Softwr

LMS · head to head

LinkedIn Learning vs Totara

LinkedIn Learning logo

LinkedIn Learning

LMS

Develop skills with expert-led courses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Totara logo

Totara

LMS

Open source learning, performance and collaboration platform derived from Moodle and sold through partners

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; Totara you cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • They diverge on capability: LinkedIn Learning covers Video courses, Totara covers Organisational hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LinkedIn Learning and Totara actually diverge.

Attributes where LinkedIn Learning and Totara differ
AttributeLinkedIn LearningTotara
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Linux
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Totara

  • Organisational hierarchies
  • Compliance and certification
  • Totara Perform
  • Totara Engage
  • Self-hosting
  • Programs and learning plans

What people use each for

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

LinkedIn Learning

  • Skill developmentnot Totara
  • Career growthnot Totara
  • Team trainingnot Totara
  • Professional developmentnot Totara

Totara

  • Health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchynot LinkedIn Learning
  • Organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructurenot LinkedIn Learning
  • Moodle users who need appraisal, competency and compliance features the academic product does not carrynot LinkedIn Learning
  • Buyers who want exit rights over the platform code rather than dependence on a single hosted vendornot 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

Totara

  • You cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • Open source does not mean cheap. Subscription plus partner hosting plus implementation and version upgrade services commonly lands near commercial system cost, and the saving is in control and exit rights rather than in the invoice.
  • The administrative interface carries its Moodle lineage and is dense, so administrator training is a real project cost rather than an afterthought.
  • Major version upgrades are projects, especially where a partner has customised the deployment, and organisations that customise heavily find upgrades slower and dearer over time.
  • The learner facing experience is functional rather than engaging, and organisations wanting a consumer grade learning experience usually front it with something else.

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

Totara

On request
  • Totara subscription via partner$undefined/year
    • Sold only through distribution partners
    • Partner sets hosting, implementation and support pricing
    • Source available under the GPL, but subscription required for supported releases

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 Totara if

  • You need organisational hierarchies.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want compliance and certification.
Totara review

Questions people ask

Is LinkedIn Learning or Totara better?
Neither clearly leads. LinkedIn Learning starts at On request and Totara at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LinkedIn Learning or Totara?
LinkedIn Learning starts at On request and Totara at On request.
Does LinkedIn Learning or Totara run on more platforms?
LinkedIn Learning runs on Web, IOS, Android. Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
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 Totara is typically brought in for.
What can LinkedIn Learning do that Totara cannot?
LinkedIn Learning covers Video courses, Certificates, Learning paths, Skill assessments. Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage.

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
Totara: Is Totara free because it is open source?

No. The source is available under the GPL, but supported releases require a subscription, and it is sold through partners who add hosting, implementation and support costs.

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
Totara: How is it different from Moodle?

Moodle is built around courses and academic delivery. Totara adds organisational hierarchies, role based automatic assignment, recurring certification and appraisal, which is what workplace compliance reporting needs.

Totara: Can we host it ourselves?

Yes. Self hosting is a genuine option and is one of the main reasons regulated and public sector buyers choose it over a hosted only competitor.

Share

Related pages

More on LinkedIn Learning

More on Totara

Keep looking

Other head to heads