There are ample online learning management systems (LMS) available that allow people to up their skills and knowledge. E-Learning – Global Market Outlook (2017-2026) report claimed that the global market for e-learning was expected to jump from $176.12bn in 2017 to $398.15bn by 2026 with a CAGR of an impressive 9.5 per cent. Both educational institutions and businesses can use these free e-learning software for creating, tracking, and managing their training and development programs.

Let’s take you through some of the best free e-learning software tools here:

1. Coggno

When we talk about cloud-based software solutions for online courses, Coggno certainly deserves a mention. This e-learning software is excellent for developing courses on business management, safety, and compliance. You can use this tool to offer classes in many different formats, including audios, videos, and MS Word files. This LMS comes with a certification feature, which creates certificates after you complete the course. It allows instructors to track the progress of learners and generate reports to compute the ROI of different training programs. You can even customize your courses using an authoring tool, but at the same time, it allows you to come with your Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM).

2. Udemy

In recent times, Udemy has risen to the top charts of marketplaces for online courses. The platform now has over forty million students and over fifty thousand instructors. This learning tool is one of the best for creating remote courses on a wide variety of subject matters. Anyone interested in building new skills can leverage this software, which gives an array of learning materials, including PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, text-based content, instructional videos, and many more. This e-learning tool does not involve any setup cost. Also, it does not demand very technical knowledge and allows learners to follow a self-paced learning module. This simple learning suite is the best for freelancers, educators, instructors, and teachers who wish to support their skill-building pursuits.

3. LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds is yet another free e-learning software for online courses that comes with abilities to help you create interactive, highly enriching learning experiences. The tool is a one-stop platform for all learning resources, thereby making it easy for you to create the desired online courses. The design of the platform is such that you get all the necessary marketing tools, which you can use for promoting and selling your online courses. It’s easy to set up and is extremely flexible to add exams, quizzes, assignments and certificates. It’s an excellent tool for educators, individual instructors, entrepreneurs, trainers for organizations, and small to medium businesses.

4. CourseSites

Businesses can use a tool like Talenx to power up their talent management activities, but supplementing it with virtual learning would be a great driver of successful training and development programs. One ideal learning tool to do so would be CourseSite, which is a cloud LMS. The software give access to self-hosting and managed hosting options. With the help of the tool, you can create, track, manage, and provide a range of digital content. You can upload assignments, access courses, and create an interactive learning environment virtually. The modules of the tool feature course handouts, PowerPoint presentations, examinations, as well as discussion boards. The e-learning software free to use and proves extremely user-friendly owing to its easy-to-navigate interface. You also feel empowered with its ability to personalize announcements, send group emails, and schedule online classes and meetings.

5. CourseLab

There are many free e-learning authoring tools available in the market, but CourseLab has created a mark for itself in distinct ways. The freeware course programs allow you to make e-learning content by following the “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) model. This software is easily downloadable from the official website. But, you might have to go through the minimum requirements before you download it. There are quite a few features that make CourseLabs one of the best authoring tools. These include six bands of course module templates, English language options for applications, six types of support questions, and room for two animated objects.

6. Udutu

Yet another impressive authoring tool is Udutu. Just like CourseLab, this suite is a free e-learning software that comes with a host of WYSIWYG learning applications. The software allows you to come up with learning content in a highly interactive and engaging environment. According to its official website, the tool lets you export SCORM 1.2 or 2004 to integrate with third-party LMS. You can also share your online courses on Facebook and other social media channels. The best part about this e-learning authoring tool is that it is perfectly in line with the complex needs of different settings. Using this tool, you can easily scale up your LMS or transition to a better SCORM.

7. LatitudeLearning

LatitudeLearning is an LMS software that’s best for the documentation and administration of e-learning courses and programs as well as training and development content. The software works great for B2B and corporate training programs and can be deployed over the cloud or as a Software as a Service (SaaS). Some of the interesting features of this tool include program tracking, ROI reporting, certification, and integration with GoToMeeting and Webex. You can find a range of video tutorials on the software to help you manage trainees, organize courses, and generate reports to track the progress of learners.

8. iTunes U

We live in a mobile-driven world, and finding an e-learning software that lets you deliver training and development programs through mobile devices would be a boon like nothing else. This is what iTunes U seeks to do. On this platform, you can find support for assignment distribution, course authoring, course forums, and integrated grading. It has an enormous content library where you can find specialized online courses for both educational institutions and businesses. You can create online courses like PowerPoint presentations or PDF files using videos and visuals. Also, you find superior-quality podcasts that talk about a wide range of subject matters.

9. Myicourse

If you are looking for a cloud-based e-learning software that’s great for both educational and business training, then Myicourse is what you should choose. The software allows you to create online courses and share them with learners with ease. You can quickly and affordably make your online courses available to the public. But you can also limit your course distribution to a hundred students if you wish to keep it private. It has editing tools that help you customize your courses. The software allows you to manage the sales of courses, track the traffic of learners and generate certificates after course completion. It’s great for small businesses that wish to keep their employees up-to-date with technology, regulations and best practices.

10. Forma LMS

Forma LMS is developed on an open-source model and offers a range of features, such as e-learning management, video conferencing, course management, authoring, and certificate generation—all of which are great for small businesses wishing to promote their courses. You can also find reporting and editing tools. This software allows you to collect valuable data related to course participation and traffic, course completions, and assignment distribution. The best part about Forma LMS is that you can organize all your courses and sell them on the marketplace based on different categories without any hassle. As such, learners can choose topics of interest for their training from an extensive collection of relevant online courses.

11. Sakai CLE

Sakai CLE is a social e-learning tool that’s based on an open-source model of LMS. It is specially designed for schools that require support while handling calendars, assignments, quizzes, tests, and grade books. The software has a host of features, such as syllabus tool, course management, and course authoring tool. It gives access to social learning options like chat functions, multimedia embedding, and videos. You can integrate the tool easily with Google Docs and Wiki platforms—something that lets you author websites without having technical authoring skills. There’s a community operating in the backend to improve all its capabilities and provide the necessary support to users as and when needed.

12. Moodle

Another open-source, free e-learning software is Moodle, which allows you to come up with online courses that are perfectly customized to meet learners’ needs. The software has a range of tools to manage online classrooms, create certificates, and track ROI of training and development programs. The social learning option includes a chat function that allows real-time interaction between instructors and learners. The best part about this e-learning software is certainly its support for plugins, mobile-friendly themes, and the ability to sell online courses through PayPal.

13. Teachable

If autonomy is what you are looking for while developing online courses, then Teachable would be an excellent tool for you. The software is used by over 7,500 instructors, 3 million learners. Moreover, it offers more than 20,000 courses on different subject matters. To use this software, you might have to pay a monthly fee, but that’s worth the features you get. You also get a free ebook that provides a clear understanding of its various features, such as video creation, course development, and presentation.

14. Glo Maker

Glo Maker is an e-learning software that’s also an authoring tool developed on an open-source model. With this tool, you can come up with interactive and generative learning modules. If you wish to create courses on-the-go, then you will find this software beneficial owing to its mobile-friendliness. Authors can find impressive control and power with this tool. Learning and development teams and instructors looking to create meaningful and vibrant multimedia can use this tool to add objects. Key features of this software include tool overviews, animated tutorials, freestyle patterns, designers and patterns, and file compatibility. It’s one of the best free e-learning authoring tools that young entrepreneurs and students will love to use.

15. Dokeos

If you own a healthcare and pharmaceutical business, then Dokeos is the best e-learning software you can find in the marketplace. The tool is rich in features like progress tracking, course authoring, certificate management, and course reporting. You can create tests and quizzes using its two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics. The Oogie Rapid Learning is a unique feature of the platform that automatically reproduces PowerPoint presentations and MS Word files into its slides. The messaging and chat features make it quite interactive for learners and instructors alike.

16. Schoology

The name of this free e-learning software might give an impression that’s meant for schools but works equally well for businesses. It’s an online LMS that provides e-learning content for training programs. You can create reports on the performance of learners and access everything on your mobile device. It also supports integration with content creation tools, Google Drive, and content libraries. Educational institutions that wish to do away with complex course creation processes can use this to upload materials and share them with learners easily.

17. Scratch

Created by MIT Media Labs, Scratch is what educational institutions need for authoring online courses. According to the website, the tool is quite an innovative and creative approach to creating e-learning materials and customized online courses. The tool allows you to use music, animation, and visual arts in your courses—something that can spark the interest of learners like nothing else. Its ability to come up with interactive storytelling glues learners to what they are learning. It’s highly visual and extremely minimalistic, just enough to inspire everyone.

18. Easy Test Maker

If you are looking for a test generator, the Easy Test Maker is what you need to assess your learners’ knowledge. With this tool, you can create easy-to-assess quizzes, multiple-choice questions, fill in the blanks, and true or false. It also has a question analysis feature that allows you to report the number of test-takers and which questions are correct and wrong—all with the utmost ease. You can also export the tests to PDF or MS Word format without needing additional installations.

19. Skillshare

With Skillshare, you can create online courses that have two aspects—class projects and videos. Online courses on this e-learning software consist of a range of small videos of ten to twenty-five minutes’ duration. Top instructors and educators using the platform are seen to make whopping dollars through its Partner Program. The software’s complete content is open to subscription. It offers a great way to share course experiences. However, instructors need to meet specific criteria, such as having at least twenty-five learners, to be able to make money through the platform.

20. WizIQ

Another name that’s earning fame in the massive e-learning domain is WizlQ. This online software proves to be an excellent thing for on-the-go instructors and educators. It allows you to create exciting webinars and deliver them quickly to learners. Creating slides, audios, videos, and desktop sharing tools is exceptionally effortless on this software. There’s also an online marketplace where you can distribute your courses.

E-learning is here to stay. As such, you should consider investing in one of the above free e-learning software to enhance your training and development programs and make the process engaging and enriching for learners, whether students or corporate employees. You should also consider a talent management platform like Talenx, which helps business organization overcome the challenges involved in external training and come up with ongoing, competency-based L&D programs.