7 Top Software Tools for Training Employees in 2025

Employee training has never been more important - or more complicated. In 2026, learning and development (L&D) teams need software that can keep up with rapid business change and growing learner expectations. The challenge is clear: while 68% of employees feel better prepared for the future thanks to training, almost half say AI is moving faster than their company’s learning programs, and most agree there’s still room for improvement.

Gamification is also changing the game. 83% of employees say they're more motivated when training uses things like points, badges, or leaderboards. L&D teams want faster onboarding, scalable content, simple integrations, compliance tracking, and better analytics. And free plans aren't always enough - most cap users or features, especially on analytics.

Here are the seven best training software options for 2026, with real outcomes, practical pricing, key use cases, and honest watch-outs. Where relevant, I'll also share how Colossyan can help you get more value from each platform by transforming static materials into high-impact training videos.

How we selected the top 7

We focused on outcomes first. Platforms had to show results - cutting onboarding time, reducing turnover, improving productivity, or boosting motivation. Transparent pricing and scalability mattered. Compliance is non-negotiable for most teams, so we checked for things like ISO 27001, GDPR, and SSO. AI-powered content, authoring ease, and proven content libraries sped up training launches. Integrations (HRIS, CRM, SSO, and video) and mobile readiness were essential. And wherever it makes sense, i'll explain how Colossyan’s AI video, SCORM support, translation, and analytics fit in.

TalentLMS - best free plan and rapid rollout

TalentLMS is popular for a reason. Over 70,000 teams use it, reporting a 96% satisfaction rate. In one case, a dental chain cut employee turnover from 40% to 25% by streamlining training. TalentLibrary adds over 1,000 micro-courses (~15 minutes each), keeping learning fast. Security is strong (ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR), and the free plan lets you try basic features for up to five users and ten courses. Paid plans start at $119/month for 40 users. ROI promises are bold: 2x faster outcomes and quick time-to-launch.

What to watch out for: the free plan caps users and courses, and you’ll need to pay extra for the course library. Some teams need custom setups.

How Colossyan helps: If you have a clunky onboarding manual or compliance PDF, just upload it to Colossyan’s Doc2Video tool. We'll turn it into short, engaging videos with quizzes. Export as SCORM, upload to TalentLMS, and use its analytics to track who actually learns, not just who clicks through. Need content in Spanish or French? Instant Translation does that in minutes. Apply your brand kit for corporate look-and-feel.

Trainual - best for SOPs, policies, and onboarding playbooks

Trainual isn’t a full corporate LMS but it gets processes straight. It claims to cut onboarding time by 50% (30 days to 15), and its user data shows this kind of efficiency leads to higher new-hire retention, productivity, and even profit margins. Over 10,000 teams use it, more than 1.25 million employees trained, and reviews average 4.7/5. It’s four tools combined: SOP database, policy hub, knowledge base, and microlearning delivery.

What to watch out for: it’s best if you’re SOP-driven or running onboarding playbooks, not if you need deep enterprise features.

How Colossyan helps: you can turn step-by-step guides into easy-to-follow videos with AI avatars (even pronouncing your branded terms right). Need a "What to do in your first week" or a "Manager feedback" scenario? Use our Conversation Mode. Export as video and embed directly in Trainual, or use links for sharing. And then iterate using quiz data to see where new hires get stuck.

360learning - best for collaborative learning with ai personalization

If you need peers to teach and AI to adapt, 360Learning is worth a look. It’s rated 4.8/5 on eLearning Industry, and starts at around $8/user/month. Standout features: AI-generated learning paths, built-in authoring tools, automated compliance workflows, and strong automation for enrollments and reminders.

What to watch out for: reporting is more basic compared to some heavy-duty LMS platforms.

How Colossyan helps: use branching scenarios to practice things like customer objections or common escalations. Export as SCORM so scores and completions push back to 360Learning. Conversation Mode lets you build real dialogue-based training, increasing realism and engagement.

iSpring Learn - best for ease of use and powerpoint-first authoring

iSpring Learn is for people who still live in PowerPoint (there are a lot of them). Its authoring suite tightens PPT and eLearning together - you upload your slides, and create roleplays, quizzes, or lecture-style training. Mobile app support means you don’t need to be at a desk. Plans start around $4.10 to $6.64/user/month (lower if you scale up).

What to watch out for: there’s no prebuilt course library, so your team needs to build most things from scratch.

How Colossyan helps: upload existing PPT decks, we’ll auto-create narrated scenes. Add multiple-choice questions and custom pronunciations (especially good for technical or medical training). Brand Kits ensure you don’t end up off-brand if a slide had the wrong color.

Absorb LMS - best for flexibility and support at scale

Absorb LMS targets companies needing both prebuilt and custom content for a large, possibly global group. There’s a mobile-optimized UI, 24/7 support, and a strong track-record. Pricing trends higher: expect ~$800/month, $16/learner, and a setup fee - so this is for serious deployments.

What to watch out for: higher startup and running costs. Confirm your needs up front so you don’t eat surprise add-ons.

How Colossyan helps: quickly convert updated policies or compliance changes into short, clear videos using Prompt2Video. Export as SCORM, set pass/fail criteria, and roll out instantly. Use analytics from both Absorb and Colossyan to spot knowledge gaps and trigger refreshers.

Docebo - best for ai-driven skills tracking and deep integrations

Docebo shines with AI-powered learning paths, social interaction, and huge integration options (over 400 platforms supported). Pricing and rollout can get complex, and it's often chosen by large or fast-growing organizations ready to invest in a custom setup.

What to watch out for: expect a long implementation, possible add-on costs, and ongoing attention to change management.

How Colossyan helps: localize your soft-skills training at scale. Translate and voice your content in different languages quickly, then push to Docebo as SCORM. Use avatar-driven videos to simulate tricky leadership situations or common business conversations - always on-brand, always consistent.

Connecteam - best for deskless and frontline teams

Connecteam’s focus is on mobile and shift-based workers. There’s a generous free plan (then $29/month for up to 30 users), built-in AI course creation, interactive quizzes, cloud storage, and integrations with payroll. For teams not tied to desks, mobile experience and simple admin tools matter.

What to watch out for: LMS features can be lighter than classic training tools, so check reporting and compliance tracking.

How Colossyan helps: resize videos to mobile-friendly 9:16 format, use screen recording for practical step demos, tack on a few quick MCQs, and share as MP4 or SCORM based on what you need.

Notable alternatives worth a look

LearnUpon and D2L Brightspace offer more traditional learning paths and analytics but come at a higher price. Blackboard Learn offers scale but less on engagement features. EdApp is built for mobile and gamification, but isn’t SCORM-compliant. ProProfs is great for small teams who want a cheap/free start. Skillsoft is all-in on leadership and AI personalization. Scribe quickly turns workflow steps into click-by-click guides - perfect for onboarding.

How to choose: a 2026 buyer’s checklist

Map your use case to the right tool. SOPs and playbooks? Start with Trainual or ProProfs. Compliance or scaling? Absorb, Docebo, or D2L. Need free and fast startup? TalentLMS. Collaborative, decentralized training? 360Learning. Want mobile-first or frontline-focused? Try Connecteam or EdApp. Always pilot with a small cohort first. Track ROI, set a refresh cadence, and pay attention to integrations and certification requirements. 

Where AI video fits in (with Colossyan examples)

Speed matters. In Colossyan, upload docs to Doc2Video to instantly break up long policies into short, watchable clips. Add quizzes and role-play scenarios with avatars for better retention. Consistency is easy: use Brand Kits and build in the right pronunciations. For global rollouts, our Instant Translation feature makes a local-language variant in minutes. Export as SCORM and track completions in your LMS, then back it all up with our analytics. Organize your content in shared folders and manage teams with workspace tools - helps when different departments build their own materials but need consistency across the org.

Example end-to-end workflow

Pick your LMS (say, 360Learning for collaboration). In Colossyan, upload your onboarding PDF. Doc2Video breaks it into digestible scenes. Add brand visuals, layer on quizzes, and translate if needed. Export SCORM, push to your LMS, enroll your next new-hire class. Then use LMS stats plus Colossyan analytics to figure out where people struggle, and revise without booking a new video shoot.

For L&D teams, 2026 brings more choice, smarter platforms, and - if you use the right tools - faster ways to prove that training works. Pick the solution that fits your needs, and don’t overlook the advantage of pairing any LMS with simple, scalable AI video. That’s how we help teams work faster and train better.