8 best learning management systems (LMS) for small businesses

Employee training is key to small businesses staying competitive. However, with limited time or resources to spare, small businesses often struggle to train their teams effectively.

This is where learning management systems (LMS) come in. An LMS platform can automate training, track progress, and help your business stay compliant. It can help onboard your new hires faster and upskill your current team without overwhelming your resources.

For small businesses, choosing the right LMS can mean smoother operations, higher employee satisfaction, and consistent organizational growth. In this article, we share why you need an LMS, discuss the best LMS systems for small businesses, and highlight key LMS trends to keep an eye on.

Why do small businesses need a learning management system?

Small businesses often face unique challenges in training their teams. LMS systems for small business can help automate employee training, ensure compliance, and save valuable time. Below, you can find some ways using an LMS platform can have a measurable impact on your company's success: 

Cost-effective training

A learning management system reduces the need for in-person trainers, training related travel, and printed materials. Online training sessions are reusable and easily updated, making an LMS an affordable way to keep a team skilled and compliant without breaking the bank.

Scalability and flexibility

As a small business grows, its training needs are likely to change. An LMS offers scalable solutions that can grow with the business. Whether there’s a need to train five employees or fifty, LMS software can adapt to these needs, facilitating consistent, high-quality training of the team.

Enhanced employee engagement and retention

Engaged employees tend to stay with a company longer. Interactive courses, cross-training, progress tracking, and certification programs can be a great way to keep employees motivated. An LMS platform can make learning accessible and engaging. This can help small businesses retain top talent and reduce turnover.

Easier compliance

Staying compliant with industry regulations can be tricky. LMS software can help small businesses track and document training, ensuring everyone is up-to-date. Additionally, automated reminders and reports reduce human error and simplify compliance management.

Top 8 learning management software (LMS) system for small business

Choosing the right LMS can transform the way your small business trains employees. Here are some of the best LMS systems for small businesses to consider:

1. Rippling Learning Management

Rippling's LMS simplifies and automates employee training for small businesses—no matter where in the world your team is. As part of Rippling’s all-in-one platform, it ensures training, HR, IT, finance and compliance management are all built on a single source of truth.

• Automate course assignments: Set up enrollment rules once and let Rippling handle assigning courses, reminders, and tracking progress.
• Customize content: Create personalized courses with videos, images, and quizzes, or upload your own training materials.
• Access pre-built course catalog: Jumpstart training with courses covering compliance, cybersecurity, and more, available in 15+ languages.
• Track progress seamlessly: Monitor employee completions, overdue enrollments, and progress with automated reports.
• Ensure compliance certifications: Prevent employees from clocking in if they haven’t completed the required training.
• Integrate with Time & Attendance: Sync training and certification records with time-tracking to enforce compliance policies.

Rippling's LMS automates training from start to finish, saving you time and reducing manual effort. Rippling's unified system ensures your workforce data is always accurate, up-to-date, and built on a single source of truth. With customizable courses, a pre-built catalog, and automated compliance features, Rippling LMS helps small businesses streamline training.

Rippling LMS is perfect for small businesses that need a comprehensive, scalable solution to manage training while keeping all workforce operations connected and efficient.

2. 360Learning

360Learning is a collaborative LMS for small businesses that want to deliver engaging, peer-driven learning programs.

• Collaborative course creation: Create and share courses easily with intuitive authoring tools.
• SCORM and standard compatibility: Import and use existing SCORM, xAPI, and AICC-compliant training content.
• Automated workflows: Automate course assignments, reminders, and re-enrollments.
• Real-time feedback: Collect and act on learner feedback.
• Multi-language support: Deliver training in multiple languages.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Track learner progress, engagement, and performance.

360Learning makes training engaging by fostering collaboration and peer-driven learning. Automated workflows can save you time, and real-time feedback helps improve your learning programs and learning experience continuously. Multi-language support helps keep your global teams aligned, and advanced reporting offers you access to clear insights. 

360Learning can be a great option for small businesses looking to streamline training and build a culture of continuous education.

3. TalentLMS

TalentLMS is an LMS platform for small businesses that aims to make the learning experience simple, flexible, and engaging, whether your team is in the office or dotted around the world.

• Create courses easily: Build courses using intuitive authoring tools or upload existing content.
• SCORM and standards support: Import SCORM, xAPI, and cmi5-compliant training content.
• Automate workflows: Assign courses, send reminders, and set up recertification schedules automatically.
• Gamify learning: Boost engagement with badges, points, levels, and leaderboards.
• Track progress and performance: Use detailed reporting to monitor learner progress and outcomes.
• Offer blended learning: Combine self-paced courses with live, instructor-led sessions via videoconferencing tools.

TalentLMS makes training easy to manage and engaging for learners. With its user-friendly course creation tools and SCORM support, you can quickly launch or import content. Automated workflows save time by managing assignments and reminders, while gamification keeps employees motivated. Blended learning options provide flexibility, and robust reporting helps you track performance with ease. 

TalentLMS can be a good choice for small businesses seeking a scalable, customizable, and easy-to-use LMS.

4. LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds is an all-in-one LMS for small businesses that want to create, deliver, and sell interactive online courses with ease.

• Easy course creation: Build courses with intuitive authoring tools and customizable templates.
• Interactive learning tools: Engage learners with quizzes, surveys, videos, and interactive content.
• SCORM and standards support: Import SCORM-compliant content seamlessly.
• Branded certificates: Create and issue personalized certificates to reward learners.
• Advanced analytics: Gain insights with detailed reports on learner progress and engagement.
• eCommerce capabilities: Sell courses, memberships, and subscriptions with multiple payment options.

LearnWorlds can help your business deliver engaging, interactive training while offering tools to monetize your courses. The platform's intuitive course creation and interactive learning features keep learners engaged, while SCORM support allows you to use existing content. Branded certificates add value and personalization to your courses, and advanced analytics provide actionable insights. 

With built-in eCommerce capabilities, LearnWorlds is perfect for businesses looking to create, sell, and manage online training programs all in one place.

5. Moodle

Moodle is a robust, open-source LMS platform designed to provide flexible and customizable learning experiences for small businesses and educational institutions worldwide.

• Customizable courses: Create tailored learning experiences with flexible course design tools.
• Open-source flexibility: Modify, extend, and adapt the platform to fit your unique needs.
• Mobile-friendly learning: Access courses anytime, anywhere with Moodle’s mobile app.
• Multilingual support: Offer training in over 120 languages to accommodate global teams.
• Community-driven plugins: Extend functionality with thousands of plugins developed by the Moodle community.
• Comprehensive reporting: Track learner progress, performance, and engagement with detailed analytics.

Moodle provides flexibility and customization through its open-source framework, making it ideal for small businesses that want control over their LMS. Mobile-friendly learning ensures your employees can access training anytime, while multilingual support makes it accessible for global teams. With a vast library of community-developed plugins, you can extend Moodle’s capabilities to meet your unique needs. Detailed reporting helps track learning outcomes effectively. For businesses seeking a scalable, cost-effective, and customizable LMS, Moodle may be a reliable choice.

6. Gusto

Gusto's LMS is a learning management system made to simplify employee training for small businesses, especially in compliance and skills development.

• Assign compliance training: Easily assign courses on topics like anti-harassment, HIPAA, diversity, and data security.
• Track course progress: Monitor training completion in real-time to stay on top of compliance.
• Automate reminders: Send automated course completion reminders to keep employees on track.
• Streamline onboarding: Assign new-hire training directly from Gusto’s payroll and HR platform.
• Integrated platform: Manage training, payroll, and HR processes all in one place.
• Third-party integrations: Connect with providers like EasyLlama, Traliant, and Engagedly for additional training content.

Gusto's LMS streamlines compliance training by making it easy to assign, track, and manage essential courses. Real-time tracking and automated reminders ensure your employees complete required training on time. And since the LMS integrates  with Gusto’s payroll and HR platform, it simplifies onboarding and workforce management. 

Third-party integrations provide additional flexibility, making the Gusto LMS ideal for small businesses focused on compliance and efficiency.

7. ADP Learning Management

ADP Learning Management is an LMS that automates and streamlines employee training, helping small businesses meet compliance requirements and close skill gaps effectively.

• Automate course assignments: Assign training based on criteria like job role, location, or compliance needs.
• Support multiple content types: Deliver SCORM and AICC-compliant courses, articles, blogs, and e-books.
• Track compliance and completion: Monitor training progress with reports and role-based dashboards.
• Create competency-based learning paths: Build learning paths to close skill gaps or develop future-ready competencies.
• Enable social learning: Let employees share, recommend, and engage with peer-created content.
• Streamline administration: Reduce manual work with auto-enrollment, reminders, and centralized course management.

ADP Learning Management can simplify training by automating course assignments and tracking compliance. The platform supports various content formats, making it easy for your business to offer diverse learning experiences. Competency-based learning paths help close skill gaps, while social learning can foster employee engagement. 

With intuitive dashboards and automated administration, ADP Learning Management can be a good option for small businesses wanting to maintain compliance, boost productivity, and support employee development.

8. Absorb

Absorb LMS is an AI-powered learning management system designed to deliver engaging and effective training experiences for small businesses.

• Automate administrative tasks: Use AI-driven tools to simplify and streamline training management.
• Gamify learning: Boost engagement with badges, points, and leaderboards.
• Access content libraries: Use a wide range of pre-built courses from reputable eLearning providers.
• Integrate with existing systems: Connect seamlessly with HR, CRM, and other business tools.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Track learner performance and training outcomes with customizable reports.
• Mobile-friendly platform: Allow employees to access training materials on any device, anytime.

Absorb LMS can enhance efficiency by automating repetitive tasks and freeing up time for strategic work. Gamification features help keep learners motivated and engaged, while access to pre-built content libraries can save you time in course creation. Seamless integration ensures your training workflows align with your existing systems, and advanced reporting helps measure success. 

With mobile accessibility, Absorb LMS ensures employees can learn on the go, making it a powerful tool for small businesses looking to deliver flexible, effective training programs.

Small business LMS trends to keep in mind

Staying ahead of learning management system trends can help your business create a more effective and engaging learning experience. Here are some of the top trends shaping LMS for small business:

Mobile learning over desktop

Employees often expect the flexibility to learn on the go, at their own pace. Modern LMS platforms offer mobile apps or responsive designs, allowing learners to access training anytime, anywhere. This ensures training fits into busy schedules, increasing participation and completion rates.

Gamification for engagement

Gamified learning uses elements like points, badges, and leaderboards to make training fun and engaging. It encourages healthy competition and motivates employees to complete courses and master the material.

Data-driven training and insights 

Advanced reporting and analytics help small businesses track learner progress, measure training effectiveness, and identify skills gaps. These insights allow you to fine-tune your training programs and ensure they align with business goals.

AI-powered automation

AI features in LMS platforms can automate repetitive tasks, like course assignments, reminders, and progress tracking. This can save time, reduce administrative effort, and ensure training stays consistent and up-to-date.

Personalized learning paths

Employees often want training tailored to their roles and goals. Some LMS platforms now offer personalized learning paths based on job roles, skills, and performance. This ensures each employee receives relevant, impactful training.

How to choose the right LMS tool for your small business

Here are key criteria to consider when choosing an LMS to ensure it meets your business needs and supports organizational growth:

Ease of use

Your LMS should be intuitive for both administrators and learners. A user-friendly interface can make it easy to create courses, assign training, and track progress without extensive training or technical expertise. Simplified navigation can help learners find and complete courses quickly, reducing frustration and improving engagement.

If administrators struggle with the system, training management can become inefficient, leading to delays and errors. A straightforward, well-designed LMS ensures that your team adopts the system easily, keeping training consistent and effective.

Customization and scalability

An LMS should allow you to tailor courses, branding, and workflows to match your company’s needs and identity. Customization options let you incorporate your company’s branding, such as logos and color schemes, making the training feel more cohesive and aligned with your workplace culture.

Scalability ensures the learning management system can grow alongside your business. As you expand, the LMS should accommodate more employees, departments, and complex training needs without performance issues. A scalable LMS helps future-proof your investment, saving you from having to switch systems as your business grows.

Content management and integration

Effective training requires diverse content types, like videos, quizzes, documents, and interactive elements, to cater to different learning styles. A good LMS should support these formats. Integration with existing tools, such as HR software, payroll systems, and time and attendance tracking, is important for streamlining workflows.

For example, automatic syncing between your LMS and HR platform ensures you enroll new hires in onboarding courses immediately. These integrations can reduce manual tasks, improve data accuracy, and create a unified, efficient training process.

Reporting and analytics

Detailed reporting and analytics can help you measure the effectiveness of your training programs. An LMS should offer customizable reports on learner progress, course completion rates, and performance metrics. These insights allow you to identify skill gaps, monitor compliance, and evaluate how well your training aligns with business goals.

Advanced analytics can highlight areas where employees struggle, enabling you to improve content and provide targeted support. Accurate data-driven insights ensure your training investments are delivering measurable results and keeping your team compliant.

Rippling: The best LMS software for small business

Rippling Learning Management simplifies employee training and compliance for small businesses. As part of Rippling’s all-in-one workforce management platform, it combines training with HR, payroll, and IT—all in a single system and all built on a single source of truth.

With Rippling's LMS, you can automate training assignments based on roles, departments, or compliance needs. The platform allows you to build your own courses with videos, images, and quizzes or choose from a library of pre-built courses covering compliance, cybersecurity, and more, available in 15+ languages.

Rippling makes it easy to track course completion, overdue enrollments, and progress with real-time reporting. For compliance, the system ensures employees can’t clock in for work until they’ve completed mandatory training. The LMS also integrates seamlessly with Rippling Time & Attendance, helping you enforce compliance policies effortlessly.

Rippling goes beyond training by offering a suite of tools designed specifically for small businesses. With Rippling, you can onboard new hires in 90 seconds, manage payroll, and handle IT tasks like assigning and shipping computers, all from a single platform. This means you have one system for your entire workforce.

If you’re looking for an LMS that saves time, simplifies compliance, and grows with your business, Rippling is the best choice for small businesses.

Small business LMS FAQs

What is the most commonly used LMS?

The most commonly used LMS for small companies often depends on specific needs, like compliance, customization, and ease of use. Popular options include Rippling's LMS, TalentLMS, and Moodle. These platforms offer comprehensive features and scalability, and streamline training processes effectively.

How much does a LMS cost per year?

The cost of an LMS platform varies widely. For small businesses, pricing can range from $2 to $10 per user per month for basic plans, with advanced features costing more. Many online training platforms for small business offer flexible pricing based on the number of users and features required. Some open-source options are free, but may have costs for hosting, customization, and support.

What is the best open-source LMS?

Moodle stands out as one of the best open-source LMS. It provides a highly customizable learning experience and a vast community of developers who contribute plugins and extensions. Small businesses needing a flexible, cost-effective solution benefit from Moodle, especially if they have the technical resources to manage it.

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of December 26, 2024.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.