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LMS · head to head

LinkedIn Learning vs Thought Industries

LinkedIn Learning logo

LinkedIn Learning

LMS

Develop skills with expert-led courses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thought Industries logo

Thought Industries

LMS

External learning platform for companies that sell training to customers and partners as a product

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: LinkedIn Learning no pricing published on main site; specific subscription costs and billing periods not disclosed; Thought Industries the annual floor is an enterprise number, so organisations with modest training revenue pay more in platform fees than a revenue share would have cost them.
  • They diverge on capability: LinkedIn Learning covers Video courses, Thought Industries covers Commerce engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LinkedIn Learning and Thought Industries actually diverge.

Attributes where LinkedIn Learning and Thought Industries differ
AttributeLinkedIn LearningThought Industries
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (LMS).

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 LinkedIn Learning

  • Video courses
  • Certificates
  • Learning paths
  • Skill assessments
  • LinkedIn integration
  • Mobile learning
  • Offline viewing
  • Recommendations

Only in Thought Industries

  • Commerce engine
  • Licence and seat management
  • Multi-tenant panorama delivery
  • Certification programmes
  • Learning path personalisation
  • Analytics on revenue and consumption

What people use each for

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

LinkedIn Learning

  • Skill developmentnot Thought Industries
  • Career growthnot Thought Industries
  • Team trainingnot Thought Industries
  • Professional developmentnot Thought Industries

Thought Industries

  • A software company whose customer certification programme has grown past what a creator platform can administernot LinkedIn Learning
  • Professional bodies selling continuing education with certification renewal cyclesnot LinkedIn Learning
  • Manufacturers training distributor and dealer networks who each need their own branded environmentnot LinkedIn Learning
  • Any training business where a percentage of revenue model has become more expensive than a flat platform feenot LinkedIn Learning

Where each one falls short

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

LinkedIn Learning

  • No pricing published on main site; specific subscription costs and billing periods not disclosed
  • Free trial available but specific trial duration not stated on homepage

Thought Industries

  • The annual floor is an enterprise number, so organisations with modest training revenue pay more in platform fees than a revenue share would have cost them.
  • Implementation is measured in months and needs an internal owner, so the platform sits unused and paid for during a slow rollout.
  • It is designed for external audiences, so using it for internal employee compliance training means paying for commerce and multi-tenancy capability that internal training does not need.
  • Configuration depth for commerce and tenancy means the administrator role is a real job, and organisations that assign it as a fraction of someone else's role underuse the system.
  • Content authoring is not the strength, so most customers pair it with a separate authoring tool and manage two vendors and two content workflows.

Pricing, plan by plan

LinkedIn Learning

On request
  • Monthly$29.99/month
    • All courses
    • Certificates
    • LinkedIn integration
  • Annual$19.99/month
    • All courses
    • Offline viewing
    • Personalized recommendations
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Admin tools
    • Analytics
    • Learning paths

Thought Industries

On request
  • Thought Industries$undefined/year
    • Annual platform fee, quoted
    • No percentage taken of course revenue
    • Implementation and success services quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose LinkedIn Learning if

  • You need video courses.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want certificates.
LinkedIn Learning review

Choose Thought Industries if

  • You need commerce engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want licence and seat management.
Thought Industries review

Questions people ask

Is LinkedIn Learning or Thought Industries better?
Neither clearly leads. LinkedIn Learning starts at On request and Thought Industries at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LinkedIn Learning or Thought Industries?
LinkedIn Learning starts at On request and Thought Industries at On request.
Does LinkedIn Learning or Thought Industries run on more platforms?
LinkedIn Learning runs on Web, IOS, Android. Thought Industries runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is LinkedIn Learning best used for?
LinkedIn Learning is most often used for skill development, career growth, team training, professional development. Of those, skill development and career growth are not what Thought Industries is typically brought in for.
What can LinkedIn Learning do that Thought Industries cannot?
LinkedIn Learning covers Video courses, Certificates, Learning paths, Skill assessments. Thought Industries covers Commerce engine, Licence and seat management, Multi-tenant panorama delivery, Certification programmes.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LinkedIn Learning: How much does LinkedIn Learning cost?

LinkedIn Learning does not publish subscription prices on its website. Pricing is only available after clicking the 'Start free trial' or 'Buy for my team' buttons to access the purchase page.

Source
Thought Industries: Does Thought Industries take a percentage of course sales?

No. It charges an annual platform fee. That is more expensive than a revenue share at low volume and considerably cheaper once training revenue grows.

LinkedIn Learning: Does LinkedIn Learning offer a free trial?

Yes, LinkedIn Learning offers a free trial option accessible from the main site, though the specific trial duration is not stated on the homepage.

Source
Thought Industries: Can one platform serve several corporate customers separately?

Yes. Multi-tenant delivery gives each business customer its own branded environment and administrator while content stays centrally managed.

Thought Industries: Is it suitable for internal employee training?

It can do it, but you would be paying for commerce and tenancy features that internal compliance training does not use. A corporate learning platform is usually the better fit.

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Related pages

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