The following guide covers:
What are course authoring tools?
Standalone vs. built-in authoring tools. When to use which
Creating a standout online course starts with the right tools. Whether you are launching your first course or looking for ways to elevate your content, delivery, and user experience, you are in the right place.
With countless options in the current market, finding the one that best meets your needs can be difficult.
Luckily, I saved your time (spending my own…) to create a list of the best course authoring tools for your eLearning business. Countless hours of research, conversations, and analysis let me present you this guide.
So, if you are ready, let’s start!
What are course authoring tools?
Let me jump to a conclusion (we all do it sometimes) that first, you would like a clear definition.
Course authoring tools are specialized software applications that allow users to create, design, and publish eLearning content.
Typically, these tools are packed with useful features for building interactive lessons, integrating multimedia elements (e.g., videos), and customizing content to suit specific learning objectives.
Standalone vs. built-in authoring tools. When to use which
Many instructional designers and course creators are constantly looking for a perfect solution that is good both for building and selling courses. As we discussed, let’s briefly overview the difference between standalone and built-in authoring tools.
Standalone authoring tools (like Lectora Online) are software designed to create eLearning content. With such tools, you can create a beautiful-looking online course but cannot use the tool to sell it.
On the other hand, built-in authoring tools integrated within LMS platforms (like Uteach or Coassemble) simplify everything for you. You can use these LMS solutions to build a website, white-label it, and become an edupreneur (educational entrepreneur) while using built-in authoring features to create beautiful courses.
10 Best eLearning authoring tools to consider
It is just about time to dive into the best eLearning authoring tools. In this section, we will explore both standalone authoring tools and LMS solutions with built-in authoring functionality.
Authoring Platform | Platform Type | Pricing starts | Free plan/trial |
Uteach | Built-in Authoring Tool | $29/mo | Free Plan |
Mindsmith | Built-in Authoring Tool | $39/mo | Free Plan |
Zelto Authoring | Standalone Authoring Tool | $75/mo | Free Plan |
isEasy Author | Standalone Authoring Tool | €80/mo | Free Plan |
Easygenerator | Standalone Authoring Tool | $108/mo | Free Plan |
Adapt Learning | Standalone Authoring Tool | Free to Use | Free Plan |
Lectora Online | Standalone Authoring Tool | $899/yearly | Free Plan |
Coassemble | Built-in Authoring Tool | $10/mo | Free Plan |
Sleave | Standalone Authoring Tool | $75/mo | Free Plan |
mAuthor | Standalone Authoring Tool | Upon Request | Free Plan |
Uteach
Let’s start with Uteach. Uteach is a learning management system. But that is the short definition. In reality, it is much more than that.
Uteach is a powerful all-in-one platform designed for course creators, trainers, and coaches. It allows educators to build, market, and sell online courses with ease.
The platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools to manage the entire e-learning business, from course creation to student progress tracking and marketing initiatives.
Course authoring features
First, let’s overview the course authoring features:
- Highly intuitive and user-friendly course builder. Uteach pays huge attention to UX for both creators and end-users. So, you can be confident that the user interface is easy to navigate through, which makes the course creation process more fun and enjoyable.
- Multimedia integration. You can incorporate different multimedia elements, from videos to audio, to enhance the interactivity of your course.
- Customization features. The platform offers customization capabilities, allowing you to build unique courses tailored to your audience’s needs and preferences.
Other key features
- Website builder functionality with pre-made templates, customization opinions, and no coding skills required.
- Marketing tools. Features such as automated emails, certificate builder, and SEO capabilities to market your courses with ease.
- AI features to generate your course content, outlines, descriptions, and more.
What do users think?
My research extended beyond the platforms. I actually checked independent third-party review platforms to find out what users have to say. So, here are a few examples:
As you can see, this feedback highlights Uteach's usability, modern aesthetics, and robust feature set, aligning with its goal to simplify and enhance the course creation process for educators and businesses alike.
Mindsmith
Mindsmith is an AI-powered course authoring tool that allows creators to streamline the course creation and distribution process. It uses generative AI, enabling users to produce interactive and engaging lessons.
Course authoring features
Course authoring features of Mindsmith include the following:
- Content creation features powered by AI. The built-in AI functionality assists in developing course materials.
- Multimedia integration capabilities allow you to make the courses more interesting by using multimedia elements such as images, videos, audio, quizzes, flashcards, and so on.
- Customization options that allow users to align the course with their branding requirements.
Other key features
Other useful features include:
- Unlimited learners for your lessons.
- AI lesson assistant.
- Real-time collaboration features among users to promote effective teamwork and content development process.
As part of custom functionality (upon request and at a higher price), they can provide integration capabilities for your custom domain (e.g., if you are already using another LMS platform).
What do users think?
Overall, users expressed a positive stance toward the Mindsmiwth platform, claiming it is intuitive and that AI capabilities ease the overall course creation process.
Zelto Authoring
Zelto authoring is a standalone course authoring tool. It is a cloud-based solution with a high level of speed and scalability designed to enable the rapid creation of quality training and courses. It is quite user-friendly and efficient for creators seeking an intuitive authoring tool.
Course authoring features
Authoring features of the platform include:
- WYSIWYG Editor. Zelto offers a dynamic "What You See Is What You Get" editor, allowing users to preview screen layouts instantly and make real-time adjustments.
- The course builder will create the course structure before laying out the content.
- Animation features to enhance the course’s dynamics.
- Template library. The platform provides a vast collection of screen templates and components, enabling quick course assembly without starting from scratch.
- Responsive design options to ensure that courses are compatible with different screen sizes.
Other key features
Other features are:
- Collaboration capabilities that allow you to work simultaneously on different sections as a team in real time.
- Localization support with XLIFF file export/import for seamless content translation and localization.
What do users think?
Users note that the platform is easy to use and great for content creation. Significant advantages of notes are templates and interface. Some users have noted that while the tool is robust, there is room for enhancement in advanced customization features.
isEazy Author
One more great option for creating courses is the tool isEazy Author. It is an awesome cloud-based solution with lots of fun features to play around with. The best part is you do not need advanced technical skills to create courses that stand out from this.
Course authoring features
Let’s take a look at the authoring features:
- Multimedia integration is used to create dynamic courses with support for over 25 types of interactive elements.
- Robust customization options to personalize content with customizable templates and a catalog of fonts.
- Project templates and support for two (horizontal and vertical) types of courses.
- WYSIWYG editor that allows you to see exactly what end users are going to experience after you are done creating the course.
- Educational games you can incorporate into your courses.
Other key features
Other features are:
- Intuitive interface that does not require a long learning curve to start using.
- Collaborative editing capabilities.
- Seamless integration with other LMS platforms.
The seamless integration makes this authoring tool a good choice for creating interactive courses and then selling these on your actual website powered by an LMS platform.
What do users think?
Some users have expressed a desire for a broader range of templates and interactive options to further enhance content variety. But, overall, the platform enjoys positive reviews, noting its ease of use.
Another disadvantage that users do not, and I thought it necessary to mention, is the price point of the platform. Many authoring tools on our list with similar features cost less. isEazy costs €80/mo.
Easygenerator
Another good authoring tool is Easygenerator. It is a cloud-based solution (we love those) designed to empower course creators to develop engaging courses without additional tech skills.
Course authoring features
- AI capabilities such as EasyAI for course creation and auto-translation
- Power-point import feature to help you transform existing presentations into engaging courses
- Multimedia support for creating dynamic and engaging courses
- Course template library to save your time on course creation. Also, it is worth mentioning that all templates are highly customizable.
Other key features
- User-friendly interface.
- Built-in text-to-speech capabilities to transform written content into high-quality audio
- LMS compatibility features for easy integration. Easygenerator supports SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004, and xAPI formats.
What do users think?
Users commend Easygenerator for its ease of use, intuitive interface, and the professional quality of the final courses. Many users highlight AI capabilities as a significant advantage. When it comes to disadvantages, users note a lack of mobile responsiveness.
Adapt Learning
If you are looking for an open-source course authoring platform, then Adapt Learning is the right place. The platform allows the create responsive, multi-device courses.
Course authoring features
The main course authoring features include:
- Responsive design. Every course you create using Adapt will automatically adjust to fit different screen sizes, ensuring a seamless learning experience for your students.
- Open-source flexibility and a variety of customization options.
- Accessibility compliance to ensure courses you create with Adapt meet the diverse needs of learners.
Other key features
The other features include:
- A vibrant community of developers and institutional designers will support you.
- High scalability, which makes the platform suitable for projects of different sizes and workloads.
What do users think?
Users appreciate Adapt Learning for its responsive design capabilities and the flexibility provided by its open-source nature. However, some note limited capabilities. So, if you are looking for a more advanced platform, we recommend navigating toward other opinions. You can definitely play around with this to understand how the whole course creation process works.
Lectora Online
One more leading authoring solution for course creators is Lectora Online. This comprehensive solution allows you to create interactive and accessible courses for your students.
Course authoring features
The main features of the Lecture are the following:
- Responsive course design features ensure a consistent learning experience across platforms.
- Interactive functionality that allows the creation of personalized learning paths
- Quiz and assessment builder to enhance courses.
Other key features
In terms of additional functionality, Lectora offers:
- Lectora Online supports version control and collaborative authoring, allowing multiple authors to work on a project.
- Compatible with various Learning Management Systems, supporting SCORM and xAPI standards.
What do users think?
Users mention that Lectora has a robust feature set and flexibility when creating complex eLearning content. However, some complain about the long learning curve associated with mastering the tool’s advanced capabilities.
Coassemble
Coassemble, unlike many tools mentioned above, is not a standalone authoring tool. It is a full-featured LMS and online training platform. It is developed for course creators to help them easily create, deliver, and sell courses.
Course authoring features
The main course authoring features are:
- Drag & Drop interface. The tool has a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, allowing authors to easily create courses.
- The platform supports the inclusion of quizzes, videos, and other interactive elements to enhance learner engagement.
- AI capabilities. The platform offers AI-powered tools to assist in rapid course creation. This helps to streamline the process and save lots of time. For instance, you can generate quizzes for your course using the built-in AI tool.
Other key features
Other features of Coassemble are:
- Branding functionality to build courses and an eLearning website that resonated with your unique brand.
- Powerful analytics. This allows you to gain insights into learner progress and measure the effectiveness of your training sessions.
- Integration capabilities with third-party applications to enhance its functionality.
- Seamless payment gateway.
What do users think?
I looked through multiple platforms, searching for reviews about the platform, and the overall user rating was quite good. Many users note that Coassemble is easy to use, has a good design, and has lots of useful features. However, some also noted occasional performance issues (yet the platform keeps continuously improving, so keep this in mind).
Sleave
Sleave is an AI-powered course authoring solution. The built-in AI functionality will allow you to streamline the whole process of course creation. With this platform, you can create engaging content in a matter of a few hours instead of days.
Course authoring features
So, let’s overview the main features of the platform:
- AI assistant for content creation to reduce time spent on content development.
- Support for interactive elements such as quizzes, multimedia, and others to enhance learners' engagement levels.
- Customizable templates to fit specific branding and instructional needs.
Other key features
A few other useful features include:
- Analytics and reporting capabilities are needed to gain useful insights into learner engagement and performance.
- Collaboration tools to facilitate collaborative authoring.
What do users think?
Searching through reviews, I found a few things in common. Users love the AI functionality and appreciate intuitive UI. The tool is relatively new, which is why there are not many reviews about it, but the ones presented by early adopters are quite promising.
mAuthor
Another course authoring tool that made it to this list is mAuthor. It is a cloud-based solution designed for instructors in the K-12 sector. The platform combines authoring tools with a development environment, allowing creators to develop complex modules.
Course authoring features
The main functionality regarding authoring capabilities includes the following:
- Over 150 ready-made modules and templates you can use at your convenience.
- The tool provides a wide range of customizable, interactive modules such as quizzes, drag-and-drop activities, and simulations.
- Great visual editor for a convenient course-building experience.
- The platform supports the integration of game-like elements to increase learner engagement and motivation
Other key features
A few other useful features worth knowing about are:
- LMS-compliant and easy to integrate, supporting SCORM and xAPI.
- mAuthor includes versioning capabilities, allowing authors to manage updates and changes efficiently.
What do users think?
Overall, users note that the platform comes quite in handy for course creation. It is designed to create interactive educational content, particularly for the K-12 sector. This part is slightly limiting for other creators, yet if you are in K - 12, then chances are you will love this tool. Also, some users mention that the tool's advanced capabilities come with a learning curve.
Which One Should I Choose?
Well, that was a lot, wasn't it? You asked for detailed research and a guide, and I delivered it.
But the question still remains: which one should you choose? In my opinion (as a person in the eLearning industry for a little over 3 years), I would proceed with one of the LMS platforms mentioned. First, these are more feature-rich as, besides authoring functionality, they offer everything necessary to build and expand your business in one tool. Also, LMS platforms are great in terms of ROI in the long run.
To narrow the choice further down, I would recommend that you proceed with Uteach. Uteach offers everything necessary to build and successfully expand an online teaching business. Even though the start pricing point is slightly higher than Coassamble, the ROI you will get from the functionality it offers is worth it.
Think about it: you do not even need to splurge on an email automation tool, as Uteach also offers automation features.
Your best course authoring tool: Uteach
Uteach is an all-in-one software solution for coaches and course creators worldwide. It comes in handy with everything from course authoring tools to marketing and sales automation.
With Uteach, you can easily build your website and courses and start promoting your brand, monetizing expertise with ease.
To learn more about what we have to offer and how we can help you, schedule a free demo with us. Our team will be more than happy to assist you.