Comparison
Choosing a learning platform: the options, honestly
There is no best solution in the absolute. Here are the main families, what they do well, and for whom Kognisia is, or is not, the right choice.
At a glance
Five families of solutions cover most needs: a self-hosted open source LMS, a general-purpose SaaS LMS, a SaaS LMS for training providers, a course-selling platform, or assembled tools. Each is the right answer in a specific context.
The five families of solutions at a glance
General points, useful for orientation: features vary from one vendor to another, so always check against the real product.
| Family | Getting started | Technology to manage | White label | Tracking and evidence | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted open source LMS | Long: installation and configuration | You: servers, updates, security | Yes, through development | Possible, depending on the modules added | Technical teams who want full control |
| General-purpose SaaS LMS | Fast | The vendor | Varies, often a premium option | Yes, geared to internal training | Companies training their employees |
| SaaS LMS for training providers (Kognisia) | Fast, no installation | The vendor | Optional | Built in: progress, alerts, traces | Providers, apprenticeship training centres, schools, independents, companies |
| Online course-selling platform | Very fast | The vendor | Limited | Basic | Creators selling to the general public |
| Assembled tools (video calls, file sharing, spreadsheet) | Immediate | You, day to day | No | Manual | Very small volumes |
What changes in your budget
The price of a licence is only part of the cost. Here are the items to compare over three years.
| Cost item | Self-hosted | SaaS | What to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence or subscription | None, or paid support | Yes, per tier or per user | On what basis: registered, active, users? |
| Server, backups, security | At your expense | Included | Where is the data? Who backs it up? |
| Updates and fixes | At your expense | Included | How often, and with how much notice? |
| Customisation to your brand | Development | Option or included | Domain, emails, app under your name? |
| Content | To produce or buy | To produce, or catalogue | Usage rights, can it be adapted? |
| Your teams' time | High at the start | Lower | Who administers it day to day? |
Let us be clear
When Kognisia is a good choice
You train, and you must prove it
Provider, apprenticeship centre, school or company: tracking, dropout alerts and traces are at the heart of the platform.
You want your own image, without developing
White label is an option: your name and your colours across the whole interface, with no technical project.
You want to start without producing
A catalogue of programmes, blocks or modules to combine with your own courses.
You have no technical team
Nothing to install or host: an online service, hosted and maintained.
The trade-off
When Kognisia is probably not the right choice
You want full control, and you have the teams
If you want to host it yourself, modify the code and choose each component, an open source LMS is better suited. Kognisia is a service: [à compléter : possibilité d'auto-hébergement ou d'accès au code, à préciser].
You mainly sell courses to the general public
To sell to individuals, with online payment and a sales page, a course-selling platform is more direct. [à compléter : paiement en ligne et vente de cours à l'unité : possible ou non avec Kognisia ?]
You train very few people, rarely
For a few people once a year, assembled tools are enough: a platform would not add enough.
You have very specific technical requirements
Custom integrations, particular standards, mandated hosting: [à compléter : SCORM, xAPI, SSO, API et hébergement : ce que Kognisia couvre aujourd'hui].
Going further
Three reads to help you decide
Questions about the choice
Do you necessarily need an LMS?
No. For a few people and little content, assembled tools are enough. An LMS becomes useful when you need to track, prove or train at scale.
Is an open source LMS free?
The licence often is. Hosting, security, updates, customisation and your teams' time are not: this is what the article on the real cost details.
Can you change platform later?
Yes, with preparation: content inventory, data retrieval, schedule. Ask for the export formats before signing.
What if we did it with your own courses?
Thirty minutes to scope your project, see the platform in action and estimate the right licence. We reply within one working day.