Softwr

Education · head to head

Blackboard vs Skilljar

Blackboard logo

Blackboard

Education

Comprehensive learning platform for educational institutions

From
$10/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Skilljar logo

Skilljar

LMS

Customer education platform that treats training completion as a commercial signal in the CRM

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Blackboard user interface is outdated, cluttered, and unintuitive with hidden menus and excessive clicks; Skilljar pricing is an enterprise annual commitment, so a first certification pilot costs more than it can demonstrate and teams should prove the programme elsewhere first.
  • They diverge on capability: Blackboard covers Course management, Skilljar covers Branded course catalogue.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blackboard and Skilljar actually diverge.

Attributes where Blackboard and Skilljar differ
AttributeBlackboardSkilljar
Starting price$10/yearOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryEducationLMS
Founded1997Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Blackboard

  • Course management
  • Assessment tools
  • Discussion boards
  • Virtual classroom
  • Gradebook
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics
  • Accessibility

Only in Skilljar

  • Branded course catalogue
  • CRM data write-back
  • Certification with expiry
  • Domain and theme control
  • Self-paced and instructor-led
  • Engagement analytics

What people use each for

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

Blackboard

  • Course deliverynot Skilljar
  • Student engagementnot Skilljar
  • Assessmentnot Skilljar
  • Virtual learningnot Skilljar

Skilljar

  • A software company whose support ticket volume is driven by customers who were never trainednot Blackboard
  • Customer success teams that want training engagement visible next to renewal risk in Salesforcenot Blackboard
  • Partner certification programmes where credentials must expire and be renewednot Blackboard
  • Reducing time to first value during onboarding by giving customers self serve training before implementationnot Blackboard

Where each one falls short

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

Blackboard

  • User interface is outdated, cluttered, and unintuitive with hidden menus and excessive clicks
  • Slow response times and platform crashes when opening multiple tabs simultaneously
  • Cannot track detailed student activity beyond most recent login information
  • Limited ability to handle large file uploads for content and assignments
  • Minimal customization options for page and template design

Skilljar

  • Pricing is an enterprise annual commitment, so a first certification pilot costs more than it can demonstrate and teams should prove the programme elsewhere first.
  • The commercial value depends on the Salesforce integration being properly configured, and companies with messy CRM data get engagement reporting joined to accounts that do not reflect reality.
  • It is built for external audiences, so using it for internal employee compliance means paying for capability that internal training does not need.
  • Content authoring is not a strength, so most customers licence an authoring tool separately and run two content workflows.
  • Attribution remains contested. The platform shows that trained accounts renew better, but establishing that training caused the renewal rather than that engaged customers train more is a problem the reporting cannot solve for you.

Pricing, plan by plan

Blackboard

$10/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Blackboard review.

Skilljar

On request
  • Skilljar$undefined/year
    • Annual enterprise contract, quoted
    • Entry point sits well above self-serve course platforms
    • Implementation and integration services quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Blackboard if

  • You need course management.
  • You also want assessment tools.
Blackboard review

Choose Skilljar if

  • You need branded course catalogue.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want crm data write-back.
Skilljar review

Questions people ask

Is Blackboard or Skilljar better?
Neither clearly leads. Blackboard starts at $10/year and Skilljar at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blackboard or Skilljar?
Blackboard starts at $10/year and Skilljar at On request.
Does Blackboard or Skilljar run on more platforms?
Blackboard runs on Web. Skilljar runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Blackboard best used for?
Blackboard is most often used for course delivery, student engagement, assessment, virtual learning. Of those, course delivery and student engagement are not what Skilljar is typically brought in for.
What can Blackboard do that Skilljar cannot?
Blackboard covers Course management, Assessment tools, Discussion boards, Virtual classroom. Skilljar covers Branded course catalogue, CRM data write-back, Certification with expiry, Domain and theme control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blackboard: What does Blackboard LMS offer?

Blackboard is a learning management system that includes course management, assignment and gradebook tools, discussion forums, and analytics for tracking learner progress in online, hybrid, and in-person courses.

Source
Skilljar: How is Skilljar different from a corporate LMS?

A corporate learning platform reports on employees for compliance. Skilljar reports on customers for retention and expansion, and writes that activity into the CRM so account teams see it.

Skilljar: Do learners need accounts before they can browse?

No. Catalogues can be public so prospects and customers browse and enrol without a sales conversation, which is a large part of the self serve onboarding case.

Skilljar: Is it worth it for a small customer education team?

Usually not at the start. The contract floor assumes an established programme, so prove the value on a cheaper platform and move once retention or revenue evidence exists.

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