right type for your current and future requirements.
WorkPlan Learning offers versatile features for B2B training, blended learning, and competency tracking to ensure your organisation achieves scalable, efficient, and impactful learning experiences.
Contact us to explore how an LMS can enhance your business results.
Phone: 1300 726 708
Email: contact@workplan.com.au
