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Software · head to head

Absorb LMS vs Articulate 360

Absorb LMS logo

Absorb LMS

Software

Enterprise LMS for measurable business impact

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Articulate 360 logo

Articulate 360

Software

The complete e-learning authoring solution

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Absorb LMS pricing not transparently listed on website; Articulate 360 priced annually per user at $1,749 for Teams and $1,449 for Personal, with no monthly option shown
  • They diverge on capability: Absorb LMS covers Course management, Articulate 360 covers Storyline 360.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Absorb LMS and Articulate 360 actually diverge.

Attributes where Absorb LMS and Articulate 360 differ
AttributeAbsorb LMSArticulate 360
PlatformsWeb, Cloud-basedWindows, Web (Rise)
Founded20032002

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Absorb LMS

  • Course management
  • AI-powered learning
  • Compliance tracking
  • Mobile learning
  • E-commerce
  • Reporting
  • Gamification
  • Social learning

Only in Articulate 360

  • Storyline 360
  • Rise 360
  • Content Library
  • Review 360
  • Screen recording
  • Characters
  • Templates
  • SCORM/xAPI

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Absorb LMS

  • Employee onboarding and professional developmentnot Articulate 360
  • Compliance training with automated updatesnot Articulate 360
  • Customer education and product trainingnot Articulate 360
  • Partner enablement and sales trainingnot Articulate 360

Articulate 360

  • Authoring e-learning courses with Storyline and Risenot Absorb LMS
  • Delivering training through the built-in LMSnot Absorb LMS
  • Review and approval cycles with subject matter expertsnot Absorb LMS
  • Exporting SCORM packages to an existing LMSnot Absorb LMS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Absorb LMS

  • Pricing not transparently listed on website
  • Requires implementation and setup time

Articulate 360

  • Priced annually per user at $1,749 for Teams and $1,449 for Personal, with no monthly option shown
  • The built-in LMS covers up to 300 active learners; larger audiences need the Reach Pro add-on
  • Learner analytics, API integrations and localisation are all paid add-ons
  • Collaboration features, including co-authoring and shared folders, require the Teams plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Absorb LMS

On request
  • Core$undefined/month
    • Course management
    • Reporting
    • Mobile app
  • Professional$undefined/month
    • All Core
    • E-commerce
    • Custom branding
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • All Professional
    • AI features
    • SSO

Articulate 360

On request
  • Personal$1399/month
    • Storyline 360
    • Rise 360
    • Content Library
  • Teams$1599/month
    • All Personal
    • Team collaboration
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Volume licensing
    • SSO
    • Custom onboarding

Which should you pick?

Choose Absorb LMS if

  • You need course management.
  • You work on Web, Cloud-based.
  • You also want ai-powered learning.
Absorb LMS review

Choose Articulate 360 if

  • You need storyline 360.
  • You work on Windows, Web (Rise).
  • You also want rise 360.
Articulate 360 review

Questions people ask

Is Absorb LMS or Articulate 360 better?
Neither clearly leads. Absorb LMS starts at On request and Articulate 360 at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Absorb LMS or Articulate 360?
Absorb LMS starts at On request and Articulate 360 at On request.
Does Absorb LMS or Articulate 360 run on more platforms?
Absorb LMS runs on Web, Cloud-based. Articulate 360 runs on Windows, Web (Rise).
What is Absorb LMS best used for?
Absorb LMS is most often used for employee onboarding and professional development, compliance training with automated updates, customer education and product training, partner enablement and sales training. Of those, employee onboarding and professional development and compliance training with automated updates are not what Articulate 360 is typically brought in for.
What can Absorb LMS do that Articulate 360 cannot?
Absorb LMS covers Course management, AI-powered learning, Compliance tracking, Mobile learning. Articulate 360 covers Storyline 360, Rise 360, Content Library, Review 360.
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