The pandemic has given quite a boost to the demand for LMS and E-Learning platforms. Though many are currently using them, there is a lesser number of people who actually know that the two despite being under the same category, i.e., education, having the same concept, i.e., online learning, have many differences. LMS and E-Learning systems are actually two sides of a single coin.

Most of the time, people end up choosing the wrong product for their organization and have to go through an unwanted experience, with lots of money spent. Though sometimes, they get the right product, which may be an LMS, an E-Learning platform, or both. But in many cases, the end product is neither an LMS nor an E-Learning platform, but just a website.

So while trying to get the right product based on your needs, you must research well and get to know more from the experts. To help you avoid the extra hassle and get you the product you want, here we discuss the prime differences between LMSs and E-Learning platforms so that, by the end of the article, you will know which of the two fulfill your needs.

The Basic Definition: An eLearning system can be an online learning program that is on a website, on a video streaming platform, or on an LMS. But LMSs software programs have to have some of the features, including course building, progress tracking of a student, reports, and educational content delivery, that separates it from an e-Learning platform.

LMSs are mostly designed to serve a specific group of people within an organization. On the other hand, anyone can have the access to an e-Learning platform when they have an internet-connected device, independent of their background. So all Learning Management Systems can be eLearning platforms, but not all eLearning systems are always LMS.

There are some key features that build the thin line between the LMSs and the e-Learning platforms that differentiate the two. An LMS has to have the following features that an e-Learning Platform may or may not have:

1. Content Creation and Management: LMSs offer administrative controls to their users, who can curate, store and manage the course. But the e-Learning platforms don’t necessarily include such features.

2. User Management:  LMSs let the administrators control the users, their enrollments as well as their profiles. In fact, the end-users also have got some control over their profiles so that they have better access to their courses, reports, ranks, etc.

3. Support: LMSs come with user support, where the users can submit their queries about the course, their reports, and the functionality of the system. The users can have the option of contacting the support within the LMS through chat, email, or even a phone call. But in the case of an e-Learning platform, users don’t always get such a facility.

4. Progress Tracking, Reports, and Analytics: LMSs include the features like progress tracking, reports, and analytics that help the learners in improving their performance. The e-Learning systems may have those features, but not always.

5. Option for Social Learning Integrations: LMSs also offer social media integration, such that to make learning more interactive. Social media integration is also good for topic discussions and sharing the content.

From the above discussion, we conclude that LMSs and the e-Learning platforms differ from each other on the following grounds:

The Functionality: The major difference between an LMS and an e-Learning platform is the functionality of the two. The LMSs are more feature-rich and are designed to serve a certain group. Whereas, an e-Learning platform may not always have all the features of an LMS, and sometimes, an e-Learning platform is just an educational website, where one can get the information but doesn’t have the tools to track their performance, or connect with other students or the trainers through social media, etc.

Accessibility: In terms of accessibility, the e-Learning systems are more flexible and scalable as compared to an LMS. e-Learning platforms can be accessed from any part of the world through an internet-connected device, a smartphone, or a laptop. But since LMSs have some specifications to follow and are built to train a certain group, it requires permissions and most of the time are accessible only within an organization.

Hence, the above discussion infers that there is a lot of difference between the two learning platforms, and now you can make up your mind on what exactly you want to build for your organization. If you still have some questions regarding LMSs and e-Learning platforms, feel free to contact Xornor Technologies, the industry leaders of LMS and e-Learning platform development.