5 eLearning Authoring Tools to Decide From

If you’ve been in L&D, you might be familiar with the term ‘authoring tool’. But what are authoring tools? They are software programs that provide a set of features so that you can create eLearning courses adhering to eLearning and Web standards (HTML5, Tin Can (xAPI), SCORM, AICC, cmi5, WCAG 2.1, etc.). 

Today, one can find several different authoring tools in the market – each with its unique set of features and area of application. Which one should you choose? Well, the correct answer (as always) is that your choice depends on your business needs and L&D budget.
 
Not entirely convincing? Need more detail? As a trusted L&D consultant and services provider, we’d be happy to help you decide this as we review some commonly used authoring tools.  
 
(Here’s us putting on our consulting hat …) 

1. Adobe Captivate 

Configuration: Installable on local machine, also available as part of Cloud package 

One of the earliest and most popular players in the game, Adobe Captivate is a power-packed rapid authoring tool that helps you create virtually everything in eLearning – from responsive courses and scenarios to Virtual Reality (VR) and software simulations.
 
Pros:  

• Good for recording software simulations 
• Supports fluid content and accessibility 
• VR capabilities 
• iPad app for development on-the-go 

Cons: 

• Steep learning curve 
• Difficult to update 

Pricing: $33.99 (monthly) | $1299 (annual) | other options 

2. Articulate 360  

Configuration: Installable on local machine, also available as part of Cloud package 

The most popular rapid authoring solution, Articulate 360 is a collection or suite of 9 tools. Out of these, Storyline 360 (used for common eLearning) is installed locally, while Rise (for online responsive courses) is cloud-based.
 
Pros:  

• Supports the creation of most kinds of eLearning content 
• PowerPoint-inspired interface, moderately easy learning curve 
• Rise (cloud-based) allows you to create responsive courses easily using excellent GUI 
• Powerful asset library and excellent community support 

Cons: 

• No editing of responsive versions (not possible to increase text size on mobile screen) 
• Quite expensive 

Pricing: $549 (annual) | $1,399 (annual) | other options 

Check out some fabulous award-winning courses that we developed for our clients in Storyline as part of our custom learning and training support.
 

3. Elucidat

Configuration: Cloud-based 

In case you are looking to invest in a tool that makes it super-easy to design and update courses, collaborate, and distribute large-scale training, you could explore Elucidat, a cloud-based authoring tool. The learning curve is shallow, allowing non-designers the confidence to work with it. A point to be noted is that all Elucidat courses are fully responsive and Accessibility Requirements Tool (ART) compliant.
 
Pros:  

• Easy to use (especially for interactivities) 
• Excellent Graphical User Interface (UI) 
• Fully supports responsive content and accessibility 
• Provides analytics dashboards to easily monitor learner progress 

Cons: 

• No screen or video recording capabilities 
• Limited interactive elements 
• Lack of flexibility 
• Very expensive 

Pricing: Not listed on the website (reach out to the Elucidat pricing team | Generally on the higher side 

4. iSpring Suite 

Configuration: MS PowerPoint Plug-in 

If you are seeking a simple solution that allows you to create courseware quickly and easily, you should consider the iSpring Suite. Designers have multiple interactive and question templates to choose from, along with access to iSpring’s content library. This tool includes features for video editing, screen recording, online collaboration, and text-to-speech conversion. Importantly, all iSpring courses are adaptive, meaning, they can play seamlessly on any device.
 
Pros:  

• Easy to use 
• Inexpensively priced 
• Supports adaptive courses 

Cons: 

• Dependent on MS PowerPoint 
• Needs to be installed locally  

Pricing: $470 (annual)| $1970 (annual)| other options 

5. Lectora  

Configuration: Installable on local machine, also available as part of Cloud package 

A power-packed authoring tool that deserves mention is Lectora, by ELB. It allows for collaborative working and is fully WCAG-compliant and responsive. It supports numerous interactivities, conditional branching, and sequenced events, and works well with most LMSes.
 
Pros:  

• Access to numerous templates and assets by ELB 
• Good branching capability 
• Easy to collaborate 

Cons: 

• Steep learning curve 
• Average-looking GUI 
• Too expensive 

Pricing: $1,399 (annual) | other options 

 (…coming to our solutions…)
 
Each authoring tool has pros and cons, but some products are clearly better and more versatile than others. Based on the information in this article, it should be easy to pick the tool that works for you, and most importantly, solves your business and training needs, while giving you maximum ROI for your learning.
 
Besides the five popular products mentioned above, we suggest you explore other options such as GoMo,
Evolve, and Udutu, just to get an idea about their offerings and compare their features with the others.  
 
Last but not least, along with these technicalities, make sure you consult a one-stop learning services provider who ensures that the purpose and the content do not get lost!
 

Note: For the latest updates related to features and pricing, please refer to the official website of the respective authoring tool. 

References: 

1. The Best eLearning Authoring Tools, PC Magazine (Updated: November 29, 2017) 
2. HTML5 Authoring Tools for eLearning: Top Picks for 2020, YouTube(Posted: Mar 23, 2020) 
3. Introducing the all-new Adobe Captivate  
4. Storyline 360 
5. Support and Onboarding 
6. Fast eLearning authoring toolkit 
7. Lectora®—the most powerful eLearning authoring tool for creating online learning