License & Deployment Mix: 16 tools – 5 OSS, 7 SaaS. (OSS and SaaS counts can overlap when an open-source tool also offers a vendor-hosted edition.)
What Is a Learning Management System?
A Learning Management System (LMS) is a platform for creating, delivering, and tracking educational content. LMS platforms provide:
- Course authoring – tools for building courses, lessons, and modules with text, video, interactive content, and file attachments
- Content delivery – structured presentation of learning material with sequencing, prerequisites, and pacing controls
- Assessments and quizzes – graded evaluations with question banks, randomization, time limits, and automatic scoring
- Learner progress tracking – dashboards showing completion status, grades, time spent, and learning paths per user
- Completion certificates – automatic issuance of certificates when learners finish courses or pass assessments
- Gamification and badges – achievement systems with points, leaderboards, and digital badges to encourage engagement
- Mobile access – responsive web interfaces or native apps for learning on mobile devices
LMS platforms are used for employee onboarding, compliance training, product knowledge certification, academic instruction, and customer education. The market is dominated by Moodle (300M+ users worldwide, GPLv3), with strong competition from Open edX (large MOOC deployments), Canvas (US higher education), and commercial SaaS platforms like TalentLMS and Docebo for corporate training.
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it. Catalogue data version 2026.197.
Comparison
SSO / OIDC Comparison
OIDC is the preferred SSO protocol.
| Tool | OIDC | SAML | LDAP | Authentik Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle | Yes | Yes | Yes | OIDC via plugin (widely used); LDAP enrollment sync |
| Open edX | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native OIDC (third-party auth backend); SAML via plugin |
| ILIAS | Yes* | Yes | Yes | OIDC via plugin; SAML natively supported |
| Chamilo | No | No | Yes | LDAP only; no native OIDC or SAML |
| Canvas | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native OIDC and SAML; CAS also supported |
| Sakai | Yes* | Yes | Yes | OIDC via plugin; SAML natively supported |
| Forma LMS | No | Yes* | Yes | SAML via plugin; LDAP natively; no OIDC |
| Totara | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native OIDC (Microsoft + generic); SAML via plugin |
| LearnDash | Yes* | No | No | OIDC via WordPress plugins (e.g., OpenID Connect Generic) |
| Blackboard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native OIDC and SAML; Building Block framework |
| Google Classroom | Yes | Yes | Yes | Google Workspace OIDC/SAML with Authentik as IdP |
| TalentLMS | Yes | Yes | Yes* | Native SAML; OIDC via custom integration |
| Absorb LMS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native OIDC and SAML |
| Docebo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native OIDC and SAML; SCIM provisioning |
| Cornerstone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native OIDC and SAML; SCIM provisioning |
| Litmos | No | Yes | Yes | SAML SSO; no native OIDC |
* = requires specific configuration or plugin
Best SSO support: Canvas (native OIDC, SAML, LDAP), Blackboard (native OIDC, SAML, LDAP), Docebo (native OIDC, SAML, SCIM)
No native SSO: Chamilo (LDAP only)
API Comparison
| Tool | API Type | Auth | Webhooks | LTI | SDKs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle | REST + SOAP | Token, OAuth2 | Yes (event observers) | 1.1, 1.3 | PHP, Python, JS |
| Open edX | REST | OAuth2, JWT | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | Python |
| ILIAS | REST | Token, OAuth2 | No | 1.1, 1.3 | None official |
| Chamilo | REST (limited) | API key | No | 1.1 | PHP |
| Canvas | REST | OAuth2 | Yes (live events) | 1.1, 1.3 | Ruby, Python, JS |
| Sakai | REST | OAuth2, Basic | No | 1.1, 1.3 | None official |
| Forma LMS | REST (limited) | Token | No | No | None official |
| Totara | REST + GraphQL | Token, OAuth2 | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | PHP |
| LearnDash | REST (WP) | OAuth2, Basic | Yes (WP hooks) | No | PHP |
| Blackboard | REST | OAuth2 | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | Python, Java, JS |
| Google Classroom | REST | OAuth2 | Yes (Pub/Sub) | No | All major |
| TalentLMS | REST | API key | Yes | 1.1 | None official |
| Absorb LMS | REST | Token | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | None official |
| Docebo | REST v1 | OAuth2 | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | None official |
| Cornerstone | REST + SOAP | OAuth2 | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | None official |
| Litmos | REST | API key | Yes | 1.1 | None official |
Learning Features
| Tool | Course Authoring | SCORM/xAPI | Assessments | Certificates | Gamification | Mobile App | Offline Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI* | Yes (15+ types) | Yes (plugin) | Yes (plugin) | Yes (official) | Yes (app) |
| Open edX | Yes (Studio) | SCORM*, xAPI* | Yes (8+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (badges) | Yes (official) | Limited |
| ILIAS | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004 | Yes (12+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (badges) | No | No |
| Chamilo | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004 | Yes (10+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (badges) | No | No |
| Canvas | Yes (built-in) | SCORM*, xAPI* | Yes (12+ types) | No (LTI) | Yes (badges) | Yes (official) | No |
| Sakai | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004 | Yes (12+ types) | Yes (plugin) | No | Yes (responsive) | No |
| Forma LMS | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI | Yes (6+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (badges) | No | No |
| Totara | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI | Yes (15+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (official) | Yes (app) |
| LearnDash | Yes (WP editor) | SCORM* (add-on) | Yes (8+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (badges, points) | No | No |
| Blackboard | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI | Yes (15+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (achievements) | Yes (official) | Yes (app) |
| Google Classroom | No (Google Docs) | No | Yes (Forms) | No | No | Yes (official) | Yes (app) |
| TalentLMS | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI, cmi5 | Yes (8+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (points, badges) | Yes (official) | No |
| Absorb LMS | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI | Yes (8+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (leaderboards) | Yes (official) | Yes (app) |
| Docebo | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI, cmi5 | Yes (8+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (gamification) | Yes (official) | Yes (app) |
| Cornerstone | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI | Yes (10+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (official) | Yes (app) |
| Litmos | Yes (built-in) | SCORM 1.2/2004, xAPI | Yes (8+ types) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (badges, points) | Yes (official) | No |
* = via plugin or third-party integration
Content Standards
| Tool | SCORM 1.2 | SCORM 2004 | xAPI / Tin Can | LTI | cmi5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle | Yes | Yes | Via plugin | 1.1, 1.3 | Via plugin |
| Open edX | Via plugin | Via plugin | Via plugin | 1.1, 1.3 | No |
| ILIAS | Yes | Yes | No | 1.1, 1.3 | No |
| Chamilo | Yes | Yes | No | 1.1 | No |
| Canvas | Via plugin | Via plugin | Via plugin | 1.1, 1.3 | No |
| Sakai | Yes | Yes | No | 1.1, 1.3 | No |
| Forma LMS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Totara | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | No |
| LearnDash | Add-on | Add-on | No | No | No |
| Blackboard | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | No |
| Google Classroom | No | No | No | No | No |
| TalentLMS | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1.1 | Yes |
| Absorb LMS | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | No |
| Docebo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | Yes |
| Cornerstone | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1.1, 1.3 | No |
| Litmos | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1.1 | No |
Best standards support: TalentLMS (all five), Docebo (all five), Moodle (all five via plugins)
No standards support: Google Classroom (designed for Google Workspace integration, not packaged e-learning content)
Deployment and Licensing
| Tool | License | Self-Hosted | Database | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle | GPLv3 | Yes (Docker, bare metal) | MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL | Free; MoodleCloud from $130/yr |
| Open edX | AGPLv3 | Yes (Tutor/Docker) | MySQL, MongoDB | Free; 2U hosting from $10K/yr |
| ILIAS | GPLv3 | Yes (bare metal, Docker) | MySQL, MariaDB | Free |
| Chamilo | GPLv3 | Yes (bare metal, Docker) | MySQL, MariaDB | Free; Chamilo Association support |
| Canvas | AGPLv3 | Yes (Docker, bare metal) | PostgreSQL | Free (OSS); Instructure SaaS contact sales |
| Sakai | ECL 2.0 | Yes (bare metal, Docker) | MySQL, MariaDB | Free |
| Forma LMS | GPLv2 | Yes (bare metal, Docker) | MySQL, MariaDB | Free |
| Totara | Proprietary | Yes (bare metal, Docker) | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB | Subscription from $5/user/yr |
| LearnDash | Proprietary | Yes (WordPress) | MySQL (via WordPress) | From $199/yr (1 site) |
| Blackboard | Proprietary SaaS | No (SaaS only since 2024) | N/A (managed) | Contact sales |
| Google Classroom | Proprietary SaaS | No | N/A (managed) | Free (edu); Workspace from $7/user/mo |
| TalentLMS | Proprietary SaaS | No | N/A (managed) | Free (5 users); from $89/mo |
| Absorb LMS | Proprietary SaaS | No | N/A (managed) | Contact sales |
| Docebo | Proprietary SaaS | No | N/A (managed) | Contact sales (from ~$25K/yr) |
| Cornerstone | Proprietary SaaS | No | N/A (managed) | Contact sales |
| Litmos | Proprietary SaaS | No | N/A (managed) | From $6/user/mo |
Collaboration & Social
| Tool | Forums | Messaging | Video Conferencing | Peer Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Via plugin (BBB, Zoom) | Yes (Workshop) |
| Open edX | Yes (built-in) | No | Via LTI (Zoom, BBB) | Yes (ORA) |
| ILIAS | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Via plugin | Yes (built-in) |
| Chamilo | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | No |
| Canvas | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Via LTI (Zoom, BBB) | Yes (built-in) |
| Sakai | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Via LTI (Zoom, BBB) | Yes (built-in) |
| Forma LMS | Yes (built-in) | No | No | No |
| Totara | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Via plugin (BBB, Zoom) | Yes (built-in) |
| LearnDash | Via WP plugins | Via WP plugins | No | No |
| Blackboard | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (Collaborate Ultra) | Yes (built-in) |
| Google Classroom | Yes (stream) | No (use Meet) | Yes (Google Meet) | No |
| TalentLMS | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Via integration (Zoom, GoTo) | No |
| Absorb LMS | No | Yes (built-in) | Via integration (Zoom) | No |
| Docebo | Yes (Coach & Share) | Yes (built-in) | Via integration (Zoom, Teams) | Yes (social learning) |
| Cornerstone | Yes (built-in) | Yes (built-in) | Via integration | Yes (built-in) |
| Litmos | No | Yes (built-in) | Via integration (Zoom) | No |
BBB = BigBlueButton
Tools
16 tools.
Absorb LMS
Absorb LMS is an enterprise cloud learning management system focused on corporate training, compliance, and employee development. Founded in 2003, Absorb targets mid-to-large enterprises with a modern, AI-enhanced learning platform.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC
Blackboard / Anthology
Blackboard Learn is one of the oldest and most widely deployed learning management systems in higher education. Originally launched in 1997, Blackboard dominated the US higher education LMS market for over two decades.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Canvas LMS
Canvas LMS is the second most widely adopted LMS in US higher education and a major player in K-12 and corporate training markets.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Chamilo
Chamilo is a Spanish-origin open-source learning management system popular in Latin America, Spain, and francophone countries. Developed and maintained by the Chamilo Association (Belgium), it originated as a fork of Dokeos in 2010.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: none
Cornerstone Learning (Cornerstone OnDemand)
Cornerstone Learning is the LMS module within Cornerstone OnDemand’s broader human capital management (HCM) and talent management platform.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC
Docebo
Docebo is an enterprise AI-powered learning platform targeting large organizations with complex training requirements.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC
Forma LMS
Forma LMS is an open-source learning management system specifically designed for corporate training and professional development.
License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: SAML
Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a free learning management system tightly integrated with the Google Workspace ecosystem.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC
ILIAS
ILIAS is a German-origin open-source learning management system with a strong presence in European education, government, and corporate training.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: OIDC, SAML
LearnDash
LearnDash is the most popular WordPress LMS plugin, powering learning experiences for Fortune 500 companies, universities, and online course creators.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: SAML
Moodle
Moodle is the most widely deployed open-source learning management system in the world, with over 300 million users across 400,000+ sites in 240+ countries.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Open edX
Open edX is the open-source platform powering edX.org and thousands of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platforms worldwide.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Sakai
Sakai is an academic learning management system developed by and for the higher education community.
License: ECL-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: OIDC, SAML
SAP Litmos
SAP Litmos is a cloud-based learning management system originally developed by Litmos (later CallidusCloud) and acquired by SAP in 2018.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
TalentLMS
TalentLMS is a popular cloud-based learning management system targeting corporate training in SMB and mid-market organizations.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Totara Learn
Totara Learn is an enterprise corporate training LMS forked from Moodle, focused on workplace learning with competency frameworks, learning plans, certifications, and SCORM/xAPI/LTI content support.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: OIDC, SAML
