Learning management systems
Asked as “LMS for employee training”, and as “learning management system”, on behalf of a mid-market B2B company. 44 first choices recorded across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, twelve models each.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment; they sit side by side and are never added together.
01The standing
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company. Ordered by share.
ProductFirst-choice shareNegative rateLabelsQuadrant
Show the five products at 0%, ordered by negative rate
Bars are the share of first choices, 0 to 100Every product with at least 10 labels here. Every product name links to its vendor page.
Recommended versus criticized
Every product with at least 10 labels here, on both axes. The 30% line names a quadrant, not the verdict above: that one needs more than 40%.
Criticized challengerCriticized default
Negative label rate →
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative60%
Key
01TalentLMS48%
TalentLMS48%02LearnUpon18%
LearnUpon18%03Absorb LMS11%
Absorb LMS11%04360Learning5%
360Learning5%05Docebo5%
Docebo5%06Moodle2%
Moodle2%07iSpring Learn0%
iSpring Learn0%08SAP Litmos0%
SAP Litmos0%09Canvas LMS0%
Canvas LMS0%10Cornerstone OnDemand0%
Cornerstone OnDemand0%11Blackboard Learn0%
Blackboard Learn0%02What they warned about
Three of twelve models held their first choice under the paraphrase. Claude Haiku 4.5, GPT-5.4 mini, Gemini 3.5 Flash, Perplexity Sonar, Grok 4.1 Fast, DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 4 Maverick, Qwen 3.7 Flash and MiniMax M2.5 changed. A high negative share on a product with few labels is a warning. A low share on a product with many labels is salience, not sentiment.
Blackboard Learn43%
6 of 14 labels negative · 6 of 12 models · 3 hard negative
“Blackboard is a pioneer in the academic LMS space, but it has historically been one of the most heavily criticized platforms by both instructors and students.” Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt
Canvas LMS32%
6 of 19 labels negative · 6 of 12 models · 1 hard negative
“High Caution: Recent Major Data Breaches - Canvas (Instructure): Suffered the largest claimed education breach in 2026” Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt
Moodle27%
7 of 26 labels negative · 5 of 12 models · 1 hard negative
“Moodle versions before 3.11 ... No more security patches or bug fixes. ... Avoid using these platforms for production environments” GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt
Docebo15%
5 of 33 labels negative · 5 of 12 models
“Docebo is highly rated for corporate training, but it is often a trap for mid-sized or growing businesses that want custom-tailored user interfaces.” Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt
03What they cite
Citations exist only for the models that return a source list: twelve of the twelve in this edition, and all six flagship models on the expanded tier.
Sites the answers cite
62 of 72 answers in this category came back with a source list, from 12 of 12 models: citations where the model returns them, or the search results it consulted. 5 of those lists are Google grounding redirects that name no site and are left out of the counts. 747 links across 232 sites, every framing counted. Ranked by the number of answers carrying the site or page.
vendor site · Docebo28 answers · 35 citations · 11 models
vendor site · ProProfs Training22 answers · 25 citations · 9 models
vendor site · GoSkills21 answers · 23 citations · 8 models
vendor site · D2L19 answers · 24 citations · 9 models
19 answers · 23 citations · 7 models
19 answers · 21 citations · 9 models
19 answers · 20 citations · 9 models
vendor site · People Managing People17 answers · 24 citations · 9 models
vendor site · TalentLMS16 answers · 30 citations · 8 models
vendor site · LearnWorlds12 answers · 13 citations · 6 models
vendor site · CYPHER Learning12 answers · 12 citations · 8 models
12 answers · 12 citations · 9 models
Pages the answers cite
The ten pages named in the most answers, by full address. A page here is one the models returned with a recommendation, not one the index endorses.
19 answers · 9 models
17 answers · 9 models
15 answers · 8 models
12 answers · 7 models
12 answers · 9 models
12 answers · 6 models
10 answers · 6 models
10 answers · 7 models
10 answers · 7 models
10 answers · 8 models
04How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.
ModelDirect“What is the best LMS for employee training for a mid-market B2B company?”Paraphrase“Which learning management system would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B company?”Comparative“What are the top learning management systems and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best LMS for employee training for a company with a limited budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 500 person company evaluating an LMS for employee training. What should we look at?”Negative“Which learning management systems should I avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Haiku 4.5Absorb LMS, TalentLMSContinuChangedno first choiceTalentLMSno first choicenothing named
Two alternatives
SAP Litmos, WorkRampFour alternatives
Absorb LMS, Mitratech Perform, Thought Industries, TrainnOne alternative
GoSkillsGPT-5.4 miniAbsorb LMSDoceboChangedno first choiceTalentLMSagainst: 360Learning, Connecteamno first choiceagainst: Canvas LMS
Three alternatives
360Learning, Cornerstone OnDemand, TalentLMSTwo alternatives
Cornerstone OnDemand, LearnUponThree alternatives
Trainual, Zoho Learn, iSpring LearnGemini 3.5 FlashAbsorb LMSLearnUponChangedagainst: Cornerstone OnDemand, Skilljarno first choiceTalentLMSagainst: Moodleno first choiceagainst: Paylocity, Ripplingagainst: Blackboard Learn, Cornerstone OnDemand, Docebo, Kajabi, Moodle, Saba, Sakai, SumTotal, Teachable, Thinkific
Four alternatives
360Learning, Docebo, LearnUpon, SAP LitmosThree alternatives
Absorb LMS, Docebo, WorkRampNine alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, Blackboard Learn, Canvas LMS, Docebo, LearnWorlds, Moodle, TalentLMS, ThinkificThree alternatives
GoSkills, Mitti, Zoho LearnFive alternatives
Absorb LMS, Docebo, LearnUpon, TalentLMS, WorkRampPerplexity SonarTalentLMSagainst: DoceboLearnUponChangedno first choiceTalentLMSagainst: SkyPrepno first choicenothing named
Three alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, WorkRampTwo alternatives
Bridge, TalentLMSTwo alternatives
Moodle, ProProfs Training MakerGrok 4.1 FastAbsorb LMSagainst: DoceboTalentLMSChangedno first choiceTalentLMSno first choiceagainst: Blackboard Learn, Canvas LMS, PowerSchool, TalentLMS, itslearning
Two alternatives
360Learning, TalentLMSFive alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, LearnUpon, ProProfs Training Maker, WorkRampThree alternatives
Google Classroom, Moodle, ProProfs Training MakerMistral SmallLearnUponLearnUponHeldno first choiceagainst: Thought IndustriesProProfs Training Maker, TalentLMSno first choicenothing named
Two alternatives
Absorb LMS, DoceboThree alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, DoceboDeepSeek V4 FlashTalentLMSagainst: 360LearningLearnUponChangedagainst: Docebono first choiceTalentLMSno first choiceagainst: Canvas LMS, Cornerstone OnDemand, Moodle, eCommons
Two alternatives
Absorb LMS, LearnUponThree alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, TalentLMSFour alternatives
Coassemble, Moodle, Zoho Learn, iSpring LearnLlama 4 MaverickAbsorb LMS, LearnUpon, TalentLMS360Learning, Bridge, LearnUponChangedno first choiceTalentLMSno first choicenothing named
Three alternatives
EducateMe, LearnWorlds, ProProfs Training MakerFive alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, LifterLMS, TalentLMS, ValamisQwen 3.7 FlashTalentLMSDoceboChangedDocebo, TalentLMSagainst: Cornerstone OnDemandSC Trainingagainst: Cornerstone OnDemand, Docebono first choiceagainst: Blackboard Learn, D2L Brightspace, LearningStudio, Moodle, WebCT
Four alternatives
360Learning, Docebo, Seismic Learning, iSpring LearnThree alternatives
Absorb LMS, SAP Litmos, TorchFour alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, Continu, LearnUponThree alternatives
Moodle, TalentLMS, iSpring SuiteKimi K2TalentLMSTalentLMSHeldCanvas LMSMoodle, TalentLMSno first choiceagainst: Blackboard Learn, Canvas LMS, Cornerstone OnDemand, Moodle, SAP Litmos, TalentLMS
Three alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, LearnUponThree alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, DoceboSeven alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, Blackboard Learn, Cornerstone OnDemand, Docebo, Moodle, TalentLMSGLM 4.7 FlashXTalentLMSTalentLMSHeldno first choiceTalentLMSagainst: Moodleno first choiceagainst: Blackboard Learn, Canvas LMS, LearnDash, LearnPress, LifterLMS, Moodle
Four alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, Docebo, WorkRampThree alternatives
Absorb LMS, Docebo, LearnUponTwelve alternatives
360Learning, Absorb LMS, Blackboard Learn, Canvas LMS, Cornerstone OnDemand, Docebo, LearnDash, LearnPress, Moodle, SAP Litmos, TalentLMS, iSpring LearnFour alternatives
ProProfs Training Maker, Thinkific, Zoho Learn, eLeaPMiniMax M2.5360LearningLearnUponChangedno first choiceTalentLMS, Zoho Learnno first choiceagainst: Blackboard Learn, Canvas LMS, D2L Brightspace
Three alternatives
ProProfs Training Maker, TalentLMS, WorkRampTwo alternatives
360Learning, SkyPrepTwo alternatives
GoSkills, LearnWorldsBold is the first choiceAlternatives are counted; the count opens them.What the answer argued against
05The record
One row per call: the version string exactly as returned, whether the model searched, sources cited, and latency. Full answer text is in the free responses file. Download the record
Seventy-two rows: every prompt, every model, every answer.
| Prompt | Model | Version string | Time (UTC) | Searched | Sources | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct recommendation | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-09-17 17:05 | yes | 9 | 9 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-09-17 17:04 | yes | 4 | 5 s |
| Direct recommendation | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-09-17 17:11 | yes | 10 | 21 s |
| Direct recommendation | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-09-17 17:21 | yes | 18 | 6 s |
| Direct recommendation | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-09-17 17:19 | yes | 24 | 16 s |
| Direct recommendation | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-09-17 17:12 | yes | 20 | 12 s |
| Direct recommendation | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-09-17 17:13 | yes | 26 | 50 s |
| Direct recommendation | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-09-17 17:04 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Direct recommendation | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-09-17 17:22 | no | 0 | 28 s |
| Direct recommendation | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-09-17 17:22 | yes | 11 | 24 s |
| Direct recommendation | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-09-17 17:09 | yes | 16 | 108 s |
| Direct recommendation | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-09-17 17:00 | yes | 17 | 28 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-09-17 17:14 | yes | 9 | 9 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-09-17 17:00 | yes | 3 | 4 s |
| Paraphrase | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-09-17 17:02 | yes | 12 | 21 s |
| Paraphrase | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-09-17 17:08 | yes | 20 | 9 s |
| Paraphrase | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-09-17 17:10 | yes | 11 | 9 s |
| Paraphrase | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-09-17 17:18 | yes | 5 | 5 s |
| Paraphrase | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via fireworks | 2026-09-17 17:00 | yes | 14 | 16 s |
| Paraphrase | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-09-17 17:04 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Paraphrase | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-09-17 17:13 | no | 0 | 30 s |
| Paraphrase | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-09-17 17:05 | yes | 9 | 41 s |
| Paraphrase | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-09-17 17:06 | yes | 16 | 54 s |
| Paraphrase | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-09-17 16:59 | yes | 5 | 15 s |
| Comparative | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-09-17 17:18 | yes | 9 | 9 s |
| Comparative | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-09-17 17:02 | yes | 6 | 14 s |
| Comparative | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-09-17 17:12 | yes | 12 | 21 s |
| Comparative | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-09-17 17:01 | yes | 20 | 9 s |
| Comparative | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-09-17 16:59 | yes | 33 | 15 s |
| Comparative | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-09-17 17:13 | yes | 5 | 6 s |
| Comparative | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via fireworks | 2026-09-17 17:06 | yes | 10 | 10 s |
| Comparative | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-09-17 17:11 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Comparative | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-09-17 17:13 | yes | 5 | 21 s |
| Comparative | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-09-17 17:14 | yes | 10 | 24 s |
| Comparative | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-09-17 17:20 | yes | 14 | 36 s |
| Comparative | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-09-17 17:21 | yes | 5 | 33 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-09-17 17:01 | yes | 9 | 8 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-09-17 16:59 | yes | 3 | 5 s |
| Budget constrained | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-09-17 17:22 | yes | 16 | 23 s |
| Budget constrained | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-09-17 17:17 | yes | 20 | 8 s |
| Budget constrained | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-09-17 17:22 | yes | 39 | 18 s |
| Budget constrained | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-09-17 17:07 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Budget constrained | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-09-17 17:18 | yes | 20 | 37 s |
| Budget constrained | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-09-17 17:18 | yes | 5 | 2 s |
| Budget constrained | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-09-17 17:19 | no | 0 | 38 s |
| Budget constrained | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-09-17 17:03 | yes | 14 | 23 s |
| Budget constrained | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-09-17 17:00 | yes | 13 | 26 s |
| Budget constrained | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-09-17 16:59 | yes | 5 | 18 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-09-17 16:59 | no | 0 | 7 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-09-17 17:19 | no | 0 | 7 s |
| Scale constrained | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-09-17 16:57 | no | 0 | 14 s |
| Scale constrained | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-09-17 16:57 | yes | 20 | 9 s |
| Scale constrained | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-09-17 17:06 | yes | 15 | 14 s |
| Scale constrained | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-09-17 17:14 | no | 0 | 4 s |
| Scale constrained | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-09-17 17:11 | yes | 20 | 51 s |
| Scale constrained | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-09-17 17:16 | yes | 5 | 5 s |
| Scale constrained | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-09-17 17:20 | no | 0 | 29 s |
| Scale constrained | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-09-17 17:05 | yes | 10 | 34 s |
| Scale constrained | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-09-17 17:22 | yes | 15 | 219 s |
| Scale constrained | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-09-17 17:22 | no | 0 | 11 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-09-17 17:16 | yes | 18 | 9 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-09-17 17:07 | yes | 5 | 7 s |
| Negative framing | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-09-17 17:01 | yes | 30 | 24 s |
| Negative framing | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-09-17 17:07 | yes | 20 | 8 s |
| Negative framing | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-09-17 17:10 | yes | 36 | 18 s |
| Negative framing | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-09-17 17:08 | yes | 5 | 6 s |
| Negative framing | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via fireworks | 2026-09-17 17:02 | yes | 16 | 32 s |
| Negative framing | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-09-17 17:14 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Negative framing | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-09-17 17:15 | no | 0 | 34 s |
| Negative framing | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-09-17 17:22 | yes | 25 | 76 s |
| Negative framing | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-09-17 17:09 | yes | 20 | 53 s |
| Negative framing | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-09-17 17:02 | yes | 10 | 19 s |
Normalization in this category
Every judgment call made between the raw labels and the numbers above, listed so it is visible and reversible.
Category-scoped readings
Absorb read as Absorb LMS
Blackboard read as Blackboard Learn
Blackboard (Anthology) read as Blackboard Learn
Canvas read as Canvas LMS
Canvas (Instructure) read as Canvas LMS
Canvas (by Instructure) read as Canvas LMS
Canvas by Instructure read as Canvas LMS
Cornerstone read as Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone (OnDemand) read as Cornerstone OnDemand
EdApp read as SC Training
Lessonly read as Seismic Learning
Litmos read as SAP Litmos
Litmos (SAP Litmos) read as SAP Litmos
Litmos (formerly SAP Litmos) read as SAP Litmos
Moodle Workplace read as Moodle
ProProfs read as ProProfs Training Maker
Sana read as Sana Learn
Totara read as Totara Learn
iSpring LMS read as iSpring Learn
Unresolved, counted raw
Anthology
Axis LMS
CoreAchieve
LearningStudio (formerly Angel)
Schoology Learning
Synergy Learning
Trainn
WebCT
ZoomLearn
eCommons
itslearning
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.