Enterprise buyer’s guide: How to select a learning experience platform

August 4, 2025 Yanac

In today’s fast-changing workplace, investing in employee development isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a strategic necessity. But with hundreds of learning experience platforms (LXPs) on the market, each promising personalized journeys, AI-driven insights, and seamless integrations, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming.

The best LXP for your organization will do more than deliver content; it will align with your business goals, adapt to the skills your teams need most, and foster a culture of continuous growth.

Whether you’re upgrading from a traditional learning management system or implementing a learning system for the first time, making the right choice starts with understanding what really matters — not just in features, but in outcomes. Here’s how to navigate the crowded landscape and find the platform that fits your organization’s unique needs.

What is a learning experience platform?

A learning experience platform is a type of online software that helps employees find, take, and track learning and training content in a way that feels more personal and flexible than traditional training systems.

“Learning experience platforms are digital solutions that personalize the learning and development experiences for individual employees,” says Zachary Chertok, research manager at IDC.

Unlike older learning management systems (LMSes) that mostly just assign required training modules, LXPs focus on giving users more control over what they learn, when they learn it, and how it fits into their jobs.

An LXP suggests courses, videos, or articles based on employees’ interests, roles, or skills needs, and even lets them choose content from many different sources. Many LXPs also include social features, such as discussion forums, leaderboards, and the ability to share knowledge with co-workers.

LXPs make it easier for companies to deliver training, upskilling, and reskilling while people are working, Chertok says. They help keep employees engaged by offering many types of learning, including formal courses, informal learning, learning from co-workers, live sessions, on-demand lessons, and short, bite-size content.

Top trends in LXPs

According to Gartner analyst Travis Wickesberg, AI is increasingly powering several important areas of workplace learning and skills development. One key tool is AI-enabled skills management, which uses various technologies, such as natural language processing and knowledge graphs, to create a constantly updated view of employees’ skills. This allows companies to automatically assess what skills a person has, what a job or task requires, and how employees can continue to grow in their careers, he says.

Another important application is AI-based learning assistants, Wickesberg says. These systems help employees find relevant content, boost their skills, and create personalized learning plans based on their roles, current skills, career goals, and personal interests.

Rather than following a one-size-fits-all training program, employees receive customized recommendations for courses or resources that match their individual needs and help them build the right skills at their own pace.

A third trend is “learning in the flow of work,” which integrates learning directly into employees’ daily activities, Wickesberg says.

Instead of requiring workers to leave their tasks to complete separate training, AI learning assistants or embedded training tools within different platforms, such as Microsoft Teams or Salesforce, can suggest quick lessons or helpful content exactly when employees need it. This makes learning more seamless and immediate.

“[And] generative AI content creation tools help companies modify existing content or create new content using genAI,” he says. This makes it easier to keep learning resources fresh, relevant, and aligned to employees’ evolving needs.

Era Singh, practice director at Everest Group, says a major trend in the learning space is the growing focus on skills-based learning.

“Enterprises are increasingly looking for solutions that can dynamically tie skills to job roles, content, and career development pathways,” she says. “What it means is that these LXP vendors are using skills as the language to understand people and work. They are helping organizations gain visibility into the skills their people have, skills people will need in the future, and providing learning pathways to bridge those skill gaps.”

An additional emerging trend is the integration of learning with broader talent functions. Rather than treating learning as a standalone activity, companies are bundling it with performance management, internal mobility, and other HR tools, Singh says.

The goal is to create a total experience throughout the entire employee lifecycle — from onboarding to growth and retention, so learning is no longer isolated but embedded within other functions.

“Another major trend that I’m seeing is a focus on social learning,” she says. “We are seeing a shift toward gamification, cohort-based learning, coaching, and mentoring to motivate and incentivize employees to learn.”

In addition, data is becoming central to companies’ learning strategies. “The role of advanced analytics to track employee behavior and measure the learning impact on performance and costs is becoming pivotal,” she says.

What to look for in an LXP

“There are not really different types of LXPs,” says Wickesberg. “In fact, the vendor landscape for LXP providers has evolved and shifted in the last few years. With the spotlight on learning experience, many LMS providers have improved their learner experience and learning-journey capabilities.”

This added competition has forced many of the original LMS providers to reinvent themselves or opt to build out new functionality around skills and talent development, he says. Some have also invested in new functionality that supports mentoring, coaching, and talent marketplaces.

“We will likely see new partnerships and continued development in this space as LXP vendors look for new ways to add value for their clients,” Wickesberg adds.

The LXP market is complicated, and as such, there are a lot of different use cases, says Katy Tynan, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research.

Although organizations are using LXPs to deliver learning, they might also use them for things like onboarding, assessments, compliance training, and change management, she says.

“So for features and functionality, it’s very much dependent on the use case that the organization buying the platform has,” she says.

For some organizations, customized learning paths will be paramount; others will prioritize integration with enterprise software, advanced workforce analytics, or peer-driven training. It’s important for IT buyers to determine from the outset what features matter most to the business.

Before you shop: Questions to ask yourself and your stakeholders

Wickesberg says these are the basic questions you should ask yourself before you start shopping for an LXP:

What problem are you trying to solve?

What are your business outcomes or goals?

How will the new LXP integrate with and enhance your existing learning tools?

How will you measure ROI?

A clear understanding of goals ensures the selected platform aligns with your company’s business outcomes, rather than simply offering trendy features.

You should also consider who your learners are and what they need. This will help ensure the platform keeps people interested and meets their different skill levels, locations, and needs.

It’s also important to understand the existing systems that your learning platform needs to integrate with. Integration with your human resources information system, customer relationship management systems, or LMS reduces manual work and keeps important learning and performance data secure.

In addition, think about what types of content formats and sources are important for your company. Choosing a platform that supports the right learning formats, such as videos, articles, certifications, or peer-based learning, ensures that it works well with your current and future content plans.

Also consider your budget range, and how your organization’s needs might grow over time. Understanding your budget and how the platform can grow helps you avoid unexpected costs and the need to replace it too soon.

Key questions to ask vendors when shopping for LXPs

Once you know your organization’s needs, it’s time to look at what different vendors provide. Ask these questions to better understand both the basic features and any extras they offer.

What makes your platform different from a traditional LMS?

How does your platform personalize learning for different users?

What types of content formats (videos, articles, podcasts, etc.) does your platform support?

Can your platform integrate with our existing HR, LMS, and other internal systems?

How do you track and measure learner progress, engagement, and skill development?

What reporting and analytics features are included?

Is your platform mobile-friendly and accessible across devices?

How does pricing work (per user, per feature, annual licensing)?

What support, onboarding, and training services do you provide after purchase?

How often is your platform updated with new features or improvements?

How easy is it for administrators to manage users, assign content, and create learning paths?

Does the platform offer skills frameworks, career development paths, or competency mapping?

What are your data security, privacy, and compliance standards (GDPR, SOC 2, etc.)?

Can we curate both internal training materials and external content from third parties?

Can you provide references, case studies, or customer success stories from similar organizations?

10 leading learning experience platform vendors

Here’s a quick summary of the leading LXPs as noted by experts and independent research.

360Learning

360Learning specializes in collaborative learning, allowing employees and subject matter experts to quickly create, share, and improve courses. It combines social learning with traditional training tools. You can create courses, assign hands-on projects, give and get feedback from others, and track how engaged people are. AI suggests learning materials, takes care of repetitive tasks, and keeps track of what skills people need to develop. Pricing typically starts around $8 per user per month for up to 100 users. Larger deployments may have significantly higher costs.

Adobe Learning Manager

Adobe Learning Manager is a flexible platform that helps companies train their employees, educate their customers, and support their partners. It uses AI to recommend the right courses, gamifies learning with badges and leaderboards, and encourages social and collaborative learning. It manages diverse content types and provides a consistent experience across desktop and mobile. Adobe doesn’t publish fixed prices publicly.

Cornerstone OnDemand

Cornerstone OnDemand is a complete learning platform that uses AI to create personalized training paths. It helps employees build skills, stay up to date with required training, earn certifications, and plan their careers, while giving companies detailed insights about their workforce. The user-friendly design enables mobile learning and integrates with major enterprise systems. Aimed at midsize to large enterprises, Cornerstone OnDemand offers customized pricing based on a number of factors, such as company size, selected modules, and specific organizational needs.

Degreed

Degreed focuses on skills-based learning, linking employees to content from thousands of sources, including courses, articles, podcasts, and videos. It provides skills tracking, personalized learning feeds, and LMS/content provider integrations. Degreed supports formal company training and informal self-paced learning where employees can explore topics on their own. Contracts are typically customized based on company size. Degreed is best suited to midsize and large organizations.

Docebo

Docebo combines the structure of an LMS with the flexibility of an LXP, offering an adaptable learning platform. It uses AI to suggest personalized content, create automated learning paths, and handle some admin tasks in the background. Key features include pulling content from different sources, tracking skill development, encouraging team-based learning, and offering training for partners and customers outside the company. Pricing is not publicly available.

EdCast by Cornerstone

EdCast, now part of Cornerstone OnDemand, is a learning tool that personalizes content for each employee and integrates learning with their everyday work. It pulls together learning materials from inside and outside the company, offers AI-powered recommendations, tracks skills, and integrates with major enterprise tools including Salesforce, Workday, and Microsoft Teams. Pricing is typically customized and varies widely based on company size, industry, and integration needs.

Fuse

Fuse promotes continuous, on-demand social learning. Instead of just relying on formal courses, Fuse lets employees learn by creating, sharing, and talking about knowledge as part of their everyday work. It uses AI and machine learning to highlight expert knowledge from across the company and recommend helpful content when it’s needed. Key features include mobile-friendly access, learning through videos, conversations with co-workers, and detailed insights into how people are learning. Pricing is not available publicly.

Juno LXP

Juno LXP uses AI to create learning experiences that are personalized for each employee. It recommends courses based on each person’s skills and goals, pulling content from more than 120 providers, such as LinkedIn Learning and Coursera. Juno also allows employees to request specific learning content, and managers can oversee budgets and track progress with built-in analytics. The platform also offers group learning areas and guides to help workers plan their career paths. Pricing is not publicly available. Juno LXP is designed to support companies of various sizes, from small teams to large enterprises.

LearnUpon

LearnUpon blends the reliability of a traditional LMS with a modern, easy-to-use design. Suitable for organizations of all sizes, it lets companies train employees, customers, and partners all in one place. Key features include a modern, easy-to-use design; custom-branded learning sites; simple tools to build courses; certificates for completed training; automated workflows; clear reports; and connections to enterprise tools such as Salesforce and Slack. Pricing is not publicly available.

Valamis

Valamis combines the structure of a traditional learning system with the flexibility of newer tools. Aimed at midsize to large organizations, it helps companies connect employee learning to business goals through tools such as skills tracking, custom content, and detailed reports. It supports online and offline learning and integrates with enterprise tools including Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, and Workday. Pricing for smaller deployments typically starts around $19,000 per year, with larger global implementations costing significantly more depending on customization and integration complexity.