10 best online learning platforms for businesses in 2024

It’s almost impossible to build a high-performing team by simply hiring the right people.?

You need to run periodic performance appraisals, conduct skill gaps assessments, and identify specific areas team members need to improve in to boost their performance and overall business growth.

All these activities lead up to one thing: upskilling. And that’s where adopting an online learning platform for your business comes in.

With the right online learning solution, preparing for the quarter or year ahead feels easy.? And without it, you’re left wondering how to support your team's learning and development needs optimally.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the best online learning platforms for businesses today and highlight their key features and pricing plans so you can choose the best fit for your organization. But first, let’s consider critical functionalities to look out for.

What should you look for in an online learning platform for your business?

So you’re ready to ditch the training agencies and augment your in-house employee development activities for the year or quarter ahead. But what makes one online learning platform better than another?

Before you start evaluating your options, first define your goals. Do you need to create a lean employee training budget that still delivers results? Are you trying to improve your team members’ soft skills? Is your leadership team on the lookout for tailored management training? Need a simple platform with clear pricing or a solution well-tailored to your business’ location?

Outlining your needs saves you time and energy by narrowing your focus to only platforms that align with your requirements. And asides your personal/job goals, great online learning platforms help you:

• Give your team instant access to a variety of relevant courses.
• Design tailored course playlists based on individual employee training needs.
• Track colleagues’ learning and development.
• Empower teams to engage in self-paced learning.
• Immerse staff members in practical, scenario-based learning activities.

Keep these features, functions, and benefits in mind as you consider your options. Combine these to your personal goals outlined earlier and you have a customized checklist for finding your organization’s ideal online learning platform.

The 10 best online learning platforms for companies

1. Talstack: Best for African businesses

Talstack is the leading education technology platform for modern African organizations. At Talstack, we want to build one platform to replace all employee growth and development solutions in Africa, including online learning sites, and we’re already on the right path.

Our unique approach to employee learning and upskilling gives you courses and insights to empower your team and stand out as an effective people leader. Use Talstack for your employee training and launch an online learning program that fits your business and its goals.

Once new users sign up, we provide a competency pre-assessment that helps them understand their strengths and areas for improvement specific to their level. Only then will they get to dive into our rich course library, curated to fit their upskilling needs.

Talstack best features

• An ever-expanding array of practical courses from top African professionals and entrepreneurs.
• Bite-sized lessons (5 minutes or less) that are easy to complete and start implementing immediately.
• A competency framework for identifying learning needs and priorities.
• Quizzes and scenario-based exercises after each course for immersive learning.
• Instructor and learner community for Q and As, open conversations, and networking.
• Milestones and leaderboards to encourage course completion.
• Certifications for students after successful course completion.

Talstack limitations

• Tailored to the African market.
• No mobile app (yet).

Talstack pricing

• Talstack Access: NGN8,500/employee/month billed annually or NGN10,000/employee/month billed quarterly.
• Leadership Program: Contact us for more details.

2. Platzi for Business: Best for Latin American companies

Platzi is a Latin American educational platform. It offers online learning solutions to both individuals and businesses, enabling professional upskilling and growth. The brand’s B2B offering covers employee learning path creation and progress tracking.

Platzi for Business best features

• 1500+ available courses.
• Student progress tracking functionality.
• Learning experience customization features.
• Post-course completion certificates.
• Ability to upload your own content.

Platzi for Business limitations

• Tailored to the Latin American market.
• Only yearly billing plans available.

Platzi for Business pricing

• Team: Starts at $17.42/student/month.
• Business: Starts at $22.42/student/month.
• Enterprise: Contact Platzi’s sales team.

3. Udemy Business: Best for general learning

Udemy is an online learning and teaching hub with thousands of free and paid courses. Its B2B offering includes learning resources for different teams, from HR to engineering, IT operations, and data science.

Udemy Business best features

• Curated course collection and learning paths.
• Learn-by-doing features like tailored assessments and practice workspaces.
• Live interactive sessions and discussion forums.
• Leadership development.
• Certification prep and badges.

Udemy Business limitations

• Lessons aren’t tailored to specific markets like Talstack is to Africa or Platzi to Latin America.
• A lot of features and courses which some learners might find overwhelming.
• Limited focus on soft skills development.

Udemy Business pricing

• Free trial: 14 days.
• Team (5 to 20 users): $360/user/year (plus applicable taxes).
• Enterprise (21 or more users): Contact Udemy’s sales team.
• Leadership Academy: Contact Udemy’s sales team.

4. GoodHabitz: Best for competency-based learning

GoodHabitz is an employee learning platform that helps team members develop the skills and habits they need to contribute better to their organization’s success. Just like Talstack, GoodHabitz prompts employees to self-assess before offering them courses tailored to their unique learning needs.

GoodHabitz best features

• Integration with learning management systems like Moodle and Docebo.
• Progress reports.
• Full localization in 20+ languages.
• Enables employees to learn by reading, watching, or applying.

GoodHabitz limitations

• Mostly focused on developing soft skills.
• Vast content library might be overwhelming for prospects and new learners.

GoodHabitz pricing

Pricing and contract details are not public on the website so you’ll need to contact the GoodHabitz team to get a quote.

• Free trial: 14 days.

5. SeamlessHR: Best for teams already using its other HR features

SeamlessHR is a cloud-based HR software specially designed for African businesses. It offers features for core HR functions like recruitment, onboarding, performance management, payroll — and learning, among others.?

SeamlessHR best features

• Core HR and payroll functionalities.
• Integration with Go1, an Australian-headquartered online learning platform for businesses.
• Course builder for creating custom, company-specific training content.
• Customizable employee learning and development reports.

SeamlessHR limitations

• Though its HR and payroll features are custom-built for African businesses, its learning feature isn’t.
• No free trial available.

SeamlessHR pricing

Specific pricing is not public on the website so you’ll need to request a demo or contact their sales team to get a quote for either of its plans.

• Lite: For automating basic HR operations.
• Core: To get ahead of your HR operations.
• Advantage: For power HR teams.

6. LinkedIn Learning for Teams: Best for leveraging employee skills data from LinkedIn

LinkedIn Learning for Teams is a LinkedIn subsidiary that offers companies a library of courses taught by industry experts for their employees. Since LinkedIn already houses many of today’s modern professionals, it's easy to curate learning paths for people based on their skills data on the platform.

LinkedIn Learning for Teams best features

• Integration with learning management systems like 360Learning and Cornerstone.
• Enables skill-building for businesses, higher institutions, and government agencies.
• Personalized course recommendations for learners.
• Certificates for course completion.

LinkedIn Learning for Teams limitations

• Limited focus on immersive and interactive learning.
• Courses are generic and rarely cater to the challenges and experiences of African businesses.
• Steep learning curve.

LinkedIn Learning for Teams pricing

• Many LinkedIn premium/paid offers come with free trials but details on getting one for its learning features are quite vague.
• For Teams (2 to 20 licenses): $379.88 per seat/year or NGN 139,000 per license/year.
• For Organizations (21+ licenses): Contact LinkedIn Learning’s sales team.

7. Junto: Best for leadership transformation and development

Unlike many of the online learning platforms on this list, Junto does not cater to company-wide training needs. Its main focus is on leadership transformation and development, meaning Junto only provides skills training to current and aspiring leaders.

Junto best features

• Leadership training ROI calculator
• Bespoke leadership development programs
• Peer to peer network
• Courses are taught by top executives at world-class organizations.

Junto limitations

• Does not focus on the training needs of individual contributors.
• No free trial available.

Junto pricing

• Contact Junto’s sales team.

8. Lepaya: Best for VR and AI-supported learning

Lepaya is an employee training solution that leverages virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) features to provide digital and in-person learning experiences. The platform offers a combination of hard and soft skills, collectively known as power skills.

Lepaya best features

• Interactive live classes.
• In-built virtual AI coach.
• VR features for immersive learning.
• DEI training.

Lepaya limitations

• No free trial or plan available.
• Lack of visibility into pricing and subscription programs.?

Lepaya pricing

• Plan a meeting with the Lepaya team via its website for pricing details.

9. 5Mins.ai: Best for a fun learning experience

5Mins.ai is an online learning platform that provides employees with a fun and enjoyable learning experience. The company uses short, TikTok-like videos to teach relevant skills and help teams learn and grow effortlessly.?

5Mins.ai best features

• Personalized daily lessons for each learner.
• AI-powered learning features.
• Robots content library of 20,000+ bite-sized lessons.
• Gamified learning features like leaderboards and points.

5Mins.ai limitations

• May come off as too playful.
• No free trial available.

5Mins.ai pricing

• Social Learning for small and medium businesses: ￡10 per user/month?
• Enterprise plan for 250+ employees: Contact sales.

10. Skillshare for Teams: Best for creative professions

Skillshare is an elearning platform for creators and creative professionals like musicians, artists, filmmakers, social media managers, and more. Its B2B offering empowers companies looking to increase employee creativity, engagement, and development.

Skillshare for Teams best features

• Project-based learning.
• Personalized course recommendations and custom class lists.
• In-app reporting dashboard for tracking learner onboarding and engagement.

Skillshare for Teams limitations

• Focuses only on creative skills.
• No free trial available.

Skillshare for Teams pricing

• For teams of 1-19 seats: $159 per seat/year.
• For 20 or more seats: Contact the Skillshare sales team.

Empower your team with an employee upskilling platform, but don’t ignore the basics

Online learning platforms let employees upskill and reskill from anywhere and at any time. So done right, employee training can yield incredible results, from improved performance to reduced churn.

But before trying to put your team members on a learning and development plan, you need to do a skill gap analysis or competency assessment. The insights from any of these exercises will show you the exact areas each employee needs to improve and help you compare before and after to track growth.

Need help identifying your team’s learning needs and getting the online learning platform that fits? Talstack can help !

FAQs on online learning platforms for businesses

Got more questions about online learning for businesses? Here are some answers for you.

What is the best platform for online learning?

The best online learning platform for your company depends on your team’s skill gaps, training budget, and business location.?

For example, if you’re an African business looking for a cost-effective learning and development solution for your employees, Talstack is the best platform for you.

What does LMS stand for?

LMS stands for Learning Management System. An LMS is a software that enables individuals and teams to document, track, and deliver educational and training content.

Is Talstack an LMS?

Talstack is an employee upskilling platform that boosts team performance with courses, tools, and mentorship from Africa’s best professionals and entrepreneurs. While we do not currently position as an LMS, we have future plans to enable teams to create custom courses and onboarding materials unique to their organization.