15 Best SCORM Authoring eLearning Tools (2024)
- Published: October 12, 2021
- Updated: January 23, 2024
Until recently creating effective training content was a challenging and time-consuming task for learning and development (L&D) teams. Fortunately, the rise of eLearning technologies has made creating course material more simple than ever.
Organizations are investing in cutting-edge L&D tools such as learning management systems (LMS), digital adoption platforms (DAP), eLearning authoring tools, employee training software, etc. to produce effective training content and deliver successful training programs effortlessly.
What Is SCORM?
SCORM, aka Shareable Content Object Reference Model, is the gold standard for any eLearning software solution. It is the default standard of eLearning that enables effective training. At its core, SCORM allows content authors to distribute their content quickly to a variety of LMS. It also governs how online learning content and LMS communicate with each other.
The combination of a SCORM-compliant LMS, a SCORM-compliant employee training software, and a SCORM-compliant eLearning authoring tool helps you integrate and accelerate your different types of training programs for your employees.
What Are SCORM Authoring Tools?
SCORM authoring tools allow you to create and manage SCORM-compliant courses and publish them to any SCORM-compliant LMS. These SCORM-compliant courses are compatible on a multitude of platforms without any adjustments, and empower training managers to easily track their learners’ activity, monitor progression, and measure their training results.
How to Choose a SCORM Authoring Tool
Here are a few factors to consider when researching a new SCORM-compliant authoring tool for your organization:
1. Integration with Existing LMS
The most crucial factor to consider before making a buying decision on a SCORM-friendly eLearning authoring tool is whether it aligns with your LMS and learning record store (LRS). Most authoring tools are built to align with the most popular LMS applications. Some vendors are also open to tweaking their SCORM according to your requirements.
2. Intuitive UI
Your SCORM authoring tool must have a user-friendly interface, as well as be flexible enough to design interactive and immersive online training content with a good workflow. It is very important to have an intuitive UI when designing an extensive course material because it saves time and energy – and fosters a learning environment that is overall simple and easy to use.
3. Collaboration Factors
eLearning is great for distributed, remote teams and is perfect for teams that have many employees working in different geographical locations. To provide standardized course content for all your participants, consider a SCORM authoring tool with collaborative features such as:
- Multi-language support for creating courses in different languages
- Shared eLearning resource centers and instant sharing options (email, links, social media)
- Co-authoring and author control
4. Online Training Assessments
SCORM authoring tools with assessment features help measure the effectiveness of your training material by assessing learner’s comprehension, knowledge transfer, and retention after the training program has been completed.
5. Effective Training Tools
Your eLearning authoring tool needs to collect and monitor individual employee data such as completion rates, performance, progression, comprehension, etc. to help you improve and design training materials and boost employee engagement rates.
15 Best SCORM Authoring Tools for eLearning in 2021
1. Whatfix
Whatfix is the world’s first SCORM-compliant in-app guidance tool that allows you to easily create interactive courses and upload to your LMS in just a few clicks.
Instead of giving employees how-to or help articles, you can design in-app guidance that walks users through each step of application use cases – such as common troubleshooting problems, advanced features, and more. Whatfix’s intuitive SCORM-compliant platform works hand-in-hand with your LMS and guides users in real-time until successful completion of assigned tasks.
You can design SCORM-compliant learning material with Whatfix by creating interactive walkthroughs that display as a step-by-step overlay for web applications.
Once you have a piece of training content you’re happy with, you can repurpose it into a variety of multimodal learning formats such as a video, a PDF, or a slideshow to use for training across your enterprise. Whatfix LMS integrations will maximize your productivity and help you limit complexity as you introduce new L&D programs and training materials.
Pricing: Upon request
Software clicks better with Whatfix's digital adoption platform
Enable your employees with in-app guidance, self-help support, process changes alerts, pop-ups for department announcements, and field validations to improve data accuracy.
2. Adobe Captive
Adobe Captivate’s SCORM authoring tool comes as a standalone, slide-based content maker with a quiz builder, video creator, and a content library. It enables you to create mobile-ready courses in minutes with ‘Quick Start Projects’, ready-to-go slides, and out-of-the-box interaction features. Adobe Captive is a feature-richol that enables you to:
- Convert existing PowerPoint content to interactive videos
- Create mobile-ready courses
- Create a screencast by simultaneously recording webcam and on-screen content
- Create multi-module branched courses with zero programming
- Create virtual reality walkthroughs
Captivate is one of the most feature-rich tools, which is why it comes with a steep learning curve – meaning it may not be the best option for those looking to create simple employee training content.
Pricing: $400 per user, annually
3. Articulate Storyline 360
A well-known name in the world of authoring, Articulate Storyline is a clean and modern SCORM authoring tool with plenty of powerful features. It’s an intuitive, familiar tool that integrates seamlessly with ‘Content Library 360’ for you to start designing courses quickly – with templatized,high-quality assets. Storyline 360 is simple enough for beginners, yet powerful enough for experienced L&D professionals.
The tool has a responsive design system that dynamically adapts your eLearning content to tablet and smartphone screens, providing an optimal viewing experience for your learners – regardless of their device. Unlike Adobe Captivate, you do not have to adjust your course for various device breakpoints. Some other features of Articulate Storyline are:
- Touchscreen gestures.
- Easy collaboration with team members.
- Personalize interactions.
- Software simulations and screencasts.
- Import video of any type or format.
Pricing: Storyline 3 upgrade = $699, New Storyline 3 license = $1,398
4. Articulate Rise 360
Made from the same eLearning software company as Storyline, Articulate Rise 360 is another top-of-the-line authoring tool from Articulate. If you’re new to content creation, Articulate Rise 360 is a great place for you to start.
The tool focuses on mobile-responsive content, making it a smart choice for those who want courses compatible with every device. Similar to Storyline, the tool has a clean, modern interface that delivers visually-pleasing results.
It’s cloud-based, so collaboration and review happens in a single dashboard that can be accessed anywhere, via a web browser . The ability to clone courses means you can speed up the localization and translation process for your training content creation process.
Price: $1,299 per user, annually
5. Elucidat
Elucidat is a cloud-based authoring tool that makes it simple for large organizations to quickly produce effective online learning content.
The tool provides ready-made templates to produce mobile-friendly eLearning. Team-level permissions, brand control, reusable assets, and localization tools make it easy to manage digital learning at scale. Some of the highlighting features of Elucidat include:
- Multi-language and localized versions for courses.
- Updates across multiple courses in just a few clicks.
- Multi-device slider to check how your content will look on different screen sizes.
- Easily project duplication and sharing with the team to maximize reuse and production efficiencies.
- Personalized pathways for learners.
Pricing: Upon request
6. iSpring Suite
iSpring Suite is a robust PowerPoint-based toolkit for creating eLearning content. The tool is great for beginners and you can start using it with no prior experience in eLearning authoring. Simply select PowerPoint presentation, add interactive content using the dedicated tools included within the iSpring platform, and publish a mobile-ready SCORM module that can be uploaded straight to your LMS. Also, iSpring courses automatically adapt to any screen size and ratio.
Pricing: $770 per user, annually
7. Composcia
Composcia is another SCORM authoring tool with a strong focus on simple collaboration, enabling you to seamlessly work with colleagues. You can add different users, assign tasks, and always have the most up-to-date version of your content.
Composica puts you in full control of your course’s design and behavior. Any object can be styled, modified, and positioned according to your content or brand guidelines. It also has competitive pricing, so it’s a relatively affordable option for small or medium-sized businesses.
Pricing: $99/ month
8. Camtasia
Camtasia is a SCORM authoring tool specialized in creating high-quality interactive learning video sessions. It empowers you to record screencast and webcam, add visual instructions or quiz questions to the recorded video, and upload it on any online video-sharing platform where users can access it. It may not be as powerful as the other tools, but this SCORM content creator is easy-to-use and does not require any formal video training.
Creating training videos is an effective employee training method, both in terms of cost and engagement and beginner-friendly video training software makes it easier for L&D teams to produce impactful training videos for their employees.
Price: $249.99 for a lifetime license
9. dominKnow One
dominKnow One is a powerful cloud-based SCORM authoring tool that works well at making mobile responsive content. It is very convenient for teams as they can easily share, reuse, and collaborate on the content faster, by managing assets centrally. Here are some important features of the tool:
- Translates and localizes content
- Provides a central library loaded with assets
- Provides built-in software simulation
- Allows you to publish in multiple formats
- Enables real-time collaboration
Pricing: SOLO = $997 per user, annually; TEAM = $1,497 per user, annually
10. Knowbly
Knowbly SCORM authoring tool comes with a standard set of tools to help you build eLearning courses with text, media, interactions, and quizzes. It is a simple yet powerful authoring tool with all the features an eLearning beginner needs – such as drag and drop content creation, quick customizability, mobile-responsiveness, and more. Knowbly is cloud-based with built-in review and real-time collaboration. A centralized source makes localization, translations and updates easier.
Pricing: $695 per user, annually
11. Lectora Online
Both a cloud and a Windows-based, on-premise solution, Lectora is an eLearning authoring tool that works well for creating SCORM content. Lectora’s mobile design approach gives you control of how your content displays across all devices. Content automatically adapts to the viewing device but you can make adjustments as needed. Here are a few core features of Lectora:
- Intricate branching navigation, click-to-reveal interactions, knowledge checks, quizzes and assessments, and feedback popups.
- Animation, timeline, and event-based triggers to synchronize audio, video, and user actions in a sequence of timed events.
- Course starter templates in fresh designs.
- Built-in asset library.
- Personalize courses with video using user-friendly screen recording and editing tool.
- Use built-in variables and conditions to create custom learning paths that adapt based on click behavior.
Price: $899 per user, annually
12. Evolve
Evolve is an intuitive SCORM authoring tool for quickly building powerful eLearning content. It has a rich set of features that gives you total control of every aspect of course creation and presentation. With Evolve, authors can make changes at scale with just a few clicks and have the option whether to release the courses online or offline. One of the biggest benefits of Evolve is that it creates HTML5 eLearning content that works on any platform or device from desktops, tablets and smartphones.
As you build your courses with Evolve, you can see the changes you make in the Live Preview. Content updates as you change it, there is no need to wait or refresh your page.
Pricing: $400 per user, annually
13. Adapt Learning
Adapt Learning is a free and easy to use e-learning SCORM authoring tool that creates fully responsive, multi-device, HTML5 e-learning content using the Adapt developer framework. You can easily create an account, log in, create courses, add interactive elements then preview and publish your content.
Pricing: Free (open source)
14. Gomo
Gomo is another cloud-based authoring platform with content management capabilities. It’s a good solution if you are aiming at mobile learning before anything else. The cloud-based eLearning software encourages collaborative working, while allowing content to be quickly updated and instantly distributed. Gomo uses HTML5 and the latest web technologies to create courses tailored to your brand and work effortlessly on any device. The leading multi-language and localized content options make it perfectly suited for global networks of learners. Editing and redesigning built-in templates can be a bit tricky, but it’s a good fit for bite-size learning.
Pricing: Upon request
15. Easygenerator
Easygenerator SCORM authoring tool that enables anyone, from e-learning professionals to subject-matter experts, to create and share interactive content, track results and collaborate with multiple authors in real-time. The tool’s “drag and drop” editor makes creating interactive content easy and does not require any technical expertise.
You can integrate Easygenerator with your intranet or other systems. And also combine the tool with your LMS, LRS, LXP, or EPSS, whatever supports your knowledge management best.
Pricing: $1188 per user, annually
SCORM Authoring Tools for your eLearning courses
SCORM authoring tools help you streamline content creation so that you can easily upload your eLearning courses to the LMS. These tools are a cost-effective solution to content development for every organization.
This article highlighted the top 15 SCORM eLearning authoring tools. Perhaps this list will help you find the best fit for your training needs and get started with your organization’s learning journey.
Disha Gupta
Disha is a Senior Content Marketing Manager at Whatfix. Her writing focuses on HR, L&D, and technology enablement topics - from employee onboarding, training and development, employee performance support, knowledge management, workforce transformation, HCM, LMS, and emerging trends in enterprise L&D.
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