With the proliferation of mobile devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), and remote work, mobile learning management systems (LMSs) are also on the rise.
Today’s highly dynamic and fast-paced working environment demands a skilled workforce that’s able to adapt and learn quickly while on the go.
Some of the best mobile LMSs help organizations of all shapes and sizes, regardless of industry, conduct effective training programs no matter where their employees work or in which countries they are located.
In this article, we’ll be going over ten of the best mobile learning solutions, their key features, benefits, and things to consider when choosing one for your organization.
Disclaimer: The information below is accurate as of April 22nd, 2024. Please note that the solutions(competitors’/softwares’ features) we review may change over time. If you have updates or new features to share, let us know. This helps us keep our content accurate and up-to-date.
What is a mobile LMS?
A mobile LMS is an e-learning and training solution that facilitates mobile learning.
Mobile LMSs grant learners access to learning materials and online courses on various portable devices including smartphones and tablets.
This often means that there’s an application installed on the mobile device, which can play interactive learning content.
This removes the need for learners to sit at a desk, allowing them to learn in their own time or conduct their business while on the go.
However, professional mobile-friendly, AI-powered LMSs go beyond an out-of-the-box LMS mobile app.
They can allow companies to design their own custom-built mobile applications with white label and branding functions, to provide more personalized learning experiences.
Additionally, the best LMS providers also include robust e-learning course creation, curation, and management capabilities.
These allow instructors to design partner, customer, and employee training courses with gamification features that are playable on the mobile app via an API connection to the LMS.
This type of technology is critical in today’s day and age, especially given that the mobile workforce in the US alone will increase from 78.5 million in 2020 to 93.5 million by 2024.
Benefits of using a mobile learning management system
Companies can enjoy several benefits by using a mobile LMS software solution.
These include the following:
Consistency and flexibility
Many organizations opt for a mobile LMS due to the high level of flexibility, convenience, and consistency they can offer.
Mobile LMS apps make it possible for instructors, administrators, and learners to customize the platform according to their own needs and requirements.
This ensures consistency and convenience in terms of user experience as well as the online learning experience.
Admins have a lot of flexibility in terms of how they present course materials, giving them more control over curriculum personalization.
Learners, on the other hand, now have the ability to learn in their own time while on the go. This can include at home, while traveling, or even at their firm’s place of work while away from their desks.
In some cases, they don’t even need to have an internet connection to access and go through training courses.
With the Docebo mobile app, they were able to access relevant product information while on the shop floor and make use of three different languages for the learning material.
Both salespeople and the customer success team managed to exceed their quotas thanks, in large part, to the flexibility of their mobile learning LMS solution.
Improved engagement and knowledge retention
Mobile learning also allows for more personalized learning experiences. Employees and other learners can access learning materials whenever they want and in a wide variety of course material formats.
These can include things such as videos, images, infographics, presentations, learning pills, quizzes, assessments, and more. Unlike simple text-based materials, these types of learning content are more engaging and interactive.
In addition, mobile LMSs make it possible for learners to engage in self-paced blended learning, microlearning, or social-learning activities.
All of these work to improve the learning experience, boost knowledge retention, and increase engagement with the learning material.
Instead of always having to sit for hours at predetermined times, and listening to instructor-led in-person training sessions, learners can also learn at their own pace.
They can pause the training session at any time, digest the information acquired, and resume the lesson at another time.
Collaborative learning also allows users to interact and learn from each other.
Many mobile LMSs include collaborative tools as part of their social learning package. These include things like forums, instant messaging, groups, and even leaderboards.
Learners can engage, share ideas and best practices, ask questions, and build better relationships with each other. All of these help learners establish a company culture based on trust, camaraderie, and continuous learning.
Something similar happened with Burges Salmon, a UK law firm with a national and international presence. Due to their regular travels out of the office, many of its employees were unable to attend the organization’s training sessions.
Burges Salmon turned to Docebo for its mobile-friendly LMS capabilities, personalized dashboards, and social learning capabilities.
Thanks to this partnership, the law firm was able to increase its mandatory compliance training completion rates by 31 percent, increase attendance by 85 percent, and see high engagement rates in its Digital Academy.
Reduced costs
We should also point out that mobile learning platforms have the potential to reduce training costs and improve the company’s bottom line.
For instance, organizations don’t need to invest as much in traditional classroom-based learning initiatives. They don’t have to fly in trainers or experts to hold in-person learning sessions.
They can simply hold a webinar or recorded training session playable on mobile devices.
Similarly, they can make better use of the bring-your-own-device (BOYD) policy, also saving them on expensive in-office hardware.
Put simply, mobile learning makes employee training more cost-effective by reducing the need for physical classrooms, in-person instructors, office hardware, and other materials.
Consider the example of Flix, a global transportation provider that includes FlixBus and Greyhound. As Flix expanded into the U.S. and Latin America, managing partner onboarding manually became unsustainable.
By adopting a flexible, mobile-friendly LMS, Flix streamlined and automated training for its extensive network of drivers, employees, vendors, and hundreds of bus partners.
This mobile LMS not only simplified repetitive tasks and delivered personalized learning journeys but also saved Flix €135,000 annually in onboarding costs over the past decade.
To get these mobile learning benefits and more, it’s important you consider the LMS requirements of your organization.
There are several key features to consider when on the market for a mobile-friendly LMS.
Key features to look for in a mobile LMS
LMS features come in various shapes and sizes, able to cater to the many different needs of businesses in a wide range of industries.
However, when it comes to mobile LMSs, those features must meet four criteria above all others:
Responsive design
Probably the most important feature of a mobile LMS is to work on as many different types of mobile devices and operating systems as possible.
Whether it’s Android, iOS, Windows, smartphones, or tablets, the LMS should be responsive enough to cater to all needs and devices.
It makes no sense for employees to have to change gadgets only to access training courses provided on the LMS app.
This would defeat the aims of being flexible and cost-effective.
Offline access
The LMS mobile app should also allow learners to access courses on-demand even while offline.
Truly professional learning platforms will also keep track of learner progress while in this state and automatically sync the information with the LMS once the mobile app is back online.
This feature creates a frictionless learning experience for users, particularly for those who often work in remote locations with limited or no reliable internet connection.
Course creation and management
Another important feature is the ability to create and manage courses and content.
These platforms should allow admins and instructional designers to design, edit, manage, upload, and deliver e-learning content in a variety of formats.
Whether it’s videos, images, SCORM-compliant files, PDFs, presentations, quizzes, surveys, etc., instructors should be able to customize courses to fit different learning paths.
It’s through built-in course content creation capabilities or third-party authoring tool integrations that mobile LMSs can facilitate and streamline the course creation and management workflow.
Reporting and analytics
Advanced data analytics and reporting capabilities are the backbone of every professional LMS.
By tracking key performance metrics, companies get to keep their finger on the pulse, see how employee training is progressing, uncover any trends, bottlenecks, or problem areas, and make informed decisions based on those findings.
Real-time customizable LMS reports can bring all this in-depth data into an easy-to-understand format, allowing all stakeholders from across the entire organization to get a comprehensive view of the learning environment.
Let’s now take a look at the ten best mobile LMS platforms on the market today.
10 best mobile LMSs reviewed
LMSs always add new features and functionalities in their attempt to address the needs and requirements of their customer base.
But when it comes to mobile learning capabilities, these ten learning systems are considered to be among the best.
Platform #1: Docebo
Docebo is a cloud-based, user-friendly LMS with robust mobile learning capabilities.
The platform includes a native mobile learning application known as Go.Learn and a mobile app publisher.
The mobile app is optimized for both Android and iOS, as well as the different types of mobile devices out there such as smartphones and tablets.
It also provides a frictionless learning experience through its offline training capabilities.
Learners can access training courses while not connected to the internet and the app will continue to track their progress. It will sync with Docebo LMS once the app gets back online.
Learners and trainers can also use the platform’s social learning functionality to capture, upload, and share images and videos with their mobile devices to create a knowledge base for the whole organization to use.
Docebo’s mobile app publisher allows organizations to design and deploy their own branded learning applications. They can create different apps with differing content or authentication methods for multiple audiences.
Companies can also publish these apps on Google Play, Apple App Store, or their Apple Enterprise store.
Docebo Learn LMS is the company’s flagship LMS. It seamlessly integrates with the native app, branded apps, and over 400 other third-party tools typically found in companies’ tech stacks.
It has course and content authoring and management capabilities, e-commerce and certification functionalities, as well as robust data analytics and reporting features.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Online and offline mobile learning.
- Branded mobile app publisher.
- Social learning functionalities.
- Multi-language support.
- Robust analytics and reporting capabilities.
Pros
- A highly configurable platform.
- Great customer service.
- Updating training modules is easy.
Platform #2: EdApp
EdApp is a cloud-based, mobile-first LMS designed mainly to deliver microlearning courses to learners.
It includes a drag-and-drop authoring tool, ready-to-use templates, SCORM uploading capabilities, and a PowerPoint conversion function.
EdApp also provides an auto-translation feature for course creation in multiple languages, push notifications, and analytics and progress tracking capabilities.
The platform includes an integrated video library and interactive elements such as questions, quizzes, and branching scenarios.
Its AI Create feature enables instructional designers to create course material in minutes.
G2 rating
Top Features
- AI-powered content-creation capabilities.
- Multi-language support.
- Push notifications.
- Integrated video library.
- Built-in content-authoring tool.
Pros
- It includes a great starter content library.
- It is very easy to use.
- Good customer service.
Cons
- Templates don’t have enough customization options.
- Can’t do complex animations between slides.
Platform #3: TalentLMS
TalentLMS is a mobile-friendly LMS with an integrated course builder and learner-progress tracker.
Its mobile app works both online and offline and includes a compatibility check feature that ensures courses are always optimized for mobile devices.
It includes various content types and formats that allow for interactive courses such as quizzes and assessments, and a white label and branding capability to customize the platform with each user’s brand identity.
TalentLMS also provides real-time reporting capabilities, third-party integrations with popular apps, and gamification features such as leaderboards, badges, levels, and point-based systems.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Online and offline mobile learning capabilities.
- Branding and white labeling.
- Mobile compatibility check feature.
- Gamification features.
- Learner-progress tracking.
Pros
- Responsive, easy to use, and customizable.
- Course configuration with different certifications and learning paths.
Cons
- Reports can be confusing to work with.
- No access to course library with lower-priced plans.
Platform #4: iSpring Learn LMS
iSpring Learn is a mobile-friendly LMS that includes a mobile app with offline learning capabilities. It also has push notifications, informing learners of upcoming events, training sessions, webinars, and other announcements.
The learning platform comes equipped with social learning and gamification elements like leaderboards, built-in chats, and a newsfeed with reactions.
It also includes learner-progress tracking and a comprehensive feedback functionality.
The iSpring Learn automation capabilities allow for easier enrollments, report generation, and notifications.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Online and offline mobile learning.
- Push notifications.
- Learning path creation and customization.
- Social learning and gamification.
- 360-degree feedback system.
Pros
- Good content variety (video, audio, SCORM files, PDFs, etc.).
- Responsive support team.
- Easy to set up courses and quizzes.
Cons
- Gamification is a bit limited.
- It has a somewhat steep learning curve.
- Complicated reporting features.
Platform #5: Gurucan
Gurucan is a mobile-first learning platform designed mainly for instructional designers looking to sell online e-learning courses, memberships, webinars, or cohort-based courses.
It includes an Android and iOS-compatible mobile application for both online and offline use, course-creation tools, gamification features, and several marketing tools like CRM, email marketing, and a coupon system.
Gurucan also has live-streaming functionality and social learning tools for better learner collaboration. It doesn’t include feedback and survey features and only supports YouTube and Vimeo videos.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Course creation with interactive elements.
- Gamification elements.
- Marketing features.
- Live-streaming functionality.
- Online and offline mobile learning.
Pros
- Building the course content is easy.
- Good level of customization.
Cons
- Users cannot embed videos in an HTML page and can only play them on the web or in the app.
- The user interface is not easy to navigate.
Platform #6: Blackboard Learn
Blackboard Learn is a mobile LMS with robust social learning and collaboration capabilities.
It includes features like chat rooms, discussion boards, video conferencing, and group project pages. It also provides learner feedback and survey functionalities, designed to increase cooperation among users.
Like most other entries on this list, Blackboard Learn’s mobile app allows for both online and offline learning and analytics and reporting, as well as allowing trainers to manage courses and grade assignments.
The platform includes a content-management system for uploading, sharing, and organizing e-learning content in different formats like PDFs, MP4s, videos, and more.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Personalized content and course creation.
- Flexible learner assessments.
- Robust social learning and collaboration capabilities.
- Online and offline mobile learning.
- Data analytics and reporting.
Pros
- Comprehensive features in terms of course management and collaboration.
- Easy to use and navigate.
- Good customization possibilities.
Cons
- The mobile app can experience crashes.
- Occasional issues with the mobile app’s responsiveness and overall user experience.
- Some issues when uploading large files.
Platform #7: LearnUpon LMS
LearnUpon LMS is a cloud-based learning platform designed for training multiple audiences like employees, customers, and partners.
Companies can brand and customize separate learning portals, based on the needs of each of these audiences.
LearnUpon’s mobile app offers both online and offline learning capabilities and is available for both iOS and Android.
Trainers can deliver courses based on these different groups. These can include interactive elements and gamification features.
They can also track learner progress, gather feedback, and provide collaboration capabilities with features like chat rooms, forums, and instant messaging.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Mobile learning both online and offline.
- Import SCORM and xAPI content.
- Automate user management.
- Customizable certifications.
- Customize learning paths based on different audiences.
Pros
- Easy to use, configure, and apply branding.
- Intuitive user interface.
- Effective customer support.
Cons
- Not enough customization options.
- Not enough gamification customization.
- Learning paths are not as intuitive as they could be.
Platform #8: Absorb LMS
Absorb LMS is a cloud-based LMS that uses AI to streamline many admin tasks, make content recommendations to learners, and improve search results based on past activities.
It also includes customized branding, separate learner and admin portals, and reporting capabilities.
The mobile app supports offline learning, synchronizes with the LMS once online, and is available on both Android and iOS operating systems. The app allows learners to download courses, except for third-party content like YouTube videos.
Additionally, admins can customize the app with the company’s logo, themes, and colors, and it also supports push notifications.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Offline mobile learning.
- Separate portals for admins and learners.
- Personalized learning experiences.
- Reporting and analytics capabilities.
- Mobile app branding and customization.
Pros
- Good reporting tool.
- Good customer support.
- Easy to use and straightforward.
Cons
- Some difficulty updating assessments.
- The training portal is sometimes challenging to navigate.
Platform #9: Canvas LMS
Canvas LMS is an open-source digital learning solution with a primary focus on higher education and K-12 institutions.
It includes interactive features such as quizzes, videos, and real-time communication functionalities, as well as gamification elements.
Canvas LMS also includes learning analytics and a supportive user community for answering questions or learning best practices.
The platform integrates with third-party tools like Zoom, Teams, Google Classroom, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
Its mobile app works on both Android and iOS and allows users to customize it with various notification and calendar settings.
They can also use the app to communicate with teachers and peers via instant messaging, as well as manage their assignments.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Interactive features and gamification elements.
- Customizable mobile app.
- Robust communication features.
- Numerous third-party integrations.
- Learning analytics capabilities.
Pros
- Intuitive layout and user interface.
- It includes robust assessment and quiz features.
- Effective progress tracking and multiple-course management features.
Cons
- The mobile app can sometimes lag and suffer glitches.
- It has a bit of a learning curve for both learners and teachers.
- Not enough customization and personalization options to meet individual learner needs.
Platform #10: ProProfs Training Maker
ProProfs Training Maker is a mobile LMS with e-learning course-building and learner progress-tracking capabilities. Its mobile app works both online and offline and on different devices such as smartphones and tablets.
The tool includes a course library with over 100 customizable and off-the-shelf courses, as well as ready-made templates.
ProProfs has gamification features, multilingual support, automated certification, and customizable learner paths.
It also allows for interactive course content such as quizzes, assessments, and surveys, and includes analytics and reporting capabilities.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Online and offline mobile access.
- Course creation and management.
- Customizable learning paths.
- Online assessment reports and analytics.
- Multilingual support.
Pros
- Good customer service.
- Automated grading function and granular reporting.
Cons
- Doesn’t integrate with other LMSs.
- Only basic virtual classroom capabilities.
How to choose the best mobile learning platform for your organization
Businesses must consider numerous factors when choosing an LMS.
This is not a decision that you should take lightly as it can have a huge impact on the overall well-being of your organization.
Aside from LMS pricing and budgeting, you also need to consider other criteria—things like third-party integrations, how well the system caters to your audience, whether it includes sufficient security features, and more.
Below are four more questions to ask yourself before you decide on any one particular mobile LMS.
Is it suitable for your use case?
Each business sector or industry has its own special needs and requirements when it comes to e-learning.
Whether you’re in retail, hospitality, manufacturing, finance, or healthcare, you need to ensure the mobile learning software solution takes your rules, regulations, and best practices into account.
Do its features satisfy your needs?
In terms of features, you need to ensure the mobile platform can cater to all of your needs and requirements.
Say, for instance, you need certification management or branding and white-labeling capabilities. Similarly, you may want to design your own mobile app to include your specific customization requirements.
You shouldn’t compromise on the must-have features you need.
Ask the vendor precisely what features and functionalities the platform includes before committing.
Is it a scalable solution?
The mobile LMS also needs to scale along with your organization’s growing requirements.
As your business grows, you may need to add more learners to the platform. The last thing you want in this scenario is to start experiencing crashes or other unexpected issues that are more trouble than they’re worth.
Does it offer good support?
Lastly, you need to ensure the mobile LMS solution provides good customer support.
There’s always a learning curve with any system and you need someone there to help you set up and learn the basics as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Check online reviews to see what other customers are saying about the vendor’s customer service process.
Now over to you
At the end of the day, the best mobile LMS is the one that improves and optimizes your learning and development initiatives.
Carefully consider your needs, and requirements, as well as those of your target audience.
Docebo is one such learning solution that can be your go-to mobile LMS.
Schedule a demo with Docebo today and get a feel for its potential!
