6 Gamified Learning Management Systems Compared

Halden Ingwersen profile picture
By Halden Ingwersen

Published
4 min read

A whopping 89% of LMS users report that they would be more engaged with their eLearning application if it had a points system.

Gamification works to engage students by applying game principles (points, progression, competition) to learning activities.

And, a lot of the time, it's successful, helping your employees and your business grow, proving that games aren't just for kids. They're a real and effective corporate training strategy.

The demand for gamified learning just keeps rising, and learning games for businesses are expected to be an $11 billion dollar industry by 2020. Gamification is the fourth most desired eLearning feature based on LMS user research.

gamified lms

Yet learning management systems with an explicit focus on gamification are currently a little thin on the ground.

Below we'll take a look at six systems that do have a gamification focus and what they can do for your gamified learning program.

*Software options are listed in alphabetical order

1. Academy LMS

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Academy LMS student profile

Designed by Growth Engineering, Academy LMS is built entirely around gamification—in fact, their other products include a game-based content authoring tool and custom content creation focused on engagement. It's not an LMS that has gamification added, it's an LMS that relies on gamification to function at all. If you're looking for a ground-up gamified system, Academy might be a good choice.

Core features:

  • Points

  • Badges

  • Leaderboards

  • Social learning

Price: Quotes by request

Want to see what people are saying about Academy LMS? Check out the reviews!

2. Accord LMS

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Accord LMS users and badges

Accord LMS utilizes a partnership with social technology company Evoq Social to integrate game elements into its learning management system. The gamified features include a leaderboard and badges that update instantly, and a points-based reputation system that displays how knowledgeable an employee is to their colleagues.

Community managers have access to analytics across courses, giving insight into how learners are interacting with gamified courses.

Core features:

  • Activity points

  • Badges

  • Leaderboards

  • User profiles and dashboards

Price: Accord starts at $297 per month for up to 200 learners, but does charge extra for the gamification module.

Want to see what people are saying about Accord LMS? Check out the reviews!

3. Axonify

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Axonify completion board

Axonify builds gamification into the bones of its learning solution. Not only does it include game-like elements such as points, awards, badges, and leaderboards, it includes a host of actual games right in the application itself.

These short games (imagine Candy Crush or Memory) intersperse game playing with subject-related questions that are triggered by certain game actions (for instance, if you match three squares of the same color, a question will pop up). According to Axonify, this type of testing helps employees retain knowledge better.

Core features:

  • Social learning

  • Microlearning features on mobile

  • Leaderboards

  • Points

Price: Quotes by request

Want to see what people are saying about Axonify? Check out the reviews!

4. ExpertusONE

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ExpertusONE course catalog

This cloud-based LMS also includes full gamification functionality. ExpertusONE uses its core features to focus on learner motivation, with a point and progress tracking system that encourages growth rather than punishing stagnation.

Core features:

  • Points

  • Progress tracking

  • Customizable badges

  • Prizes

Price: Subscription model quotes by request

Want to see what people are saying about ExpertusONE? Check out the reviews!

5. Matrix LMS

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The Matrix LMS dashboard

A relative newcomer to the gamified LMS field, Matrix LMS has some extensive gamification capabilities, including the ability to use rules to set when certain badges appear. This creates added flexibility within the system as you can customize the badges to your own specifications instead of using pre-existing goals.

Core features:

  • Leaderboard

  • Points

  • Badges

  • Levels

Price: Matrix LMS starts at $149 a month for 20 active students.

Want to see what people are saying about Matrix LMS? Check out the reviews!

6. TalentLMS

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TalentLMS scoreboard

TalentLMS is highly-rated software that supports points that can be customized per action (such as when someone logs in, completes a course, a test etc.). Each course can award a different amount of points depending on its scale of difficulty.

TalentLMS also offers customizable badges that are compatible with Mozilla's OpenBadges initiative, which is a well-known system that carries weight in a lot of industries, letting learners collect and display all of their badges in a single place.

Core features:

  • Points

  • Levels

  • Leaderboards

  • Rewards

Price: TalentLMS is free for up to five users and ten courses, and starts at $29 per month after that.

Want to see what people are saying about Talent LMS? Check out their reviews!

Have you gamified your LMS?

Any great gamified learning management systems that I missed? Any awesome gamification resources you love? Add them in the comments below or tweet me @CapterraHalden to tell me about them.

And don't forget to check out our totally free directory of gamified training and eLearning software to find the perfect solution for your business.


Looking for Learning Management System software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Learning Management System software solutions.

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About the Author

Halden Ingwersen profile picture

Halden Ingwersen is a former Capterra analyst.

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