Top 5 Best eLearning Authoring Tools

Originally published on iotworm.com

When you are creating your eLearning program, it’s common to wonder how you will actually create the course. What authoring tool will you use? To make it easier for you to decide, we have gathered a list of the top 5 best eLearning authoring tools. If you decide to use an authoring tool, one of these will be a good choice. The specific one that works best for you will depend on your course content and familiarity with the program. 

Authoring tool #1. Rise

Rise is easily one of the best eLearning authoring tools if you want to prioritize mobile responsiveness. It lets you easily build out the course, and it will work on tablets, phones, and computers, including vertically and landscape. As a bonus, it is incredibly easy to use, making it very popular among instructional designers and course creators. Rise is part of the Articulate 360. 

Authoring tool #2. Captivate

Captivate is another of our favorite authoring tools, and this one is an Adobe product. While Captivate can work with several types of eLearning content, it excels at turning PowerPoints into eLearning videos. You can import your PowerPoints and then add questions for your learners. 

Authoring tool #3. Storyline

Storyline is another part of Articulate 360, but this is a more complicated authoring tool. You should be able to pick up the basics from it fairly quickly, but it can take a long time to learn how to use every single feature. The wealth of features makes it possible to completely customize your course once you get the hang of it. Instructional designers who can use Storyline are in high demand due to the plethora of tools and customization. 

Authoring tool #4. Loom

Loom is one of our favorites among the best eLearning authoring tools because it is so easy to use. It is a screen recording tool that is incredibly intuitive. You just hit a record button and it starts recording your screen. Then, you can go through PowerPoints or anything else. You can also do some basic video editing in Loom. 

One unique thing about Loom compared to the other authoring tools on this list is that it can also serve as an LMS. This is because it can host and distribute your content. As a bonus, Loom is the most affordable option on this list and offers the best value.

Bonus: A Native Authoring Tool

Instead of a specific tool, our final choice for the best eLearning authoring tools is native tools built into your LMS. More and more LMSs are including authoring tools, so you don’t have to choose something else or worry about compatibility between your systems. Our favorite example of an LMS with an authoring tool built-in is Kajabi. Kajabi also has a lot of other features, making it an LXP and not just an LMS. 

Conclusion

You may not need to use an authoring tool, especially if your chosen LMS already has one built into it. If you do decide you need an authoring tool, our top picks are Rise, Captivate, Storyline, and Loom. Storyline is the most complex of the four and Loom is the easiest to use, although Rise is also straightforward.