Selling courses or training: two tools, two needs
A course-selling platform sells to individuals, an LMS tracks and evidences group training. Here is how to choose according to your need.
Read the articleYou may already have lived this scene. One trainer sends materials by email, a second drops them on a file share, a third tracks attendance in a spreadsheet. When the question comes, "where is Emma in her path?", nobody has the answer in the same place.
That is exactly the problem an LMS settles.
What an LMS actually does
An LMS plays three roles at once. It delivers content, it assesses what has been understood, and it measures each person's progress.
| Role | What the learner sees | What the trainer sees |
|---|---|---|
| Deliver | A clear path, module after module | Who opened what, and when |
| Assess | Quizzes, assignments, marking | Results by person and by group |
| Measure | Their progress, their badges | Drop-outs, the sticking points |
The word "platform" can be daunting. In practice, the learner logs in, sees what they must do today, and does it. Nothing more.
What it is for, depending on your job
A training provider finds in it the proof of what was delivered. A school centralises courses, assignments and marks there. A company trains its teams in safety, AI or prevention without gathering everyone in a room.
What an LMS is not
An LMS is not a video-conferencing tool, even if it can host one. Nor is it invoicing or administrative management software: that handles your files, the LMS handles learning. We detail the difference in our article LMS or management software.
The 5 criteria for choosing
Many comparisons list 40 features. Five questions are enough to sort.
- Is it simple for the learner? If they get lost, they leave. Test the path yourself, on a phone.
- Can you put your own content in it? A path must be buildable without a developer.
- Which assessments are provided? Quizzes, assignments, case studies: also look at how marking is done and kept.
- What do you see of the tracking? Numerical progress per person, alerts when someone drops out.
- What happens at the end of the contract? Check that you can recover your content and your data.
And on brand and licence?
Two questions come up quickly. Do you want the platform to carry your name and your colours? That is white label. And how is the licence calculated: by number of users, or by genuinely active learners? This point changes the invoice far more than the displayed price, as we explain in our guide to licences.
And outside France?
The word LMS is not a legal concept. What is French in this article is Qualiopi, the quality certification for training providers. The European Union has no single quality certification: each country has its own mechanism. If you work in England, here is how the pieces fit.
| Country | Equivalent or rule | Reference | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (England for apprenticeships) | No single certification: Ofsted (apprenticeships and further education), Ofqual (qualifications), Office for Students (higher education) | Official pages of the three regulators; Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 2 | Three regulators depending on the type of offer, and no verified UK text equivalent to the French distance-learning decree. An LMS is often used for mandatory health and safety training: employers must provide the information, instruction, training and supervision needed. Apprenticeship rules verified for England only. |
| Germany | Approval of the provider and of the measure (AZAV) for training funded by the employment agency | § 176 SGB III; §§ 2 and 5 AZAV | Functional equivalent, not identical. A paid, asynchronous online course with a check of learning outcomes also requires ZFU approval, otherwise the contract is void (§ 7 FernUSG). |
| Spain | Register of training entities: accreditation or responsible declaration | Orden TMS/369/2019 of 28 March 2019 | No single label. A company training its own employees does not have to register. |
These rules change: have your situation checked by a local legal adviser before making any decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is an LMS reserved for large organisations?
No. One person on their own can benefit from the first path. The question is not size, but the number of people to track and the space tracking takes up today.
How is it different from a simple video platform?
A video platform delivers. An LMS organises a path, assesses, keeps records and tracks each person. Without that, you do not know whether the content was understood.
Do I need technical skills to use one?
Not for everyday use. If you can write an email and upload a document, you can build a first path.
Can an LMS be used for the Qualiopi approach?
Qualiopi is the French quality certification for training providers. An LMS helps to produce and keep the records asked for, such as assessments and completion tracking. The certification itself remains the organisation's.
Summary
An LMS brings together your courses, your assessments and the tracking of your learners. To choose well, start from one of your real courses and check five things: simplicity, your content, assessments, tracking and the end of the contract. The rest is comfort.
Sources
- 1EdTech: Open Badges standard, official description, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Centre Inffo: French decree of 20 August 2014 on open or distance training, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Germany: § 176 SGB III, approval of providers, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Germany: § 7 FernUSG, nullity of the contract without approval, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Spain: Orden TMS/369/2019, text from the BOE, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- United Kingdom: Ofsted, about the regulator, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- United Kingdom: Ofqual, about the regulator, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- United Kingdom: Office for Students, about the regulator, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- United Kingdom: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2, accessed on 13 October 2026.
The Kognisia team
Kognisia designs a SaaS learning platform, with a training catalogue and white label as options.
Kognisia designs a SaaS learning platform, with a training catalogue and white label as options.